7 reviews of Kiraku Japanese Restaurant & Takeaway
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Shannon S.
Place rating: 5 Sydney, Australia
It’s practically a hole in the wall, but there’s fast service and the dumplings are some of the best I’ve ever had!
Ashley C.
Place rating: 5 Auckland, New Zealand
Kiraku is tiny, but the size and the atmosphere and the suuuper yummy ramen remind me of life in Hakata. Nostalgia sets in straight away. Service is quick and friendly, and I’d easily recommended the tonkotsu, though the teriyaki chicken donburi was tasty as well. I haven’t lived here long, but I’ve been here a couple of times and plan to come back often!
Zachary N.
Place rating: 4 Albuquerque, NM
Nice little place; homey atmosphere; and of course good soup. The goyza were slightly over-darkened from pan frying, but expectedly good. A bit more experimentation/creativity would be nice.
Dave C.
Place rating: 3 Los Angeles, CA
Gyozas were perfect! Tried the miso ramen and the broth lacked flavor. Chashu was lacking flavor also. I kept looking to add soy sauce which isnt a good thing.
Xioux Xioux X.
Place rating: 4 San Diego, CA
When I visited NZ, it was during the winter, which was the opposite of Southern California. It was cold and drizzled, which was a perfect reason to have raumen! This place is no Daikokuya but it reminded me of the kitchen where you can catch a better glimpse of the chef making an art out of your noodles. This place, to focus on it positively, was intimate. I did not count the furnitures but Daikokuya beat it by only a few. I came here at an odd hour — 2ish, so I did not see a line although it was packed! I cannot remember exactly what flavor of ramen I ordered(I’m big on tonkotsu so maybe that?), nevertheless, the broth was just right. It hit the spot. BF got his own bowl and gyoza too, which was a nice side. The staff were attentive and got your order right away. There’s not a lot of waiting compared to bigger establishments, and sometimes, it just works out perfectly that way. I was going to eat here again before leaving NZ but I was too emotional leaving the BF. Definitely will visit again when I come back. :)
Rebecca S.
Place rating: 4 Auckland, New Zealand
So, sometimes you’re out and about by yourself and you need some food. You want to go somewhere decent, but you don’t want to go to a formal restaurant and sit there by yourself for 90mins. Neither do you want to go to the scummy foodcourt. Well, places like Kiraku are your saviour. It’s a tiny ramen/gyoza bar, where there’s room for about 9 or 10 people. Everyone squeezes in and sits at a counter around the kitchen, so you’ll soon be making new friends anyway. The food is good without being flashy and the service is efficient. It can get pretty crowded in here, so sometimes you’re better to take away and eat it in the newly refurbished pedestrian areas on Elliott St.
Eddie D.
Place rating: 5 Auckland, New Zealand
Well, they say restaurant. What this actually is, is a hole-in-the-wall counter kind of set-up. If you want to dine in you better be quick, because they have like ten seats in there. When you go in the staff all greet you in Japanese, which is nice. One time when I was leaving I made the mistake of thanking them in Japanese, which led to a flood of friendly chatter, none of which I could understand. Since then I mostly just smile and point to things, it’s just safer that way. The menu isn’t huge, with most of it based around ramen and gyoza. Ramen is like a noodle soup, gyoza are like fried dumplings. They’re really all you need. Get a bowl of the first one and a plate of the second and that’s a substantial meal right there, and more importantly a delicious one. I hesitate to recommend it, because it’s really small in there and if you all go there won’t be room for me. Last point: they have heaps of comics for you to read while you’re waiting for your food, but they’re all in Japanese.
