Taiko Ponsonby

Came here to try the eel but regret only getting the standard eel set for lunch, not the deluxe set to truly see what it was all about. Eel was fine but not outstanding. Portions massive, no issues with the side dishes, they were all good. Give it a go for lunch - the other lunch sets looked decent

We had a lovely dinner there.
The service was great and the food (especially the vegetarian options) extremely good.
Highly recommended:)
Thank you:)

The food was ok, but at first they said they had no eels, shortly after we were nearly full they said they had eel. This service is bias, because they clearly said they had no eel but suddenly they said they have eel. Are they trying to deliberately trying to scam us money?

Beautiful restaurant to step into. Authentic and food presentation is always so exquisite. Tastes great and items on the menu that you don't get elsewhere - such as the eel dishes.

Excellent food, service and value for money - particularly the set menus for $60-68. Highly recommended.

Staff was friendly and accommodating, and they were willing to help. I don't have a picture of my mocktails, but they were the highlight of the dinner. Teriyaki platter was the best one. So was the tempura platter.

Absolutely gorgeous Japanese cuisine. The real asset to this restaurant, however, is the wait person I had. I have tried to dine here many times, but was always offered a small table in the centre of the dining room, or a seat at the bar - due to dining alone. People dining alone never get good tables. Due to this I’ve walked out without dining many times - because I’m autistic and cannot be comfortable without my back against a wall - it sounds silly but if I am surrounded by other people, seated and able to walk behind my back - I’m just incredibly anxious. This time my wait person offered to move the small table into the corner - having seen me attempt to get a table before. Her kindness and sensitivity toward neuro-diversity meant so much to me! ️ The food was incredible! Absolutely stunning - but the service was next level special. Thank you!

So hard to get a table at this restaurant but so worth the wait. Visited while on holidays in Auckland.

It is the best Japanese food in Auckland! We had a big table (9 people) on Lunar New Year eve, all foods are sooo fresh, delicious and authentic, the waiter and waitress and chefs are all Japanese and they are sooo kind and friendly. Enjoy every moments when dine in there. Highly recommend and will definitely come back.

We love eel here, but we tried it yesterday and tasted not really well, not fresh, fishy!
We hope it can work well next time.

Might have to be one of my favourite Japanese restaurants! Delicious food and drinks served by friendly staff. Will definitely be back again!

I cannot say enough good things about Taiko! The atmosphere is fantastic, modest and comfortable but also elegant. I felt at ease despite probably being a bit underdressed, largely due to how friendly and kind the staff were to me!

And then there's the food, this food is made with love and passion! I had the udon gozen and was not at all prepared for how well presented the meal was, the plating was honestly a piece of art and it seems like every dish is made with the same attention to visual detail.

The meal came with several pieces of nigiri and honestly before tonight I'd never understood why some people love nigiri so much. Now I do understand: the tuna and salmon were both buttery soft and had a gentle sweet sea flavor accented perfectly with a touch of lemon and Cilantro. The nigiri were honestly the highlight of the meal for me despite being just a small part of it.

The udon itself was SO well balanced, I could really taste the sweet, earthy flavors of the noodles and appreciate the different textures and subtle flavors of the different components. Most udon I've had used very salty broths that kind of overwhelms the dish, but the broth in this udon was very mild and really allowed the rest of the components to shine through with their own subtle flavors.

I could go on and on about how fantastic the food was, but honestly I can't do it justice with my words. I highly recommend visiting Taiko and trying it for yourself!

Authentic Japanese dining. Thumbs up for the deluxe Jyu’s eel (double size). Food is splendid and worth it

The food and the service are both awesome. The food especially so. The seafood is fantastic as too is the steak. The bento are very well prepared.

Amazing Japanese restaurant! Very cosy and great Japanese ambiance. The staff is very friendly and the service is fast. The food is amazing with a lot of flavor and great choice.
I really enjoyed my dinner there and would definitely recommend this place.

Food was amazing! All were very nicely presented. Sashimis were fresh and great value for money. The eel set was only available at Ponsonby. I strongly recommend trying this.

Service was very friendly and pleasant. Understand they were under staffed but the team remained calm and professional.

Comparing to the Kingsland branch, I personally found the Ponsonby brach tastes better.

Food was an absolute divine! All the food we had was very tasty, fresh and flavourful. Customer service was on point

One of the best Japanese restaurant I ever visit in New Zealand. The service was impeccable. Very friendly and caring. ️
The decorations was warm and comfortable. Food were all very tasty and high quality. The sashimi were all super fresh with extremely nice plating. The chiken set were real good quality for each of the contents. Be able to try each individual dish with different awesome taste and texture was a very good experience for me. Noodles are above average. If roast beef a bit would be better also the seafood if use fresh instead of frozen would be better as well.
Overall excellent experience. Can't complain a single thing to be honest. Love this restaurant will definitely come back again. 10/10!?

Quite a stunner! Just make sure to check with em if the wagyu set is still available for the night, otherwise enjoy:)

Very nice atmosphere, lovely food, prawns that tickled my taste buds as well as tataki and the goma pudding.