From relaxing J-pop songs to samurai warriors, especially when it comes to food, we can’t get enough of Japan. Their food is light, healthy, and undeniably good.

Whether you want a classic chicken katsu curry, tasty gyozas, or a perfect ramen, you can have in the best Japanese restaurants in Hamilton, which we’ll explore in just a bit.

We picked those that are positively regarded by customers and give you value for your money. Scroll down to find out which eateries have made it into our top list.

The Best Japanese Restaurants in Hamilton

If you’re ready, we now present to you the best Japanese restaurants in Hamilton!

1.  EDO Japanese Restaurant

BEST FOR	Traditional Japanese cuisine
SERVICES	Brunch, lunch, and dinner Drinks Takeaways
WEBSITE	http://www.edo.co.nz/
ADDRESS	711 Victoria Street, Hamilton, New Zealand 3204
CONTACT DETAILS	+64 7-839 3919 [email protected]
OPERATING HOURS	Monday – Wednesday: 11.00 AM – 9.00 PM Thursday: closed Friday – Sunday: 11.00 AM – 9.00 PM
PRICES	Kindly enquire the company for rates

With a decade’s worth of experience, Chef Hiroshi Hayashi takes the helm of Japanese Restaurant Edo, bringing back the tradition and elegance of Japan through great food.

The menu covers a full scope from perfect handmade sushi and flavoursome ramen to enticing desserts such as green tea or black sesame ice cream.

The ambience is warm and pleasant with Chochin Japanese lanterns, over 30 items of Ukiyo-e (Japanese illustration) and artisan products.

And if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, there’s no need to look for another restaurant. They have plenty of options here like Spinach Ohitashi and Avocado Sushi.

Customer Reviews

Customers raved about the delicious ramen as well as the beef tataki, sashimi, and udon. They also described the eatery as having great service and clean facilities.

One customer named Mark wrote feedback of the restaurant:

“This is a real find: Reasonable prices, nice staff, great food, Restautant is at the nice location(next to the Les Mills). the service is friendly and quick. They serve the best Ramen noodles i have ever had. Totally worth it!”

What’s more, let’s read a review from another guest:

“Nice restaurant, clean, relaxed, delicious Japanese food,excellent service. The cheif even came out from the kitchen, asked us about the opinion of the food. Tasty food! Highly recommended! One of my favourite restaurants! I would love to have dinner here again soon!”

2. i Japanese Cafe

BEST FOR	Melt-in-your-mouth donburi dishes
SERVICES	Lunch Drinks Takeaways
WEBSITE	https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g255108-d4137963-Reviews-I_Japanese_Cafe-Hamilton_Waikato_Region_North_Island.html
ADDRESS	567 Victoria Street, Hamilton 3204, New Zealand
CONTACT DETAILS	+64 7834 3329
OPERATING HOURS	Monday – Saturday: 11.00 AM – 4.00 PM
PRICES	Kindly refer to their menu here

The i Japanese Cafe is a perfect lunch spot in Victoria Street. It offers affordable, extremely delish, and adequate Nippon meals.

Their savoury donburi dishes are a must-try, in particular, the Teriyaki Donburi. And for great value, their Prawn Katsu and Salmon Sashimi & Tempura sets are excellent!

Along with this, their staff are friendly and attentive. Providing good food and servic3e, it has come out on top as one of the best Japanese restaurants in Hamilton.

Make sure to book ahead to avoid the queue, especially for larger groups.

It’s open from Mondays to Saturdays from 11 AM to 4 PM.

Customer Reviews

It holds a perfect 5/5 stars on Tripadvisor owing to its fantastic Japanese food at an affordable price! It’s the perfect pitstop when you’re shopping around town.

One customer, Hamiltonfoodie21, left this comment:

“From start to finish it is always a pleasure here. The staff are so kind and you can tell they really care about your experience. My favourite is the Teriyaki Chicken and Tempura Set. But also the soft shell crab is great too!! You must try the Ramune, which a Japanese lemonade. So affordable for such a nice experience and tasty food!”

Moreover, another customer wrote this feedback:

“My partner and I frequent iJapanese often. We love the special lunch set and tofu teriyaki set. The staff are friendly. It’s often busy and they do takeaways too – you may have to wait unless you book ahead (definitely book ahead if you have more than 4), or even better, come off peak. Location is handy to the rest of shopping. Consistently great food and service.”

3. Shinjuku Japanese Restaurant

BEST FOR	Fine Japanese beer and sake
SERVICES	Lunch and dinner Drinks Takeaways
WEBSITE	https://www.facebook.com/shinjukunz
ADDRESS	7 Alexandra Street, Hamilton, New Zealand 3204
CONTACT DETAILS	+64 7-838 0064 [email protected]
OPERATING HOURS	Monday – Wednesday: 12.00 – 2.00 PM, 5.30 – 9.00 PM Thursday – Friday: 12.00 – 2.00 PM, 5.30 – 10.00 PM Sunday: 5.30 – 10.00 PM
PRICES	Check out their menu rates here

Established in 2006, Shinjuku Japanese Restaurant offers delicious Japanese-inspired cuisine along with an indulgent list of sakes and beers.

It had been relaunched in 2018 with a new menu, bar drinks, and decor. They have excellent bento boxes of hamburger steak and salmon teriyaki.

The restaurant has a certain cosiness to it. You can also sit on their comfy couch and order yummy takoyaki and a bespoke cocktail mix.

Offering Japanese meals with a local twist has its advantages. As a result, they are able to offer vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options.

4. Nami Japanese Restaurant

BEST FOR	Mouthwatering sushi rolls and gyozas
SERVICES	Lunch and dinner Drinks Deliveries Takeaways
WEBSITE	https://www.namijapaneserestaurant.co.nz/
ADDRESS	20 Hood Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton 3204, New Zealand
CONTACT DETAILS	+64 7-838 9397 [email protected]
OPERATING HOURS	Monday – Saturday: 11.30 AM – 2.30 PM, 5.30 – 9.30 PM Sunday: closed
PRICES	Please click this link to view their menus and rates

Looking for a Japanese eatery that makes you feel at home? If you are, then you’ve found it with Nami Japanese Restaurant!

You’ll be greeted with courteous service and inviting smiles. The restaurant is charming with hanging cherry blossom decor and gentle lighting.

Their menu can be divided into small dishes, tempuras, salads, hot noodle soups, mains, sushi, and drinks. Delivery and takeaway options are available.

When you’re eating with someone, you definitely can’t miss their fresh, delightful sushi and vegetable or pork gyozas which come with soy vinegar sauce.

For the mains, we highly recommend their Sweet Beef Yakiniku, Sweet Chicken Katsu, and Spicy Barbecue Pork over sake. These selections will surely make your dinner a memorable one!

Customer Reviews

In spite of mixed reviews on Tripadvisor, most of the customers praised the restaurant’s fresh and delicious sushi or sashimi platter and gyozas.

Here’s what one customer has to say about Nami:

“The best sushi in Hamilton!!! A bit pricey, but I’d rather eat sushi less often and when I do come here, than eat sushi anywhere else! The sushi menu’s not that big, but hoping they’ll expand their options in the future? The staff was extremely friendly, the sushi is made on order (fresh) and we got extra pieces of sushi on each plate which was a pleasant surprise. Had a great dinner date here and just so happens that we got 25% off our bill with the entertainment app We’ll definitely be back!”

Also, Rich and Nadia shared their experience at the restaurant:

“Me and my wife always eat here since we fist arrived in NZ. They have the better if not the best food for this type of authentic cuisine. Warm personnel specially the boss. The price is pretty much standard for their cuisine which is all about fulfilment of the needs of the taste buds and the tommy. Wish you all the best”.

5. Tatsuta Japanese Restaurant

BEST FOR	Izakaya-style Japanese meals
SERVICES	Lunch and dinner Drinks
WEBSITE	https://www.facebook.com/TatsutaJapaneseRestaurant/?ref=page_internal
ADDRESS	161A Victoria Street, Hamilton, New Zealand 3204
CONTACT DETAILS	+64 7-838 3085 [email protected]
OPERATING HOURS	Monday: closed Tuesday: 5.30 – 8.30 PM Wednesday – Thursday: 12.00 – 2.00 PM, 5.30 – 8.30 PM Friday – Saturday: 12.00 – 2.00 PM, 5.30 – 9.00 PM Sunday: 12.00  – 2.30 PM, 5.30 – 8.00 PM
PRICES	Check out their menu here

Japanese Restaurant Tatsuta offers authentic Japanese cuisine prepared by Chef Tatsuta, who came from Kobe.

The food always comes fresh, well-presented, and super-delicious. Specialising in izakaya-style dining (small dishes served with alcoholic drinks), the joint is great for happy hours.

Their popular lunch sets include rice, miso soup, and salad. Moreover, it’s totally worth it to order their fresh spicy tuna, prawn tempura, and California maki rolls.

Apart from that, customers say that the staff are friendly and prompt. For their all-around great service, they’re one of the best Japanese restaurants in Hamilton.

If you want vegetarian and gluten-free options, kindly inform their staff as you order. The restaurant is open for the entire week except on Mondays.

Customer Reviews

Diners mostly wrote that Tatsuya had great atmosphere, food, and service. Although more on the expensive side, dining here is worth it, according to many of its customers.

Mara, one diner, posted this comment of the restaurant:

“Amazing food – great flavours, textures and beautifully presented. Excellent drinks menu. I went with a group of omnivores and vegans and there was a great selection of food options. Highly recommend.”

Also, another customer wrote this review:

“Ate here Tuesday evening. Izakaya – casual, small plates – style Japanese classics. I had agedashi tofu, nigiri plate, edamame with Orion beer, sake and Japanese whisky. All excellent quality and that indefinable Japanese aesthetic. Lovely attentive and friendly service. Interior is nicely sparse and minimalist Japanese – lots of timber. Japanese artefacts and pop culture on the walls add to the atmosphere. Well worth a visit in the food zone of Hamilton. Something different from the more generic offerings in this strip. Owners and operators have clearly put in a lot of effort to make the offering authentic and high quality. Recommended.”

6. Kobe Sushi

BEST FOR	Affordable Japanese cuisine with quality
SERVICES	Lunch and dinner Drinks
WEBSITE	https://www.kobesushi.co.nz
ADDRESS	Garden Place Shop 1, 5 Garden Place, Hamilton Central, Hamilton 3204, Waikato, New Zealand Ward Street Shop 3, 73 Ward Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton 3204, Waikato, New Zealand
CONTACT DETAILS	[email protected] Garden Place +64 (0)7 834 0638 Ward Street +64 (0)7 838 0863
OPERATING HOURS	Store Hours Monday – Sunday 10:00 AM – 04:30 PM Delivery Monday – Sunday 10:00 AM – 03:30 PM 03:30 PM – 08:00 PM Pickup Monday – Sunday 10:00 AM – 03:30 PM 03:30 PM – 08:00 PM
PRICES	Check out their menu here

Kobe Sushi offers high-quality sushi at affordable prices. Their dishes can be purchased online for dine in, takeaway, or delivery.

They have 30+ sushi types available, some of which include chicken, seafood, and vegetarian. Bento, donburi, ramen, and udon are the other dishes they serve.

They also have sushi platters in their menu — perfect for events and gatherings. Interested diners can check out their 2 branches in the Hamilton area, one located in Garden Place and the other in Ward Street.

Customer Reviews

Diners mostly wrote that Tatsuya had great atmosphere, food, and service. Although more on the expensive side, dining here is worth it, according to many of its customers.

Mara, one diner, posted this comment of the restaurant:

“Amazing food – great flavours, textures and beautifully presented. Excellent drinks menu. I went with a group of omnivores and vegans and there was a great selection of food options. Highly recommend.”

Also, another customer wrote this review:

“Ate here Tuesday evening. Izakaya – casual, small plates – style Japanese classics. I had agedashi tofu, nigiri plate, edamame with Orion beer, sake and Japanese whisky. All excellent quality and that indefinable Japanese aesthetic. Lovely attentive and friendly service. Interior is nicely sparse and minimalist Japanese – lots of timber. Japanese artefacts and pop culture on the walls add to the atmosphere. Well worth a visit in the food zone of Hamilton. Something different from the more generic offerings in this strip. Owners and operators have clearly put in a lot of effort to make the offering authentic and high quality. Recommended.”

And that wraps up our list of the best Japanese restaurants in Hamilton. Come and visit these eateries and experience delectable Japanese meals you’ll totally love!

Have you eaten at any of these restaurants? Share with us your experience by leaving us a message, and we’ll get back to you as fast as we can.

Also, you may want to try the best Italian restaurants in Hamilton. Like our featured Japanese restaurants, you’ll enjoy the remarkable food and cosy ambience there.