If you like Japanese food, this place is a hidden gem. You walk downstairs and its easy to think you have stepped into a restaurant in Japan. The decor is great, the lighting, the atmos, the staff, and most importantly the food and drinks are always delicious and go down a treat. One of my fav. japanese places to eat in Auckland city!

Great little hidden place, I’m surprised how many people know about Tanuki’s and don’t know about this one. It’s a bit expensive compared to the more modest and casual Japanese fare I like to frequent, but each time I’ve been here for special occasions has been wonderful. Very nice lovely setting and atmosphere, I can’t help but stare at the beautiful kimonos on the walls. The food is great, some are better value than others. I really liked the seafood yakisoba, and my friend who ordered the sashimi don said it was very nice and fresh. I remember some friends who ordered various kinds of sushi were very impressed as well. Presentation was great too. I’d be very keen to come to this place again and again with friends who haven’t been so to introduce more people to it. Highly recommended.

Lovely hidden japanese place with beautiful food and environment.
Was here on a friday night in April, day before my birthday to pre celebrate with the lady.
We ordered the takowasabi (Raw squid with wasabi flavour), tofu salad (beautiful), forgot wat sushi it was but it was good and a salmon head each.
Salmon head had a bit too much salt on one side but the natural oils of the salmon balanced it out nicely.
The environment was beautiful like you’re in a underground bar.
Will go back soon

Fantastic place.

Most Japanese restaurants have great service and food, however Kura just seems to be that one step above. They were very accommodating for one of our guests who was on a restricted diet. We liked all the dishes we ordered but for me the soft shell crab was the winner.

Worth walking down the stairs.

Have been to kura a couple of times now. Such a cool place to dine. You can book and it is a bit lighter than Tanukis Cave which is nice. It’s not the cheapest option but there is heaps of food and it is super fresh and yum so definitely still value for money. Try it.

Picked this restaurant because of reviews on Menu Mania, and wow – I am glad we did! I can’t fault this restaurant. Went on Saturday night, it was busy but the staff were absolutely amazing. Prompt, polite and friendly service. We tried the seared salmon and roe sushi, pork belly and sashimi – all incredibly well prepared, fresh and tasty. The tempura was light and crunchy, and to top it off the sake went down a treat! Highly recommended, will definitely be back for more!

If you have walked past the funny wooden door on Queen Street many times and always wondered, STOP! Make it the next place on your list to visit for dinner. Make your way down the staircase and be greeted with a loud “Irasshaimase!” (“Please come in!”) from the staff. We have been coming here for years now and the food is always excellent. It comes out fast and if you make it known you are attending a show after dinner it will be even quicker! The setting is lovely, stone walls, large fireplace and kimonos on the walls. I would recommend the Fresh Spring Rolls, they are definitely fresh and an absolutely beautiful start to the meal. Another favourite of mine is the Prawn Tempura Roll sushi. It is presented beautifully and the tempura is light, crispy, and so fresh it is still warm inside the roll! If you get a seat at the bar you can watch the chefs make it too!

I had been here approx. 5 times prior to having a ten person birthday dinner here. The food was delicious, hot and arrived at exactly the right moment. We ordered an interesting sounding drink called Calpis Soda – which the whole table ordered a second round of! The staff were accomodating to the 3 vegetarians, and the wait staff were especially helpful taking many group photographs and bringing out a lit cake at the end. Also the interiors are fantastic, with the lighting setting a perfect glow and tone around the room, and the kimonos hanging around the walls were highly authentic.
I definitely reccomend Kura for a group or an intimate dinner spot!

Nice setting. Very friendly. Great Food, although we had a problem with them serving a dish that had eggs in it when it stated it didn’t have any eggs in it on the menu to my sister who is allergic to eggs but they were happy to remake it and gave it to her for free. All up, this restaurant is cosy and i can’t wait to return for more good food!.

I just had dinner here (11/2/2011) with a large group of friends and everything was lovely until we checked our bill and found we had been overcharged by $200 dollars. They claimed to have given us the wrong bill although strangely all the correct meals and drinks were included – they had just added a few extras that we never ordered and they never brought to our table. When i spoke to the manager she stated their policy when they had overcharged was to say “Sorry” which was all they did. My advice is check your bill carefully if you are ever dining here.

Always impressed with Kura and their menu.

I’ve been visiting Kura since 2007, whether it’s just two dining, or 10, we were always served promptly and courteously.

The atmosphere is really great (kimonos as wall hangings!).

Kura feels like a secret Auckland has just for you, the Japanese cuisine connoisseur.

Extensive list of Japanese alcoholic beverages await you, bubbling merrily like Chuhi, which other Japanese restaurants in the area fail to stock.

One complaint: they removed the sukiyaki from the menu (one serve sukiyaki with a candle! so cute).

loved the vege tempura. sapporo on tap – nice.
no substantial vegetarian options on the menu, but they put a tofu donburi together for me on request which i was really impressed with.

service was really friendly, but several of the staff made mistakes – delivering food we hadn’t ordered on one occasion, and delivering 2 beers instead of 1 (not such a bad predicament really). but they were gracious smiley and apologetic about these things which just made the whole experience enjoyable.

Excellent excellent great atmosphere wait staff so very friendly love the background music great selection of food with interesting and very fresh ingredients
A++++

A great dining experience for the whole family. Very good food and service in a great atmosphere. Top start before going to a show at the Civic. Only comment is that the Google map for 315B Queens Street shows the wrong location. Kura is just south of the Town Hall directly opposite the Airedale Hotel and not on the other side of the road opposite the Civic as Google shows. Once found, the restaurant was great and we will be back