Sake’s momentum has been building for years and now it’s finally hitting the mainstream
London’s love affair with Japanese food is well established, from cheap-and-cheerful sushi chains and ramen shops to high-end, Michelin-starred omakase menus that start at £400-a-head. But what about Japan’s national drink, sake? If you’re into Japanese food, chances are you’ve tried a fair few sakes in your time, but it’s by no means guaranteed – the Japanese labels and unfamiliar terminology can be as confusing as they are alluring. And even if you are a sake lover, you’ve normally had to seek it out in Japanese restaurants or specialist bars, rather than treating it as something to drink on any day of the week.
While sake has long been available in the UK, the past couple of years have seen a real surge in enthusiasm for the drink, with sales steadily increasing – you can even buy sake in Waitrose now. Press coverage and a general understanding about what sake is has also increased, especially since the addition of sake to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2024.
Historically, growth in sake consumption in London has mirrored the rise in Japanese restaurants, where it’s been an obvious and popular match for years, but that’s no longer the case: the current wave is also being driven by its appearance in wine bars, cocktail spots, high-end French restaurants, and neighbourhood joints that have absolutely nothing to do with Japan. And that feels like the shift that’s really taking sake into the mainstream.
More and more restaurants and sommeliers around London are waking up to sake’s huge potential. It’s a remarkably versatile drink after all, made in myriad styles, often by tiny family breweries that have been around for centuries. Given London’s attraction to the craftsmanship behind natural wine and craft beer, it’s easy to see why we’re into the stories of sakes made by expert brewers in the foothills of Japan’s mountains.
It’s also a great match with food, and not just with Japanese dishes. As Anthony Yukio, a sake sommelier and expert with the Museum of Sake, explains, “the high level of amino acids/umami in sake” make it a great match with a wide range of flavours. “Sake does not overpower flavours but harmonises with the food itself, elevating and enhancing without taking the spotlight. Sake also has the effect of cleansing the palate, so richer flavours, fatty flavours, salt.. all followed by a sip of sake and the palate is reset for the next bite.”
Some of the more surprising places you’ll now find sake in London include Sune on Broadway Market, where sommelier-owner Honey Spencer always has a few options available by the glass. Jeremy Chan’s two-star Ikoyi, meanwhile, pairs Daruma Masamune Aged Koshu with Spicy Jollof Rice and Aged Hereford Beef.
Michelin-starred Dorian in Notting Hill has three cocktails made with Sake Ono, a new brand aiming to be more approachable with modern, less traditional branding. Head bartender Bertie is serving drinks like the Dorian Martini (Sake Ono, olive-oil vodka, Timur berry); the Sake 75 (bergamot, tiger lemon and rangpur lime,citrus oils, Sake Ono, dry gin); and the Bramble (blackberry and citrus leaf liqueur, Sake Ono, winter berry syrup, pisco).
But why are we now seeing non-Japanese restaurants and wine bars increasingly serving sake? For Anthony Yukio, “the potential was always there, it was only a matter of time. These days we can see almost every top restaurant incorporating something Japanese into their menus, whether it be Dashi, Koji or a cooking technique. This naturally leads to the question as to whether or not sake will go with the food and experiment with that idea. Not just this, but the availability of sake is getting better and better which means accessibility is not as much of an issue.”
Alongside brands like Sake Ono, newcomers such as Dream Sake are seeking to offer something more accessible, particularly in one crucial metric: price. Sake has traditionally been expensive, but Dream Sake offers a very decent bottle for £28.99, packaged like a wine with clean, minimalist branding. It’s available in stores like Selfridges, as well as restaurants and bars including Sessions Arts Club and Arcade Food Halls.
London has, of course, long had its own sake brewery. Kanpai, founded in Peckham in 2016, recently moved to larger premises in Bermondsey, increasing both production and its visibility in non-Japanese restaurants across the city. You’ll now find Kanpai on menus everywhere from Naughty Piglets in Brixton and Levan in Peckham to Michelin-starred spots like HIDE and Gauthier Soho.
As London’s love affair with sake continues to grow, it’s likely to become as familiar on drinks lists as natural wine. More bars are beginning to offer sake by the glass, making it easier for people to try without committing to a whole bottle, and more restaurants are adding dedicated sections to their menus. Sake is steadily shifting from an occasional tipple to an everyday option for London drinkers, and we are fully on board with that.
