Japanese
Listening bars and audio-focused restaurants have gone through a renaissance in London but Dalston’s Brilliant Corners was one of the first to do it, opening way back in 2013. The Kingsland Road spot specialises in Japanese small plates, live jazz and DJ sets. The sound system is world class and there are always expert selectors passing through, so music fans are in for a treat. The food and drink offering is just as good, with izakaya-inspired plates like tuna maki, beef tataki, tofu korokke with miso aioli, chicken karaage and sashimi moriawase with ponzu on the menu, complemented by mezcal margs, miso highballs and natural wines.
MISATO
Misato is one of those ol’ reliable spots in Chinatown serving up affordable, fuss-free and good food. Anyone familiar with this part of town can tell you that Misato’s rarely seen without a queue, which is typically a good sign, and they’ve kept this base of loyal regulars since opening back in the 90s. You won’t find anything *too* adventurous here, but you’ll be able to fill up on chicken katsu (with rice or udon noodles), tori udon, chicken teriyaki donburi or hamachi sashimi for around a tenner each, so this spot’s great for a wallet-friendly lunch.
This postage stamp-sized restaurant in Finsbury Park is a firm neighbourhood favourite – as a result, it can be hard to get a table. Dotori is all about authentic Japanese and Korean food, both of which they do very well. The menu here is extensive and covers all the classics, from Korean BBQ to Japanese curries, as well as an impressive amount of sushi. It’s all very affordable too, with a full dinner here setting you back less than £30, and the option to BYOB which’ll cost you a £15 corkage fee. They’re walk-in and cash only, so come prepared – it’ll be worth it.
Run by fish supplier Kaz Tateishi, Sushi Show, which has shops in Camden and Shoreditch, is the place to go for top quality and excellent value sushi. There’s always a great selection of affordably priced, pre-prepared sushi boxes on the counter but if you can’t see what you like, the team can just make something up for you, including party plates that are ideal for sharing. If you’re not in a rush, there are a few seats available for dining in too.
KIBAKO
Kibako is a new concept centred around omakase-style boxes from the Hot Stone team. As well as an a la carte offering including snacks, sashimi, carpaccio, maki rolls, grilled unagi don and A5 Kagoshina wagyu, there are three different omakase box set menus to choose from – regular, premium and A5 wagyu & black cod. Each box features between six and twelve sushi and sashimi dishes, plus aged soy sauce and wasabi grated fresh at the table, and they’re all beautifully presented on different ceramics; a main dish like marinated salmon, miso aubergine or black cod & A5 wagyu, served with Japanese pickles, miso soup and rice; and a seasonal dessert.
Tsunami has been going in Clapham since 2001 (including a major refurb in 2015) and it’s still the place to come for sushi in SW4. While there is a range of Japanese dishes like agedashi tofu, chicken gyoza, shrimp tempura and beef teriyaki on the menu, the sushi really is the star here – there’s a range of nigiri, maki and temaki on offer but you won’t want to miss the tuna & truffle mayo and the Tsunami special rolls. Pair it with sake, Japanese beer or a tasting set of Nikka or Suntory whisky.
The team behind Brilliant Corners, Giant Steps, and Idle Moments have continued their tradition of venues named after jazz albums with their latest venue, which is called “Mu”, after Don Cherry’s 1969 album. They’ve done a great job on the interiors, keeping some of the dark moody atmosphere of Rotorino (which was the previous occupant), but thoroughly smartening the place up with a wood-panelled curved ceiling, hanging globe lights, and sleek modern furniture. There’s a large bar and a performance space which is the heart of the room and the headline feature of the “Mu” experience. There’s regular live music every night, with a mixture of resident musicians and guests, with two performances each night. Alongside the music, you’ll definitely want to tuck into the Japanese-inspired food and drink. Go heavy on the snacks like the scallop skewers; beef tartare served with crisp toasted seaweed; fried aubergine and white miso; and fresh sliced yellowtail with yuzu and pomegranate.
SUPA YA RAMEN
Cult ramen spot Supa Ya has finally come south of the river. Chef Luke Findlay (formerly of Berber & Q, Patty&Bun, The Hand & Flowers and NOPI) started the restaurant off as a super club until landing the first permanent spot on Kingsland Road for his new-wave ramen bowls in 2021. In keeping with the concept behind the OG, Supa Ya Peckham is Findlay’s take on the classic ramen bar, serving up bowls with bold flavour combos and British influence. There are brand new dishes on offer, including a ramen-burger hybrid, the Cheeseburger Mazesoba, which is made with a smashed burger patty, bread & butter pickles, American cheese and burger sauce. If you’ve already developed a taste for the Dalston dishes, don’t worry, some of the classics have made their way down sarf too, including the Roast Chicken & Corn bowl and the Noodle Ice Cream with Miso Caramel.
KOYN
She’s already got Chinese restaurant MiMi Mei Fair and Indian spots Jamavar and Bombay Bustle to her name and now Samyukta Nair has taken Japanese food with her latest opening KOYN. Like Nair’s other restaurants, KOYN has a strong concept. – it’s inspired by the duality of Mount Fuji and the balance of modernity with tradition. The two-storey space is divided into two distinct areas; Midori, a green room on the ground floor representing life on the peak with Magma, representing an active volcano, below. It’s all seriously luxe, with dishes like A5 wagyu served on a hot stone, hay-smoke lobster in umami butter, Chilean seabass with shiso salsa verde, and gochujang pork belly on the menu, so be prepared to blow a hole in your wallet.
A complete lunch in central London for around a tenner is a thing to behold, and although it may not seem like it, they do exist. Nécco (meaning ‘cat’) in Exmouth Market is a Japanese cafe and bar with a super affordable menu of sushi, curries, noodles, donburi, homemade cakes and desserts, beers, sake and cocktails. Head over any time between 12.30pm – 3pm to take advantage of their lunch set deal, which’ll get you two Japanese tapas items, a bowl of rice and a drink for just £10.80.
ROJI
London’s home to a fair few exceptional sushi and omakase restaurants, but few can boast an entrance that gives out the serious Tokyo vibes like Roji, hidden down a Mayfair alleyway. Once inside the tiny restaurant you’ll see a wooden sushi counter that wraps around an open kitchen and stools for just 10 people. In the kitchen there’s husband and wife team Tamas Naszai and Tomoko Hasegawa, who have experience working at some of the best Japanese restaurants all over the world. Roji is their first restaurant together and a real labour of love – you can tell the thought and care that’s gone into this place. The 14-course omakase experience makes use of British fish as well as UK-grown vegetables, and is a series of small plates, then a selection of nigiri, before closing out the meal with dessert, and it’s some of the finest sushi you’ll find in London.
DAI CHI
Dai Chi specialises in kushikatsu, a form of Japanese street food that involves skewering various meats and vegetables, covering them in panko breadcrumbs and sticking them in the deep-fryer. It’s more of a fine-dining restaurant than it sounds, with some of the skewered combos include venison & shiitake ponzu; courgette flower, miso mascarpone & nori; seabass, shiso & sesame; and scamorza & moromi miso. And you can pair your kushikatsu with one of the creative cocktails or some sake or wine from the international list crafted by their sommelier. This is one to hit up for a real taste of Osaka in Soho.
Sushi on Jones started life in Bowery Market in NYC in 2016 (with two more branches in the city to its name) and it’s now come across the pond to London, taking up a spot in the Goods Way development in King’s Cross. The premise of Sushi on Jones is simple; it’s a nigiri omakase experience featuring 12 pieces of sushi chosen by the chef, served over 45 minutes, so it’s very much an in-and-out job rather than somewhere for a long, languid dinner. The menu changes depending on what’s in season and what head chef Mattia has selected, and if you’re sat at the counter, you can watch everything being expertly prepped and get an explanation of what each piece of sushi is. It’s £48 for the omakase, and you have the option to order some extras after the main menu has been served. We can’t say you feel full like you would after a regular dinner following the twelve pieces, but the quality of the sushi is outstanding so it’s something sushi fans should have on their radar.
YATAY
Yatay is a robatayaki restaurant inspired by izakayas and street culture of Japan and it occupies a three-storey space in Chinatown, with the restaurant on the ground and first floor and cocktail bar Zoku in the basement. It’s a broad menu, with bites, cold, hot, skewers, meat/fish and veggies/rice, on there so it’s worth taking your time over with a cocktail in hand. The skewers are the main focus but there are lots of tasty things to be found around those, including nutty beef tatare, garlic-ginger chicken karaage with spicy tofu dip, tuna tataki and pulled pork buns, so its best to hit each section. There are twelve different skewers on the menu, ranging from trout with kizami wasabi and koji-cured lam to roasted shallot with miso and cured beetroot with garlic, but if you can’t choose, Yatay has a six skewer roulette where the kitchen picks for you.
THE AUBREY
Bar Boulud closed up shop at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in 2020 when its ten year contract came to an end, and The Aubrey London (the sister to The Aubrey in Hong Kong, one of our fave places in the city) has taken over the spot. The first UK venture from HK-based restaurant group Maximal Concepts, The Aubrey London is an “eccentric Japanese izakaya” restaurant that serves up A4 wagyu sandos, charcoal chicken karaage with yuzu mayo, edomae-style sushi, and crab korokke with tonyu bechamel, alongisde the city’s first omakase cocktail experience.
If you find yourself in central craving a proper good ramen, Leicester Square has just the place for you. 70s-inspired ramen bar Panton Yokocho has all the retro feels from neon signs to the Japanese pop soundtrack. They’re serving up regional ramen from across Japan, which includes the classic Tonkotsu, the Sapporo Miso and many of their own London creations including the Vegan Napoli, with grilled tomato, mushroom and vegan cheese. Perfect for a casual lunch or for a few after-work Asahis, these guys are serving up all the noodles as well as epic side and plenty of desserts to satisfy that sweet tooth.
The five-storey Japanese/Nordic emporium Pantechnicon (home to Cafe Kitsune and Nordic spot Eldr) also has Japanese restaurant Sachi on the lower ground floor of the building. It’s a suitably slick dining room with lots of hidden cosy booths, a bar area and chef’s sushi counter, meaning that even though it’s low on daylight it feels like somewhere you can happily spend a few hours. Pantechnicon’s Exec Chef Chris Golding (ex-Nobu, Dinings and Zuma) and Sachi Head Chef Collin Hudson (ex-Dinings and Roka) have taken inspiration from regional Japanese cooking for their menu whilst making use of seasonal ingredients produced in the UK. Across the menu there’s Cornish line-caught fish and Scottish hand-picked shellfish as well as British meat from premium heritage breeds and organic Japanese greens grown in Sussex. The sushi selection is top notch, including our favourite ‘otoro’, the prized fatty tuna cut, which is always a must order in our book. There’s much more than just sushi of course, with the hot dish section featuring dumplings, tempura, tobanyaki and if you’re feeling flush there’s also an excellent wagyu A4 grade sirloin served with beetroot and miso that is well worth the price. The quality of the ingredients is plain to see and it’s definitely worth splashing out on for a special occasion.
Angelo Sato first opened Humble Chicken in Soho in 2021 with a focus on yakitori and ‘comb-to-tail’ chicken cookery, and he won us over with tasty skewers, inventive small plates and quick poured pints of Asahi Super Dry. Instead of resting on his laurels, Angelo overhauled the concept (the look of the restaurant hasn’t changed, so it’s still counter dining) and has turned the yakitori-centric offering into a broader Japanese eight-course tasting menu that takes inspo from his heritage, as well as his time spent in top kitchens like Eleven Madison Park and Restaurant Story. He’s showcasing some serious cooking without taking himself too seriously, with playful nods like chicken chopstick holders and piggy face bao buns and top-tier dishes like oysters with citrus kosho beurre blanc and burnt chicken fat; shokupan with chicken liver pate, fermented red cabbage and miso sesame butter; Wagyu Angus short rib served with pickled daikon, yakiniku sauce, barley miso and lettuce leaves; and chicken achilles yakitori with charcoal fat, daikon and kosho.