• Tokki, in Milford, will close on June 21, 2025, after three years of operation.
• Chef Jason Kim opened the restaurant in 2022, offering modern Korean cuisine and earning high praise.
• The closure follows other recent hospitality shutdowns, with Tokki expressing optimism for new beginnings.

Popular Milford restaurant Tokki is set to close its doors three years after it opened.

The business announced its impending closure on Instagram.

“After three incredible years of sharing our take on modern Korean cuisine with the Auckland community, we have made the decision to close the doors of Tokki,” the post reads.

“This journey has been filled with unforgettable moments, beautiful connections, and so much gratitude. What began as a small restaurant became a space for creativity, stories, and a deeper expression of Korean flavours.”

The Tokki announcement said the team were “stepping away not out of loss, but to make space for new beginnings”.

“We thank you, our guests, friends and supporters for being a part of this chapter. We hope to welcome you in the coming weeks as we celebrate Tokki’s final season.”

The restaurant’s last day of service will be Saturday, June 21.

Tokki chef and owner Jason Kim migrated to New Zealand when he was 13. His family opened a small Korean restaurant in Birkenhead.

After working in the family business, Kim earned a Diploma in Culinary Arts at Auckland University of Technology, while gaining experience in some of Auckland’s leading eateries such as Jervois Steak House and Euro.

He worked alongside chef Sid Sahrawat at The Grove and Sidart before opening his own restaurant, Gochu, in Auckland’s Commercial Bay in 2020.

Chef Jason Kim opened Tokki in 2022.

Kim opened Tokki in 2022. The restaurant’s name is a direct translation of the Korean word for rabbit. According to its website, the animal serves as the restaurant’s symbol because Kim was born in 1987, a year of the rabbit.

“Tokki was born to represent our head chef Jason Kim’s spiritual animal, with the main purpose of encouraging customers through a Korean taste palette adventure like no other,” the website said.

The restaurant implored customers to follow it “down the rabbit hole into Jason’s culinary adventures”.

Tokki's signature dish is a crispy chicken wing stuffed with prawns. Photo / Babiche Martens

Reviewing the restaurant shortly after it opened, Viva’s resident dining-out editor Jesse Mulligan praised the “sensational” food.

“It’s all a great mix of refined cheffery and hot comfort food and, between courses, you get to enjoy the room and drink from one of the best short wine lists in the city,” Mulligan wrote.

“For a local, this is a no-brainer; for those south of the bridge, it’s worth a special trip.”

The Milford restaurant featured in Viva’s Top 60 Auckland Restaurants For 2024, with deputy editor Johanna Thornton saying Kim had “brought some magic to Milford” with a “charming 26-seat restaurant serving a seasonal, Korean-inspired menu alongside a serious, 12-page drinks list that includes standout New Zealand wineries and rare cellar bottles”.

The restaurant is welcoming customers until its last service and will honour all outstanding vouchers up to this date.

“If you have a Tokki gift voucher, we warmly encourage you to visit us and use it before our final day of service.”

The closure is the latest in a string of hospitality shutdowns. Last month, Ponsonby Road Bistro owner Blair Russell announced he was closing the business after 18 years, with the restaurant having its last dinner service on May 3. In April, Sid and Chand Sahrawat announced they would close their restaurant Kol, citing challenging trading conditions.