Japanese
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.
Heddon Yokocho
Heddon Yokocho is a celebration of regional Japanese ramen – there’s a moving noodles and chopsticks model outside the door just in case you were in any doubt. It’s decked out just like a downtown retro ramen bar, filled with lanterns, posters, neon signage and lucky cat statues, so you really do feel like you’re in Tokyo. Obvs, ramen is the star of the show featuring different styles from across the country. We love the Kumamoto Tonkotsu (a classic rich pork broth given extra punch from garlic oil and fried garlic) but the Vegan Miso, their own creation of vegetable miso broth topped with tofu and tenderstem broccoli, is another good’un. There’s also a small selection of sides, sushi rolls and desserts on the menu. It’s a fun place if you’re in the mood for noods and a great spot if you’re treating yourself to a solo supper.
Japanese tapas restaurant AUN brings the concept of ‘wakon yosai’ – that means combining two contrasting cuisines, creating Japanese dishes with Western techniques and European ingredients – to Stoke Newington’s Church Street. It’s fair to say AUN executes wakon yosai effortlessly, with the menu featuring small sharing plates including oyster ajillo with crispy nori cracker, aubergine with smoky mustard miso sauce and the AUN haccho dark miso gelato. A unique restaurant that’s a great addition to the Stokey neighbourhood.
If you like your sushi and don’t mind paying for the good stuff (like dropping £50 on a lunch) then Sumi is well worth checking out. Sumi is in fact, the ‘casual’ sibling to Michelin-starred Endo at The Rotunda, where the 20-course omakase menu will set you back £195 per head. At Sumi, which has taken on the old Andina site on Westbourne Grove, Endo Kazutoshi has created a slightly more ‘everyday’ menu – a tight selection of nigiri, sashimi, and temaki sushi, as well as a few snacks and larger dishes such as wagyu steak. If you want to keep it slightly respectable, however, take our tip and ignore the larger plates altogether and concentrate on the excellent snacks and sushi. It ain’t cheap, but you won’t regret coming here if you want to eat some of the best sushi in London.
Junsei
Junsei in Marylebone is one sleek spot, there’s lots of dark grey furnishings, light wood and splashes of gold, with the open kitchen at the back end of the room. There are around 20 types of skewers, cooked over Japanese Binchōtan charcoal, on the a la carte menu including various chicken yakitori and different veggie kushiyaki, plus a selection of sharing plates and rice dishes like sea scallop with trumpet mushroom, A5 wagyu rib cap, and chicken & mushroom donabe. That does mean there are a lot of possible combos, so if you’d rather someone else does the choosing for you, go for the omakase menu. Junsei is doing a high-end take on yakitori, so while it won’t break the bank it’s not a budget meal either, but you’re definitely getting the real deal here, and if you do feel like splashing out, there’s sake, shochu and Japanese whisky for you to dive into.
Marugame Udon, the world’s largest udon noodle restaurant, has landed in London right near Liverpool Street. It’s a canteen-style set-up, so you work your way around the open kitchen where you can see the noodles being rolled, cut and cooked. You choose your dish – the menu includes the likes of kama age, beef nikutama with short rib & onsen egg, two pork tonkotsu with chashu & spicy miso pork, chicken katsu curry udon, kimchi yaki udon and salmon donburi – before hitting the tempura station, and the condiment station where you can pimp your noods with ginger, chillies, tempura batter and other toppings. And once you’ve slurped to your heart’s content, hit the unlimited vanilla and vegan matcha soft serve ice cream.
If you find yourself in the mood for Japanese food and you’re down Bermondsey way, you have to head for Hakata Ramen + Bar. This restaurant serves up a range of tonkotsu and other ramen plus small plates like chicken wings, bao buns and katsu sandos, all made with premium Japanese and British ingredients. You can pair all that with Japanese craft beer, sake or whisky, and Hakata also has a vegan wine list that features predominantly organic and biodynamic bottles from small producers. There’s even a dive bar in the basement if you want to make it a late night.
Starting from just one rock & roll ramen bar in Soho in 2012, Bone Daddies has grown into a mini-empire known for good broths, good noods and good sides. Slurp on ramen classics like the Tonkotsu, with a 20-hour pork bone broth base, and the nutty, spicy Tantanmen, with sesame, chilli, pork mince & chashu pork and get messy with sides like the insane pig bones and monster Korean fried wings.
Sushi Tetsu
Sushi Tetsu is a seven seat sushi bar and it’s the hardest restaurant to get into in London. With only two sittings a night, plus the fact that you have to ring at certain times on particular days to book, it’s very difficult to actually bag a reservation. Run by husband and wife Toru and Harumi Takahashi, it’s known for serving the best sushi in town though so it’s worth the hassle. Go for the omakase menu and just sit back and enjoy as Toru prepares and serves whatever is best that day.
If you’re looking for a vibey restaurant AND want to mingle with celebs, look no further then Sexy Fish. It’s OTT with coloured lighting, painted ceilings and even two of the world’s largest live coral reef tanks in their private room. There’s some pretty famous artwork on the walls from Damien Hirst and Frank Gehry and there’s often a DJ spinning tunes too. The menu is Asian, primarily Japanese, so expect a lot of sushi, sashimi, tataki, tempura and robata dishes plus truffle and caviar – it is Mayfair after all. They also have a huge selection of Japanese whisky if you really wanna push the boat out.
The original Dinings in Marylebone was long regarded as one of London’s best high-end sushi restaurants before its sibling Dinings SW3 opened up in Chelsea in 2017. Unlike the tiny original the Chelsea site is much bigger, set in a Grade-I listed mews building with the dining room split over two levels, encompassing a bar/lounge area, a sushi kitchen counter and the main restaurant space. Executive Chef Masaki Sugisaki has made his name across both restaurants blending Japanese cuisine with Western influences – not exactly ‘fusion’ but definitely not strictly traditional either, with dishes like mini wagyu burgers with teriyaki sauce and spicy sesame aioli. The sushi here is definitely the highlight though, the super fresh fatty tuna, sea bass and smoked eel with yuzu are particularly good. There’s an excellent list of sakes too, including a couple made especially for the restaurant brewed by Konotomo in Japan. None of it comes cheap of course, but everyone deserves a treat now and then.
Japanese restaurant Taka, which also has a spot on Shepherd Market in Mayfair, has expanded and taken over the old Providores site in Marylebone for restaurant number two. A larger space means a larger menu, and this one has a large Japanese tapas section alongside robata dishes, sushi and a very interesting cocktail menu – if sake isn’t your poison, these are definitely worth a punt. Many of those on the first side appear familiar but come with their own little Taka twist, like wild fennel salt on the edamame, the addition of fermented plantain on the miso glazed aubergine (giving an already great dish extra depth) and smoked daikon tartare serviced with the fired chicken wings, like a Japanese version of buffalo wings with blue cheese sauce. Then there are dishes we’ve never seen before like the mochi flatbread. And then there’s the dishes that have been doing the rounds on the ‘gram like that wagyu sando – spenny but delicious.
If you’re into Japanese food then this place might just Roka your world (sorry). Robata dishes like black cod in yuzu miso, salmon fillet teriyaki and lamb cutlets with Korean spices are at the heart of the menu but there’s a lot of quality sashimi, sushi, maki rolls and tempura to get stuck into too – yes a meal at Roka can get very spenny but it’s worth it. Of course it’s not a serious Japanese spot without sake and they’ve got several options to whet your appetite, plus the usual champagne and wine offerings, and they only stock the good stuff.
