Mr Katsu Royal Oak brings the brand's fast, fresh Japanese food to Symonds Street: sushi made through the day, golden chicken katsu, donburi rice bowls and hot meals, all at affordable prices. It is one of several Mr Katsu shops around New Zealand, each run by its own owner-operator.
Behind the counter is a small family business that has been operating in the heart of Auckland for over two years, one whose owners describe themselves as passionate about serving the best chicken katsu in town. Fresh ingredients, a friendly atmosphere and attentive customer service are the hallmarks of the setup.
Whether you are after a light lunch or a full dinner, the menu covers it: a sushi cabinet served daily between 11am and 5pm, Japanese starters from pan-fried dumplings to takoyaki, and party-sized 45-piece sushi platters for gatherings.
On Symonds Street in Royal Oak, Mr Katsu serves the kind of Japanese fast food that quietly becomes part of the week: fresh sushi rolls turned out through the day, golden chicken katsu, donburi rice bowls that eat like a proper dinner, and a cabinet of starters for grazing. It is one of a growing family of Mr Katsu shops, and it runs on the same simple idea the business was founded on — delicious food, made fresh, served fast and priced for everyday.
Mr Katsu is a small family business that has been operating in the heart of Auckland for over two years. From those beginnings it has grown into a group of owner-operated shops spread across Auckland and beyond, with stores from Henderson and Papakura to Wellington and Christchurch. The model is deliberately personal: each shop is run by its own owner-operator, someone with a stake in the counter and a reason to get every order right. The whole operation describes itself as passionate about one dish above the rest — serving the best chicken katsu in town.
Chicken katsu is the namesake and the headline act: chicken in a crisp breadcrumb coat, the dish Mr Katsu built its reputation on. It appears in a few guises across the menu, most notably in the katsu donburi — a rice bowl that turns the signature into a full meal — and inside sushi rolls, where the katsu crunch meets cool avocado in the crispy chicken and avocado roll.
The sushi cabinet is served daily between 11am and 5pm and covers the classics done properly. Salmon and avocado is the fresh, gluten-free staple; salmon and cream cheese adds cucumber to the mix; teriyaki chicken avocado arrives as eight generous pieces. Alongside them sit soy chicken with vege, layered with carrot, cucumber and red capsicum; breadcrumb-coated crispy basa with fresh vege; deep-fried king prawn with vege; surimi salad rolls; and vegetarian and pure avocado rolls for plant-based eaters. Fresh salmon nigiri, tuna with mayo and BBQ and caramelised nigiri round out the line-up.
The starters are worth a look too. There are pan-fried dumplings — ten pork-and-cabbage pieces with soy sauce — takoyaki with teriyaki sauce and mayo, deep-fried king prawns and deep-fried sushi, plus a strong vegan bench: seaweed salad, twenty-piece vegan spring rolls, potato croquettes, vegetable tempura and fresh avocado with salad. For groups, the 45-piece sushi platter does the job of feeding a crowd; call ahead for the choices available on the day.
Mr Katsu is fast food in the best sense of the phrase. Orders are turned around quickly, but nothing about the food feels like an afterthought: ingredients are fresh, the rolls are made through the day, and the welcome is the warm, family-run kind that comes from an owner being on site. Friendly atmosphere and attentive customer service sit alongside fresh ingredients and affordable prices among the things the business prides itself on. Whether you are in the mood for a light lunch or a full dinner, the menu is built so there is something to satisfy the craving without a big spend.
It is also an easy place to eat with mixed needs. Vegan options are flagged on the menu — the avo roll, seaweed salad, vege tempura, potato croquettes and spring rolls among them — and gluten-free choices like the salmon and avocado roll are marked clearly, so a mixed group can order together without a lot of back-and-forth.
The Royal Oak shop sits at 126 Symonds Street. Opening hours follow the Mr Katsu standard: 9am to 7pm Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm on Saturday, closed Sundays — though each shop may run slightly different hours, so it is worth ringing 09 200 1616 to confirm before you head out, especially later in the day. The sushi selections are served between 11am and 5pm.
Grab a couple of rolls for lunch, a donburi when you are properly hungry, or a platter for the office table — that flexibility is exactly what Mr Katsu is there for.