Nishiki Kitchen in Highland Park is East Auckland's branch of the Nishiki Group, a family of restaurants devoted to authentic Japanese izakaya dining. From its glass-fronted spot on Aviemore Drive, it runs a deliberately casual room - a cafe-style counter, an unpretentious interior, and a menu built around the izakaya idea of small, generous dishes shared over drinks.
The day is split into two services, seven days a week: lunch from 11:30 to 14:30 (last orders 14:00), then dinner from 17:30 to 21:00 (last orders 20:30). Earlier in the day the space works like a Japanese cafe, with morning sets served at the counter; come evening it settles into izakaya rhythm, with plates to pass around the table and a drinks list that leans Japanese.
That list draws on the group's long relationships with Japanese brewers - sake from houses such as Ozeki, Hakutsuru, Sawanotsuru and Kikusui, alongside popular beer labels like Kirin, Asahi and Suntory.
Nishiki Kitchen also keeps its own website at nishikikitchen.co.nz, where the current menu is posted and online orders can be placed. It sits alongside sister Nishiki restaurants in Freemans Bay and Botany Downs in Auckland, and in Melbourne's Forest Hill.
Nishiki Kitchen sits on Aviemore Drive in Highland Park, a neighbourhood restaurant in Auckland's eastern suburbs and the local branch of the Nishiki Group, a family of restaurants devoted to authentic Japanese izakaya dining. That idea shapes everything here: food built around small, generous dishes meant to be shared, and a drink list that takes Japanese sake and beer seriously. The glass frontage gives the restaurant an open, approachable presence on the street.
Where many izakaya open only in the evening, Nishiki Kitchen keeps split hours and opens every day of the week, so it works as a daytime eatery and an evening destination at once.
The day runs as two services. Lunch is served from 11:30 to 14:30, with last orders at 14:00. The kitchen then takes a break before dinner begins at 17:30, running until 21:00 with last orders at 20:30. Those cut-off times matter - arrive close to last orders and your window to order is short.
Earlier in the day the room behaves like a Japanese cafe. Morning sets are served at the cafe counter, and the interior stays deliberately casual: light, unpretentious, with seating at the counter where you can watch the kitchen work. As the afternoon turns, the same space settles into izakaya rhythm - plates to share, drinks to pour, no hurry.
The cooking is izakaya food at heart: small savoury dishes designed to sit alongside drinks and be passed around the table. One recurring favourite is the group's iron pot rice, brought back by popular request - rice cooked and served in a cast-iron pot that arrives at the table still hot.
The drinks list leans on the group's relationships with Japanese brewers. Among the sake brands Nishiki counts as favourites are Ozeki, Hakutsuru, Sawanotsuru and Kikusui, with Bishounen, Hinomaru and Mikunihare also in the family. Beer drinkers are looked after too, with the familiar Japanese labels Kirin, Asahi and Suntory. Sake lists across the group are refreshed from time to time, so it's worth asking what's currently pouring.
Ordering is simple: the Highland Park branch runs its own website, nishikikitchen.co.nz, where you can browse the current menu and place an order online.
Nishiki Kitchen Highland Park is one of several Nishiki restaurants. In New Zealand the group also operates in Freemans Bay and Botany Downs, and across the Tasman there is a restaurant in Melbourne's Forest Hill. Each branch runs its own menus and seasonal specials - hot pot and spicy winter menus, value set lunches and returning favourites like the iron pot rice have all featured across the group. The group's news pages also flag menu changes regularly, so returning regulars will usually find something new to try.
For Highland Park, that means a genuine Japanese izakaya close to home: open every day, equally suited to a counter morning set, a quick midday lunch, or a slower evening of shared plates, sake and beer. If you're new to izakaya dining, the format is forgiving - order a few dishes, order again if you're still hungry, and let the table set the pace.