New Zealand Café came highly recommended by friends and neighbors around town. Labeled as "a hidden gem of Charlotte," my expectations were set. I was ready to be wowed. I decided to make the 30 min trek out to Matthews to give this place a try. When I arrived, it was very crowded and we had a 30-45 min wait which seemed normal at a place with so much hype around it. Once we were seated, we ordered 2 rolls of sushi and toro nigiri. The sushi was very salty and had no flavor. I remained hopeful as we still had their infamous sushi boat on the way. Once the boat arrived, it was the same thing. Salty, no flavor, not fresh. This place was extremely disappointing. Not only was it under average sushi, it was the same price, if not more than some of the better sushi restaurants around Charlotte. New Zealand Café is great for people who are not regular sushi eaters. Anyone who knows good sushi, is better off going to Jade or Ru San's. Also, be prepared for the dining experience to take at least 2 hours (even on a Sunday).