Mad Samurai Japanese Restaurant

An amazing authentic Japanese restaurant with a kind and caring owner. The Samurai Platter alone was enough to make the two of us 120% full. We managed to share an avocado salad and became 150% full at the end. Fortunately, we took the owner's advice and removed the mixed tempura from our order to avoid wasting food. I really enjoyed the vague taste and highly recommended the Samurai Meat Platter.

Trying to figure out where to eat and just happened to stumble onto this place on a Friday evening. SO glad we did because the food and entire experience was incredible. First of all it was tucked back in Snickel Lane and was considerably less crowded than many of the other restaurants we popped into, so we were able to sit immediately and order drinks. I ordered the BRB Hazy Pale Ale - not totally sure if it was the frosty glass or the beer itself but this was by far the best beer I had anywhere in Australia OR New Zealand. We jumped into food with the edamame- again, not sure what was going on here but this is the best edamame I’ve had in a long time. It was just steamed and seasoned with salt per usual, but something about the edamame beans themselves had so much more flavor than I’ve ever had. For the main course I had the on special Pork Katsu and my partner had the Wayu Black Burger. You can see from the pictures that the burger was just insane. Recently read a “best burgers in Auckland” post and they’re definitely missing this one!! The Pork Katsu also came with steamed rice and miso soup and was overall just DELIGHTFUL. On top of everything the small staff of 3 running the place were lovely. Seriously go here- you won’t be disappointed.

Super nice price and dishes. I love the place, quite warm and cozy. The sashimi was fresh and delicious, the grilled salmon was superb. The cream cheese matcha cake is a must-try. It's not ordinary sponge cheese cake but a piece of matcha cheese ( Yup, a whole piece of matcha cheese, not cheesecake, I'm not wrong ). I would definitely come again after the lockdown.

Our first visit to Mad Samurai to celebrate our daughter's birthday. What a delightful eatery!! Lovely ambience, very attentive & friendly staff and the food was delicious! The menu is not huge but what we ordered came out well-presented & tasty. The sashimi/sushi platter was very fresh and generous portions. A great night out!

A must try!! The meals were absolutely amazing and we loved getting to try the wagyu it was a really cool experience! Every dish was so so delicious and so fresh and also really beautiful. Not to mention each course came out so fast! The restaurant is also situated in a cool little Lane and the staff were so happy, professional, lovely and kind. I can't wait to go back!

A hidden gem in a small arcade of Auckland. Beautiful and cosy place to experience a reasonably small list of Japanese dishes —and I say small as a compliment here. The service was exceptional with the waitress being very polite and smiling and making sure that we get what we need. Time between order and service was reasonable for a place serving freshly cooked food. The pork gyoza was deliciously cooked. The chicken katsu was crispy outside and juicy and tender inside, with an aftertaste free of frying oil which is one of the usual challenges with fried poultry. Extra points for the wonderful mix of mayonnaise and wasabi! We really enjoyed our lunch. Thank you for your hospitality. Highly recommended.