Nikkei Cape Town – Japanese precision meets Peruvian fire
Restaurant review of Nikkei Japanese Peruvian on Bree Street
Written by Shawn Godfrey (The Roasted Dad)
Nikkei had been on my Cape Town restaurant list for a while. The idea of combining the precision and restraint of Japanese cooking with the citrus, chilli and bold flavours of Peru sounded like it would either be brilliant or become unnecessarily complicated.
Thankfully, at Nikkei, it works.
Located upstairs at 87 Bree Street, the restaurant is dark with a stylish interior.The moody lighting, high ceilings and modern interior make the restaurant feel polished without becoming overly formal. The modern space features tropical plants and chandelier designs inspired by the Andean chakana symbol.
It is the sort of restaurant that works well for a date night as well as a dinner with friends.
Nikkei’s cured sea bass dish is served with yuzu emulsion, chilli, red pepper salsa and a ginger dressing.
The story behind Nikkei cuisine
Nikkei is not just another loosely defined fusion concept. The cuisine developed following Japanese migration to Peru from the late 1800s. Japanese cooking techniques were adapted around the seafood, chillies, citrus and produce available in Peru, creating a style of food that now has its own identity.
This combination of Japanese precision and Peruvian acidity, heat and generosity results in a menu featuring fresh seafood, ceviche, sushi, anticuchos, charcoal grilling, pisco and punchy sauces.
Executive chef Justin Barker combines South American spices with Japanese seafood techniques, serving dishes like shrimp crudo with ancho chili oil and crispy noodle tuna nigiri with caviar.
The contrasting dishes and flavours are what makes it exciting to eat at Nikkei. One moment you are eating something clean, delicate and carefully balanced; the next, you are hit with chilli, smoke, lime and deep savoury flavour.
The menu includes a nine-course Gold Omakase Tasting menu for R1000 per person, featuring items such as oxtail corquette, sea bass ceviche, and 7-spice dry rub lamb chop. The seared wagyu ribeyq and crispy lobster banana sushi are some of the most popular dishes on the menu.
“Welcome traveler.
Inspiration finds those who seek it.
Adventure sometimes arrives unannounced.
For those who dare to move into the world,
they shall be rewarded with both.”
My favourite dish of the evening: yellowtail ceviche served with coconut and lime, coriander, scallion and red chilli.
Starting the experience
We started the evening with a selection of smaller dishes, including edamame and crispy squid. These are good dishes for everyone at the table to share. The crispy squid arrived golden and crisp, served with squid-ink aioli, togarashi, lime and fresh coriander. It is familiar enough to settle you into the meal, but the seasoning and presentation are what make it unique.
My favourite dish of the night was the ceviche.
Ceviche is where the connection between Japanese and Peruvian food becomes particularly clear. The quality and treatment of the raw fish feel Japanese, while the citrus, chilli and coriander bring the unmistakable energy of Peru.
Lamb Anticuchos with 7 spice, roasted garlic and gochujang (a savoury, sweet and spicy condiment)
The other standout was the miniature robatayaki grill brought to the table.
Robatayaki is a Japanese style of charcoal cooking, but when a small charcoal grill arrives in front of a South African, we all recognise it for what it essentially is: a little braai.
If you’ve been following me for a while you will know that I love cooking over fire myself (just have a look at some of my recipes, from Argentinian-style slow roasted lamb over the fire to braaied chicken sosaties to smoked snoek on the Weber. There is something about food coming directly from hot coals. Whether you are in Japan, Peru or South Africa, fire brings people together around the food.
The aji-spiced chicken was cooked with garlic teriyaki, sesame and a ginger-and-spring-onion dressing. The chicken had that important bit of char from the grill, balanced by the sweetness of the teriyaki and the freshness of the dressing. It was a fun, interactive element on the menu.
The Roasted Dad Tip: Do not visit Nikkei and only order sushi. Arrive hungry, order across the different sections and let everyone try a little of everything. Make sure you include something from the robatayaki section. The little table side charcoal braai is one of the most memorable parts of the experience.
On the drinks menu, Nikkei offers an extensive selection of sake, Japanese whisky and Japanese beer, alongside a full pisco collection and several pisco-based cocktails. If you have never tried Peru’s famous Pisco Sour, this is an appropriate place to start.
Specials at Nikkei
Their current Pisco Hour runs from 16:00 to 17:30, Monday to Saturday, offering half-price pisco cocktails. It’s a great excuse to arrive early and ease into the night at the bar.
They also have Sushi & Sake Sundays with a 25-piece platter and half-price sake cocktails.
As their current winter special, they offer a Bento Box with Sushi, Crispy Squid, Chicken a la Brassa and Edamame Salt for R349 p.p.
From 25 September to 1 November 2026, Nikkei is participating in restaurant week (Monday - Saturday for lunch and dinner from Sunday to Wednesday).
The verdict
Nikkei is not a traditional Japanese restaurant and it should not be approached as one. It is also not Peruvian food with a few pieces of sushi added to the menu.
The ceviche was my favourite dish, with its balance of fresh fish, coconut, lime, coriander and chilli. The aji-spiced chicken cooked on the small robatayaki grill came in a very close second, largely because it spoke directly to my own love of fire cooking.
Cape Town has no shortage of restaurants serving good sushi, but Nikkei offers something different. The combination of raw seafood, bright acidity, charcoal cooking and a seriously impressive drinks list makes it an experience rather than just a dinner.
Go with people who enjoy sharing, order beyond the familiar dishes and make sure something cooked over charcoal reaches your table.
Booking at Nikkei Japanese Peruvian
Location: 87 Bree Street, Cape Town City Centre (CBD)
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday, 12:00–22:30
Reservations: Recommended, particularly for evenings and weekends
Website: nikkei.co.za
Contact: +27 (0)21 109 0081 / capetown@nikkei.co.za
Terrarium is situated within the Queen Victoria Hotel, in the the Queen Victoria Hotel in the historic Portswood Ridge precinct, a short walk away from the hustle and bustle of the V&A Waterfront.
More restaurant reviews:
If you are looking to map out your own culinary exploration across Cape Town and the wider Western Cape, check out a few of my other recent reviews:
Dinner at Journey (Urchin): Chef Marcus Gericke has taken over Urchin restaurant which is located inside the Hyatt Regency in the Cape Town CBD. The restaurant itself has an interesting backstory…
Dinner at Terrarium: An intimate, sustainable fine dining space at the V&A Waterfront where Chris Erasmus experiments with playful optical illusions and deep, local flavours.
Little Fox in Constantia: A quiet suburban escape nestled in the winelands, perfect for disconnecting over an accessible multi-course menu.
Eleven Restaurant in Franschhoek: Ryan Shell's South African-inspired culinary gem located right on the bustling main strip of the valley.
Spookfontein in Hermanus: Striking architecture meets incredible hillside views, making it a fantastic stop for lunch while exploring the Hemel-en-Aarde valley.
La Colombe in Constantia: My thoughts on Constantia's world-renowned institution and how they continue to push boundaries on the global stage.
About Shawn Godfrey
Photo credit: Niki M Photography
Shawn Godfrey is an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After the Covid-19 lockdown saw his business in financial distress, cooking was the creative outlet that helped to keep him sane. To keep track of his recipes, and encourage friends and families to join him, he starts his instagram account The Roasted Dad.
Fast-forward to late 2021 - on a whim Shawn (encouraged by his wife Lianne) enters MasterChef South Africa. It is a crazy time of life: running a 200 people business and struggling to keep it profitable, two small children with a third on the way, and about to move into a new house. But when Shawn gets selected to be one of the 20 contestants participating in the fourth season of MasterChef South Africa, he decides to go all in. Leaving his 7-month-pregnant wife to look after their then three and one-year-old children, he battles it out and comes back home five weeks later with the trophy and a million rand prize money in his pocket.
It all started with an Instagram account, but The Roasted Dad is so much more now. Shawn has stayed his entrepreneurial self and whilst he hosts Private Dinner Parties and Cook-with-Me Demos, does Restaurant Take-Overs, he still runs the lighting company and several other businesses.
On his blog, Shawn shares Restaurant Reviews and Accommodation Reviews, and gives an insight into the wild and wonderful life he leads together with his wife Lianne, and their three children Aiden (8), Olivia (6) and Harvey (4).
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