Tatsushi Japanese Restaurant

About Tatsushi Japanese Restaurant

Tatsushi is a Japanese restaurant on Edward Street in Wellington CBD, serving true and classic Japanese cuisine since August 2012. The kitchen runs on kodawari — a word the team uses for obsession with cooking and food — and you can taste it in the fundamentals: dashi brewed from real bonito flakes and konbu seaweed, steamed rice cooked the traditional kamado way, and tempura made by chefs trained in Japan and in New Zealand. Even the tea is taken seriously, with varieties of Japanese green tea brought in from Japan.

Lunch and dinner are served Tuesday to Saturday, with midday service from 11:30am to 2:00pm and dinner from 5:30pm to 10:00pm. The menu follows the seasons — the restaurant's updates have celebrated oden season in July, spring asparagus and prized blue fin tuna — so the cooking reflects what's best right now. Takeaway is unavailable; this is a sit-down, dine-in experience, and bookings can be made through the website.

The drinks list is a journey through Japan: sparkling sake, umeshu and premium plum wines, sweet-potato and barley shochu, Japanese whiskies such as Suntory Kakubin, Toki and Hibiki, and craft gins including Roku and a yuzu gin & tonic. Chu-hi come with freshly hand-squeezed citrus, Asahi flows on tap, and Wellington's own Garage Project and ParrotDog beers sit alongside Marlborough and Central Otago wines. Japanese green tea — hot, iced or as genmaicha — rounds it out.

Tatsushi Wellington: Classic Japanese Cuisine and Kodawari Craft on Edward St

On Edward Street in the heart of Wellington CBD, Tatsushi has spent more than a decade doing one thing with quiet conviction: true and classic Japanese cuisine. The restaurant opened in August 2012, and the kitchen still runs on the same idea it started with — respect the fundamentals, follow the seasons, and let the food speak plainly.

Kodawari: An Obsession With the Essentials

The team sums up that philosophy in a single word: kodawari, which Tatsushi translates as obsession with cooking and food. Here, that obsession is aimed at the foundations of Japanese cooking. Dashi — the broth that underpins so much of the cuisine — is made the traditional way from real bonito flakes and konbu seaweed. Steamed rice is cooked kamado-style, the old pot method that gives each grain its gloss and fragrance. Tempura is handled by chefs trained in Japan and in New Zealand, and even the tea is sourced with care: the restaurant pours varieties of Japanese green tea brought in from Japan.

Those four pillars — dashi, rice, tempura, green tea — are the spine of both lunch and dinner, and they go a long way to explaining why Tatsushi has remained a fixture of the CBD dining scene since 2012.

A Menu That Follows the Seasons

Tatsushi serves two sessions a day, Tuesday through Saturday: lunch from 11:30am to 2:00pm and dinner from 5:30pm to 10:00pm. The kitchen leans into the calendar, and the restaurant's news updates read like a seasonal diary. July brings oden season, when the warming simmered classics return; spring has been marked with fresh asparagus; and prized catches such as blue fin tuna earn their own announcements when they arrive. The current lunch, dinner and drinks menus are published on the website, so you can see what's on before you go.

This is strictly a dine-in experience — takeaway is unavailable — which suits the rhythm of the room. Dishes arrive as they're meant to be eaten, and the focus stays on the plate in front of you. Bookings can be made through the website's booking page, and they're the simplest way to secure a table, especially for dinner.

The Drinks List: A Tour of Japan, With a Wellington Chaser

The drinks menu rewards a slow read. Start with sparkling sake by the glass, or work through the plum wines: classic umeshu served with hot water or on the rocks, a chilled premium pour made from fully ripe plums, and a triple selection that lines up ripe, sparkling and sour plum wines side by side.

Shochu gets proper treatment too. Sweet-potato styles such as Shiranami, Kurokame and Kuro Kirishima sit alongside barley versions like Iichiko and Rooster's Beak, each served straight, on the rocks or as a highball. Japanese whisky runs from Suntory Kakubin highballs to Toki and the prestige blend Hibiki, while gin fans can choose Suntory Roku, a yuzu gin & tonic, or Night Traveler craft gin from Yamamoto Brewery. Chu-hi come with freshly hand-squeezed grapefruit or lemon, and there's even a hard sparkling of lemon and yuzu made right here in Wellington.

Beer drinkers can pick between Asahi Super Dry and Kirin bottled in Japan, Asahi poured on tap, and cans from Wellington's own Garage Project and ParrotDog. The wine list stays close to home: Marlborough sauvignon blanc and chardonnay, Hawke's Bay chardonnay, and pinot noir from Marlborough and Central Otago. Non-drinkers are well looked after with Phoenix Organics soft drinks, ramune, StrangeLove yuzu and mandarin sodas, and caffeine-free iced barley tea.

Plan Your Visit

Tatsushi sits at 19 Edward Street in Wellington CBD. Lunch runs 11:30am–2:00pm and dinner 5:30pm–10:00pm, Tuesday to Saturday, with the kitchen closed on Sundays and Mondays. Come hungry for the classics, ask what's in season, and give the drinks list a proper look — a pot of genmaicha to finish is very much in the spirit of the place.

Signature items

• Dashi Broth
• Tempura
• Kamado-Cooked Rice
• Seasonal Oden
• Japanese Green Tea
• Blue Fin Tuna

Menu

Tea

• Hot Green Tea — Japanese green tea by the cup.
• Iced Green Tea — Strong-brewed green tea served cold.
• Hot Genmaicha — Toasted brown rice tea served by the pot.
• Iced Barley Tea — Caffeine-free mugicha.

Beer

• Asahi Super Dry — 334ml bottle brewed in Japan; 5%, slightly sweet.
• Kirin Lager — 334ml bottle brewed in Japan; 5%.
• Steinlager Pure — 330ml New Zealand lager.
• Steinlager Pure Light — 330ml light lager at just 2.5%.
• Asahi Dry Draft — Asahi Super Dry on tap, in 400ml or 500ml serves.

Chu-Hi

• Mandarin Chu-hi — Shochu and soda with mandarin; mild or strong.
• Yuzu Chu-hi — Shochu and soda with yuzu; mild or strong.
• Grapefruit Chu-hi — Shochu with freshly hand-squeezed grapefruit.
• Lemon Chu-hi — Shochu with freshly hand-squeezed lemon.
• Native Hard Sparkling Lemon & Yuzu — 330ml Wellington-made citrus hard sparkling, 4.6%.

Shochu

• Shiranami (白波) — Sweet potato shochu; straight, on the rocks or as a highball.
• Kurokame (黒亀) — Sweet potato shochu, by the glass or bottle.
• Kuro Kirishima (黒霧島) — Sweet potato shochu, by the glass or bottle.
• Iichiko (いいちこ) — Barley shochu; straight, on the rocks or as a highball.
• Rooster's Beak (鶏口となるも) — Barley shochu; straight, on the rocks or as a highball.

Spirits

• Grey Goose — Premium vodka, one shot.
• Haku — Japanese craft vodka.
• Stolen White Rum — Aged white rum.

Plum Wine

• Umeshu — Plum wine served with hot water or on the rocks.
• Premium Plum Wine — Chilled plum wine from fully ripe plums.
• Triple Plum Selection — Three side-by-side pours: ripe, sparkling and sour plum wine.

Craft Beer

• ParrotDog Bitter Bitch IPA — 330ml IPA from Wellington's ParrotDog brewery.
• Garage Project Hatsukoi Lager — 330ml craft lager from Wellington.
• Garage Project Hāpi Daze Pale Ale — 330ml pale ale from Wellington.
• Garage Project Aro Noir — 330ml stout from Wellington.

Soft Drinks

• Phoenix Organics — Cola, lemonade, apple & feijoa, orange mango or ginger beer.
• Ramune — Classic Japanese marble soda.
• Sparkling Water — Chilled and bubbly.
• Orange Juice — Fresh and simple.
• StrangeLove Yuzu Soda — Low-calorie yuzu soda, 300ml.
• StrangeLove Mandarin Soda — Low-calorie mandarin soda, 300ml.

By The Glass

• Sparkling Sake — A 150ml pour of sparkling sake from Japan.
• Sparkling Plum Wine — 150ml of sweet-and-sour sparkling plum wine, 5%.
• Sauvignon Blanc — 180ml glass from Marlborough.
• Chardonnay — 180ml glass from Hawke's Bay.
• Pinot Noir — 180ml glass from the South Island.
• Japanese Whisky Highball — Suntory Kakubin with sparkling water.

Japanese Whisky

• Suntory Kakubin — Classic Japanese whisky, on the rocks or as a highball.
• Suntory Toki — Suntory blend served on the rocks or as a highball.
• Suntory Hibiki — Prestige blended Japanese whisky, 30ml pour.

Japanese Craft Gin

• Suntory Roku Gin — Japanese craft gin from Suntory.
• Yuzu Gin & Tonic — Roku gin paired with yuzu.
• Night Traveler Gin — Craft gin by Yamamoto Brewery; highball or on the rocks.

Wine By The Bottle

• Montana Sauvignon Blanc — Marlborough bottle.
• Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc — Marlborough bottle.
• Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc — Marlborough bottle.
• Rapaura Springs Reserve Sauvignon Blanc — Reserve Marlborough bottle.
• Montana Chardonnay — Marlborough bottle.
• Vidal Chardonnay — Hawke's Bay bottle.
• Esk Valley Chardonnay — Hawke's Bay bottle.
• Rapaura Springs Reserve Chardonnay — Reserve Marlborough bottle.
• Montana Pinot Noir — South Island bottle.
• Pā Road Pinot Noir — Marlborough bottle.
• Brassknocker Pinot Noir — Central Otago bottle.
• Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir — Central Otago bottle.

Frequently asked questions

What are Tatsushi's opening hours?

Tuesday to Saturday, with lunch from 11:30am to 2:00pm and dinner from 5:30pm to 10:00pm. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Do I need a booking?

Bookings are available through the website's booking page and are recommended, particularly for dinner service.

Is takeaway available?

No — takeaway is unavailable. Tatsushi is a dine-in restaurant.

What does kodawari mean?

It means obsession with cooking and food. At Tatsushi it shows in dashi made from real bonito flakes and konbu, kamado-cooked rice, tempura by chefs trained in Japan and green tea from Japan.

What can I drink at Tatsushi?

Sparkling sake, plum wine, sweet-potato and barley shochu, Japanese whisky including Suntory Kakubin, Toki and Hibiki, craft gin, chu-hi, Asahi and Kirin, Wellington craft beer, local wines, and Japanese green tea.

Does the menu change?

Yes — the kitchen follows the seasons. Recent updates have featured oden season, asparagus and blue fin tuna, and current menus are published on the website.

Where is Tatsushi located?

19 Edward Street, Wellington CBD.

Tips

• {"body":"Dinner runs 5:30–10:00pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Reserve a table through the website's booking page before you go.","title":"Book ahead for dinner"}
• {"body":"Service splits into lunch (11:30am–2:00pm) and dinner (5:30–10:00pm), and the restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays.","title":"Know the two sittings"}
• {"body":"Visit in winter when oden season arrives — it's a fixture of the restaurant's seasonal calendar.","title":"Time your visit for oden season"}
• {"body":"Try the triple plum wine selection, a sweet-potato shochu highball, or a yuzu gin & tonic alongside your meal.","title":"Make it a drinks journey"}
• {"body":"Takeaway is unavailable, so budget time to sit down and enjoy the full experience.","title":"Plan to dine in"}