TOP 10 BEST Restaurants in New Zealand - Updated November 2024

Gion Japanese Restaurant

88/100 (1230 ratings)

Restaurants

Japanese

Asian

Sushi

Vegetarian Friendly

Gluten Free Options

Sushi

Japanese

Asian

Vegetarian Friendly

Gluten Free Options

Dinner

Lunch

Teriyaki Beef

Bluff Oysters

Salmon Teriyaki

Squid Ika

Sashimi Mixed

Fish on Grill

A5 Wagyu

Beef

Renkon Chips and Eggplant Miso

Teriyaki Salmon Bento

Eggplant Miso 揚げナス味噌

Sparkling Sake

たこわさ Takowasa

Salad

Prawn Tempura 海老天婦羅

Salmon

Teritaki Chicken Udon

Steamed Egg Custard

Gion Special Lunch Selection with 2x Sashimi Mixes

Tempura

Fish

Sashimi

Edamame

Chicken Katsu

Sashimi Deluxe

Karaage chicken

Sit down

Sushi

Asian

Japanese

Reservations

Seating

Table Service

Serves Alcohol

Dinner

Lunch

Mid-range

"Have always walked past and wanted to make a booking at this fancy looking Japanese restaurant in Parnell. Finally took the opportunity this evening...."

Elaine Yeoh

"19th March 2019Went here for a casual date nightLoved the ambianceWe ordered very non-adventurous, not even purely japanese..."

Maricor Sunga

"Came in with a group of 6 for a birthday. Lovely staff and beautiful wee key chain gift and free dessert with candle for birthday girl as well as a..."

Bonny Sapphire

"Awesome experience at Gion parnell! Staff were polite and ambience was really nice. Spacious and really nice decor, very comfortable. Food was..."

Annie Low

"I had a birthday dinner. Food were all so beautiful presentation and delicious. They brought birthday desert plate with birthday songs which was..."

M M

"Had birthday dinner here. The lovely staffs sang birthday song for me and free birthday dessert. Nice ambience. Quality of the food is good...."

Linda Yan

"The first time for us here. Very delicious Bento Karange chicken lunch, and very kind service. We'll be..."

Tushar Sharma

"was there for my birthday dinner nice setting n friendly staff. the sashimi n sushi are fresh however was little disappointed on the selection only..."

Jenny Kan

"This Japanese restaurant has been around for over 10 years, locates in Parnell, well known for its traditional Japanese cuisine.They offer..."

Lucy

"Gion is one of the most authentic and original Japanese restaurants you must visit, centrally located in Parnell. The restaurant is often busy,..."

Jenny Da

"I had lunch with family there today. Very reasonable price with fresh sashimi and sushi. Exceeded our expectations. My parents really enjoy it. Ll..."

Judy

"Came in for dinner tonight with the family. Food was amazing. The wagyu steak melted inside my mouth. There was no need to chew. Chazuke has both..."

Rosanne Choy

"My favourite Japanese restaurant! Visited Japan a few times so am able to confirm the food here is delicious and very similar to authentic..."

白雪雪

"Had a set menu. Was really good. We took away some food home as we were too full. Food came too quick and all at the same time so we had to tell them..."

Rezz Ca

"Good Japanese restaurant in Parnell area. I come to this place many times because they have Sake that we like and for me I like sukiyaki or seafood..."

Jewel

"Absolutely delicious and very well presented.Everything was good from the miso soup to the nigiri. I can’t fault this place one bit. The..."

Darren Big Belly

"My absolute favorite Japanese restaurant in Auckland, better than any of the “bigger” names out there in my opinion. The authentic ambience,..."

Beccca

"We went for a dinner tonight. The service, the food, the ambience - all perfect! We ordered tuna tonkatsu, prawn tempura, pork belly. Thank you...."

Monika Tracy

"Amazing authentic Japanese food, great atmosphere and great service. Make you feel like you are in Japan! Fresh Sashimi and very tasty chawamushi...."

CrazyCatLady_EmmaC

"I have had almost everything on the regular menu, everything is great, but they do great karaage compared to other places I have..."

David Wright

"The first time I came here was for my birthday and because my best friend had booked dinner for my partner and I to have here. Admittedly felt like..."

Sonz

"We arrived late looking to have dinner and they appeared to be preparing to close up for the night. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff. We..."

Dennis Tohovaka

"One of the nicest meals I have had in a long time, great service , ambience & the Seafood Udon hotpot was delicous, will definitely be back..."

Steph Hay

"We had a birthday dinner here two weeks ago and had a lovely time. This was not my first choice for that particular evening, but I ended up reserving..."

Dee Elle

"Ordered one Gion special sashimi platter for $52.80 and one green tea ice cream for $7.80 Price was not cheap but reasonable for the quality of raw..."

Michelle Hwang

"Good value for money. Speedy and very polite staff. Great ambience for catching up with friends. Food is well presented. They also have a longer..."

Littleredpanda

"Amazing food and service! Quality of the food is good here, everything is fresh. Seafood udon is the best, super generous with the amount of salmon..."

Priscilla Khang

"Simply the best high quality authentic Japanese restaurant in town!The freshest sashimi cut in perfect thickness and only the best parts..."

Cupy Dee

"Definitely loved the ambiance of this place, very traditional. Customer service was very good. Very fulfilling meals and it came in a timely manner...."

Liaxo

"The food was absolutely incredible! Not to mention the super speedy service!!! The food was good quality and great portion sizes. Will return again..."

K B

"All the bentos are nicely designed with a mix of sushi, sashimi, pickles, salad and main dish. The sashimi is fresh and the makis are wrapped..."

Lmrliu74

"At Gion Japanese Restaurant, there is a wide variety of mains to choose from. The only thing was that they didn’t have a lot of dessert options...."

Rachel

"Went there for lunch today, it was a booking for 7 and we(5 of us) arrived at 11:45 and was told by the waitress that she couldn't bring us in for..."

Michael Hung

"This is a great little find in Parnell. The restaurant is clean and inviting. The service is friendly and generally very good. Anything teriyaki..."

HJ

"Good authentic Japanese restaurant with fresh food and menu. Great service by the staff. Good selection of drinks. Although it can be somewhat boring..."

TinaS

"Ok lunch in heart of Parnell, there're lots of Japanese decoration in the store which remind me the old days traveling around in Japan. I tried beef..."

Flora

"Went here Thursday evening with a girlfriend and then again on Saturday night. Food here is delicious, service is awesome and reasonably priced...."

Girlygirl

"We just had a beautiful lunch here today. We had pork gyoza dumplings and then each got a lunch special. Both were amazing, I had the tempura and the..."

Fiona M

"At long last, the hunt for zaru soba in NZ ends. :) I’ve never been a fan of Parnell Rd’s dining establishments – with only a few notable..."

Kiwi Foodie

"We came here for lunch and ordered two bentos and a udon noodle soup. The prices were very good for the quality and presentation of the food...."

Aniva Huang

"Best miso I have ever tasted. Slightly on the expensive side compared to price but the miso really made up for it. Great service and good location,..."

Emily Reeves

"Good food, good service, one of the best Japanese restaurants in NZ. Though getting a bit pricier... Nevertheless, one of the must try in Auckland!..."

Wewet8

"Not going to lie. This place is not cheap and the portions are incredibly small, BUT they do it well and I can't fault them for that, especially..."

Ed

"Went here for lunch. My friend reccomended the bento set, so I opted for the spicy karaage. It isn't anywhere near spicy but kinda expected that in a..."

Madz Manahan

"I remember going there when Gion was the winner for Japanese cuisine. Some time past since then. Went for dinner last month and yes, fresh..."

Katerina

"This restaurant is my go to for authentic japanese food. Food are always fresh and beautifully presented. The portion size is small like more..."

Candii Cao

"This resturant was at a different address sone years ago when I last visited. The new location suits as I usually dine in the precinct outlets..."

BeeQueUU

"The back story : Gion and I go way back. Having started going there many years ago, when it first started up on the opposite side of Parnell Rd to..."

A Culinary Affair

"I really love this restaurant and especially the Agedashi Tofu!We had 4 dishes and a huge sashimi combo between the 2 of us. Very delicious and..."

Alexis Xiaoyi Wang

"Have been dining here regularly for years and can truthfully say I have never been disappointed. Fresh food, great service. Highly..."

Owent

"This place is awesome. The food is great. It is definitely a place that is worth going to. It's my favourite place to go if I want to treat myself to..."

Catherine Fisher

"Have only recently discovered Gion. Although it's rather pricey in terms of Jap it's undoubtably worth it. Their teriyaki chicken is one of the best..."

Bella Lily

"Wonderful experience, great service, great taste, great atmosphere! Fresh seafood, my favorites are the rainbow roll, Saba yaki 鯖焼き, and Unagi..."

Fiffie Lee

"A wonderful lunch experience. Have been multiple times and my wife and I thoroughly enjoy the multiple choices on the menu. Okay so her choices..."

Chris Fitzgerald

"By far the best Japanese restaurant I have been with a group of friends from Asia.They saw and tasted the freshness of New Zealand seafood done..."

Moana

"Went over for dinner with my family last Wednesday 30/5 to celebrate my wife's birthday.Again, we were not disappointed - the new location and..."

R K Ariff

"Gourgeous food, lovely clean flavours. I hope you re-open..."

A W

"Our party of 11 ate at Gion last week and the experience has been in mind for several days so I had to leave a review.Whilst the service..."

Love Food

"My girlfriend and I dined here late on a Friday night. We loved it! It had a great authentic Japanese feel. Quiet, warm and comfortable atmosphere...."

Ben

"Very authentic Japanese restaurant, waitresses are dressed in their traditional costumes , and interior were very nice with the traditional look...."

Bo

"This is absolutely my favorite Japanese Restaurant in Auckland. Authentic Japanese food in high quality. Price is reasonable. The owners has run this..."

Rikki Mitchell Family

"Highly recommended, value for money!!! Food was superb and everything was very fresh. I was a bit cautious in regards to the services, having read..."

Gary Wilson

"I visited this restaurant with my family for dinner.The restaurant is quite clean and unique. Sashimi and sushi set is very fresh and yummy. It is..."

Eric Kim

"My favourite place for Japanese food. Gion offers a wide range of dishes and all are of top quality and made with incredibly fresh ingredients. I..."

Lauren Okabe-Fox

"Been here a couple times now. The Gion Special sashimi looked amazing and tasted even better! Also had some A5 wagyu sirloin, chicken katsu and many..."

Alex Leong

"Excellent quality food, Service is OK no one smiles and welcomes you. The lady who took our order was so grumpy but the young lady who brought our..."

Nav Jote

"Amazing service and atmosphere. Were here for our Wedding dinner and it was fantastic. They even gave us a little parting gift. We knew the food was..."

Rochelle Aird

"We came here the other day for lunch. We had the bento lunch, spicy karaage and the teriyaki beef. The beef was very good and tender and juicy. ..."

Wilson Shum

"30 June 2020: Had a lovely dinner at this restaurant for the first time. This is the first place where we were explicitly asked to scan the QR. The..."

Rising Star

"Was probably one of the most delicious and authentic Japanese restaurants I have been to! Amazing aesthetics and atmosphere I love how the employees..."

Jane Xu

"The GoodJapanese food in Akl Recommend ⬇️ 1.Sashimi 🍣 (must order) so delicious 2.Chawan Mushi (must order) is so delicious! 3.TATAKI is the..."

iok cool

"My second time to Gion tonight since 7 years ago as I live in Melbourne. Totally love the food very much. Freshness and the best quality you can get...."

demi Chor

"Great japanese experience, had teriyaki don, agadashi tofu and it was amazing, a bit pricey but worth..."

Charles Andrew

"Fabulous food. Beautiful fresh salmon that melted in your mouth. Four of us had bento boxes after salmon avocado sushi, all thought bento had a good..."

Cheryl Campbell

"Absolutely love this place! The Japanese steak was amazing and the sashimi was fresh. My favorite was the drinks here! If you are someone love sweet..."

Ching Hu

"We had Katsu bento box & Special lunch selection- Salmon Teriyaki with mixed sashimi Foods were nice. We might go again, if we crave for Japanes..."

L

Moto Japanese Restaurant

84/100 (350 ratings)

Restaurants

Japanese

Kimchi

Salmon Teriyaki

Banana Tempura

Teriyaki Chicken Donburi

Seafood Udon

Miso Soup and Salad

King Fish Sushi

Vegetarian Dinner Box

Sushi and Sashimi Combo

Green Tea

Tuna Roll

Salmon Roll

Chicken Katsu Curry

Salmon Sushi

Fried Dumplings

Seaweed Salad

Prawn Tempura

spring rolls

Seafood Ramen

Japanese

Reservations

Mid-range

"Our favourite, awesome people, food and reasonably..."

Darryl Halloran

"Always lovely Good selection and friendly..."

Fiona Sullivan

"been going here for years now and am never let down, literally one of my favourite restaurants. 10/10 would recommend to anyone. My go to dish is..."

Zara

"Fantastic food and friendly staff. My family really enjoyed having meal and we were able to experience variety of food. My kids loved having Udon..."

Bohye Jude Lim

"I've been here a couple times. Last night I got food to takeaway and it was delicious. They have a wide variety including vegetarian. The meal I..."

Carmelia Ng

"Cute little restaurant, I would say that I always find myself coming back specially to dine in on their nicely decorated booths. Food is average,..."

Msav

"Our all time favorite Japanese Restaurant for dine in & takeaways, Food consistently excellent, Love the staff always bubbly & friendly. Value for..."

LeeAnne Hunnibell

"Always delicious, but the prices on here are lower than in the restaurant! They tried to charge me an extra $12... Luckily when I showed the menu on..."

Molly Hottman

"I've been coming here for years! Chicken Don buri and a freshly made tempura prawn roll is always a favourite when we visit.Good place for..."

Tarei SuperChur King

"Have been a few times and it's always very busy! Would recommend the sushimi salad- see photo. Very tasty and a nice light lunch. They do great..."

Hester Gabrielle Colmar Pierard

"This is my favourite place. Hint hint kids. I just love the atmosphere and the food. Highly recommend trying this place. Reasonably priced and..."

Wai Thompson

"Have been to moto a number of times for lunch and dinners. Every time we walk in we are always warmly welcomed by all the staff members. Their..."

Kim Alexander

"Great services, Moto is always clean and tidy and the staff are always really friendly, this is one of my favourite lunch spots in..."

Alice Marsh

"I have been here for lunch and dinner for years. Whenever I'm out West I bust Moto. The food is always delicious and fresh, the atmosphere..."

Shannon Sinton

"Came to Moto on a whim and was pleasantly surprised. The staff are friendly and greet you as you come through the door. Our food came very very fast..."

Eva Zhu

"First time trying out this little Japenese gem of a restaurant. The takoyaki, seaweed salad and salmon sashimi was very good! The prawn dish was ok..."

Celeste

"I was at this restaurant yesterday for lunch, my second time. I like this place. It's clean and tidy. Hygiene is important to me in a..."

Tony Wan

"Been here a lot over the past few years and always happy with service,food and prices. Fresh food good quality. Clean and the people always have a..."

Madison Grevel

"I love this place, great value for money! They are always so friendly and happy to help with our toddler. Always leaving feeling satisfied. Thanks so..."

Zhora Watson

"This place is consistent with their food, we have had some days which were better than others, I wonder if they use different chefs on those nights?..."

Linny

"The food here is great. plenty of variety. The Dinner Boxes are excellent. Looking forward to visiting again in the near..."

John Budd

"This review is long in coming. We eat at Moto every now and then and have done for the last 5 years. Never disappointed. Wonderful service. Many..."

Mireille

"I dine there regularly with some people who are extremely fussy. They are very happy with the service and food and prices. However, we are all..."

Numcrun

"We go here often and it is always delicious. The staff are very friendly and although the food can be a little slow to come out it is worth the wait...."

Rachel Villalta

"Fab sushi and really cute restaurant! Had a lovely lunch out. I had the chicken sushi set - YUM! Pretty good price..."

Rachel Schuurman

"Eat here at least once a week/every 2 weeks for dine-in or take-away. LOVE LOVE LOVE. The food is so good and such a fast and easy place to go. The..."

Laura

"Best Japanese restaurant I've ever been to! I also don't understand the bad reviews, when my husband and I left moto the other night we immediately..."

Alesha Niuapu

"Great food and lovely service, pity my friends entree came out first and mine came out part way through our main, our sides came out before..."

Courtney Maloyd

"I love this restaurant. Ive been addicted for 2months! I go 3times a week. I would recommend this place to everyone I know. I don't believe all the..."

Tahlea Hohaia

"For those who are surprised there are so many good reviews, I'm surprised why there are negative reviews. I love it there and so does my family...."

Christina Loftin

"I've probably over exaggerated this rating because A) I've only been to a handful of Japanese Restaurants, B) This is my first ever Review and C) I'm..."

Siobon Inu

"I am a regular customer visit Moto at least 2 times a month with my family. I was surprised by a customer rating this restaurant only one star. This..."

Sam Sang-woo Jeon

"Moto is one of my favourite Japanese restaurants! I would highly recommend dining in or getting take out. Their service & quality it top notch...."

Debra

"Best Teriyaki ever. We ran into this restaurant just for a quick lunch a few years back and it was the best Japanese food we have tasted so far. Now..."

Al Kumar

"Went to Moto last night and sat in one of their lovely little booths. The tempura had to be the best I've ever had and all the staff were wonderful...."

Linda Oudshoorn

"My partner and I love this place. It is our sushi place of choice and we tend to end up there about once a week. The salmon/avocado roll is..."

Candy Boy Food Journey

"Great restaurant! The food is amazing and the staff are very polite and friendly, so excellent service :). I would recommend the vegetarian box and..."

Alexandra

"I can't fault Moto. We dined there this evening for my sons 8th Birthday. The service was fantastic, the food was so delicious and so fresh. Our kids..."

Amy Cosford

"We live close to Moto, and so we are there at least once a week. The food is always great, the staff are very friendly, and I enjoy the intimate side..."

Souxsi

"Moto is always excellent. They're fast and efficient. Now, you have to be sure the wait staff 'sees' you. It's invariably busy in the place and so..."

Puawai Kopu

"Food was beautiful! Shame about the service though. Waitress was texting on her phone. We had to clear our own tables and had to go up to the counter..."

Laurel Jenna Black

"Great place, always enjoy the service and meals.Good..."

Ally Glen

"The best Japanese restaurant. Great food and very good..."

Dave Jennings

"1/ A very enjoyable dinner for two. Highly recommended. 2/ Return visit, steady patronage for a Friday night, another enjoyable dinner for two,..."

cee doubleyou

"This restaurant saved us 😉 we were supposed to have dinner in the city but the weather was horrible and it was very chilly, so we opted to eat..."

Dins R.

"Nice little Japanese restaurant. Has all the classic dishes and not a bad price. Staff were friendly. Would come again to try..."

Yen Luong

"*Updated 7/3/22: And still... Enjoyable authentic Japanese atmosphere, with awesome cosy booths. Staff friendly, food is very tasty and Heineken is..."

ELÆN

"Food was absolutely delicious. Place is a little dated, but the service was..."

Kevin E

"Love coming here havent been here for awhile food is still..."

Tee Hoha

"Food is okay and space is tidy but its just on the pricier side. My son (8) absolutely loves the food so great place for kids. Overall good..."

Faith P

"What a lovely place, super quick service and yummy..."

dianne mckenzie

"We absolutely love the Moto team. Their food is amazingly yummy. Staff are always friendly and we always leave feeling so humbled and loved. Value..."

Meg

"Great food. My hot plate was $24, prices aren't bad. The staff are very accommodating and friendly. Highly recommend..."

Totu Mer

"Great food. Best Donburi..."

Zane Low

"Great food at a great price, authentic low key Japanese with friendly vibe. We had very quick service. Couples specials are..."

Mo Tee

"Always good good food very..."

Elon Gates

"Excellent food at affordable prices. The little dining areas are private and atmosphere is chilled, love this place for a sneaky couples date night!..."

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Elaine Yeoh

Maricor Sunga

Bonny Sapphire

Annie Low

M M

Linda Yan

Tushar Sharma

Jenny Kan

Lucy

Jenny Da

Judy

Rosanne Choy

白雪雪

Rezz Ca

Jewel

Darren Big Belly

Beccca

Monika Tracy

CrazyCatLady_EmmaC

David Wright

Sonz

Dennis Tohovaka

Steph Hay

Dee Elle

Michelle Hwang

Littleredpanda

Priscilla Khang

Cupy Dee

Liaxo

K B

Lmrliu74

Rachel

Michael Hung

HJ

TinaS

Flora

Girlygirl

Fiona M

Kiwi Foodie

Aniva Huang

Emily Reeves

Wewet8

Ed

Madz Manahan

Katerina

Candii Cao

BeeQueUU

A Culinary Affair

Alexis Xiaoyi Wang

Owent

Catherine Fisher

Bella Lily

Fiffie Lee

Chris Fitzgerald

Moana

R K Ariff

A W

Love Food

Ben

Bo

Rikki Mitchell Family

Gary Wilson

Eric Kim

Lauren Okabe-Fox

Alex Leong

Nav Jote

Rochelle Aird

Wilson Shum