Japanese restaurants seem to be opening in the city faster than you can say sashimi – and we’re certainly not complaining. Need a push in the right direction with a tried and tested list of fifteen of the best Japanese restaurants in London? Well, you just so happen to have come to the right place.
1. Machiya, Panton Street
This small-but-mighty restaurant is located just a short walk from Leicester Square, making it the perfect hideaway from tourist-town. The menu is full to the brim, but if go for the chef’s recommendations, you certainly won’t regret it.
Standouts on the menu include traditional dishes such as tonkatsu, Japanese curry and donburi. If you’ve room for dessert, then go for their patisseries, which focus on premium Uji matcha and seasonal ingredients such as cherry blossom and Yuzu.
📍 You’ll find Machiya at 5 Panton Street, London, SW1Y 4DL.
🚇 Nearest stations are Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square.
2. Bone Daddies, Various Locations
It’s been described as ‘the mother of all hangover cures’ by one Secret London writer, and frankly there’s no higher praise than that. A New York-inspired Japanese noodle joint, Bone Daddies serve up gutsy, thick soup dishes that put fire in your belly and a real spring in your step.
Alongside their already delicious selection of ramen bowls, wings, and bao, every month there’s an all new ramen special, with collaborations ranging from established eateries to up-and-coming UK food stars.
You’ll find Bone Daddies at various different locations across London. You can find out more here.
3. Chino Latino, Vauxhall
Chino Latino is an award-winning Thameside restaurant which perfectly blends the flavours of Asia and South America. They serve up a ginormous selection of sushi, dim sum & small plates, including all the crowd-pleasers you’d expect from a Japanese restaurant.
Every Saturday afternoon, you can enjoy bottomless sushi alongside sweeping views up the Thames, courtesy of theirbottomless sushi brunch. For just £40pp you will receive a glass of bubbles before being given free reign over the sushi buffet for ninety minutes. Count me in.
📍 You’ll find Chino Latino at Park Plaza Riverbank, 18 Albert Embankment, SE1 7TJ
🚇 Nearest station is Vauxhall.
4. The Iceberg Lounge at Park Row, Soho
This DC comics-themed restaurant offers up carefully curated a menu that showcases a true flair for modern Japanese food. Guests can expect both small plates and larger sharing dishes – think Japanese tapas – each telling a Gotham City-inspired story and thus providing a wonderfully theatrical experience for diners.
Menu showstoppers include the truffle tuna tartare, the miso aubergine and the prawn gyozas. The cocktail menu pays homage to Batman characters too. The Jōkā is a Purple Taro infusion with passionfruit essence and peach and sesame vodka; inspired The Joker himself.
📍 You’ll find The Iceberg Lounge at 77 Brewer Street, W1F 9ZN.
🚇 Nearest station is Piccadilly Circus.
5. Kanada-Ya Ramen Bar, Various Locations
Next up on this best Japanese restaurants in London roundup is the Kanada-Ya Ramen Bar – which has numerous branches dotted all across the city. Kanada-Ya has a huge (and very well-deserved) reputation amongst ramen-loving Londones – resulting in lengthy mealtime queues outside of its door. But whatever you do, do not let this put you off. It’s most definitely worth the wait. Founded first in Yukuhashi, Japan, before being brought over to London – this is as authentic, and tasty, as it gets.
You’ll find Kanada-Ya at various different locations across London. You can find out more here.
6. Taro, Various Locations
Whipping up classic Japanese dishes, Taro – which literally translates to ‘an everyday dining room in Japan’ – is the spot to come if you’re looking for authentic bento boxes, sushi and noodle dishes. Created by Mr Taro himself back in 1978, you’ll be able to tuck into tasty dishes such as salmon, chicken, tofu and beef teridon, tonkotsu ramen, chicken teriyaki soba and duck bento boxes. Yum, yum.
You’ll find Taro at various different locations across London. You can find out more here.
7. Mu, Dalston Kingsland
From the team behind Hackney favourites, Brilliant Corners and Giant Steps, Mu blurs the lines between a restaurant, bar, and live music venue. It’s not a new concept, but at ‘Mu’ it feels effortless – without lapsing into theatre or gimmick.
Mu whips up Japanese food that largely comes from the charcoal robatayaki grill. Standout, small plates range from yellowtail with yuzu and pomegranate, to scallop skewers with yuzu koscho. Larger main plates included such offerings as nikiri glazed tofu, dry aged dexter beef striploin with caviar, and smoked salmon teriyaki.
📍 You’ll find Mu at 432-434 Kingsland Road, London, E8 4AA.
🚇 Nearest station is Dalston Junction.
8. Issho-Ni, Shoreditch
Bethnal Green Road runs through the centre of Shoreditch and is home to a stretch of quirky pubs, bars and restaurants. It’s also home to ‘Issho-Ni’ – which translates to ‘together with’ – a fitting name for the place where it’s all about sharing food, drinks and good times!
Dishes include salmon roe nigiri, seared butterfish tataki, grilled miso black cod, and fiery shrimp tempura – as well as plenty of sharing platters too. Add on regular happy hours and a killer bottomless brunch and you can see why this one has made our best Japanese restaurants in London roundup.
📍 You’ll find Issho-Ni at 185 Bethnal Green Road, E2 6AB.
🚇 Nearest station is Shoreditch High Street.
9. SUSHISAMBA, Bishopsgate and Covent Garden
Sky-high dining and stunning views are the bread-and-butter of SUSHISAMBA City. Nestled on the 38th and 39th floors of the Heron Tower, the City offshoot of the global restaurant chain boasts incredible views of the city – but let’s get to the food shall we?
It’s a combination of Peruvian, Japanese, and Brazilian cuisine – and standout dishes include seared tuna tataki, wagyu gyoza, authentic kobe ishiyaki, tiger maki samba rolls and platters of sushi and sashimi too. They’ve also got an excellent assortment of cocktails here, so you can make a full night of it if you’d like.
📍 You’ll find SUSHISAMBA at Heron Tower, Bishopsgate, London, EC2N 4AY and 35 The Market, London, WC2E 8RF.
🚇 Nearest stations are Liverpool Street and Covent Garden.
10. Jin Kichi, Hampstead
This cosy little restaurant in Hampstead is home to authentic Japanese fare – from platters of tasty sushi and sashimi to traditional noodle dishes too. However, the standout here really are the exquisitely-delicious yakitori skewers. On top of the delicious food, Jin Kichi has a fantastic selection of sake and local beers on the menu.
📍 You’ll find Jin Kichi at 73 Heath Street, Hampstead, London, NW3 6UG.
🚇 Nearest station is Hampstead.
11. Tonkotsu, Various Locations
Tonkotsu is known for two things: ramen and whisky. (Their Mare Street branch has over 60 whiskies behind the bar.) Choose anything from their namesake Tonkotsu with pork belly, to their vegetarian curried pumpkin and spiced corn ramen, and you won’t be disappointed.
There are currently 14 branches of this great spot dotted all about London – including in Selfridges Oxford Street and on Bankside – and you can get a set lunch on Mondays to Fridays. A bowl of ramen or hiyashi with a side of edamame beans, pork, ginger and garlic gyoza or shiitake mushrooms with bamboo shoots for under a tenner? Sign us up!
You’ll find Taro at various different locations across London. Find out more here.
12. Uchi, Hackney
Nestled in a quiet pocket of Clapton, the rustic-chic Uchi is a great little spot and a worthy addition to this list of the best sushi in London. The decor, lighting and cosy corners here are all creating a romantic vibe – perfect for a date, in our opinion – and the food is pretty good to boot to.
The robata grilled skewers and deep-fried tempura are worthy choices, but it’s the sushi that’s the real gem here. Choose from soft-shell crab, tuna crunch or seared beef, and there are also veggie and fish platters of nigiri on offer too.
📍 You’ll find Uchi at 144 Clarence Road, Lower Clapton, London, E5 8DY.
🚇 Nearest station is Hackney Downs.
13. ROKA, Various Locations
Our penultimate entry on this best Japanese restaurants in London roundup is ROKA – a contemporary spot which whips up tasty Japanese robatayaki cuisine and now has five different branches dotted across London.
From all-you-can-eat-sushi to bone marrow teriyaki and garlic confit skewers; there’s a whole host of things on the menu here – and the staff are excellent here too. Don’t miss paying a visit to the Canary Wharf branch which has panoramic views across the city and River Thames.
You’ll find ROKA at various different locations in London. You can find out more here.
14. Ayllu, Paddington
Rounding off our best Japanese restaurants in London hitlist is Ayllu in Paddington – another Japanese-come-Peruvian-fusion joint which has everything from bento boxes and crab uramaki to beef tataki and chicken teriyaki robata.
They’ve got plenty of vegan and vegetarian options on the menu too, but perhaps best of all is their bottomless brunch. Alongside your delicious dishes you’ll get to enjoy a live performance from a brilliant samba band; sure to get you showing off your no doubt impeccable moves. If the hip-shaking music alone isn’t enough to get you on your feet, a few more gulps of booze may do the trick. You can grab your tickets for it here.
📍 You’ll find Ayullu beneath Smith’s Bar & Grill, 25 Sheldon Square, London, W2 6EY.
🚇 Nearest station is Paddington.
15. Clap, Knightsbridge
Sitting pretty on a Knightsbridge rooftop of a refurbished tube station and just a stone’s throw away from Harrods is Clap, a glittering new addition to London’s Japanese restaurant scene. On the sixth floor, you’ll find the main restaurant featuring sleek interiors and an open kitchen where chefs busily prepare all manner of sashimi, ceviche and sushi rolls with the rooftop bar and lounge with panoramic views of central London found on the seventh floor.
Menu highlights include the salmon volcano roll smothered in a spicy mayo sauce, the marinated lamb rack which is high praise coming from someone who is not the biggest fan of the meat, and the crispy shiitake salad. Clap will also be home to an authentic Omakase offering, allowing all guests the chance to leave it up to the chefs to curate the ultimate Clap dining experience. The service at Clap is faultless creating a seamless experience and cements Clap as one of Knightsbridge’s dining gems.
📍You’ll find Clap on the sixth and seventh floor, 12-14 Basil Street, SW3 1AJ.
🚇 Nearest station is Knightsbridge.
So there you have it – a roundup of 15 of the best Japanese restaurants in London. Whether you’re looking for bento boxes, crispy tempura, platters of sashimi, ramen or sukiyaki – you’re bound to find it here!