Cocoro

The degustation was amazing. It included both Japanese and Western dishes. Every dish was well explained and presented with creativity. Sashimi was fresh, had a delicate taste without the typical frozen aftertaste. We enjoyed all from start to finish. Very keen to visit again for other dishes on the menu.

Easily the best Japanese restaurant experience we have had in New Zealand. After living in Japan for four years we are particular and Cocoro was excellent in all respects. The food was excellent, ambience very good but what really stood out was the service. The team embraced the concept of Omotenashi so well. Looking forward to returning soon! Highly recommend.

We had the special truffle course, and it was exceptional. I love truffles and have tried several truffle courses at various restaurants, but this was one of the best — they really brought out the flavour of the truffle beautifully. My partner has some dietary restrictions, and the team created a beautifully tailored course menu for us. The food was consistently sophisticated in flavour, with elegant presentation. Every staff member was friendly, and the service was refined and professional. Cocoro continues to be one of my absolute favourite restaurants in New Zealand.

Signature degustation set was just perfect. The freshness, quality and flavour - a culinary delight. One of the best restaurants in Auckland, way ahead of its peers.

We had amazing dinner here we did the à la carte menu. The sashimi was fantastic possibly one of the best in Auckland. If not New Zealand. The steak was amazing. The staff were really friendly and helpful and all around great restaurant. I haven’t been for awhile. It’s nice to see they haven’t dropped their standards.

WOW the sashimi platter here is insane! It had all my favourites as well as many new morsels I had never tried before. Photos dont do justice to how impressive it is in person, the level of care that goes into the presentation becomes more clear as you go. The service was 10/10 as well. Our lovely (and knowledgeable) server explained the best order to eat certain pieces and what each of the 5 dipping sauces go best with. So much fun, will definitely be back!

The food is usually very good and ambience is nice for special occasions. This visit was no exception. However, my partner found a moth floating in the broth of their Inaniwa udon, as you can see from the attached photos (a little hard to see due to the lighting, but the antenna and legs are clearly visible). I understand that this happens occasionally with every establishment, but a premium restaurant like Cocoro needs to do better. Me and my partner actually had some of this dish prior to finding the moth! We didn’t make a scene, but it’s disgusting to think that one of us could have swallowed the moth by accident on top of drinking the moth-soaked broth. When we complained, the staff apologised profusely, which was decent of them. I still really wanted to just pay and leave at that point, as the thought of eating moth soup was disgusting. My partner wanted to stay for the dessert we ordered, so there we stayed, had a new udon that they re-prepared and dessert. At the end of the meal, they gave us some chocolate ganache as apology. When paying, they told us about how they will review their pest control (they current have two dispensers). If you are curious, no, they did not take the udon off the bill. The food was delicious, as always, but I took down 4 stars for the moth. Customer service is excellent, attentive and helpful, but greatly lacking the ability to respond to this sort of situation. I hope it was an isolated incident as Cocoro used to be my favourite Japanese restaurant, although I now doubt their overall food safety standards behind the scenes.

Genuinely my favourite restaurant in Auckland. The food and service are top class and neither have ever failed me. I tell EVERYONE about this place

Absolutely a hidden gem! Down a residential street in Ponsonby, and behind an unassuming door. I've had my fair share of really good Japanese food globally, including at several Michelin starred places, and this was up there in terms of quality. The pricing was very reasonable for the price you pay, and the service was very warm and kind, efficient, and spot on. Highlight dishes? - The "udon" with clams was amazing. Not had anything like it ever. - Nigri omakase was perfection. And a good selection of expensive and interesting fishes and seafood that you normally don't get in a chef's selection. Definitely will be revisiting Cocoro in the future. Note that if you would like the tasting menu, you need to order in advance, not available on the day itself. It did look quite interesting, looking at the tables next to me, but I think the a la carte menu also has plenty of interesting dishes, some more so than the tasting menu IMO.

Lunch at Cocoro. Nice bright ambience, tranquil, comfy seating. Service is prompt, attentive but not intrusive. Wine list is good, good selection of local wine & French. Serves good quality Sake (eg they serve Kubota Manju), good selection of Japanese whisky too. Seafood selection & quality is probably one of the best in NZ. They have Ora King Salmon, uni to Otoro tuna from Japan (farm raised though). ingredients are super fresh. I love eating Chirashi sushi rice, it has a bit of everything but often fraction of the price! Price reflects the quality, $145 for chirashi, uni Gunkan, 3x pics of top quality Tuna sashimi & glass of wine. (I feel full in the end!) Definitely will come back again for top quality, best in NZ sushi!

Seriously, get their signature sashimi platter! It's worth it, just remember to call a day in advance to reserve. It was a cute restaurant with street parking and 2 reserved parking spots to the back. Clean, Japanese staff who were professional. We had their tasting menu and loved every course! The highlight was the sashimi platter! The varieties were amazing, just recalling it makes me drool. We were visiting from USA and have been to multiple high end sushi and kaiseki places, Cocoro is among our favorites. Overall, if I can put it in one word, it would be "humble". I didn't feel that they were trying hard to look luxurious or pretentious, down to earth fresh quality food. From my experience, I give it a 5 star. I hope to go back for that signature sashimi platter again soon!

Back after4 long years and it didn't disappoint. We had the degustation as it was a special occasion--which was awesome--but I can recommend the tempura oysters and the sashimi platter if you don't have the appetite or time for the degustation. Everything was fresh, meticulously prepared and served. Melt-in-your-mouth and ridiculously reasonably priced! I would have expect to pay twice the price for the degustation for comparable quality anywhere else. Can't wait for my next trip to AKL.

Degustation is not normally my cup of tea - I find it to be a bit overwhelming. However, the focus on fresh, clean flavours at Cocoro makes it much more enjoyable. From delicate sashimi served with fresh South Island wasabi presented in a three-tiered lacquer box to snapper fried in a light tempura served with buckwheat in a ten-dashi broth, each is expertly prepared and beautifully presented! The service is also flawless - perfectly timed and not at all intrusive. We never had to ask for anything and each course was cleared promptly after it had been finished. Since we were in a Japanese restaurant, we of course thought it only right that we order a flight of sake. There are a couple of options here and unfortunately I can't remember what our was called but it came with 4 different sake(s?). The waiter brought each bottle to the table to pour it and explained a little bit about each sake and which dishes they went best with. Very helpful! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Cocoro to locals and would happily show it off to international visitors!

Managed to get talked into trying out the degustation menu and don't regret it. It was 9 courses of absolute heaven. Its places like these where you appreciate the fact that you don't have to share your dish because you just want it all to yourself! Service was excellent - staff were attentive, personable, informed and accommodating. We shared a bottle of sake then a bottle of wine with dinner but needed a hand navigating through the extensive drinks list. Makoto was there to save the day and made some great recommendations. It's definitely not a cheap eat: degustation + 1 bottle of sake + 1 bottle Pinot Gris =~$130 but then a place like this deserves that kind of financial reverence It's hard to fault this place really - the whitebait egg custard was left unfinished by our party due to it's unique texture and flavour combo but I'm really grasping at straws here. Tl;Dr book cocorro for a special occasion, it's sure to impress

Cocoro was an incredible experience, in all aspects. We were in Auckland and while walking down Ponsonby Road we found a TV crew outside filming an episode of a new show for Channel 3 in New Zealand. We agreed to be filmed tasting dishes that were being prepared by the chef on the street and during this some of the crew members on the TV show said they loved Cocoro and that we should definitely try it out. We walked the few blocks and arrived at this hidden gem set back off of Ponsonby. The interior of the restaurant is very sleek and modern. The service was perfect as well, very friendly and they helped us to understand the menu better. We ordered a la carte off of the menu and got to try a wide variety of the dishes. Everything was extremely well presented and flavorful. I would highly recommend Cocoro for anyone looking for a great Japanese dinning experience.

What an amazing degustation delight. My wife and I were celebrating a special evening and she booked Cocoro ...... and we had a wonderful wonderful meal. Worth every cent and a Japanese culinary delight.

Amazing Japanese Restaurant that´s almost hidden behind a bamboo wall in a side-street off Ponsonby. To think that I was just working around the corner for a few months and that I have never been able to find something equally as good in my hometown (Berlin, which actually has a Cocoro) makes me and my mouth sad. The food is always fresh and it´s presented in a such a beautiful way that you actually have second thoughts of eating it

The best thing about Cocoro, other than it's superlative staff and the one and only Makoto, is the bright and shiny fresh fish. New Zealand sushi restaurants, inexplicably, do not serve the wide range of fish you'd find in Japan or the U.S., but what Cocoro does serve (maguro, sake, tai, uni, several styles of shrimp, mackerel, crayfish, Bluff oysters, etc.) is excellent. They understand the temperature at which sushi should be served. Their knife and presentation skills are top notch. I try to go here at least once a month and have become dependent on Makoto and his staff for their generosity of spirit and deep-seated reverence for the joy in Japanese cuisine. It's the type of place -- rare these days -- where you want to get to know the staff and strike up conversations with Makoto about what's fresh and what he recommends. He's good, if you're a regular, at figuring out your tastes, but is always happy to recommend something new. You definitely lose something from the absence of a bar (the inability to spark up a conversation or ask your itamae about the fish), but the wait staff are well informed and quick to ask Makoto if they don't have an answer. And Makoto, once you get to know him, will be happy to come out and chat with you. He's great, one of my favourite people. The sake selection is excellent and, again, the wait staff can articulately explain your choices. It's a pricey joint (somebody has to pay for all that fabulous white linen), but you will come out satisfied. I've eaten lunch there for about $45. That bought me 4 pieces of nigiri sushi, 6 pieces of sashimi, and 3 or 4 Bluff oysters. Generally, I spend a lot more because it's all so good and I have to have a bit of it all. Two for dinner costs $200 if you're liberal in your selection of small dishes and your bill includes beer and sake. Highly recommended. During dinner, they have a prix fixe menu if you choose the private tables, but you can order whatever you want if you sit at the large centre table designed to accommodate about 15 people. Some people have remarked that the interior is spartan, but I disagree. The liberal use of wood gives all those straight lines a sense of depth and warmth that makes me feel quite comfortable.

Ate here a while ago and went for the degustation menu.. Absolutely LOVED every minute of the entire experience! The food was all beautifully presented and the flavours well matched to showcase each 'standout' item per course. Service was impeccable, although it was quite hard to hear the very softly spoken staff at times. Setting is fabulous as well. Probably my favourite Japanese restaurant in Auckland to date! Already looking forward to my next visit!

I was a bit worried that 8 courses might just be overkill and too much, but it was just the perfect amount of food. There's *a lot* of protein in the degustation meal - several different types of fish, plus, seafood, chicken, duck and lamb. The presentation can't be faulted and the wait staff were excellent. The first and last courses of the degustation are the best, so you open with a bang and you leave very satisfied

My very first experience with a set degustation menu was at Cocoro and I loved every minute of it. Six gorgeous courses presented with a wine match, often from New Zealand wineries; bliss! Over the course of the evening I sampled some pretty amazing food - oysters with snapper sashimi, kingfish lovingly tossed in breadcrumbs with a miso scallop companion, wagyu beef in garlic teriyaki sauce and bluefin tuna. The degustation element to the meal meant that we got to sample all of these sublime dishes without paying for a full main size, and as each dish came, we got curiouser and curiouser about what was to come, which added to the excitement. Cocoro itself is beautifully presented with low ceilings, low lights, a stunning bar set up and a little window into the world of the kitchen. I love this place and will be back as soon as I have to the money to go!

Excellent food and service. A little lacking on ambiance with the minimalist decor.