Tatsushi - Wellington

If I ever come back to Wellington, THIS IS THE PLACE! I still dream about their salmon sashimi, to the point I Googled if Wellington is supposed to have the best salmon sashimi in the world. Their portions are tiny and moderate but the quality is worth it. I also didn't expect their fried squid to melt in my mouth. The food here is better than what I've tried in Japan unfortunately. Never thought I'd find a gem from a little place tucked behind my hotel.

Authentic sushi joint, limited menu and an assortment of the features fish for the sashimi plate. Extremely long wait for service, and they forgot my Miso soup. Staff was kind but seemed overwhelmed on a Wednesday night. Authentic in the way that there are only a few basic actual rolls on the menu, the rest is sashimi and nigiri. Good food, but wasn't overly impressed. Likely great for New Zealand, but coming from Vancouver (likely my bad for expecting sushi like you can get there) I would have preferred some interesting rolls instead of straight sashimi as it was not super tasty and also still nearly frozen. Great ambiance and drinks.

Great venue with friendly staff and great selection of sake. Menu was quaint. The Tuna Sashimi was not defrosted enough to be served and a little too moist to have been platted like that. The rice for the nigiri was lacking enough start to fall off when picked up with chop sticks. Small details but overall a great place.

I came and ordered the sashimi of the day and All the five specials. It was fresh, tasty and exceptional. Also took the Saki tasting. The bill came up to 85$ for two people and it was more than worth it. This a no-nonsense, authentic fresh Japanese Yakitori with a talented young chef behind it. Would highly recommend it for a date. There are no deserts so you could take your date for a nice ice cream on the waterfront right after.

This might be the best Japanese food in Wellington. Be sure to check out their Ramen night it's the best bowl of Ramen I've had yet here in New Zealand.