Kizuna

Brilliant food, brilliant staff, brilliant atmosphere. I was pleasantly surprised to discover this hidden gem shortly after moving into the area. I have eaten here many times and always bring friends and family. The staff are extremely lovely, you are guaranteed to leave with a smile on your face and a belly full of yummy food. I have often found that Japanese restaurants in New Zealand tend to dumb down their menus and often up-​size the meals. But this was a refreshing change, offering an extremely traditional experience from the moment you walk in the door.
This is one place you cannot miss!

Whackado but worth a shot. I have eaten there three times.
The staff can put out a weird vibe and nothing would surprise me when I eat there owned by the peeps who run Showa café which I also find a bit of a challenge.
All the menu items have a Japanese twist! I am interested to read other reviews

This is the closest Japanese restaurant to where I live on West Tamaki Road. It was a well needed addition to the slightly drab looking shops here at the corner of Elstree and West Tamaki, providing the strip with a bit of atmosphere when it is open at night time — when you look in from the outside, there is a wooden corridor down to the restaurant at the end, with lights on either side of the corridor which seemed very quintessentially Japanese. As for the quality of the restaurant itself and the service, we were pretty impressed. We got a really nice range of different dishes for the table to share; the prawn tempura roll was especially delicious. The setting is also really nice, Kizuna has a nice ambience that isn’t too bright or too dark. This is a great place to come to with close friends who aren’t afraid of sharing dishes and trying different tastes.