The atmosphere was lively and pretty busy. All of the meal was excellent, served quickly, and authentic. I would come back again.

Lovely restaurant with super polite staff! I got the egg katsu dish which was really delicious. It came with a small bowl of miso soup as well. Its really affordable too for somewhere in the central district. Great for meeting up with friends and heading out to do some shopping after!

First time visiting here. Price is very reasonable. Good potion size. Both the dishes I had (cheese omelette and the pork katsu) was really good. My friend ordered a hot pot which is quite interesting. It was bit too sweet for my taste though. However, someone else may find it appealing. The restaurant gives a good japanese vibe. I wouldn't say the staff is that friendly though. They messed up our reservation and we had to wait in the cold for 15 mins. However, I would go here again just because I like the food.

I had a pleasant experience at this Japanese restaurant. The food was enjoyable, and the ambiance provided an authentic Japanese vibe, which I appreciated. The restaurant appeared to be more spacious than it seemed from the outside, which was a pleasant surprise. The staff members were friendly and accommodating. I opted for the grilled squids, which were deliciously smoky and well-cooked. However, I noticed a slight sweetness in the dish, and I couldn't determine its source. Nonetheless, the accompanying side sauce complemented the flavors well and balanced out the sweetness. The only minor setback was that the salad portion seemed a bit small, leaving me wanting more. Overall, it was a satisfying visit, and I would recommend this Japanese restaurant to others seeking a delightful dining experience with authentic vibes and friendly service.

Great hidden affordable Japanese restaurant. Always friendly staff working. Heaps of menu choices so great for heading back to try new menus. I highly recommend the sushi and bento boxes!

A cheap-eat Japanese restaurant tucked away on High St. Staff was not very welcoming at the start but the rest of the service was fine. The pork katsu was my favourite out of the 3 donburi. Teriyaki salmon was alright too but was a bit bland. Karaage chicken was a disappointment, chicken was not crispy at all and the whole donburi was tasteless. The prawn sushi was OK. Overall average food. An upside is the cheap price and the big menu with lots of options to choose from. The interior is quite nice as well, gives a legit Japanese restaurant vibe.

Fresh well-prepared food, quality sashimi and sushi. Nice ambience, good service. Not so nice are the disposable chopsticks, good thing the food and experience surpass that. Definitely coming back here!

The don was a really nice place for a lunch in city after a bit of shopping. We got the beef yakke, cheese pork don, and the salmon avo roll. All three dishes were really yum especially the beef yakke which had a really nice sauce. The pork cutlets were a bit dry but overall the dishes had nice flavours that went well together. The servers are really nice and the atmosphere of the restaurant is really cool and vibey.

Great food and a reasonably fast service for lunch. They didn't allow like-for-like vegetarian substitutions for the raw fish in the bento (even though it says to ask about it on the menu), just more salad. The menu itself is pretty hard to read and it took me a while to find what I wanted to eat the first time I went there. We like the chicken katsu, chicken yaki soba and also usually get a side salad.

Feels like being in Japan. The atmosphere and vibes are great! Not even mentioning the food! 100% would come back again. Only downside is that it can get busy real fast so maybe hard to find a spot.

Came to the Don to have some Don but I Don(t) recommend the Steak Don, steak was rubbery and very little sauce/flavour for rice (the juice?? 😂😂) Spicy chicken Katsu Don was good not really spicy and didn't come with a sauce so just katsu and rice. Katsu curry was aite Can't hate Salmon Avo rolls so was banger All foods came out so pretty.

Reasonably priced, typical Izakaya setup, can get quite busy, service a little slow. Foods are generous in size, taste good, good selection of sakes, which I don’t see much around here.

Came to The Don various of times all the way since 2019 and this has been my favorite restaurant in my entire life. The food was really cheap but with superb taste. The waiter and manager was really nice, kind and helpful. I have made a special connection with The Don as if it was a part of me. Everyone was easy to talk with especially the waitress. Overall its the best restaurant out there with excellence environment making me feel like at home.

This is one of my most visited places in the CBD for casual Japanese food. Over the years my top three meals to order have been : - Japanese style steak Don - Karaage Don - Karaage Udon I also get their Chazuke with marinated octopus or plum occasionally, which is great to go with some salmon shashimi.

Hidden in the busy Queen street, this izakaya was very worth a visit. Ordered a tofu with rice and salad, it came quickly and was divine. The ambience is quite Japanese, with Japanese servers and music. There are the dish of the day with incredible prices. Good to come back for a happy hour next time. ありがとうございます！

Huge selection of dons which are mostly delicious. The food portion here is smaller than other places but it’s also cheaper than other places.

Good atmosphere and friendly service. Food was mediocre. Ordered tuna don. Tuna was not very fresh and thin. Did not go well with the sushi rice, so ate them separately, which made it more edible. Dishes others ordered appeared nicer, so perhaps it was just poor selection of menu on my part. I might have to try a different item on the menu next time.

I enjoyed this restaurant's aesthetic, it was very pleasing to the eye and matched the cultural setting for the food they served. The restaurant is a bit out of the way so it doesn't get too busy. As a vegetarian there isn't that strong of a menu but I enjoyed the deep fried gyoza and the renkon chips. The dessert I had at the end was the parfait and while it was presented nicely, the flavour did not hit as hard as the main course did. The mix of corn flakes, fruit pieces and ice cream made for a very unbalanced dessert.

Very nice. Ambiance of the restaurant is great. The menu provides a good varitety and good prices too. The meal I had was delicious. Service is good.

My go to place for Unagi-don in the CBD. Many varieties on the menu too. The place even could make me feel like I’m sitting in a cozy restaurant in Japan with unique table arrangements, posters & decors. Staff are friendly and provide great service. Great value for money!

This has quickly become my favourite Japanese place in Auckland. It’s a bit hard to find but we were quickly seated by attentive staff and served delicious green tea. The food is excellent and I don’t think you can go wrong with anything on the menu. We’ve enjoyed sashimi, sushi rolls, karaage chicken don, kakiage tempura udon, and chicken Katsu. The udon broths are my favourite, as well as the miso soup. Highly recommend and excellent value.

The vibe in the restaurant is so cool! It feels like you’re dining in Japan. In the back of the restaurant there’s little individual booths for people eating alone. I recommend getting a booking as it gets busy in the evenings. As for the food, the price was reasonable and the serving sized was massive. The curry was really good, the bentos were also amazing, and I highly recommend the chicken katsu with cheese. The restaurant is hard to spot though, as it’s in the corner of a room (?) (it’s kind of hard to explain)

I went on a Saturday night with my family it was hidden inside a building but shouldn’t miss out. The food were so delicious and not expensive at all. So cool Japanese resto, I highly recommend to friends or family groups.

Food was amazing with a decent variety of choices. Space is a little crowded and intimate but but once you're in and settled it's very comfortable. Staff is very polite. Something that could've been done better is not using disposable chopsticks though.

One of my favorite spots in the CBD. Food is always fresh, hot and delicious. They also have amazing lunch deals too for around $13, super affordable which is amazing especially in this current climate. If you're going in peak times it may be worth ringing and booking a table as we didn't once before and couldn't get a table.

Amazing food and service, was surprised how authentic this place looks. Definitely coming again

One of the best sushi meals I have ever tried. I highly recommend you to try it yourself! Visited on the 22nd March 2023 and my only advice to the owner/host will be to have more light within the restaurant and more space between tables :)

Amazing atmosphere. Genuinely incredibly enjoyable! The food here is delicious and not super expensive, the staff are friendly and active and the owner always likes your posts when you tag them :) Overall one of my favourite places to eat.

10 outta 10 was amazing food that really fulls you up at a great price with authentic Japanese style everything! Really nice welcoming staff and vibes of the place we're immaculate, as well as decor.

Amazing food at a seriously affordable price- the service here is amazing too. One of the employees even gave me a candy for being a regular :) couldn't reccomend enough