Hastings has fewer Japanese kitchens than Napier, and several of the local sushi shops trade on social media rather than a website, so the best Japanese restaurants in Hastings comes down to a short and specific list. Between them they cover an izakaya with a cocktail bar, a sushi and bento counter with two Hastings stores, and a yakitori bar in the middle of town. One of the three is in Havelock North, five minutes out, and that is noted below rather than glossed over. Tu-meke DON and Sushi Club add a donburi bar and an everyday sushi shop in Hastings itself.
1Piku
Piku describes itself as the only izakaya style Japanese restaurant and cocktail bar in Hawke’s Bay, sitting at the top of Joll Road in Havelock North, about five minutes from Hastings. The kitchen works in Japanese sharing plates rather than set mains, and the bar runs cocktails alongside local wine and beer. It trades Tuesday to Sunday and is closed Mondays, with the bar open later than the kitchen at the end of the week.
Services
- Dine in for lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Sunday
- Cocktail bar open late, and all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday
- Takeaway pick up ordered online
- Lunchtime delivery
- Private events
Highlights
- Named Favourite Village Dine In Establishment at the Havelock North Business Association Awards in 2019
- Restaurant Association Outstanding People’s Choice Award winner in 2021 and again in 2022
- Separate dedicated gluten free and vegan menus rather than a handful of marked dishes
- Gogo afternoon menu served between the lunch and dinner sittings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Location & Contact
Name: Piku
Address: 15 Joll Road, Havelock North
Phone: 06 877 9400
Website: piku.co.nz
2St Pierre’s Sushi & Bento Bowl
St Pierre’s is a New Zealand owned sushi business started by three brothers who opened their first store in Wellington in 1984 as a delicatessen and seafood shop, adding sushi in 1992. It has two Hastings stores, one in The Plaza on Russell Street North and one on Heretaunga Street West. The Bento Bowl side of the counter serves hot rice and noodle dishes alongside the sushi cabinet, so it covers both a quick lunch and a hot meal.
Services
- Sushi cabinet takeaway
- Hot bento bowls and rice dishes
- Japanese noodle soups, including udon, ramen and soba
- Online ordering
Highlights
- Trading since 1984 and selling sushi since 1992
- Imports its condiments and cooking sauces direct from Japan through an alliance running since 1993
- Udon soup base sourced from Shodoshima island in Japan
- Two Hastings locations, which is unusual for the category in a city this size
Location & Contact
Name: St Pierre’s Sushi & Bento Bowl
Address: Shop 13, The Plaza, 221 Russell Street North, Hastings
Phone: 06 876 0550
Website: stpierres.co.nz
3OTT In The City
OTT In The City is a Japanese and Vietnamese eatery and bar on Heretaunga Street East in central Hastings, opened by Chris Whyte and Fiona Le, who also run Off The Track. The Japanese side of the menu is built around a chargrilled yakitori skewer list, with karaage and edamame alongside it, and the rest of the menu is Vietnamese. It is open Monday to Saturday from breakfast through to late, which makes it the most flexible option of the three.
Services
- Dine in for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Monday to Saturday
- Table bookings
- Licensed bar stocking Hawke’s Bay boutique beer and wine
Highlights
- Chargrilled yakitori skewer menu covering chicken, scotch fillet, tiger prawn, pork belly, sweet corn and tofu
- Breakfast menu with Japanese crossovers such as miso hollandaise on eggs benedict
- Opened by the owners of Off The Track
- Stocks Hawke’s Bay boutique beer and wine rather than a standard list
Location & Contact
Name: OTT In The City
Address: 217-219 Heretaunga Street East, Hastings
Phone: 022 187 4142
Website: ottinthecity.co.nz
4Tu-meke DON
Tu-meke DON is a family-run place in the Tribune precinct serving Japanese rice bowls with a Kiwi accent. It is rated 4.9 across more than a hundred reviews, and reviewers repeatedly single out the vegetarian and vegan range, which is not a given at a donburi shop. It is a sit-down and takeaway spot rather than a supermarket sushi counter.
Services
- Donburi and Japanese rice bowls
- Sushi
- Vegetarian and vegan dishes
- Takeaway
Highlights
- Rated 4.9 across more than 100 Google reviews
- Family run and independent
- Vegetarian and vegan options called out repeatedly by reviewers
- In the Tribune precinct rather than on the main street
Location & Contact
Name: Tu-meke DON
Address: Tribune precinct, Hastings
5Sushi Club Hastings
Sushi Club is the everyday end of this list: a straightforward sushi shop that reviewers describe as clean, tidy and well priced. It is set up for delivery through the usual apps as well as walk-in, so it suits a workday lunch rather than an occasion. Rated 4.5 across nearly eighty reviews.
Services
- Sushi and sashimi
- Takeaway lunches
- Delivery through ordering apps
Highlights
- Rated 4.5 across nearly 80 Google reviews
- Set up for app delivery as well as walk-in
- Priced for everyday lunches rather than occasion dining
Location & Contact
Name: Sushi Club Hastings
Address: Hastings
Japanese Restaurants in Hastings at a Glance
| Business | Based in | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Piku | Havelock North | Named Favourite Village Dine In Establishment at the Havelock North B... |
| St Pierre's Sushi & Bento Bowl | The Plaza | Trading since 1984 and selling sushi since 1992 |
| OTT In The City | Hastings | Chargrilled yakitori skewer menu covering chicken |
| Tu-meke DON | Hastings | Rated 4.9 across more than 100 Google reviews |
| Sushi Club Hastings | Hastings | Rated 4.5 across nearly 80 Google reviews |
How to Choose the Right Japanese Restaurant in Hastings
- Decide whether you want a sit down meal or a counter lunch, because those are two different businesses here rather than two menus at the same one.
- Check the trading days before you plan around them. One closes Mondays, another closes Sundays, and the kitchen and the bar keep different hours at the same address.
- If you want a strictly Japanese menu, ask what proportion of the list is Japanese. One of these kitchens splits its menu with Vietnamese food, which suits a mixed group but not a purist.
- Raise gluten free or vegan needs at booking. One restaurant runs separate menus for both, which is more useful than a few marked dishes.
- Factor in the short drive to Havelock North if you want the izakaya, and book ahead for a weekend evening.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hastings Japanese Restaurants
Is there a proper Japanese restaurant in Hastings itself?
For a full sit down Japanese meal, the izakaya is in Havelock North rather than Hastings, roughly five kilometres away. In Hastings itself you have a sushi and bento counter with two stores and a yakitori bar on Heretaunga Street East. Several other Japanese and sushi outlets trade in Hastings but operate through social media rather than a website, so they are harder to check hours and menus for in advance.
What is an izakaya?
An izakaya is a Japanese pub, built around drinks with small sharing plates rather than a starter, main and dessert. You order a few dishes at a time across the evening instead of one plate each. It suits a group who want to graze, and it is a different experience from a sushi counter.
Where can I get ramen in Hastings?
Noodle soups including ramen, udon and soba are available from the sushi and bento counter rather than as a dedicated ramen bar. Hawke’s Bay does not currently have a specialist ramen shop in Hastings, so if that is what you are after it is worth checking the current menu before making the trip.
Can I get gluten free or vegan Japanese food here?
Yes. One restaurant runs separate dedicated gluten free and vegan menus rather than marking a few items on the main list, which is unusually thorough for a city this size. Soy sauce contains wheat unless it is specifically tamari, so it is always worth stating coeliac rather than a preference when you order.
Do any of them deliver?
Delivery is limited. One restaurant delivers at lunchtime only, and takeaway pick up ordered online is the more reliable option across the board. Ordering direct rather than through a delivery app generally means more of what you pay reaches the restaurant.
Are they licensed?
Two of the three are, with one running a full cocktail bar alongside the kitchen and another stocking Hawke’s Bay boutique beer and wine. The sushi counter is a takeaway rather than a licensed venue. Your rights when booking and paying are set out by Consumer NZ.
How far is Havelock North from Hastings?
About five kilometres, or five to ten minutes by car. It matters here because the only full izakaya in the district is on Joll Road in Havelock North rather than in Hastings itself. If you are walking rather than driving, the Hastings options are the sushi counter and the yakitori bar.
Should I book?
For a weekend evening, yes. The dining rooms are small and the izakaya in particular fills up, and both restaurants take bookings. The sushi and bento counter is walk in only, which is the point of it.
How We Chose the Best Japanese Restaurants in Hastings
Every business in this guide was found by searching for japanese restaurants in Hastings, then checked against its own website. Names, addresses and phone numbers are taken from the business’s own site rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what they publish themselves. We also check that each one is actually based in or genuinely serving Hastings, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business with no website of its own is not listed, because there is no primary source to verify it against.