There are three Japanese and sushi spots on Waiheke Island, and the best is Oneroa Sushi, where you order the salmon and chicken sushi and add the teriyaki chicken on rice.
Last updated
Japanese and sushi · Oneroa · $
★ 5.0 from 158 Google reviews
There's a little sushi counter in the middle of Oneroa village, a short walk from the beach, where you'll find some of Waiheke's freshest fish and a very easy lunch.
Japanese and sushi · Ostend · $
★ 4.8 from 42 Google reviews
You pick your base, your protein and your sauce, and the Nami bowl comes back loaded with prawn, salmon, chicken or tofu alongside whatever vegetables and pickles are in the cabinet that day, which makes for a filling lunch that keeps you going all afternoon.
Japanese and sushi · Onetangi · $
★ 4.6 from 38 Google reviews
A panko-fried tube of rice, filled and rolled tight so you can eat it one-handed on the way to the sand: that's the hand roll, and it's what has you pulling over on Onetangi Road.
Oneroa Sushi sits on Ocean View Road in Oneroa village, a short walk from the sand, and it opens from nine until four, Monday to Saturday, with Sunday off. That makes it easy to fit around a beach morning or the ferry, and you order at the counter before eating outside, and they have vegetarian and vegan rolls, and purple rice if you ask. The salmon and chicken sushi are the first things to order, and the teriyaki chicken on rice is worth adding when you want something warm.
The other two Japanese and sushi spots are Nami on Belgium Street in Ostend and Sushinesa on Onetangi Road, and both are takeaway counters, but each has its own strengths. At Nami you want a Nami bowl packed with rice, vegetables and a topping of prawn, salmon or chicken, plus the salmon sushi, and it opens Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner with free parking. Sushinesa is the roadside shack on Onetangi Road where you pull over for handrolls, tube-shaped rolls of rice and filling, given a panko crumb and a quick fry, and it's worth asking for teriyaki sauce. They also do fish and chips and deep-fried cauliflower, and the outdoor seating makes it easy with kids or for lunch near the sand.
The best pick is Oneroa Sushi on Ocean View Road in Oneroa village, rated 5.0 from 158 Google reviews. Order the salmon and chicken sushi, add teriyaki chicken on rice, and ask for purple rice if you like. It opens from nine until four, Monday to Saturday, with Sunday off, and it's a short walk from the sand.
Yes, all three do takeaway, which suits a beach day or the ferry. Oneroa Sushi and Nami are open Monday to Saturday, Sushinesa doesn't have hours listed, and Nami has free parking in Ostend. You'll also find vegetarian and vegan options at Oneroa Sushi, and outdoor seating at Oneroa Sushi and Sushinesa.
