Tatsumi Modern Japanese Dining in Queenstown

Everything was fantastic. Service was great. The food was exceptional. The people who left negative reviews don’t know Japanese food or are expecting dishes without raw fish. Japanese food is first and foremost raw fish. And it was amazing. We had the sashimi platter which was great, Kaarage chicken, numerous sushi, seared wagyu sushi, snow crab, various rolls and desert.

Best Japanese wagu beef, delicious oysters and prawns. Great atmosphere and owners

Pretentious. I’m not sure why people rate it so high. Disappointed with the food.I am more than happy to pay for good quality delicious food. This was not good quality delicious food.If you’re going to do fusion, then you really need to make sure it taste better than the original, otherwise, why bother? You’re just making the food worse.We ordered the oysters (it’s not bluff oysterseason, so fair enough); fish carpaccio (the cream sauce was not able to cover the fishy smell); beef tataki carpaccio (so heavy in creamy sauce again!); assorted sashimi (fresh, but nothing to write home about); lamb cutlets (not too bad actually, the pickled cauliflower was good); gnocchi with king prawns (creamy and bland); squid ink calamari tempura (that was actually rather good! However, why add the chilli mango pieces - it just detracts from the delicate taste of the tempura).Definitely overrated.

We had the degustation menu for our anniversary. Every course was AMAZING. The staff are very caring and lovely. We will be recommending this restaurant to everyone.

We dine here every time we visit Queenstown. The food is consistently outstanding, the service is wonderful. Get the banquet menu, you won’t be disappointed. We leave extremely satisfied every time!

Honestly the highlight of the dinner was the hot towel at the start. Im not sure if they were having a bad night but the food was very average. The sushi rolls were good, but everything else we had was well below average. The service wasnt great, our table felt almost invisible to the staff. At one point I was considering setting off a flare to get their attention. We ended up leaving still hungry, so went to KFC for a zinger burger and some chicken. The table next to us at KFC had just come from the same restaurant and had a similar experiences to us. There are much better places to eat in Queenstown.

Food was amazing. I really liked the steak and the dessert (green tea fondant)!!

Lovely service and food, very well presented and amazing flavours we had the Banquet Menu.

Such amazing food & service. The owners and staff we’re so lovely. We had the degustation and it was fantastic. Highly recommend

Sashimi and starter was great but the main dishes was deep fried soft shall crab and deep fried Garage and deep fried lamb chop was a bit average… it would be nice to have more authentic Japanese main dishes ( not deep fried main dishes)

Queenstown, nzDining in a lounge setting. Dainty dishes and efficient service.

Fantastic food that was beautifully presented with impeccable service. Can’t wait to return.

Wow, this was some of the best Japanese I have had. Went with the degustation menu which is quite expensive, however totally worth it. The presentation of the meals along with how fresh everything is made it worthwhile. A range of dishes cooked to perfection. Highly recommend booking in advance (youll need to for the banquets / degustationas they get full fast. The staff were lovely and welcoming, and always happy and smiling!

The very best authentic Japanese food experience in NZ. Remember to book early because it is always full.

Wonderful atmosphere, excellent service and most importantly, delicious tasting and authentic Japanese cuisine. A real highlight of our trip!

Definitely the place to go if you are wanting to spend a special night in Japanese fine dining. Had the full degustation menu and was surely impressed

Rather disappointed by this dining experience. A friend and I pre-booked the set course menu and informed the restaurant that one of guests is allergic to shell fish, prawns and crabs. On arrival, the waiter just randomly told us that they have swapped out both of our meals to non- shell fish dishes. I was not very impressed by this kind of arrangement - it is very unfair that just because my friend is allergic, I cannot enjoy the food that I was looking forward to. For entree, they swapped out the tiger prawn and oysters for tofu and polenta chips; the soft shell crab was taken out and we had fried fish fillet for main. I’m not really judging the food by the price or anything but this kind of arrangement does not make a customer feel like they have been treated sincerely. We were not expecting fish and chips in the set menu of an authentic Japanese restaurant. Never have I ever been to a restaurant that changes the food menu for the whole table because of a single person’s allergy.Food wise, the tofu was probably the highlight of the whole menu funny enough.

I have to say, I was rather disappointed because we had such a high expectation for this restaurant. Everyone said this is the place to go so it soon became one of our highlights of the Queenstown trip!However the service wasnt great and they didnt cater my dietary requirement (Im pregnant). I felt very excluded and even felt like a burden for keep asking to make it well-cooked or see if the dish included anything I shouldnt have. Everyone else enjoyed it so thats the reason for 3 stars but I personally would have given 1 or 2 stars because of this experience :(Hopefully they will train their staff so I can return one day..

Considering that past reviews were consistently stellar, I had high expectations and Tatsumi delivered and executed their dinner services flawlessly. We dined on 21st June 2022 and needless to say, we had never enjoyed fine dining as a family to such an extent, especially my dad who had never liked fine dining. The highlights for us were the Taro gnocchi, the baked oysters with yuzu miso and the blue cod parcels. Even the kara-age was tender and moist on the inside, crunchy on the outside. Sashimi and nigiri were fresh and melt-in-your-mouth. We loved the baked oysters so much that we ordered twice.In hindsight, we should have ordered the matcha fondant instead. Having said that, the green tea affogato was still satisfying. Matcha sauce was prepped fresh in front of diners.Thank you Tatsumi for such an enjoyable dinner on our last day at QZN. Will return to savour your tantalising morsels again.

Loved Tatsumi back in Auckland, so had to come when I had the chance in Queenstown. The food and service is still amazing

Had degustation menu with family, $120pp. In my opinion, it is overrated. It wouldn’t be your choice if you have been many Japanese restaurants and expecting something really good in Queenstown.

Excellent food. Refined taste and presentation. Visited this restaurant 2 times during a one week holiday based in Queenstown. Recommend their banquets. Very good service.

Impressed with this place. Fresh sashimi, the Hokkaido scallops are juicy and chewy! We had both seared and sashimi scallops and they were amazing! Everything was done to a very high quality and standard. We had a particularly interesting dish called squid ink tempura that comes with Mango salsa. Highly recommend.

The most wonderful Japanese cuisine not only in Queenstown, but surely in the country. Their special dessert - Green Tea Fondant was an amazing experience. Cant rate this restaurant highly enough. Bookings are essential.

Spent our time and dinner here during the last day of 2021, and it was SO worthwhile.We opted for the Banquet menu which included a number of dishes—I initially thought I had to choose just one among the options per meal, but was pleasantly surprised when I found out they’ll serve everything in the list 😍All the dishes were just amazing, both in terms of taste and flavor as well as the presentation 🤩 it’s so difficult to choose just one favourite, but the highlights for me were the Oven Baked Clevedon Oysters, the Sashimi Plate (just wow!), the Double Cooked Tender Pork Spareribs, and the Dessert that looked so unassuming but was just a fantastic end to a fab dinner experience!Staff was also super nice, friendly and sincere ❤️ the banquet is a bit pricey but so worth it. Highly recommended! 😊

Fantastic Japanese food, presentation and service, better than I experience in good restaurants in Tokyo, where I lived for two years. the obvious choice is the Chefs dishes and also the saki testing set. Three saki all delicious. we will be back for sure

Decided to go for the banquet sharing menu and loved the variety of the dishes! The king prawn skewer, chicken kara-age and lamb rack were amongst our favourites. Friendly and efficient staff. Would return!

Best food I have had in a long time.Highly recommend Trust the chef… faultless, delicious. We will definitely be back

We come to Tatsumi every time we visit Queenstown and are never disappointed! Their menu has so many interesting dishes to try and is great for sharing when you cant decide what to get for yourself. One of our favourites is the Spider sushi roll with soft shell crab. The staff are so friendly and always happy to help. Would recommend booking in advance as they are often fully booked

Japanese High Tea - A wonderful experience from start to finish. A very relaxed atmosphere and made to feel most welcome. We will be back for dinner next time😋

Japanese tapas style, meant to share but some dishes were big enough to be mains. We tried their Agedashi tofu ($16), chawanmushi ($9), salmon teriyaki ($36), lamb rack, and wagyu beef ($40). They were all really good. The chawanmushi had something in it I wasn’t used to, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was - it’s different from what I used to eat all the time in Sushi Tei (a Japanese restaurant franchise in Singapore). Salmon teriyaki was probably my fav dish. There was enough variety of sides on that dish to make it interesting and satisfying on its own! The lamb rack was quite small, at least smaller than what I’ve seen in other restaurants. Ambience was perfect. Thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Thanks for the great service 😄

Wow the best meal we have had in Queenstown and one of the best I have had full stop. The food is as amazing as it looks. Beautiful Japanese flavours, great service, fantastic experience.

This restaurant is high quality, above average and better than some of the Japanese restaurants in Auckland in my opinion. The dishes were fusion Japanese rather than traditional. Ingredients were fresh and the dishes were nicely designed and blended well with some of the modern flavours. The waitress were lovely too, advising what each dishes ere and the recommended order to consume.If you are not sure what to order, I’d definitely suggest to order the set menu. This will allow you to try some of the most popular/signature dishes from the restaurant.

Excellent food and service. Great selection of sake, Japanese spirits and unique cocktails.

Modern japanese dining! I highly recommend to try fish seviche and carpaccio. Soft shell crab was soo juicy and delicious! We also had several types of sushi rolls. All seafood is extremely fresh and a very good quality. The seviche was sol good I wanted to eat it again. You can find pictures of seviche in my posting. Atmosphere is nice. Its quiet and relaxing. Soft spoken. Variety of japanese drink, such as plum wine that i definitely tried. You need to get a reservation ahead. There are quite busy and they are not that many tables. The servers greats you with a steamed warm towl for your hands to be cleaned . Will go back again

Attention to details, our plates get changed according to dishes served. Very good food,enjoyed every bite. Wagyu beef melted in your mouth type. Its best cod dish we had whilst in Queenstown. Service is good and prompt.

Food was amazing. They have good beverage list too. Bit pricey. Service, can be improved. Meal came to the table too fast. I felt that they were pushing us.

Fantastic high quality Japanese food in Queenstown. The sashimi was fresh with the waitress instructing how we should be eating it (progressively more flavourful).The tempura batter was light, fluffy, flavourful without any residual oiliness.The softshell crab was crunchy and moist. Agedashi Tofu was perfectly crispy on the outside while being silky smooth on the inside. The Taro Gnocchi felt like pillows on the palate.The macha desserts were perfectly balanced - in particular the Macha Affogato was an amazing blend of sweet and bitterness with an almost velvety texture.Highly recommend trying this place out if you have a hankering for genuine Japanese cuisine while in Queenstown.

An unforgettable dining experience! We’ve become regulars at Tatsumi, and our perfect combination never disappoints. We start with a Beautiful Water chilled sake, which shimmers happiness as it is poured from the bottle. One sip can bring tears of joy to your eyes.We savour each sip, awaiting the first course - soft shell crab tempura. Served alongside a juicy and sweet marinated tomato, the crab is crispy, light, and with the slightest of spice. We devour claw after claw. Insatiable. We order a second round.Next up is the yam gnocchi with prawns. Creamy dreamy. The prawns are delicately poached, soft and sweet. The miso broth tastes of the mushroom, with the slight salt of the roe, and covers the tender gnocchi. You’ll be licking the plate clean.The grande finale (after a second round of crabis the green tea fondant. Not too often do we come across category changers, which make you question every dessert before it. This is that. Somehow the chef has discovered the secret to a perfectly crisp outer shell, with oozing matcha deliciousness inside. The berry and ice cream on the side serve to cleanse the palate. Perfection on a plate. Order 2!After our 6th, or is it 7th, try of this combo, we can say with full confidence you won’t be disappointed.

Amazing experience with the most amazing service. We were stuffed and so satisfied! By far our favourite place in Queenstown to dine. Such an experience!

What can I say, divine! The food was all so fresh and tasty. We shared entrees and had our own mains. My fish carpaccio was almost too pretty to eat. I had some of my mother in laws salmon and avocado roll and the salmon had this smoky taste it was soooo delicious. I also had a rabbit zodiac cocktail (Please check out the drink menu its so interestingwhich was nice and sweet but not overly so. We shared dessert and I would recommend the citrus yuzu catalana. I would describe it as if a creme brulee and a lemon cheesecake had a baby. Honestly all the food we had was mouth wateringly good. Service was also very attentive, the ladies are lovely. I love the decor, it has that dark wood look and vintage vibes. It is fine dining but considering the quality of the food and service Id say it was great value. Our meals, drinks and shared desserts averaged about $60NZD each which is pretty low in my opinion considering we left full and absolutely in awe.

Amazing experience! We opted for the set menu and everything was delicious! The service was also outstanding. We decided to return to Queenstown for Christmas and have already booked a table for Christmas Eve!

We tried Tatsumi’s set menu. Wow, what a treat, visually and taste wise. The plates kept coming, each one a different culinary experience . We paired our meal with a Sake , recommended by the awesome bar tender, a great choice. Service was timely and very friendly. Not cheap but well worth it.

Friendly staff! I really surprise of everything especially the food Absolutely delicious 😋salmon teriyaki and bake lobster very fresh! Must try ! Highly recommended! Will come back again!

On holiday in Queenstown for my husbands birthday. We wanted something more than pub or casual dining and a menu which offered a meal or experience that we wouldnt normally cook at home. Tatsumi met and exceeded or expectations with fine dining, attentive service, dishes that looked like art installations and tasted out of this world. We tried several delicious items from the tapas section including tuna, crab, squid, prawns and sashimi beef and would have eaten more if we could! The meals all delivered on their modern take to Japanese cuisine with refreshing elements and textures that all worked so well together. If youre up for a truly authentic experience try a glass of sake - the waitress kindly explained the sake menu to us and how to consume the drink he was served.... We thoroughly enjoyed our experience here and would have no hesitation recommending it as a special evening out!

Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Everything was just so good. We were group of 7 dined 17 May 2019. We were hosted in a Private Dining Room and which was immaculate. The food was beyond excellent and the drinks were amazing. The owner is very polite lady and was actively on the floor. The love and care is shown in the food and service.

Best japeness restaurant in Queestown.We had lunch set were incredible delicious.They have 12 of animal zodiac in the drink.I ordered Sheep was so-so,but super recommend Alpha (which my friends one)👍👍

Prices are a little high but the quality of the food is awesomeThe staff is lovely (I love the fact that the waitress is in kimono, it totally feels like we’re in Japan)We tastes delicious rolls -8 for 20$- (spicy tuna + salmon avocado rolland the miso soup is really good as wellThe matcha dessert is a must-try!

Absolutely love this place 😍 It was sad to see them leave Auckland but now in Queenstown the food is still just as awesome with amazing services. Authentic, modern, artistic and very delicious!! Totally recommended.

Really great experience. Awesome for group dining. Large private rooms with lazy Susan’s for getting to the meals easy. They have an awesome selection of sake and wine. They have a few options for set menus that are great quality for the dining.Staff are responsive. If there was a complaint it’s that the beer could have been delivered quicker but it wasn’t a huge problem.The chef here has amazing skill and would highly recommend this place.