CAVE -Japanese Sake & Tapas-

About CAVE -Japanese Sake & Tapas-

CAVE - Japanese Sake & Tapas is a Japanese restaurant at 40 Buckingham Street in the heart of Arrowtown, led by owner Chef Kei. The menu is built for sharing, served gradually throughout the evening, and works equally well for a group at a table or someone dining solo at the bar.

The food spans small and large tapas, sushi and sashimi, and a dessert menu with a distinctly Japanese-fusion touch. Dishes range from classic izakaya-style plates like Chicken Karaage and Beef Kushiyaki skewers, through to more refined offerings such as Beef Tataki seared rare with ponzu sauce, and Crispy Salmon Nanban in a chilled sweet and sour soy broth. Vegetarian and veg-option dishes are clearly marked throughout, including a Seasonal Salad with Cave dressing and a Mixed Vegetable roll.

The sushi and sashimi side of the menu covers Assorted Sashimi, a la carte salmon, tuna and scallop, nigiri with an optional aburi (torched) finish, and a selection of maki rolls. To finish, the dessert menu leans into Japanese flavours with a Matcha Tiramisu, Umami Miso Pavlova, and a Trio of Ice Cream in black sesame, matcha and vanilla.

CAVE: Japanese Sake & Tapas in the Heart of Arrowtown

Tucked into Buckingham Street in the historic centre of Arrowtown, CAVE - Japanese Sake & Tapas - brings a warm, cave-like dining room together with the cooking of owner Chef Kei. The menu is built around sharing, served gradually through the evening, whether you're at a table with friends or dining solo at the bar.

A Menu Built for Sharing

CAVE's food runs across small and large tapas plates designed to be ordered progressively rather than all at once. Small tapas lean toward refined, punchy flavours — Beef Tataki seared rare with ponzu sauce and garlic chips, Crispy Salmon Nanban in a chilled sweet and sour soy broth, and char-grilled Prawn and Beef Kushiyaki skewers. The larger tapas plates cover more familiar Japanese comfort food: Chicken Karaage, Teriyaki Chicken, Pork Katsu with tonkatsu sauce, and Okonomiyaki finished with bonito flakes and sticky ginger soy.

Sushi and Sashimi Done Properly

For those after something fresher, CAVE runs a full sushi and sashimi menu. The Assorted Sashimi plate brings together salmon, tuna and scallop, with the option to add Argentine red prawn, while individual sashimi and nigiri are available a la carte, including a torched (aburi) finish on request. The roll selection ranges from a straightforward Salmon & Avocado through to a Tempura Prawn roll and an Eel & Cucumber roll, plus a Mixed Vegetable option for vegetarian diners.

Vegetarian-Friendly Throughout

CAVE marks vegetarian dishes and veg-option dishes clearly across the menu — from the Cha-mame edamame and Seasonal Salad with Cave dressing to Agedashi Tofu and Vegetable Tempura, both offered with a veg-friendly version. It means a table with mixed dietary preferences can order to share without much compromise.

Finishing on a Japanese Note

Dessert continues the restaurant's Japanese-fusion identity, with a Matcha Tiramisu, an Umami Miso Pavlova built on sweet miso custard, a Trio of Ice Cream in black sesame, matcha and vanilla, and Roti Doughnuts coated in cinnamon sugar and served with vanilla bean ice cream and peanut fudge sauce.

Visiting CAVE

CAVE is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Friday — lunch from 11:30am to 2:30pm and dinner from 5pm to 9pm — plus dinner only on Saturday from 5pm to 9pm. It's closed Monday and Sunday. The restaurant notes that its kitchen is mixed-use, so while allergy requests are taken seriously, a completely allergen-free environment can't be guaranteed. A 1.7% surcharge applies to contactless and credit card payments, and a 15% surcharge applies on public holidays.

Signature items

• Beef Tataki
• Crispy Salmon Nanban
• Chicken Karaage
• Assorted Sashimi
• Okonomiyaki
• Roti Doughnuts

Menu

Extras

• Sauces
• Mayo
• Extra Wasabi
• Extra Gari

Dessert

• Matcha Tiramisu
• Umami Miso Pavlova — Baby pavlovas, sweet miso custard
• Trio of Ice Cream — Black sesame, matcha and vanilla
• Roti Doughnuts — Coated with cinnamon sugar, vanilla bean ice cream, peanut fudge sauce, peanut

To Start

• Cha-mame — Premium edamame with Marlborough sea salt (V)
• Seasonal Salad — With Cave dressing; add tofu or soba noodle (V)
• Bean Sprout Nibble — Crunchy mung bean with light soy-vinegar and seven spice chilli (V)
• Miso Soup — Seaweed and spring onion

Tapas - Large

• Blue Cod Nori Tempura — Tempura sauce, shiso salt
• Prawn Tempura — 4 pieces, tempura sauce, shiso salt
• Vegetable Tempura — 5 kinds of seasonal vegetables, tempura sauce, shiso salt (veg option available)
• Pork Katsu — 4 pieces, panko-crumbed pork fillet with tonkatsu sauce
• Chicken Karaage — Japanese fried chicken, otsumami moyashi, mayo
• Teriyaki Chicken — Char-grilled teriyaki chicken, mayo
• Chilled Chicken Breast — Poached chicken breast, spring onion sauce and yuzu pepper, salad leaves with Cave dressing
• Okonomiyaki — Bonito flakes, QP mayo, sticky ginger soy, aonori
• Steamed Rice

Tapas - Small

• Agedashi Tofu — Tempura sauce, grated daikon and ginger, bonito flakes (veg option available)
• Crispy Salmon Nanban — Warm fried salmon pieces, chilled sweet and sour soy broth, capsicum, onion
• Grilled Salmon — With miso-honey glaze, eggplant
• Vegetable Mizore Ankake — Flash-fried seasonal vegetables in daikon sleet and shiitake mushroom stock, spring onion, bonito flakes
• Prawn Kushiyaki — Char-grilled prawn skewers, miso tartar, 2 skewers
• Beef Kushiyaki — Char-grilled ribeye skewers, onion-ginger sauce, sesame seeds, 2 skewers
• Beef Tataki — Seared as rare, ponzu sauce, garlic chips, onion slice

Sushi & Sashimi

• Assorted Sashimi — Salmon, tuna, scallop, 3 pieces each; can add prawn (Argentine red prawn)
• Salmon Sashimi (6 pcs)
• Tuna Sashimi (6 pcs)
• Scallop Sashimi (6 pcs)
• Salmon Nigiri (2 pcs)
• Tuna Nigiri (2 pcs)
• Scallop Nigiri (2 pcs)
• Prawn Nigiri (2 pcs) — With flying fish roe; can add aburi (torched) finish
• Salmon & Avocado Roll (8 pcs) — With flying fish roe
• Tuna & Avocado Roll (8 pcs)
• Mixed Vegetable Roll (8 pcs) — Vegetarian
• Tempura Prawn Roll (8 pcs)
• Teriyaki Chicken Roll (10 pcs)
• Eel & Cucumber Roll (8 pcs)

Frequently asked questions

What style of food does CAVE serve?

Japanese sake and tapas, with a menu built for sharing and served gradually through the evening.

What are CAVE's opening hours?

Tuesday to Friday: lunch 11:30am–2:30pm, dinner 5pm–9pm. Saturday: dinner only, 5pm–9pm. Closed Monday and Sunday.

Who is the chef at CAVE?

Owner Chef Kei.

Are there vegetarian options?

Yes, dishes are marked V (vegetarian) or VO (veg option available) throughout the menu.

Is there a card surcharge?

Yes, a 1.7% surcharge applies to contactless and credit card payments, and a 15% surcharge applies on public holidays.

Can I buy a gift voucher?

Yes, gift vouchers are available through CAVE's online voucher system.

Can they accommodate allergies?

Staff take allergy requests seriously, but note the kitchen is mixed-use so a completely allergen-free environment can't be guaranteed.

Tips

• {"body":"The menu is designed to be ordered progressively and shared across the table.","title":"Order tapas-style to share"}
• {"body":"Several dishes have a vegetarian or veg-friendly option.","title":"Look out for the V and VO markers"}
• {"body":"1.7% applies to contactless/credit card payments, and 15% on public holidays.","title":"Note the surcharges"}
• {"body":"Reservations can be made through the website.","title":"Book ahead"}

Good to know

• {"dietary":"Vegetarian (V) and veg-option (VO) dishes marked throughout; mixed-use kitchen, so a fully allergen-free environment can't be guaranteed","payments":"1.7% surcharge on contactless and credit card payments; 15% surcharge applies on public holidays"}