Restaurants

Sake No Hana

With a glittering track record (Wagamama, Busaba Eathai, Hakkasan, Yauatcha), Alan Yau had much to live up to when opening his first Japanese fine-dining restaurant in...

St James's: 23 St James's St, SW1A 1HA

Sushi-Hiro

There are a few things you need to know about Sushi-Hiro. For a start, all it does is sushi and sashimi: no noodles, no tempura, no teppanyaki. Furthermore, it takes...

Ealing: 1 Station Parade, Uxbridge Road, W5 3LD

Zuma

Even on weekday evenings, the Mercs idling outside and the bar crammed with beautiful people testify to Zuma’s staying power among London’s smartest top...

Knightsbridge: 5 Raphael Street, SW7 1DL

Bincho

Specialist in grilled skewers

Soho: 16 Old Compton Street, W1D 4TL

Chisou

The smiling sushi chef looks so overjoyed to see you when you walk into this smart, well-run restaurant, that you’d swear he has mistaken you for a long-lost friend....

Mayfair: 4 Princes Street, W1B 2LE

Dinings

You’ll find some of London’s best contemporary Japanese cuisine here. A meal consists of a series of perfectly formed ‘tapas’ that stand out for their clear,...

Marylebone: 22 Harcourt Street, W1H 4HH

Nobu

There’s so much hype surrounding the Michelin-starred Nobu that you’d be forgiven for coming here weighed down with prejudice – but excellent, efficient service...

Mayfair: 1st floor, The Metropolitan, 19 Old Park Lane, W1K 1LB

Nobu Berkeley Street

Three years after opening, the third London branch of Nobu Matsuhisa’s international chain is finally more accessible. The no-bookings policy has been dropped and,...

Mayfair: 15 Berkeley Street, W1J 8DY

Saki

When this Smithfield restaurant and bar first opened in 2006, it caught the headlines with gimmicks such as paperless loos and automatic noodle-makers. But the reason...

Farringdon: 4 West Smithfield, EC1A 9JX

Sushi of Shiori

Tiny sushi bar near Euston Square

Euston: 144 Drummond Street, NW1 2PA

Sushi-Say

If you come here expecting a dowdy interior and cutesy cat collection, you’re in for a surprise. In their place is a cool modern look of dark slatted wood,...

Willesden: 33B Walm Lane, NW2 5SH

Tsunami

Now something of a Clapham institution, Tsunami is located down a dreary-looking road near a railway line, but its warm atmosphere and good looks (white walls warmed...

Clapham: 5-7 Voltaire Road, SW4 6DQ

Tsuru

Eat in or take away at this new Bankside spot, which seems to have all the right ingredients to become a hit chain. Organically farmed cod, Cornish crab and salmon...

Bankside: 4 Canvey Street, SE1 9AN

Yoshino

Yoshino used to be the preserve of Japanese diners on expense-account lunches or business dinners. The atmosphere was formal, and the menu incomprehensible to those...

Piccadilly: 3 Piccadilly Place, W1J 0DB

Abeno

Bloomsbury: 47 Museum Street, WC1A 1LY

Abeno Too

Okonomiyaki (hearty pancakes with nuggets of veg, seafood, pork and other titbits) are cooked to order on hot-plates set into Abeno’s tables and counter. Don’t...

Covent Garden: 17-18 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JE

Akari

This pub-turned-bistro-turned-izakaya still looks like its first incarnation, with a matt-black exterior, expansive windows, high ceilings and a bar running up one...

Islington: 196 Essex Rd, N1 8LZ

Aki

Aficionados of Japanese food know that it’s the cooking, not the unassuming and rather worn decor, that counts here. The multitude of small dishes are made to be...

Holborn: 182 Gray's Inn Road, WC1X 8EW

Aqua Kyoto

Japanese food, hotel design near Oxford Circus

Soho: Fifth Floor, 240 Regent St (entrance in Argyll St), W1B 3BR

Asakusa

Asakusa is crammed every evening. The young Camden crowd, Japanese and otherwise, don’t come for the frankly rather dingy, ‘squat-chic’ decor; they come for the...

Camden: 265 Eversholt Street, NW1 1BA

Atami

Dramatic ceiling orbs and flickering candles send light ricocheting off the mirrors and the fine glassware that adorns the tables in this elegant corner restaurant....

Westminster: 37 Monck Street, SW1P 2BL

Benihana

From a glance at its abstract wall designs and spot-lit basement tables set around big teppan (flat steel griddles), you might think this place is as modern as the new...

Swiss Cottage: 100 Avenue Road, NW3 3HF

Benihana

Chelsea: 77 King's Road, SW3 4NX

Café Japan

Brightly lit yellow-walled Café Japan is always buzzing. Portions are large, prices reasonable and service friendly: a good formula and one that seems to keep loyal...

Golders Green: 626 Finchley Road, NW11 7RR

Centrepoint Sushi

A soothing oasis above St Giles Circus, Hana is a welcoming mix of plush booths, etched glass and Kirin beer posters. Its wide choice of bento boxes includes a hearty...

Covent Garden: 20-21 St Giles High Street, WC2H 8LN

Chosan

Chosan has an unpretentious, homespun quality. Inside there’s a plethora of knick-knacks and coverlets; a meal here feels like eating at your granny’s house –...

Putney: 292 Upper Richmond Road, SW15 6TH

CoCoRo

The background music straight out of the 1950s (‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ and ‘People Will Say We’re In Love’), and the extremely good-looking sushi chef, mark...

Marylebone: 31 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2NH

Crane & Tortoise

Good-value Japanese bar with food in Clerkenwell

Clerkenwell: 39-41 Gray's Inn Rd, WC1X 8PR

Donzoko

This buzzing izakaya continues to attract a cross-section of Japanese salarymen, young Japanese student types and Japano-phile Londoners. The menu has some classic but...

Soho: 15 Kingly Street, W1B 5PS