GOKU Shabu Shabu

Someone from this business manages this listing.

37 reviews

#104 of 195 Restaurants in Queenstown$$ - $$$, Japanese, Asian, Healthy

+64 3-442 9854+ Add website

Hours

Sun

11:30 am - 2:30 pm4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Mon

11:00 am - 2:30 pm4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Tue

11:30 am - 2:30 pm4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Wed

11:30 am - 2:30 pm4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Thu

11:30 am - 2:30 pm4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Fri

11:30 am - 2:30 pm4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Sat

11:30 am - 2:30 pm4:00 pm - 10:00 pm

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Ratings and reviews

4.5

37 reviews

#104 of 195 Restaurants in Queenstown

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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PRICE RANGE

$40.00 – $100.00

CUISINES

Japanese, Asian, Healthy

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options

meals, features

Location and contact

45 Beach Street, Queenstown 9300 New Zealand

+64 3-442 9854

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Is this restaurant good for business meetings?

Yes

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About

Goku is a Japanese hot pot restaurant - the first in the region. We are providing fresh NZ local seafood, such as Paua, crayfish, Oyster, etc. Also, we have Japanese A5 Wagyu and NZ wagyu. Famous Sukiyaki also available.

PRICE RANGE

$40.00 – $100.00

CUISINES

Japanese, Asian, Healthy

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options

Meals

Dinner

FEATURES

Reservations, Seating, Serves Alcohol, Table Service

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4.5

37 reviews

Excellent

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Terrible

April

4 contributions

Absolutely wonderful service and food

Sept 2021 • couples

Myself and my partner went for our date night on the first night back into level 2 and I was so happy with the quality of the food and service. We had the shabu shabu set menu for two with the New Zealand Wagyu beef which was fantastic. I have travelled Japan and always wanted to find somewhere that offered shabushabu, so when moving to Queenstown and seeing this restaurant, I had been wanting to give it a go for a while and was definitely not disappointed. The first starter was defiantly out of our comfort zone as we're not use to eating a lot of raw fish however it's great to try new things and the octopus was so tasty! I have worked in a Michelin star restaurant so I have an understanding of good quality food and presentation and this was awesome. The cuts were beautiful!! All four dishes I thoroughly enjoyed so thank you to the chef's for such a great experience on the eye and palate. Last of all our front of house hosts were fantastic and very attentive. The gentleman who greeted us was very welcoming and the lady who served us throughout the evening was lovely, very professional and kind, explaining all the dishes very well, how to eat them properly and answering any questions we had. I definitely recommend this place to anyone, very reasonably priced for how good the quality and quantity of food is. Don't be afraid to ask questions as they are lovely people!! Can not wait to go back to have the Japanese Wagyu beef and also to try some other dishes ☺️

Written 9 September 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lee Parks

Doha10 contributions

Legit Shabu Shabu in an authentic setting.

Dec 2023 • couples

I’m always up for good Shabu Shabu experience and Goku did not disappoint. We had the New Zealand Wagu beef and it was fantastic. While it may not be Japanese A5 Wagu perfection (which they also offer), for the money, you simply can’t beat it. Excellent marbling, tender, flavorful and just plain delicious. The vegetables were also good but very little was provided for two people. We ended up having to order a second helping of vegetables to properly match the amount of meat. The meal came with both chicken and beef broths. I’m usually a chicken broth fan but this one had an odd aftertaste I didn’t care for. The beef broth was very savory and tasty with both the meat and the vegetables. A good Gin and tonic went well with the meal. The only other issue was our table had no cutlery or bowls and we sat waiting for awhile trying to get the attention of the wait staff while staring at all that wonderful food. Then the tonic water bottle was also delivered without any way you could get the cap off. That took another five minutes to get someone to come by and open it. Overall, a good experience, and one I would gladly do again.

Written 24 December 2023

Yonnie E

Livingston98 contributions

Super fresh Sashimi

Sept 2022 • none

Had the Shabu Shabu and Sashimi all all food was very good. Had a hard time to find a place to eat in Queenstown without reservation and the lady in charge were able to give us a table with 10 mins wait. Excellent place to have a nice dinner where conversation is easy without the noisy environment in many other restaurants.

Written 5 October 2022

bnzexec1

Auckland10 contributions

Frozen Sashimi!!! Horrible

Feb 2021 • none

My partner and I have dined at some fabulous Japanese restaurants in New Zealand and throughout Japan, our experience here was absolutely horrible, the salmon had been defrosted from frozen and washed under water as had the oysters prior to being placed on the Sashimi platter , it was flavourless and lacked any taste whatsoever.... the tempura was disappointing as the batter was not tempura batter but more so thick stodgy batter which you’d find at a fish and chip shop, the prawn was off and had a foul odour about it . Credit to the manager who refunded the $48 Sashimi Platter though. The establishment is run by Korean staff and this is not an authentic Japanese restaurant. Do NOT waste your money in going here . Plenty more amazing Japanese restaurants in Queenstown like Tatsumi .

Written 11 February 2021

GOKU Shabu Shabu

Hello bnzexec1, Thanks for your comment. We would like to apologies and let us clarify a few points that you’ve mentioned. First, we are using high quality fresh salmon from a NZ local supplier - Blue water Product Ltd. We NEVER use frozen salmon for sashimi. For the running water to wash sashimi - it should be our chef who was preparing live pacific oyster. We will clean oysters under running cold water to remove all dirt or small shelves. Second, some frozen products can be used for sashimi, like Hokkaido scallop, Hokkaido Sweet Prawn and Japanese Yellow tail. They are imported from Japan directly and those products meet sashimi grade. It is safe to prepare and can eat raw. All these products will be delivered to worldwide restaurants from Japan, such as some famous Michelin restaurants that also use the same frozen sashimi-grade. Third, New Zealand is a multicultural country and our staff is from all around the world. We are hiring people with good talent, not where they are from. We just wonder why you have to point out the specific country. Last but not least, we would like to apologise to your unsatisfied dining experience. We will keep improving and providing the best cuisine to our customers. We welcome you to come back again to try our sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu. Thank you for your time. Best regards,Goku Shabu Shabu

Written 17 February 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

feelaird

Woodend118 contributions

Disappointed

Jun 2021 • friends

I ordered the sashimi and it came out in little bowls filled with ice - it was terrible. The fish was poorly sliced and not great quality. The prawns were watery and tasteless. Perhaps they should not offer this option if it is not their speciality.

Written 11 July 2021

jade2014900

Whakatāne85 contributions

Nice but pricy

Jul 2022 • family

Our family of four dined here during our winter stay in Queenstown. The atmosphere was humming and staff very friendly. They took their time to explain how hot pot/Shabu Shabu works and were patient with the many questions we had even though they were busy. We were seated in a private room that was a nice touch. The sashimi was delicious and fresh, as was the meat, and the hot pot broth was tasty too. The only downfall was that it was pricy, for us at least. We’ve dined at a few of the Japanese restaurants in Queenstown (although they weren’t Shabu Shabu), Goku was by far the most expensive, by quite a bit. A lovely experience but we probably won’t dined here again.

Written 18 July 2022

Ludvig N

Miami43 contributions

Top-notch Shabu experience, highly recommended

May 2022 • business

4.5* Highly Recommended We had the Japanese A5 Wagu Shabu Shabu set dinner for two. The quality of the ingredients was top notch, presentation minimalist as it should be. Great dumplings, super fresh sashimi. The Shabu broth came in Kombu/Dashi and pork variants, both excellently prepared. The Ponzu was excellent. Goma Dare was stock mayo based and could use improvement. Service was lovely!

Written 8 May 2022

Herman S

Oegstgeest3234 contributions

Fantastic Japanese food, best in NZ

Mar 2024 • couples

We were so impressed with the authentic Japanese delicacies that we went twice to this restaurant. The sashimi and sushi were remarkable including fresh toro and abalone with real wasabi. The Shabu Shabu was the best we ever had outside Japan. The NZ Wagyu rib eye and venison were amazingly good. A beautiful sake and wine selection and excellent service from the Nagoya personnel.

Written 16 March 2024

savanne63

Lilydale137 contributions

Delicious Shabu Shabu which is Gluten intolerant friendly

Jun 2022 • couples

Delicious, delicious and did I say delicious even for a gluten intolerant like me. The service was kind and very lovely but the food was superb. I had gf noodles in my shabu shabu that tasted like the real thing that I haven't eaten for quite some time. Care was taken for my intolerances with real concern. I'm writing this 3 days later as I am always cautious after eating in restaurants and I am fine.

Written 20 June 2022

Nani V

1 contribution

Excellent sukiyaki!!

Jun 2022 • couples

The service was great. Each of the 5 courses in chefs special tasting menu were delicious. The New Zealand wagyu was tender, Sashimi was fresh, dumplings were juicy, broth was awesome and matcha Mochi desert was one of a kind.

Written 11 June 2022

Rajesh Ghale

Hetauda1 contribution

Must visit this place

Jan 2023 • couples

The restaurant was really nice and cozy which reflects beautiful Japanese traditions. The food is awesome here and sashimi is really fresh nicely presented worth of money. Hotpot was really good with lots of flavour and if anybody is looking for japnese style hotpot I would recommend to vist at goku shabbu shabbu 😊😊

Written 6 February 2023

redcayenne

Ravensdale186 contributions

As Close to Tokyo as You Can Get!

Dec 2023 • couples

This is the real deal! We had lamb Shabu Shabu, and the soup base was excellent, the veggies so fresh that they easily retained their crunch after a suitable dip. The 3 sauces accompanying the shabu gave an extra bit of flavor to the meat, and were good when stirred into your soup. The servers were delightful in their presentation of your cooking set-up. This is as close you can get without being in Tokyo!

Written 15 January 2024

Mookie_ercc

19 contributions

Great Dinner.

Sept 2024 • couples

We had the tempura veggies, salmon sushi (super fresh), and waygu beef and udon noodles, best Shabu Shabu outside of Japan. Slightly expensive but worth it. Definitely will go back next time in QT

Written 12 September 2024

Don N

Southport265 contributions

Good Shabu-Shabu

Sept 2022 • none

Hard to find decent Shabu-Shabu restaurants, and we were impressed with this one. Good amount of food served & we were impressed with the division for 2 different broths in the one bowl. It's not cheap, but very enjoyable for the experience

Written 17 October 2022

Emma

Christchurch467 contributions

Lovely Atmosphere and Service

Sept 2024 • business

Lovely atmosphere here and very nice service. I came here with having the Shabu Shabu in mind but unfortunately you have to have a minimum of two meats with it which on my own seemed a little on the expensive side. I opted for Miso Soup and a mixture of Sashimi and Nigiri along with a beer. It was all delicious and presented beautifully. Definitely up there in price but very enjoyable!

Written 15 September 2024

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GOKU SHABU SHABU, Queenstown - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews