Franco's La Panetteria
Bakeries · Ostend · $$
★ 4.6 from 65 Google reviews
At 30 Belgium Street in Ostend, this is the sort of bakery you build a Waiheke day around, with loaves, buns and pizza made from scratch and a cabinet full of sweet things.
About Nami
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. Nami is a small sushi takeaway on Belgium Street in Ostend, open from 11 till 4 Monday to Saturday and closed on Sundays, so you're coming here for lunch or an early bite rather than dinner.
The sushi is rolled fresh and cut generously, the salmon is as good as you'll get on the island, and it's worth adding the karaage chicken, takoyaki balls and prawn dumplings too, since they come with their own tubs of dipping sauce. There's a Thai soup for the cooler days and a line of Asian salads, and the whole thing comes together fast enough to fit around whatever else you have planned.
Because it's a takeaway, you order at the counter and walk off with your box. They also put together platters for birthdays and cater workshops and events with Nami bowl spreads, and that's worth remembering when you need to feed a crowd without spending much.
What diners say
Written from 43 Google reviews, every one we could get, on 12 November 2026. Rated 4.8 from 42 Google reviews.
Overall verdict
Nami serves the best sushi on Waiheke, and what makes it is how fresh everything tastes, with salmon, prawn and rice that all come out clean and cold and carefully made. It's restaurant grade takeaway at prices that don't sting, which is rarer than it should be on a holiday island.
Dishes people recommend
Order the salmon sushi first, because the salmon comes up again and again as the freshest thing in the cabinet, and follow it with the karaage chicken and the takoyaki balls, which are just as hard to stop eating. Build a Nami bowl your own way with a base, a protein and a sauce, and add the prawn dumplings with their dipping sauce or a Thai soup if the day has turned cold.
Service
The service is warm and easy, with a chat across the counter and a bit of guidance on what to order, and you might get a spicy soy sauce handed over to try for free. Orders come together quickly, and the owners are the sort of people who have you planning your next visit before you've finished the first.
Atmosphere and setting
It's a small takeaway shopfront in Ostend, simple and bright, with a cabinet of rolls, salads and bowl toppings to choose from and none of the fuss of a sit-down restaurant. You grab your food and go, which suits a day when you've got somewhere else to be.
Value for money
Portions are generous and the prices are low, so a box of sushi or a full Nami bowl is better value than you'd expect for food of this quality. It's the kind of place where you can feed a couple of people well and not think twice about it.
Best for
Lunch is the obvious one, whether you're grabbing a quick takeaway or putting together a picnic, and it works well for groups because the bowls let everyone pick their own protein and sauce. They also do platters and catering, which has covered a 40th birthday and a run of workshops, so keep them in mind for a relaxed party.
Common complaints
The opening hours are the limit, since it closes at 4 and doesn't open on Sundays, so a late craving will go unanswered and you need to get in at lunchtime. It's takeaway rather than a sit-down meal, so don't plan on lingering over a table.
How we checked this
Every fact on this page was checked on 8 November 2026 against Google and 43 of its Google reviews. The photo is from the eatout library, not taken here, and no venue pays to be listed or ranked. Something out of date? Tell us
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