Lovely Japanese themed decorations around the store, friendly staffs and authentic tastes
great authentic japanese food. Had their set Yon, whichbcame with sake, sashimi fried chicken and chazuke. sashimi were fresh, fried chic & tempura were crispy and light, chazuke was awesome. slightly pricy. expect to pay $50 per person but the price is worth it.
Had a Bento. Attention to detail was outstanding and the flavours were something akin to something you would find in an out of the way Ryokan in Hokaido. Never had a bento as good as this one in the 5 years I lived in Japan. Almost Kaiseki. Only gripe is they should make everything come at the same time (miso soup was warm by the time the bento arrived). Otherwise flawless, not a hint of mayo anywhere. Wellington should count itself lucky to have a Japanese restaurant of this caliber.
Second time here. Food was delicious and the prices are worth it for what you get. Would have liked for the food to have come out together but other than that it was perfect.
I had the pickled dish, the Gyu Tataki (seared beef rare middle), spicy chicken wings, Snapper Chasuke, Tarakihi sushi, and that was the perfect combo imo. Chicken wings were deep fried but not dried, really showed the skills of the chef. Gyu Tataki was fresh with garden salads and spring onion. I wish I could include photos but it was so good I finished it all!
Visited this place Thursday night with some friend's. I tried Sashimi for the first time and it was an enjoyable experience. I tried white fish Sashimi and I'm not sure as i didnt like the texture but I enjoyed the Salmon as it was really fresh. I ordered the Chicken Katsu with a soup broth which was very nice, fried squid (was really fresh and cooked well) and tried Japanese alcohol for the first time which I didn't enjoy hehe (tasted like straight vodka). Service was very good. Place is small and I recommend booking, as it was quite busy and we booked days in advanced. Was my first Japanese style experience.
One of my favourite restaurants in Welly. Humble, hearty and authentic Japanese food. Well priced with good service and cost atmosphere. Great seasonal meals, delicious salmon steak and soba meals.
Really good food. Refined and prepared with precision. The food here is very different from other Japanese restaurants. The quality of ingredients is probably the reason. The food had lots of flavour. I'd recommend making a booking, cos there is limited seating. A few parties had to be turned away due to lack of space.
Highly recommend as a family friendly venue with good attentive service. They back up their interior design with an entirely viewable kitchen with awesome dishes. Lovely plum wine too.
Walked in during the busy lunchtime rush on Friday and they squeezed us (comfortably) in. Despite the restaurant being full our orders were filled promptly. Shared some delicous Chicken Karaage for starters followed by probably the best Chicken Kastu Curry I've had. Will be visiting again soon.
A massive menu with apparently authentic Japanese cuisine. Lots of sashimi and also good vegetarian options. I got the Tofu Steaks that came with a beautiful sauce. Pretty well priced! We are definitely going to go back and try out the rest of the menu. Nice service as well and a good ambience. It gets quite busy, when we came in at 6:30 on a Thursday there were no available tables for the two of us so definitely book.
Love this restaurant! Great variety on a lengthy menu, staff were friendly and professional, food portions/quality were equal to their price, and the food was served quickly after ordering. It's probably best for up to only 2-3 people to go together because there is limited seating and the tables are very close together, but other than that, Tatsushi is my favourite Japanese restaurant in Wellington.
My Japanese friend invited us here for dinner while a friend of his was visiting from Kyushu, Japan. He said it is the only authentic Japanese restaurant in Wellington and his guest agreed it tasted just like Japan. We tried a wide selection of the menu and thoroughly enjoyed each dish. It was good for me to get out of my comfort zone of maki sushi and donkatsu.
The stand out dishes were the honemade tofu, yuzu fish, and tofu shiitake! I also loved the plum wine (umeshu).
Another bonus was being able to practice my Japanese with the staff!
Excellent Japanese in the heart of Wellington.
Ate here on a Friday evening, glorious. From the home made tofu, to the delicate tempura and chilled sake... a great dinner.
Unique and Excellent!
Tatsushi is authentically Japanese.
The head chef and all the staff are Japanese and
only Japanese is spoken in the kitchen.
Each dish is prepared with care to detail.
All of the traditional selections are on offer and with a
refreshing homemade twist. For example, locally
sourced yuzu (Japanese citrus) are used to make Tatsushi's ponzu
sauce; minced fresh daikon, garnishes both plates and soups.
I went for lunch and had a look at the daily specials
board as well as the main menu and as I'm a vegan,
I had a few special requests. The waiter said absolutely no
problem and the head chef immediately prepared a hotpot soup
with agadashi tofu, broccoli and 5 different kinds of mushrooms in a
mushroom-based broth. I enjoyed the soup with a side bowl of white rice.
The variety of mushrooms really made the soup enticing. I'm still fascinated by the rich broth, and fondly remember the different tastes and textures of the mushrooms.
The soup was served with a side of mixed chilli-based spices as on optional condiment.
I also ordered a vegetable tempura plate and the head chef
personally supervised the vegetable selection as well as
the creation of an accompanying vegan dipping sauce.
One of the tempura was coriander; a very clever and delicious variation on a theme.
The food was steaming hot and the tempura was lite, crispy and airy.
Now that's hospitality! Flexibility at a moments notice with a welcoming smile.
I went back for dinner two nights later and yes, absolutely, the quality was again unsurpassed. Delightful!
Tatsushi is highly recommended. It is reasonably priced and a guarantee for authentic, wonderfully satisfying, home-made Japanese cuisine.
Best japanese in Wellington without a doubt. Very authentic. Have eaten there more than a dozen times and always had the freshest sashimi. If you like your Japanese food covered in sweet mayo sauces then Tatsushi will disappoint. If you like fresh simple tasty Japanese cafe style food you should be impressed.
Japanese done well. Best in Wellington that I have had. Great value, awesome execution, even better value. This is my go to Japanese restaurant. Authentic.
It reminds me of being in Japan, enjoying simple fresh traditional food. Highly recommend getting a mixture of different dishes and sharing. Enjoy:)
Best sashimi in Wellington :-) The fish is always fresh and tastey, but this is not a sushi restaurant so strictly for those who love sashimi.
Favourite restaurant in wellington! Authentic Japanese food, seasonally changing menu and excellent service everytime. Nothing bad can be said about Tatsushi!
Tatsushi is quite a small space, so it was crowded during the weekday lunch hour, but we were still able to score a table next to the window to enjoy the gorgeous winter sunshine. We came for the tempura, which did not disappoint: it was light and fresh, perfectly cooked. The accompanying sauce could have benefitted from some garlic or scallions, but the tempura was so delectable that it really didn't matter. Service was friendly and helpful, accommodating our menu-changing requests and seating us quickly in a sunny spot. The ambiance is a bit diner-ish, but I like seeing the chefs at work in the center of it all. Overall, tempura at Tatsushi was a great teaser, and I would like to return there to sample a few more things on the menu.
One of the best and most authentic Japanese restaurant in Wellington. You can tell this by the patrons who are dining here, you will definitely find Japanese people dining here enjoying their meals.
This is quite a small restaurant where I have visited on several occasions and having find somewhere else to eat due to a full house.
I must say Tatsushi serves one of the best agedashi tofu in Wellington (in my humble opinion). It has this tapioca/potato starch coating around that give it this interesting texture to it.
Please visit my website for an indepth review of my multiple visits.
Jessie De Paula Baylon
+5
I think this resto is very underrated. If you like Japanese food, this by far was the best Jap place in Wellington. From the starters, to the batter used in the prawn and vegetable tempura, to the rice. Every detail and food component have been meticulously attended to and are prepared in an authentic Japanese way. The batter of the fried dishes alone was so good that you keep wanting to eat more (am not a big fan of vegetable tempura, but it was so good-not overcooked,not even oily! I ate every single piece). Even my partner who is not big on Asian cuisine, loved the chicken dishes he ordered! Run by three Japanese guys who know their food. The atmosphere of the restaurant is like stepping into one of the many small managed restos in Japan; Intimate, well lit, with an open kitchen. Would definitely make this my first stop once i visit Wellington again!
Delicious, fresh food, carefully presented, and delivered thoughtfully at well-timed intervals. Friendly staff, comfortable atmosphere. The staff made an effort to accommodate our vegetarian diner by making sure fish stock was substituted with vegetarian stock in her dishes - the care taken with this was impressive. Highly recommend.
Having lived in Japan for a few years and having a Japanese wife, she was recommended this place by her friends, and let me tell you, it does not disappoint. Really good food, neither expensive nor contrived, its easily the best Japanese food I have had in NZ.
Great Japanese restaurant. Always return because the food is JAPANESE (japanese flavours and textures) made by Japanese! Their Tempura Udon is all class, Katsu-Curry is exactly how it should be and their Sushi is the freshest I have tasted in Wellington. The only gripe I have is that they don't have Ramen on the menu permanently. It is a pain having to wait a month for a fix oh and also you don't have Katsudon on the menu! Otherwise 10/10.
Have just eaten here with my parents. It was a chance find, but I was so impressed I've signed up to menu mania to write a review. The food was so good we ordered a second round. The best Japanese food I've eaten outside Japan, and charming service too. Thoroughly recommended.
Absolutely fantastic. The pride and care of Tatsushi is evident down the meticulous plating and fresh ingredients. Have been three times this fortnight- for lunch, dinner and the special "ramen day" this Saturday.
Best Japanese restaurant in Wellington!!!
Definitely the best Japanese restaurant in Wellington (unless there are some I haven't heard of!). TATSUSHI is a small restaurant with minimal seating and minimal dinner hours. Make a reservation if you want to eat here or expect a wait.
Our food was all fresh and delicious. We ordered at least one dish from every category and none of them disappointed (some were so good that we ordered seconds after we had the first plate). The fish was fresh, the beef was tender and flavorful (especially the tataki - so good!). Karaage came out light, crisp, and packed with juicy meat, not overly fried and soggy with oil, and they didn't weigh it down or mask the flavor with Japanese Mayo. Someone else mentioned the Daikon salad was delicious and I agree, I wasn't expecting much but it was such a refreshing and clean dish, not over dressed and heavy but light and mouthwateringly delicious. Plate sizes are a little small so make sure to order extra if you're hungry.
Possibly my new favourite Japanese joint in Wellington (or first equal with Kazu Yakitori). Very impressed with the quality of ingredients used. Sashimi was fresh and not just raw fish as some restaurants serve it. I would say the authenticity here is as close as you will get to authentic Japanese in Wellington. Small and cozy restaurant seats about 14 people over dinner, so I'd book a table. Staff were Japanese and typically very friendly and helpful. This is a 'fine dining Japanese' type establishment, so expect to pay $11 - $18 per dish with Japanese sized portions. Would definitely recommend you give it a go.
We were very impressed with Tatsushi, the menu is unique with lots of different things to try.
The meals were generally very good - recommend the fried chicken, and Daikon salad ( and weirdly the cheese skewer ). Sushi was v fresh and well made. In fact the only problem was we got full before we could taste everything.
It would be great if they had a set tasting menu to help navigate the variety they have.
Definitely want to go back and try their lunch menu as well.
Have eaten here several times now, tried several options and have enjoyed every meal. They have different daily specials and change the menu.
I haven't tried the Sushi, but have found the meals to be fresh and tasty.
I normally eat lunch at the variety of great places around this general area, but found the food so good it prompted me to post my first post to Menu mania. I hope they keep up the good work.
Ate here yesterday for lunch and loved it. The dining area has a clean modernist feel without being either too sparse or too contrived (very Japanese!) The food is excellent. Fresh, seasonal produce, excellent flavours and very good value for what you eating. Service was friendly and sincere. Will be returning soon for lunch and definitely trying their dinner service too.
We went to Tatsushi for lunch less than two weeks after it opened and were very impressed! The sushi has the hallmarks of a highly trained and very competent sushi chef - the flavours were fantastic and the sushi just melted in your mouth. My favourite was the salmon sushi. In addition, I had the Japanese style curry with deep fried vegetables and must say that it is without a doubt not only the best Japanese curry I have ever had, but probably one of the best curries I've ever eaten period! Tatsushi and his wife, Yoko, are lovely people and we were made to feel very welcome. The open style kitchen also allowed us to see Tatsushi at work, which was frankly amazing. We can't wait to return to Tatsushi.
As Italian tourists we followed the suggestion of our lonely planet guide and I confirm that here you can taste the authentic Japanese cuisine. Fresh sushi and shashimi. Atmosphere and service feel like a really Japanese restaurant in Japan. The selection of wines is also excellent. Highly recommended!
Tatsushi Japanese Restaurant in Wellington exceeded my expectations in every way. The diverse menu offered an array of authentic Japanese dishes, each bursting with flavor and beautifully presented. From delicate sushi rolls to rich, savory ramen, every dish showcased the chef's skill and dedication to quality ingredients. The selection of drinks complemented the meal perfectly, providing a delightful pairing to the culinary experience. The ambiance was inviting and the service was impeccable, making for a memorable dining experience. I can't wait to return and explore more of their offerings. Tatsushi is a definite must-visit for any Japanese cuisine enthusiast in Wellington.
The food we had here was AMAZING! I had the Salmon Teriyaki and my daughter had the Chicken Teriyaki. The salmon was sooo tender, it was cooked to perfection and just melted in my mouth. The chicken had a smoky flavor to it, which I've never had with teriyaki b4, it was really tasty.
The restaurant is tucked away at the end of a dead-end street and its not very well lite, so I wasn't even sure it was open, Glad I dbl checked. The service was really good and yay!!!! they are open till late in the evening!
If you long for a great representation of a traditional Japanese bento meal then Tatsushi is the place to come. The styling and service will whisk you away to the land of the rising sun. Quality produce prepped with skill and care - you'll leave with a full belly and soul!
Highly recommend! We were recommended by a local and had a beautiful experience here. Lovely service, great atmosphere, good pricing, and exceptional food. The dishes are on the smaller side so recommend getting a few to share.
The sashimi was nice, however the lunch menu is limited to only a few variety of fish. I would definitely return to try their more extensive dinner menu. The chicken karaage was unimpressive.
Nice ambiance with pleasant service. The place is baby friendly, which is a bonus for young families.
A very nice restaurant! Real good sushi and delicious matcha tiramisu.
It is true that it is not cheap but taste and quality are excellent 👌
It was a real treat. We enjoyed the large sashimi plate, the tiger prawn tempura, the soft shell crab, the agedashi tofu and the tuna soup. Highly recommended!
Absolutely amazing food and atmosphere, this is somewhere you should really go if you would like to try some real Japanese food. Sashimi and sushi were amazing, fresh and delicious. Tempura was awesome as well. Black tiger prawn tempura was crispy outside, and also splashes in your mouth when you bite through the crisp. 100% recommended and best Japanese restaurant in NZ I have ever been.
The agedashi tofu was amazing and was my favourite dish.
After a wonderful diner we left my glasses. Next morning we took off for Auckland. They were so nice to send them to our next hotel! Paul from the Netherlands.
Great food, one of the more authentic Japanese restaurants in Wellington. Will recommend getting the sashimi platter!
Very nice and relaxed atmosphere suitable for families or couples. Food tasted great and staff gave a lot of attention to service. The highlights were the Umeshu plum wine, agadeshi tofu and tempura tiger prawns. Definitely returning for another visit.
Great eatery in a new location. Food and service was genuine and very enjoyable. Good selection of sake, plum wine and other unique beverages. Reasonably priced and the menu is suited for sharing. Number of vegan and vegetarian options.
Authentic Japanese cuisine in town. Our family’s favourite dinning place. Good service and delicious food with reasonable price. Never disappoint us.
The food was so delicious, we went for the set menu as we had never been there before. Salad, refreshing, miso out of this world, chicken tender and spicy, tempura prawns, I literally sat in my seat and savoured them for 10 minutes my mouth had never tasted such well made tempura batter and the prawns melted I'm my mouth, the quality of the produce fresh and tasty. Would we go again, definitely! If we hadn't overindulged in sake dinner would have only come to 80 for the two of us. Great service and food
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