Kazoku in North Hertfordshire

Disappointing experience at Kazoku. The service was very slow, considering they had plenty of staff on hand, and to make matters worse, one waitress had an attitude from the moment we arrived. She seemed uninterested and unfriendly, which really set a negative tone for the meal. It’s frustrating when poor service overshadows the food. Wouldn't recommend if you expect decent customer care.

Lovely meal with friends and family

The place to go when you want an absolute feast! You could go for a light meal, but realistically once you are there you will want to try everything!! Super friendly staff, nothing is too much. The quality will not be beaten and then there’s the sauces, oh my the sauces!!!

Thank you again Kazoku food and service was excellent.

Really great and one of the more authentic Japanese places I've been in England outside of a major city. Some things I think they did better even than in major cities like the tempura - the tempura batter was really good! The miso aubergine was so delicious and perfectly cooked. The miso soup somehow stole the show as one of the better ones I've had in England. The fried rice was interesting. That was the least authentic thing from my experience but it was still tasty, however next time I would like to try some other things on the menu! The decor of the place is such a vibe, and the name of the restaurant, 'family' is fitting ☺️ thanks!

Super delicious, authentic Japanese food 🍱. Great selection for the whole family, great flavours and freshly prepared. Service was friendly and attentive - thank you, we will be back! Didn’t take more pictures as we got overexcited with the food 🙂 - crispy squid, dumplings, black miso cod…yummy

Food was lovely but the atmosphere was really poor. Several people at the restaurant were wearing jackets as it was so cold but staff didn't notice. We ordered a bottle of white wine that hadn't been stored in the fridge so wouldn't recommend choosing wine. It is a small place which is nice but the tables are so close together that you can hear the conversation of those next to you. Booking system could do with some improvements too. Will say the food was absolutely lovely, however, sushi is always expensive and when paying for an expensive meal out you want the whole experience. Wish I could rate higher! Wouldn't recommend anything with crab as it is just crab sticks.

Really good food, quick service - will definitely be back!

I love Japanese food and have been here before but this time the sushi was overly cold, I’m pretty sure it had been pre-made. The service was slow, they forgot the drinks as the hot sake was late and lukewarm. I wouldn’t go again.

Absolutely amazing tasting, well presented food. Staff incredibly knowledgeable about the gluten free menu, updating me on options throughout my meal. Definitely one of my new favourite places to eat.

Had an impromptu visit to this little place last week and what a wonderful find! Initially I was very unsure as we were sat in between 2 couples so we literally were a table of 6 but as it got busier/louder, it didn't seem too bad! The menu was vast and had so many different options - when the food came out it was fresh and full of flavour - absolutely gorgeous and great value for money! One thing I did note was that it was very cold in there and every time someone opened the door, it was made worse. I dont think I saw any radiators! Next time I will wrap up warm!

We ordered a Japanese takeaway for my birthday and live 10 mins down the road so decided to pick up. I was early by 5 minutes and the food was ready and waiting for me. We got home to stone cold food and therefore had to put the food in oven. When you pay £60 for a takeaway you don’t expect this. I naturally called and explained and was reasonable on the phone but the women was having none of it and said we are really busy (no sorry until I highlighted she wasn’t apologetic) and said maybe it’s because of the weather. I have collected food in these temperatures and my food has still been hot or at least warm when getting home. We’ve eaten in the restaurant before and never had an issue so I don’t know how they can get it so wrong when it comes to a takeaway. Unfortunately because of this we won’t be taking away or eating in again! Beyond disappointed!

The opening hours are so restricted now, it’s almost impossible to get a table - even more difficult than before. They don’t return calls requesting tables, so you basically have to get lucky that they pick up the phone. Not good enough. With two other sushi places opening in hitchin, Kazoku need to get with the times. Since Covid, they drove the business into mostly a take away, that costs a small fortune to order through GoGetters. And the food, it’s not as good as before.

First time visit this weekend as heard very good things. Food was fantastic, couldn't fault it but the young girl who was serving us was the most miserable person! Not once did she smile, say please or thank you. Mumbled when speaking so nobody at our table could hear was she was saying. Just threw the plates of food down in front of anyone regardless of who ordered it. Honestly some people should really not be working in customer facing role. Food was great... service was terrible.

We had been here last year and had a good meal. The meal today was not nice at all, and we left with a tummy ache. Flavours were really off. Go up to the bathroom and see the area surrounding it, and you wonder if the kitchen is as dirty and unappetising. The atmosphere is non-existent. Music too loud to have a conversation.

Good food just shame they are open only for dinner and not lunch through the week

I really like that Hitchin has a Japanese restaurant. However, there is much that could be improved. Service is always slow and chaotic. The menu could be both simplified and updated with more gluten free options. And the restaurant interior feels more like a canteen than a relaxing experience. I think a few tweaks could make this better. I have also ordered take out and had a very long wait with confusion over orders.

4.7 out of 5. Incredible Ramen, delightful starters and mochi that makes you want to repeat your order! The only little downside to our visit was that one of our servers wasnt the friendliest but the food and atmosphere made up for it, as did the other servers :) The mixed starter to share looked a little small but the flavours were to die for. Scallops cooked to perfection as were the prawns. The enoki beef was so tasty and I almost forgot it was a mushroom for a second! Chicken katsu was the best I’ve had. Just needed the satay sauce but it was better than the big chain ramen restaurant for sure. A hefty bowl of ramen broth with the most delicious chewy, chunky udon noodles twinned with the music and decor made us feel like we were in an anime, amazing. We will be coming back 100% 👌🏻 Strawberry cheesecake mochi x10 pls

Incredible Ramen, delightful starters and mochi that makes you want to repeat your order! The only little downside to our visit was that one of our servers wasnt the friendliest but the food and atmosphere made up for it, as did the other servers :) The mixed starter to share looked a little small but the flavours were to die for. Scallops cooked to perfection as were the prawns. The enoki beef was so tasty and I almost forgot it was a mushroom for a second! Chicken katsu was the best I’ve had. Just needed the satay sauce but it was better than the big chain ramen restaurant for sure. A hefty bowl of ramen broth with the most delicious chewy, chunky udon noodles twinned with the music and decor made us feel like we were in an anime, amazing. We will be coming back 100% 👌🏻 Strawberry cheesecake mochi x10 pls

Food is delicious, staff are very friendly, however it is very small so when fully booked can feel a little claustrophobic.

Unfortunately not as good as it used to be. I have had two takeaways in the last couple of months and both have been disappointing. Last night I had the salmon teriyaki with rice. The Salmon was tiny and over cooked and pretty tasteless. Also had mixed vegetables which basically consists of 90% mushrooms and again hardly any flavour. The miso soup was good and the aubergine starter is always very good. With the amount of choice in Hitchin I don’t think I will be getting a takeaway from here any time soon

Food is incredible, always beautifully presented and delicious. They also let you pre order over FB messenger which is super helpful.

Great food, great service and very good value, would go again!

Fabulous food , friendly welcoming staff. We were accommodated even though we hadn't booked . The food was delicious , so tasty . Each course tasted spectacular . So many different flavours . We will definately return . Excellent value for money .

We ordered a set meal, 2 different types of rolls and edamame. Edamame and set meal never arrived! When we asked for it, waitress didn’t remember where the order went to and her muddled apology unfortunately came across as if blaming us. Food was delicious but because of the service it wasn’t a great experience.

Heard so much about this restaurant but, do not want to go over the top otherwise we will never get a table here again, it will be too busy.

Great sushi. Freshly prepared and a friendly service! Love it here

We love Kazoku Sushi! Their sushi is always fresh, and we have our favorites - Ebi Tempura, California Roll, Dragon Roll, Edamame, and Salmon Nigiri. It's our go-to spot for a tasty sushi fix.

4 of us went for a birthday meal & we didn't know what to expect so asked the very friendly waiting staff to surprise us all with various dishes. The food didn't disappoint! Chef made sure we had a steady flow of delicious dishes to give us a taste of everything. Each dish was fresh, tasty & complimented the next. Both the waiting staff were very attentive, polite and welcoming. We will definitely return.

Food was good. Service is usually good but they serve so many take aways it's a detriment to those eating in as orders take a long time even though it doesn't sit that many in-house. This can get frustrating as orders can take a long time to come to your table while loads are leaving for take away.

Loved this little restaurant- excellent miso aubergine, gyoza, tofu salad, steak Teri aki donburi and futomaki! Also a lovely selection of homemade juices - loved the honeydew, cucumber and lime blend.

Service a bit slow for my liking, but food came enough and tasted great.

Lovely little restaurant with great food

A great little Japanese restaurant. The food is lovely and reasonably priced, there is a bewilderingly wide range of options (the menu is a minefield for the indecisive 😏), and the staff are friendly and helpful. If you like Japanese food, you shouldn't be disappointed. It's a very small restaurant, with only seven or eight tables. This does also mean it's cosy - there is (by necessity) not much space between tables, so it's not an intimate dining experience. Kazoku is rightly very popular, so you'll need to book well in advance. They also do take away. They deliver, but it often takes a _long_ time to arrive (2h+ is not unknown) so order early. The food has always tasted better when I've eaten it at the restaurant, though - I don't know if this is purely psychological :-)

Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! The restaurant was super busy yet still calm with a great atmosphere. The staff we super friendly, knowledgable and nothing was too much to ask for. Despite it being super busy, the food was all to the highest standard, full of flavour and the service was second to none. There isn’t a day I wouldn’t fancy going to Kazoku. If I could make one suggesting it would be to bottle the Katsu curry sauce because I would buy it but the bucket load!! Don’t hesitate, book the table and I’d honestly recommend everything!!!

Went for meal at Kazoku with myb13 year old daughter. The waiter was very helpful, explaining some of the dishes to us. Food arrived quickly. All was very yummy. Freshly prepped / cooked. Nice friendly atmosphere. Miso, seaweed were complimentary. Daughter was given a free mochi ice-cream. Was a really nice meal. Definitely recommend.

Only ever do takeaway from here. But it’s got to be the best sushi place in herts…better than most places I’ve been to in London

Food is great and well priced. We had sushi, tempura, noodles and skewers all very tasty. The problem with this place is it is too popular which affects the service. They offer takeaway as well as dine in and its just too much for their staff. They should consider a bigger premises - it would be full. They have a big place in Bedford but being Hitchin based I wouldn’t drive there for that as Cambridge and London are also a similar distance with many more choices…

Food was amazing. Friendly staff and such a wide menu. We had sushi to start between 2 and it was fun! Lots of vegetarian options too.

The restaurant is very quaint and small and has a lovely vibe to it. Lovely fish tank by the toilets and beautiful water feature. There is a wide range of smaller and larger plates that all look and taste amazing. Friendly and attentive servers. I have no faults whatsoever about this restaurant. Prices are fair overall 10/10

We visited for lunch on a Sunday. The food was nice, and I liked the variety offered in the Bento boxes. I'm glad there is a Japanese restaurant in Htichin, though some of the items on the menu aren't Japanese such as kimchi. One of the waitresses was very friendly and helpful and deserves 5 stars, though another waitress was very impolite and she was so rude to customers that we felt awkward in her presence. All guests were met with "Do you have a booking?" without so much as a "Hello". Unfortunately this waitress brings down the overall experience of this restaurant.

Good food. Fair prices. Atmosphere was nice. Would recommend.

Fantastic sushi. Reasonable price. Unfortunately it's hard to get through on the to do a order for pickup but when you get through its worth the wait. Every year on my birthday it's Kazaku I go for!

Excellent food shame about the staff. They're like magpies coming to snatch away the food before you finish it. They could be more friendly and welcoming. Anyway, I had the cod in miso glaze which was excellent, justifying the price and the special fried rice!

Huge menu of amazing Japanese food

The best sushi in the area. Always fresh, tasty and with quality ingredients. Over years, we have also tried few other dishes such as tempura or bento, but still sushi is the star of the show. The staff can sometimes be more friendly (by no means they are not professional, just could smile more).

Not great for vegetarians and vegans, the waitress told me that the food is cooked in the same oil as the meat items. The waitresses weren't knowledgeable of the menu when we asked for their recommendations for vegetarian items. We found the vegetarian/vegan items bland. Tables very crammed together.

For any small failings on service speed, all forgiven with the food. Well worth a visit.

Food was amazing, their Gyoza is one of the best I have had, prawn skwers were great as well. Had Bento Box and Steak Dori which were also delicious. Will be coming back again for their Gyoza! Only downside was our server looked grumpy and not friendly, could be in a bad mood, but the food was good enough for me to look past it. The other server girl was lovely though.

Booked the table, ordered lots if food which was nice just the service is shocking. Didn't finish eating, they are standing and collecting full plates. Didn't enjoy, couldn't have a nice relaxing time, Didn't have time to talk to people round the table as we were pushed to leave. Discussing ...

I never review places but this is the absolute BEST restaurant in Hertfordshire. Amazing food, great portions, fair prices, and great service. Always reserve your table because there’s a reason why this place is packed. They are on the delivery app “go-getters” though if you forget to make reservations. If you eat here and you’re disappointed you don’t have tastebuds.

We were not prepared for the flavour journey Kazoku we're taking us on. Beautiful, simply. Divine. Magical. A journey through taste that we haven't experienced before. The plum wine, the serving of the food in intervals, the clinical knowledge the staff had of the food. We would like to personally commend the chefs for allowing us to try their food. We will be back, we would book a hotel just to visit again. Nothing more needs to be said, visit and divulge into what can only be described as brilliant. Congratulations, phenomenal. Thank you.

5* for service and food! Our second visit to this restaurant. Very consistent with the quality. Thank you Yasmin for being attentive and friendly service.

Great food and great service too!!

The best sushi and Japanese restaurant in the entire area. Fantastic every single time I visit or order for collection, which speaks volumes to the chefs consistency and dedication. Great menu, great quality, fair prices, and lovely service. Highly recommend.

Have been here a couple of times recently and the food has been amazing. Yesterday, me and a few others split their large sushi platter and it was 10/10, really tasty and varied. My friends also enjoyed their yaki soba and bento boxes. The staff are lovely and attentive and always make an effort if it is someone’s birthday. It’s also extremely good value, i was eating scallop and crab sushi at only around £22 a head. Highly recommended!!!!!

Sushi roll sizes are shockingly small. Smaller than your thumb nail.

Beautiful Japanese food. Very busy only a few tables but everyone seemed happy. Staff helped with ordering the right Saki. Would recommend if you can't get a table order online you won't be disappointed. ❤️

Rating the food is difficult. When compared to others outside London it's great. But if I were to compare it with those nearer London then I would just say it's ok. If you don't have Japanese food often then I would recommend. If you travel outside Hertfordshire a lot then I would say this is overpriced for what it is (trying not to sound too harsh). The actual eating area is 'cosy'. You can easily hear the conversations on the other tables.

Ordered via GoGetters last night, and once delivered I noticed that one of the dishes wasn’t what I expected. I rang Kazoku and the lady on the phone kindly explained that I had misinterpreted the menu on GoGetters. I asked if I could re-order the dish that I had originally wanted, and even though GoGetters had closed, Kazoku still managed to quickly deliver the dish. They also provided me with free mochi, which was a lovely surprise. The food was amazing, every dish tasted superb, and I’m very impressed with the effort they went through for me. Will definitely be ordering again

Wonderful food and fantastic staff. Will definitely be coming along again.

Wow wow and Wow!! What an amazing little restaurant. We called to book as we were celebrating! The restaurant was fully booked when we called but they called back a bit later to advise that they would love to squeeze us in. So glad they did.! The restaurant is cozy but amazingly spacious in the way they operate and with such stealth & efficiency! I have not had Japanese food like this for many years so thank you kindly to the chefs 🙏 and we plan to visit again very soon. My friend who was with me has never had sushi and was absolutely blown away! Yasmin and Rebecca, our servers were absolutely charming in every way and couldn’t do anymore to please us. We will be going back!! We thought it would be expensive but this restaurant was surprisingly very good value for the most beautiful fresh food in which was ordered and served!! Truly magical! Thank Kazaku! SJ & BJ

Great Japanese food and reasonably priced considering how good it is.

Normally have a seafood udon dish, have never been disappointed. Quite a small establishment so early booking essential.

I booked a table for 8pm and arrived a little early at around 7:45. After 30/35 minutes of waiting for a server our orders were taken and our drinks arrived fairly promptly. Our first plate of food arrived at 8:55pm and the rest of our meal a good 20-30 minutes after which is a massive shame at it tasted great but I almost felt dizzy from hunger from waiting for so long... I hope this was a one off as other reviews look very positive but unfortunately I’ve been left extremely disappointed ☹️

Amazing food, good prices so you can try a few dishes. Team were really friendly and service was fast.

We have eaten here many times, the food is really good, good portions, lots of options, the staff are really friendly and its a small but cosy restaurant so you need to book, highly recommend - great for kids as well as adults

We have been visiting Kazoku,in Hitchin, since it opened. During the lock downs we had wonderful takeaway delivered and also collected. It was our go to place for a ‘treat’ and our sons favourite. The last two take aways we have had have been really disappointing. Flavourless and dull. Even so my son (11) said he doesn’t want to get their food again. Such a shame as really was a great place.

Tasty food! Nice service. Coming back!

I know it’s the only Japanese in Hitchin, but it’s just not worth the money for take out. The makis are supermarket level and the £18 donburi chirashi has so little food in it it’s embarrassing. They couldn’t even fill the take out bowl with rice. Definitely not worth the money.

Nice and tasty vegetarian options. Good service.

Lovely restaurant but busy tonight so bit slow to be served. Lovely food. Good value for money.

Visiting as a couple. We had various starters of agi dashi tofu, miso aubergine seaweed salad, and sashimi and hot dishes. All the food was delicious… lovely friendly staff and service. We have now made this place one of our favourite places to eat.

Me and my partner (Barry) booked a very last min table at Kazoku after hearing good things and it being our anniversary and Barrys birthday. Kazuko you did not disappoint! The food was amazing and Yasmin you were amazing and made our evening! The little touch of bringing out dessert for our birthday/anniversary when we mentioned it was lovely and the little note on our receipt ❤ we will be back again! Thankyou so much x

I have never had Japanese food before and a friend brought me to Kazoku where we had an excellent meal. We both had a Bento box which I found a great introduction as well as some prawn tempura. The food was excellent and really tasty....

Great food. Loved the pumpkin crochette. Delish

Placed an order by phone and was told to pick up in 40 minutes. I arrived on time. I was asked to wait outside as it wasn’t quite ready. I’ve waited 45 minutes more and despite promises it hasn’t arrived!!! Not sure what the foods like but even before I taste it I already have a bad taste in my mouth.

Love this place. Honestly never disappointed with the food here. It’s just as good as a takeaway as well.

Delicious food at reasonable prices

Fantastic food, good value, clean, friendly staff. Great place to go for lunch. The bento boxes are very good. The sister restaurant in Bedford is also excellent.

Amazing 👏 Ramen ! One of the best I have tried out of quite a few Japanese restaurants we have eaten 😀

A real gem in Hitchin! The food here is amazing and always hits the spot!

Great food and lovely atmosphere. The sushi was amazing. Had the bento box which was a delight as all the sushi and tempura was well prepared. Would highly recommend!!

This was our first visit to this restaurant but it won't be our last. The restaurant is cosy, pleasant and has a casual feel. I had the salmon donburi, which had a large portion of salmon and my partner had one of the bento box selections. Both meals were well prepared and very tasty.

Awful experience on Wednesday 20th July, arrived late for booking around 7.15pm after informing the restaurant that we will be late. My partner and I waited for around 20 mins for the table to be cleaned and the waitress greeted us with such bad customer service. I expected a lot better service as this is known to be a great restaurant in Hitchin. The waitress was taking orders and serving other tables that arrived after us. When my partner and I kept looking at her to see what she was doing all I could see was her hiding behind Ipad at the booking desk? Very disappointed in this

Love this place and so glad I booked. It’s tricky to choose from their wonderful menu.My second visit last week and I will be returning there soon. Friendly service but the highlight is the magnificent food.

Small place but full of devotion! The sushi is excellent! Everything fresh

Firstly - Food superb, fresh, interesting, people nice.... The restaurant - cramped and the seats had sweat inducing plastic covers... so easy to fix... A room full of people adjusting their pants. They have now opened a Bedford branch, reinventing a Chinese I've been too...

The best Japanese I've tasted outside of Japan

Absolutely incredible food. Last minute booking for a special occasion and they thankfully squeezed us in by the window. We eat a lot of seafood on our travels and this was by far some of the freshest and tastiest we have had anywhere in the world. The service was fantastic with the lady who was looking after us taking lots of time to explain the various dishes and what combinations would be best based on the other things we had ordered and portion sizes. I don't think we would have had the same experience without her expertise as the pairings were brilliant. Management you have a great asset in her (sorry we didn't get her name!) Cannot wait to return!!

Not bad for the taste, service is spot on. But table setting is very crowed, I can hear the conversation next table. Feel sorry for the couple next to us, trying to keep our kids to talk quietly was the challenge of the meal. Food is good in general, menu is too complex to read, could do with some photos. Really busy restaurant, please book in advance!

Delicious, tasty food at a reasonable price. Great staff. They are on GoGetters food delivery, food arrived on time and equally as delicious!!

The chef would often gives you surprises. The recent visit, the chef have offered the deep fried tempura sushi roll with prawn tempura within. Amazing!

Chicken Katzu curry, absolutely delicious! Cooked well, perfect amount of spice, sauce tasty and the Miso soup accompanying the dish was lovely too.

Excellent Japanese restaurant. Staff were very friendly and helpful. Food was superb with an extensive menu. Reasonable prices. Very popular booking is essentual. Highly recommended.

The sushi was pretty good and the kazoku special was quite a decent amount for the money. Service was friendly. Gyozas a bit greasy

The heaters weren't working so the place was cold like a fridge. Happy to take our order and money without warning us before that the heating wasn't working. Might aswell have sat out on the street eating it. Left after lack of remorse from management 😕

Nice place , food really fresh and looks nice , but the rice tasteless. Really shame as thats the most important part of sushi. Portions are really small . Overall not so bad , but far from great experience - will look somewhere else next time.

One of my top 2 places I've ever been for sashimi. Already looking forward to going again.

Lovely Japanese food, lots of variety on the menu and fair prices