New Zealand Cafe
New Zealand Café: Charlotte’s Value Sushi
If you are looking for an inexpensive sushi night in the Charlotte area, this is the absolute best value you will find. Located in a tiny strip-mall hole-in-the-wall in Matthews, New Zealand Café is a sushi-lover’s budget dream. It is so small that social distancing during COVID was a mathematical impossibility, forcing them to go takeout-only just to survive. Don’t let the unassuming name or the "no-frills" atmosphere fool you—this is the definition of "bang for your buck."
The Low-Down: What to Order (and What to Skip)
I went recently and ordered an aggressive amount of food to see how the quality held up. Here is the reality:
The Nigiri: Honestly? I’d steer clear. The Salmon Nigiri was fresh and buttery enough, but the rice was densely packed and lacked the polish of a high-end spot. As for the Toro Nigiri—it lacked the fat content that toro should have. It wasn’t spoiled or anything, but its minimal fat content meant it was a low quality tuna. If you aren’t a sushi snob, the nigiri is "fine," but it’s not where this kitchen shines.
The Specialty Rolls: This is where New Zealand Café wins. They do a great job with rolls that are fried or topped with crunch and sauce. Not my go to style for sushi, but every once in a while I get a craving for it. The fish also isn't the highest grade on the market — but for this style of sushi, it doesn't need to be, since much of the flavor is masked by the crunch and sauce. It’s tasty, satisfying, and incredibly well priced for what it is. My go-to rolls are:
Lobster Roll: A solid mix of lobster salad, avocado, and scallions topped with smelt roe and "crunch."
General Spicy Roll: Spicy snow crab and tuna topped with grilled eel and a spicy avocado mayo.
Dancing Eel Roll: A classic California roll draped with plenty of eel and avocado.
Beyond Sushi: If you’re dining with people who don't do raw fish, the Garlic Noodles (essentially Lo Mein) are great satisfying. The hibachi chicken and steak dinners are also crowd favorites.
Affordable to a Fault
his place is very inexpensive. On my very first visit, nigiri started at $1.50 per piece (now it starts at $2.25 per piece), and most specialty rolls sit under the $10 mark. To give you an idea of the value: a group of six of us ordered enough food to be physically uncomfortable, and the total bill was under $200 including a 20% tip.
The Verdict:
There are two main trade-offs you make for these prices. First, the service is notoriously slow. Because this place is constantly hyped, they get slammed with orders. I’ve been quoted an hour wait that turned into an hour and forty-five minutes. Second, there is also some volatility in quality—it’s especially noticable with the Spicy Tuna, which can be a bit gristly. But if you want a low-stakes sushi dinner where you can eat like a king for the price of a fast-food meal, this is it. Just know the quality going in, and bring a lot of patience for the wait time.
