The best Japanese restaurants in London right now
The best places to get your fix, whether you’re after a bowl of soba or a hunk of wagyu
Craving sashimi? Not sure where to head? You’ll want to be pretty confident in your choice before putting raw fish in your system. We’ve tried and tested the best Japanese restaurants in London, where you’ll never be disappointed by oversalted soba or dried-out yakitori. The options for Japanese food in the capital are as varied as the cuisine itself: you can eat Japanese tapas in a Marylebone townhouse, or okonomiyaki pancakes in a Brixton canteen. This is your go-to list of the best Japanese restaurants in London, for every occasion.
1/11Mayha
Mayha comes to London by way of Beirut, where the restaurant’s previous iteration set up shop. Eating at the tiny, low-lit restaurant – just 11 seats – feels like attending a next-level dinner party. Chef Yuichi Nakaya hands guests single-bite jewels for each of the plentiful courses that keep on coming. It’s the classic omakase set menu experience, but with some Middle Eastern and European flavours thrown in. Mayha also serves a shorter, less pricey menu with cocktails at its bar downstairs, which is well worth exploring if you're shorter on time.
Order: The champagne-esque cloudy sparkling sake.
43 Chiltern Street, W1U 6LS. mayhalondon
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2/11Supa Ya Ramen
Supa Ya Ramen started as a supper club in Luke Findlay’s flat. After a series of eternally sold-out pop-ups, and eventually, a permanent outpost in Dalston, he’s taken his talents to Peckham. Supa Ya Ramen's vibe is wholly unpretentious: no-frills decor, former school desks for tables, and even, at the Dalston location, wines served in cans. Findlay calls his ramen “traditionally inauthentic,” a maverick mish-mash of British and Japanese cuisine. Ramen lovers will be surprised by his creations – but not disappointed.
Order: Roast chicken and corn bowl
191 Rye Ln, London SE15 4TP. @supa_ya_ramen
3/11Endo at the Rotunda
Ask any group of Londoners to name the city’s best Japanese restaurant and, without fail, Endo at the Rotunda will come up again and again. Chef Endo Kazutoshi is a third-gen sushi master, who has perfected the art of omakase. After cutting his teeth in his family’s kitchens in Japan, and later as head chef at Zuma, he opened his debut, Endo at the Rotunda, bagging a Michelin star within six months. Guests dine around a 200-year-old hinoki wood counter, on a 20-course set menu that prioritises local ingredients. It’s a serene experience, and best for über-special occasions.
Order: For omakase, it’s up to the chef.
8th Floor, The Helios, Television Centre, 101 Wood Ln, London W12 7FR. endoatrotunda.com
4/11Roketsu
If you’re keen on the Kyoto experience, but not the 13-hour flight, head to Roketsu in Marylebone, where chef Daisuke Hayashi has created the ultimate ode to Japanese culture. The restaurant’s interiors were made by a craftsman in Kyoto and flown over to London. Roketsu’s dining room meticulously embodies traditional Japanese artistic techniques: painted lines on the walls are slightly uneven, to imbue a relaxing, wave-like feeling while you dine. True Japanese cuisine devotees will love Hayashi’s 10-course kaiseki meal, where both he umami-heavy menu and serving dishes change seasonally. The restaurant also has a Bo-sen room downstairs, where you can order food and drink á la carte.
Order: It’s a set menu, so leave it to the chef.
12 New Quebec Street, London, W1H 7RW. roketsu.co.uk
5/11Okan
Okan, a world away from London’s hyper-upscale omakase restaurants, serves up equally superb and authentic Japanese food. Owner Moto Priestman sought to bring the Osakan street food of his childhood to the UK. His Brixton canteen quickly became known for its okonomiyaki (savoury pancakes topped with beef, seafood, and healthy dollops of sauce), and Okan now has three South London locations. There are no reservations at the open-kitchen Brixton canteen – just show up hungry.
Order: The daily special on the day you visit.
Unit 39, Brixton Village, London SW9 8PR. okanlondon.com
6/11Humble Chicken
Chef Angelo Sato built up a following for his Humble Chicken in Soho – a yakitori hotspot that put every part of the chicken over a charcoal grill. His Soho restaurant has been rebranded as Humble Chicken 2.0 and now does only omakase, but you can still get some of Sato’s yakitori hits at The Langham’s bar Artesian. Sato has partnered with the hotel to create a small menu of bites alongside upscale cocktails. The buttermilk chicken karaage with spicy miso mayo goes down easily, with or without a drink in hand. Sato's cooking is highly creative and big on fusion.
Order: The buttermilk chicken karaage.
54 Frith St, W1D 4SJ and 1C Portland Pl, W1B 1JA. humblechickenuk.com
7/11The Aubrey
Rita Ora and Sienna Miller have been spotted partying at The Aubrey, a spot worth visiting for the sashimi and maki as well as celebrity sightings. Miho Sato, the UK’s only female sushi master, is at the helm of this velvet-filled izakaya hotspot. But the real star of the show is the booze. Pietro Rizzo, manager of the restaurant’s bar, has created an omakase cocktail experience: a highly-personalised six-drink ride, with rare Japanese spirits.
Order: Anything off The Yellow Book cocktail list.
66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA. mandarinoriental.com/en/london/hyde-park/dine/the-aubrey
8/11Dinings
In the blank-space basement of an old Marylebone townhouse, Tomonari Chiba, formerly of Nobu, has created a beauty of a Japanese tapas restaurant that seamlessly blends Asian with European cuisine: think freshwater eel with truffle and Scottish scallops with spicy taramo sauce. As understated as the surroundings may be, the food is anything but. This is a place that deserves to be revisited over and over.
Order: The black cod.
Dinings, 22 Harcourt Street, London, W1H 4HH. dinings.co.uk
9/11Kanada-Ya
Ramen devotees can afford to be snobby in London, where, in 2023, they’re spoilt for choice. Chain behemoths like Ippudo serve the requisite bone broth soup with hand-pulled noodles, but it’s the smaller specialists like Kanada-ya in Holborn that are by far the best. Boiled for 18 hours, Kanada-ya’s ramen is rich and fatty and so satisfying. It really is worth the (always lengthy) queue outside.
Order: Chashu Chicken ramen
64 St Giles High Street, London, WC2H 8LE. Kanada-ya.com
10/11MARU
Omakase roughly translates to “I’ll leave it up to you.” Guests put their meal into the hands of the chef. At MARU, that’s never a risky decision, with third-gen sushi chef Taiji Maruyama running the show. The restaurant is sister to the popular Taka in Marylebone, but MARU is a different concept: a tiny (10-cover) spot dedicated to classic omakase. Like most omakase restaurants in London, the ticket price is eye-watering, but worth it for the highly-skilled, innovative cooking using local ingredients like Cornish king crab and Scottish oysters. It’s a fish-heavy 21-course set menu.
Order: It’s up to the chef.
18 Shepherd Market, London W1J 7QH. marulondon.com
11/11LOS MOCHIS
Can’t decide if you want to visit Tokyo or Tulum? Eat at Los Mochis, which will make the decision even harder. The restaurant has turned a surprising pairing – Japanese and Mexican food – into a runaway success. Los Mochis takes popular flavours and dishes from each cuisine and makes a variety of hybrids. The result is equal parts spicy and umami: think chipotle edamame, salmon with wasabi salsa, and pork carnitas with kimchi. Markus Thesleff, who also owns the cocktail bar Viajante 87, opened Los Mochis in the middle of the pandemic. Now, it’s a tough table to get.
Order: Spicy salmon on crispy rice.
2 - 4 Farmer Street Notting Hill London W8 7SN. losmochis.co.uk
