Sakebar Nippon Takapuna

Authentic Japanese place. They even had the white girl? Who worked there speaking Japanese. Beautiful food. Highly recommend.

A very relaxing sakebar. The food are delicious, and the environment is very chill and nice for friends and family gatherings! Staff are friendly and helpful.

Terrible experience.
Received my meal 20 mins earlier than everyone else, so I ended up sharing it as it was getting cold waiting for the other meals to arrive.
After the other meals arrived, and subsequently finished, I ended up cancelling my "replacement" meal.
So essentially didn't eat.
Nobody could understand English so all fell on deaf ears.
We just had to laugh it off, the comedy of errors was ridiculous, they had no idea what they were doing.
The only mitigating factor was the manager refunded over half the bill with cash/voucher which was appreciated.

Friendly fast service amazing authentic fun atmosphere and sublime fresh tasty authentic food at reasonable prices - thankyou for a very enjoyable experience

First time trying the Takapuna branch. Have been to the Epsom branch before and that was great. The inside was really nice and we got sit in one of those 2 people pods which was actually really comfortable. We ordered the grilled squid, vege tempura, yakisoba, tonpeiyaki and salmon wing. The vege tempura was perfect, the batter didnt feel too oily and you can taste the individual ingredient that is inside the tempura at their natural flavour, which is hard to make. The grilled squid was awesome as well. Yakisoba I felt was too salty and not super big fan of having mayo on the noodles. The salmon wing was nice, even though it had an eye. Tonpeiyaki was yummy but I think next time I might order rice with some of these dish as it was quite flavourful. Overall was very delicious and I think it beat the Epsom branch actually. Will come back definitely

Amazing service and food came out very fast. The staff were super friendly and the food was amazing! I would definitely come back here again.

When you walk in the door, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in a Tokyo suburbs izakaya. Greeted by the staff with the typical Japanese greeting and accompanied by the beat of a drum from the kitchen. The dining space consists of partitioned areas with which comfortably seat 6 or so people but if you are on your own, ask for a seat at the counter where you can watch the magic happen as orders are prepared. Chefs use food preparation methods typical of what you would see in Japan. Knife-slicing of vegetables over grating. Whether you are single or in a group, the menu offers plenty of options whether you want small varied dishes or teishoku full course. And there are some really great choices of sake, shochu and beer to accompany the food.
To order, just write the corresponding menu item number on the paper provided at each table and press the nearby button to attract the staff.
The flavours were great with the items I ordered although the yakisoba was a bit sweet but I think the taste will please most people.
A really enjoyable evening is pretty much guaranteed if you are looking for a night where you can forget you are in downtown Takapuna.

First time here, although it is an absolute institution of dining in Takapuna. It’s definitely a locals restaurant, for those who know. It’s pretty magical inside, there was a man dressed like a panda that would beat the Japanese drums every time new guests came in. The whole team is in sink and welcome you together. The interior is full of modern Japanese artifacts that make it look like you’re not in Takapuna. Ordering process is made easy with a menu that has pictures and numbers attached to each dish, so you write down the numbers, ring the bell and a staff member picks up your order from you - easy! We sat at the chefs bar and watched him cook soooo much deliciousness that we’ll have to come back for more just from what we saw. We went for some classics like the freshest salmon and avocado sushi, edamame beans, tofu fried in the famous Japanese batter with a tasty miso sauce and for the main event 8 got the grilled eel which was just fantastic, very much about the fish with only complementing flavours. The drinks list is extensive with lots of interesting Japanese flavours. We will be back.

We've walked past this place too many times but yesterday we decided to take the plunge! What an outstanding all-round experience. It was like stepping out of Takapuna into Tokyo, a full on immersion. I had my absolute favorite, unagi eel and soft shell crab. I washed that down with a nice Kirin and yuzu. Will definitely become a regular here!

I’d always been told if you write an angry email- save it and let it sink in overnight - so if you’re reading this assume it did.

I’d previously been a fan of this place patronising it from the beginning and had always been impressed by the genuine atmosphere, the food quality and the attentiveness of the staff. I love that the food you ordered rolls out gradually with the first of the dishes usually hitting the table in around 15 minutes in.

Well…. Not tonight. This rating (3), takes into account all the great meals we’ve had there so draw your own conclusion as what the actual individual rating of tonight’s overall experience was.

We sat down at a reasonable time for prompt service after booking online and as regular patrons had placed our order within five minutes. I know we had ordered our meals before a table opposite, and one down as the staff return to attach the printed order to your table.

Twenty minutes in and our neighbours are starting to enjoy the food that has arrived, and continued to arrive for the next fifteen minutes. Awesome - they were happy.

I watched as others were served, and would normally have been one of those pushy customers who want to know the ETA of their food, however as this was our anniversary I opted to not be my usual self. I remained restrained.

My wife ended up asking for a glass of water and gave the waitress a gentle reminder about the food.

At forty minutes I would normally have left - especially on a Wednesday. Just making the point here - that this is not one of the busier nights.

Forty five minutes in and our food arrived. I’m actually not going to go into the food in-depth, except to say that we’re done. Bar one dish, I’d have been happier with 6 combo deluxe burgers from any of the chains.

The service was - non existent, although polite when you could actually get their attention.

To finish this, let me quote the waitress - ‘we’re busy - not enough staff’. I assume the job of the restaurant manager is to keep the restaurant under ‘critical’ capacity - apparently not here.

I bid you adieu.

Always getting great service from here.

They are quirky and very friendly.

The food is tasty and their sake is fabulous.

Book a table to avoid disappointments.

Well worth the eat out. We visit often enough that they immediately recognise us as we walk in. Hahaha

Went for dinner here and the food is amazing. We got everything from pork and prawn skewers to the unagi don which were both well seasoned! The sashimi was very fresh. Portions are smaller but quality makes up for it. They have a wide selection of Japanese alcohol. I ordered the yuzu plum wine and it was a good mix between sweet & sour. Damian offered me another flavour to try which was really nice. Staff here are extremely friendly and attentive. The food came quick even though they were super packed. Japanese drum was a nice touch too! Will be back

Tried visiting here just last Sunday, arrived about 4-4.5hrs, before it was supposed to close. We arrived, then parked & walked 5mins to the restaurant. To our utter disappointment, it was not only closed, but was completely shut down, with all tables and chairs etc stacked up inside with absolutely no lights on.
Sure, a thunderstorm was coming in, BUT due in about 10-14 HOURS ‍️ NOT particularly bad in that area, and NOT the flooding expected as in other parts of Auckland and the North Island, which was due OVERNIGHT, as in AFTER the restaurant would have been closed for Hours. ALOT of other bars, restaurants, takeaway places were open around Nippon so really unsure as to why they were closed up!
If they were closed as they'd decided they'd rather send staff home, much earlier than before the storm was due to start, then fine, that's a fantastic employer award for them, however, at the very least they could've put a notice/sign up on the front door,

So what was very disappointing was NO warning or explanation, as to it being closed, on either the Google Info page (which is a simple update that takes a couple of clicks!) or their actual website having a notice on it, which I Checked before we planned our night around dinner here.not even a note on the door? ! It was good for our LOCAL pub/restaurant up the rd, Mayfield, as we spent quite a lot there instead.

Best Japanese restaurant I've been to in NZ. 3 different courses plus a la carte options. Great food, and amazing service. I highly recommend it and will go back asap.

First time dining in and the experience and service is great! Food is amazing, delicious, authentic and worth to come back.

Luv! Luv! This Restaurant absolutely have not had a meal, service, or atmosphere.
I guess one has to go to these types of restaurants and be prepared to sometimes wait, but the atmosphere I enjoy.

You could really feel Japan with the set up of their place.
I also like the sound of drum at the back of the kitchen.

We went for dinner and it was such a busy place. We tried the sashimi platter and oyster it was okay. I like the pork skewers, tasty.

Food were a bit small in portion and a bit pricey. Good to try.

Love this restaurant. Amazing food and excellent services. The restaurant was so busy. Will come back definitely.

Cool atmosphere and authentic Japanese izakaya style. Seatings was nice, great staff. Food was excellent. Highly recommend.

Really good japanese food, we went saturday evening, it was busy but food still came quite quickly.