Ken Yakitori Bar

Was back in the country so thought we should revisit old Ken Yakitori as it was always banging — good atmosphere, great food… However… Food was below average and ambience was stale. What a disappointment! The menu’s changed, and the quality of the food was not good, not good at all. Agedashi tofu was strange, looked like they had been precooked then reheated and was sitting on top of liquid in a bowl which made the tasteless cubes all soggy. The cornflake karaage chicken used to be a hit, but now meat is dry and dish is super oily. Freshness of the salmon questionable. The only consistent good dish was the complimentary cabbage (not free anymore) with the $ 3 Japanese mayo (which can’t really go wrong as it’s out of a tube). The ‘healthy chicken meatballs’ was cooked from frozen. The chef no longer bastes the yakitori throughout cooking instead he just dunked it in some liquid just before serving. The service was friendly but a little loose, not as attentive as before. Upstairs was totally empty and downstairs wasn’t too busy and it was a Friday night! How times have changed. Have to give it a ²⁄₅ :(

I love Ken. Everything makes you feel like you’re in Japan– friendly service, banter in Japanese, delicious food — Ken is a home away from home after our time in Japan. There’s local beer & sake, great food and a truly authentic atmosphere– the team really want to help you have an awesome evening. Order the karaage with cornflakes, and the Takoyaki, a beer, then sit back and see where your night takes you!

This is where it all started. The unique traditional Japanese atmosphere, cozy little place. Make sure you make a reservation, they get filled up quick.
Is always great to order the multi skewers tasting combo if you haven’t tried the place before. The must have is chicken balls, prawns, beef cheek, and agedashi tofu.
Cool place to catch up with mates have a few drinks and share mini tapas like dishes.

This place used to be great, but now unfortunately everything tastes the same. We had to wait 45 mins for a table and an extra 15mins for a menu. On the bright side the staff are always friendly

Ken Yakitori is a great go-​to place when you’re in the need of a quick dinner before a show, or when you’re not that hungry but kind of want to eat something anyway (or is it just me that experiences this?)
Not only is it consistently delicious and speedy, a large portion of the menu is based around skewers which comes in sets of two, meaning it’s really easy to order just a small meal or a massive meal.
The wasabi chicken is like nothing on this planet as far as head explosion is concerned — that is some hellish strong wasabi, be warned.
As well as the skewers, they do a particularly good takoyaki, as well as various other dishes from the kitchen, such as karaage chicken.
Overall, yum.

This Ken Yakitori is different to the one on Anzac Avenue. Just keep that in mind. The menu is slightly different, the food is slightly different. The place is the same, but DIFFERENT. It is a good idea to remember this.
It’s Yakitori, so things on skewers. That, plus a whole bunch of other things like tempura and agedashi tofu and a huge tofu salad (recommended), beef tataki and karaage (fried) chicken. There is a hearty beef miso that my dad always orders.
Other things to note: This restaurant is BYO. That being said, they have good sake, but it will put you on your ass. Just a warning. Parking is a fecking nightmare around there. It is nice to sit at the bar. There is happy hour. You will be greeted as you enter the door which is kind of nice.

Ken Yakitori is the perfect place for a birthday meal. You know those ones where you’re not turning a significant enough number for a huge party but don’t want to be stuck at home with your cat either.
If you do want to have a birthday there I suggest you try book the upstairs area. It’s a lot bigger and all of you can sit on one table. Whereas downstairs is great for an intimate date or night with a girl friend.
The food is so good, great Japanese fare that always goes down a treat. But watch out for their sake, yikes, that stuff is lethal. But definitely helps in keeping the night going ;)
The best thing about this Ken Yakitori is that it’s so close to everything awesome. You’re right in the thick of K road so you can pop to a band afterwards or go the more civilised route and watch something at Aotea Square.

All the skewers! All the Japanese food on skewers!
This place is worth a visit. There’s a downstairs which is small and crowded, or an upstairs which is slighty less so. The menu is pretty extensive with a range of familiar and unfamiliar dishes. Recommended: the beef tongue. I was put off by the concept (cows have big slobbery tongues, don’t they?) but it was delicious — thin crispy slices of meat, quite salty. Also of note: Japanese booze. The beers are nice in the way that Asahi is always nice, but it’s worth branching out and trying some plum liqueur or, if you want to get very suddenly, very pleasantly drunk, some hot sake. Great on a winter’s night. Also there’s BYO, if you’re a wuss.

I love Ken Yakitori. I went here recently for a friends BYO birthday dinner and it was an awesome night.
You walk into a very authentic looking Japanese restaurant complete with thatched walls, head bands and bamboo. They staff all acknowledge you as you enter and do their very best to seat you (it can be hard to get s table on some nights). We were seated upstairs which was really great as it felt like our own little room.
The food is really good — quality, fresh ingredients prepared lovingly.
There are all the usual suspects on the menu and they are all yummy. It is BYO which makes it even more affordable and a great option for a pre-​town dinner.
Yummy, well-​priced and good vibes.