This is a Nice Japanese restaurant. And their best dish is sashimi. Rests of them are ok.I had their set serving for one person 46$.This included sashimi (the server wasn’t knowledgeable of the fish except the salmon.) (16$) 4piece of tuna + 3 pieces of another fish and 2 of salmon.The Second dish GESO AGE. was fried squid tentacles and this was nothing to write about. (14$)The last dish was KUSHIAGE. Fried chicken + beef + mushroom skewer (4$) each . Minimum 4 skewers. This ok. Mushroom was prolly the best.Lastly, as I wasn’t even really half full; I had the KIMUCHI PRAWNS. This was ok too. Half dish (13.50$) .Try some other dishes. Dumplings might be good..Overall 3 for the food. However the serving size were small.Certainly recommended but expensive.

Good, fresh, and professionally made food. A little expensive but worth the price. Better when dining in groups. In doors dining is a little tight due to small space. No out doors dining. Limited car parking. Very nice decorations (interiors and food). Very friendly and professional staff.

My partner, who has not enjoyed Japanese food in the past, thoroughly enjoyed our lovely meal last night. I must say it was one of the best Japanese meals I have also had. Thankyou. We will be back for sure.

Absolutely loved this place was a breath of fresh air in Palmerston North 🙌🏼🙌🏼❤️❤️

Wonderful wee restaurant. The queue at the door was an indication of the quality dining experience on offer. superb service. v fresh fish and good pricing. #tinastip sashimi was quiveringly fresh.

A fabulous place for a family dinner, service was great and the food was outstanding. The flavours all worked really well.The style of Japanese shared dishes was really nice and added to the vibe of the restaurant.The varied desserts were nice and the portions were perfect for sharing.

Beautiful, awesome and amazing experience. Amazing traditional Japanese food, with lovely customer service. Felt like a little slice straight from Japan.

Was recommended Yatai as one of the places to dine in Palmerston North that caters for vegans w no dramas. Took the chance and booked a dinner for 10 of us to celebrate my birthday and I’m glad I did :). The website booking was seamless, the phone confirmations of numbers and dietary requirements was thorough and friendly. Myself and friends were very well accommodated from start to finish. The set course was delicious and filling and suited our budget. Will be back in the near future to enjoy the hospitality some more, thanks Barbra and your team for a wonderful evening.

Wonderful menu, tasty food, pleasant staff but poor service. We enjoyed our shared mains but then waited 45 minutes for dessert. What then arrived was not what had been ordered. A further 10+ minutes for another offering which sort of resembled what had been ordered. Such a shame.

Lovely food. Friendly staff . Wonderful evening

What a beautiful place to dine.....the food, the friendliness, the atmosphere were all exemplary...this will be my go to place every time I come to Palmerston north from now on.Thankyou Barbara and your wonderful team.

Loved it. Great food, excellent service, lovely atmosphere, reasonable pricing. Deserving of a 5 star rating.

This is the best scallop dish we have in NZ. And the grilled beef is juice and good. But we waste more than one and half hour to wait my food, it seems so crazy. Just like other clients said, food is fantastic, but...

Amazing place to share a meal. Wonderful service. Tasty food.

It is the most authentic Japanese restaurant in palmy for me.

What a fabulous place to dine! Food amazing, (loved the sashimi platter), friendly efficient staff and lovely atmosphere. Thank you Barbara and team. Will make sure to visit again when next in PN.

Had dinner here tonight. A wide and varied menu with fantastic selection of dishes to choose from including many vegetarian options. Great dining experience.

Awsome food and amazing serviceVery kind staff

I visited this place on a recommendation, and I was not disappointed. The staff were great, the food was great, the timing between dishes arriving was great, the restaurant itself is quite nice inside.... Highly recommend this place to anyone reading this.

Another fabulous dining experience with my cousin. Delicious food, beautifully presented, awesome authentic atmosphere and brilliant customer service. Can’t get over the food here and the care and attention you receive couldn’t be more friendly and personable. Pity Yatai isn’t around the corner from home.

Cosy restaurant but the way tableswere arranged made it look a little crowded. The waiter was informative, friendly and attentive. The food however was average. Beef Tataki was ok, nothing special; Chicken Kimuchi Stir-fry only has a handful of 2cm long chicken pieces in it; Grilled Squid was tender but has no flavour (could be better if its accompanied with a more authentic Japanese sauce rather than mayo); Renkon salad was nice and light, but very small, does not worth $15. Overall, not worth the money.

Good service, nice people. Food was on time and good value.

Wow! We chose several dishes, among them the tataki, sashimi, gyoza and squid were outstanding! And an excellent wine list to boot. The service was also commendable. Well be back for sure 😁

It was amazing I loved it. Great hosts and good vegan options and childrens menu.

Outstanding authentic Japanese food. Excellent wine list to match with the food.

Amazing range of very delicious foods. The tempura will rock your socks off - always get it!

A wonderful, literally hidden treasure. Fantastic, welcoming atmosphere and staff. Turn around time of meals and their presentation is first class. The sashimi is to die for.

We were invited out by friends to try this restaurant and we loved it. Plenty of meal options and they were all delicious. We look forward to going back again.

We love this place because its so close to home, but mainly because of the beautiful food!

Great place good food great vibe 👌

Food was fresh and amazing

It’s been a few months since I last visited Yatai but oh it is so good. The decor is gorgeous and service is brilliant. There was a new menu since I last visited and certainly the options that we chose were all delicious and beautifully presented. Definitely to be recommended. amazing

My favourite place to dine in Palmerston North! Gorgeous atmosphere, friendly staff, even better food! I love EVERYTHING on the menu but this visit was my first try of fresh tuna dipped in broth over a flame so you cook to your liking! So yummy and a really fun experience. I think perfect for a table of between 3-6 people but fine also for more or less numbers. First time dining out since lockdown and still my favourite 👌

Terrible service.We ordered the whitefish tataki, but was unknowingly served the tuna tataki without letting us know beforehand. When we went to pay, we (again unknowingly) paid for the tuna tataki (which was totally fine since we finished the meal), but no apologies were given for their own mistake. When I realized that we had paid for the wrong item, we called again, the person just told me to be fine with it. They could have at least been a bit more polite instead of acting like I owed them.

Perfect. Beautiful food & friendly staff.

I have been buying Chicken Katsu Curry since 2006 when the caravan was in the square, and still do from the kitchen.The dine in experience is wonderful. Meals are perfect and the staff are always so helpful. You get so into the atmosphere you forget its Palmerston North your in.Thank you for the years of perfect, authentic Japanese culinary.

Great food great service and well designed japanese style restaurant

The best Sashimi I have had in New Zealand!!

Always love dining at Yatai 😊 Delicious food, lovely staff 😊

Amazing Japanese cuisine.

Up for a Hockey tournament and had this place recommended. Love Japanese and this place is exceptional. The kitchen was a sea of calm. Waiting staff were excellent and then the food arrived. Simply outstanding. Diverse, fresh and complimentary and presented with skill and pride. Thoroughly enjoyable experience. Highly recommended!!!

So fresh 🍣

Absolutely amazing food, atmosphere and staff. So authentic. Maya and Barbara were lovely

Been 4 times now and each time tried something new . Food is great and the ambience is nice. Staff always friendly . Dinner boxes for those inclined are good value. Not overpriced for what they serve

Great Japanese food. Best in Palmy

Absoloutly incredable. Super friendly and helpful staff, all food so fresh and perfectly presented. Can all be matched to your beverage of choice. I will be going back whenever I can.

Yum - beautiful food, lovely dining experience

This restaurant has maintained its high standards which is to be complimented. Staff are knowledgeable and extremely helpful. The many delicious dishes are all beautifully presented, varied and interesting. The raw fish dish was particularly good. Decor is exquisite and elegant. Definitely a restaurant to be recommended.

OMG !!! 😲 My partner and I both agree that this is the best food we have ever had and this is huge for us to say because before visiting yatai last night we had a favorite Japanese restaurant which is now our 2nd favorite. I honestly cant even explain how incredible the food was you absolutely just must go and check it out for yourself. The cocktails were great too 🍸😉. Thanks so much Barbara and Atsushi for the incredible experience we will be back!!!

This was amazing. Staff were great, food was great, and they even embraced my poor attempts at Japanese.

Im giving the decor a 3 needs a facelift but the food was nice 4 Japanese cusine ok prices reasonable asahi beer awesome

An absolutely beautiful meal and experience. Authentic flavours and amazing staff! We ate here as 2x couples, and shared 10-12 platters together.Recommend to all wanting true Japanese flavours, but also caters for the more western inclined (aye Sarah).

Delicious e wonderful customer service

Always a wonderful evening out.I recommend odering several dishes to share. They have a wide variety of options - plenty of vegetable or tofu options too. Definitely one of my favourite restaurants in Palmerston North.

Very nice food. Good variety. Good selection of drinks. Friendly helpful staff.

Nice place to go. Great Japanese food.

Great food and service, as always, but no QR code available.

Yummy

Fabulous restaurant 🤩

We loved this experience. The food the ambience and the delightful food was a huge surprise for visitors from out of town. We are looking forward to another visit to Palmerston North just to visit Yatai again.

We had a lovely dinner. From start to finish, great service by a young chap, excellent wine list and wonderful food. Well be back 😌

Great food and atmosphere, shame about the kitchen closing

Great food, great service, hard to beat⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another lovely evening. Food was incredible as usual. Barbara a perfect host once again.

WOW!! This place is amazing! The food was divine; the decor and ambience is romantic, classy and intimate; and our waiter Jake was impeccable - we were treated like royalty, not just another pay cheque.Highly recommend this place 😊

Authentic Japanese style food. As group we choose some meals and shared. Fantastic night out.

Delicious food - especially the fish wings - atmospheric and relaxing, wonderful service and hosts. A must visit.

First time here and eating vegetarian. Great range and so tasty. Really enjoyed the good sharing and grazing rather than one main each. Will definitely be back.

Excellent Japanese restaurant! The menu is has such variety & the staff are so professional & friendly! The food is the best Japanese food I have eaten in New Zealand! The restaurant has all these beautiful Japanese cultural items on display and their many awards that they have won are well deserved! We were dining for our parents 40th Wedding Anniversary & the staff presented them with a card for it! Thats what I call excellent customer service! I would definitely dine there again!

Always awesome dining here. Beautiful food and lots to choose from. Very friendly staff and owners.

Really enjoyed my Japanese birthday dinner Nice food Friendly staff Will dine again soon

Never eaten in however Ive tried a lot from their menu for takeaways and am obsessed 🤩

Excellent and authentic Japanese cuisine, great ambience! Highly recommended for a night out! Babara is an amazing host and the wait staff are highly attentive.

Great experience! Loved the atmosphere & the dining. Our waitress was lovely.

We went to Yatai for tea and felt completely pleased. The sashimi was fresh and unagidon was so lovely. We were happy with the food and service. The staff was giving advice and always smiled to us. The only thing made me give them 4* was long waiting for the food but it was worthy. We visited Yatai few more times already. Definitely recommend for authentic Japanese restaurant.

Wow. Good place to bring clients for dinner need more lighting.

Sensational all round, you must visit if you like Japanese and are in Palmy, nothing more to say!

We had a group of over 20 people, usually they would cater to groups at max of 6-7 people. Even so they managed to fit us in and somehow deal with our chaotic mass of noisy people. The dish quality was consistently great even though they had to work frantically. Super impressed, although for the style of restaurant in hindsight probably shouldnt go in groups over 10.

Great food a. Umeshu wine!

Great service, ambient and food. Highlight for the Japanese pancake that was delicious. Definitely the best Japanese restaurant in palmy

We love to go to this Restaurant. It is always wonderful. Excellent food and drinks, very friendly service and beautiful atmosphere.

Amazing food and service. Friendly comfortable place. Highly recommended

The chef is a former Japanese rescue diver turned chef. His lovely local wife makes this a greatly authentic place. The menu is a mix of a bunch of Japanese dishes with great selection of drinks. Not a lot of variety but excellent presentation and taste.

Been a few years since Ive eaten here but was not disappointed still great food and service.Weve been here many times and I love that they serve traditional Japanese dishes, not Japanese fusion dishes like most of the other Japanese restaurants in PN. The food is always attentively and attractively plated, and of excellent quality.

This is a dining experience that never fails to completely satisfy us. The welcome, service and the food have guaranteed that we return for special occasions and at any excuse that I can find.

Delicious food, very pleasant evening

Very authentic Japanese atmosphere with amazing food and drinks. Will definitely be coming again.

Great experience. Top quality food, outstanding service and a good atmosphere. Highly recommended.

Quite expensive but have a lot of options of Japanese spirit.

Nice ambience...good food

Best Japanese food in NZ! The beef tataki is just to die for. Barbara and the team took excellent care of us, great service!Highly recommend!

My partner and I were very impressed with the food, beverages, service and quaint setting, certainly be back real soon!!!

Great food and customer service. Menu is reasonably priced and great for families but the place at times can be a little tight for room other than that its great.

Really excellent Japanese cuisine. Great service. A top local restaurant.

Good food and service.:)But food comes out really slow compared to any other restaurants Ive ever been to. Also the order of food coming wasnt good either. (our sushi came out after we had several hot dishes). Lastly its quite pricy for the service and food you are getting.

Very food service, japanese ambience n great food

Had a very lovely time. Host and servers were very friendly and professional. Food was amazing.

Great food and service!

Excellent food and excellent service

I am Japanese, have lived in Japan, and consider myself a discerning Japanese cuisine enthusiast. This is one of the most authentic Japanese meals I have have had outside of Japan. 10 out of 10.