London’s best Japanese restaurants

A wide shot image of tuna tartare with caviar and a glass of sake in the background — (Image credit: The Chancery Rosewood)

Jump to category:

1. Tobi Masa at The Chancery Rosewood
2. Sushi Kanesaka
3. Roketsu
4. Maru London
5. Junsei
6. Sachi
7. Nobu
8. Sumi
9. Aqua Kyoto

Japanese food is a culinary art. The country’s cuisine is a popular choice among foodies around the world thanks to its diverse range of flavours and cooking techniques. London has a plethora of Japanese restaurants to choose from but a few do bring some extra oomph to your table. Here is our pick of the best spots in the capital.

1. Tobi Masa at The Chancery Rosewood

This unique new restaurant in The Chancery Rosewood hotel offers an experience not to be missed by fans of Japanese culinary culture. With a menu curated by renowned chef Masayoshi ‘Masa’ Takayama, the intricate techniques used to create the simple yet sophisticated dishes make for an unforgettable meal. Takayama owns multiple establishments in New York and he brings his creativity to London for the first time at Tobi Masa. Compared to the prices across the pond, this one is significantly less expensive.

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I tried the 14-course special menu served at the omakase counter. Omakase translates as “I’ll leave it up to you”, which means the diner allows the chef to choose exactly what is served throughout the evening. Chef Masa champions seasonality and the offerings change throughout the year. One of his most popular dishes, the Masa toro tartare, is a decadent combination of tuna and caviar that melts in your mouth. For Wagyu lovers, the A5 skewers are a must-try. The attention to detail is immaculate: they even served my sushi at a different angle because I’m left-handed.

This Michelin-starred sushi restaurant is nestled in the corner of 45 Park Lane. Stepping into the 13-seat space will make you feel as though you have teleported to Japan. The wooden furnishings and subtle music create the perfect ambience. An 18-course menu might seem daunting but watching chef Shinji Kanesaka at work behind the counter makes every bite feel special. The talented chef has such mastery over the knife, it makes what he does look easy. His gentleness and precision is what takes this experience to the next level.

Among the highlights on the menu is the phenomenal octopus sunomono (a traditional Japanese salad of sliced octopus and cucumber) and the melt-in-your-mouth binchotan grilled kobe beef. A diverse range of sushi is served but the sushi of yariika with beluga caviar is the star of the show due to its unique texture. You can choose to pair your food with the Japanese whiskies or sakes on offer. The price may be on the steeper side but if you think of it as taking a trip to the other side of the world, which is what the experience felt like, it is actually a pretty good deal.

Roketsu is London’s first authentic kaiseki restaurant, meaning “a formal meal consisting of a dozen or so meticulously prepared dishes served in a prescribed order”, explained the Financial Times. Its origins lie in the ceremonial meals served to Buddhist monks, and it retains a monastic sense of discipline. There are just 10 seats at Roketsu, with each dish meticulously prepared by head chef Toshimasa Tanahashi. The menu changes frequently, but dishes can include puréed asparagus, seasoned with little shreds of crisped wagyu and served cool, or lobster deep-fried in a light batter.

Maru’s minimalist dining room directs attention to the food – and to the chef. Guests sit side by side, facing the counter at which Taiji Maruyama will prepare their meal. He works, where possible, with produce from the UK. The tuna served at Maru may come from Spanish and Portuguese waters, but the rest of the menu – with scallops from Orkney, trout from Hampshire, mackerel and shellfish from Cornwall and squid from Devon – is a tour of the British coast.

Junsei, which opened its doors in 2021, is one of London’s few Japanese restaurants focused around yakitori – the practice of grilling food, ordinarily chicken, using skewers over a charcoal fire. Located on Marylebone’s Seymour Place. This intimate and elegant restaurant places an emphasis on zero-waste cooking, using every part of the animal, from hearts and neck to arteries and gizzard. Alongside the meat skewers, veggie skewers, donabe (rice) bowls and seasonal Japanese hot plates are also on offer, as well as a wide variety of sake, wine and cocktails.

This dining spot in the heart of Belgravia opened its doors in 2021. Dishes crafted by head chef Collin Hudston (formerly of Roka) include fire-cooked Scottish trout marinated in miso and hand-dived scallops served with a comforting smoked broth. The restaurant, which is now open at lunchtimes as well as evenings, is located on the lower ground floor. Guests can choose to sit at a central table, in a noren-covered private booth or at the eight-seater sushi counter, crafted from warm oak, brass and blue clay brick, to watch the chefs at work.

If you have not yet made it to one of Nobu’s 40-plus restaurants, spanning five continents, you’ve at least seen a paparazzi shot of celebrities leaving one. However, when you sit down at London’s original location on Old Park Lane, you certainly don’t feel like you’re in a chain. The Japanese-Peruvian fusion menus are individually stylised for each location, and options on Old Park Lane include yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno and tea-smoked lamb anticucho. “The laid-back feel of modern day Nobu London Old Park Lane is far more appealing than its early days as a celebrity magnet,” said Country & Town House. “And, importantly, the food is better than ever – a result of many years of fine tuning.”

Sumi sits at one end of a short parade of restaurants on the leafy Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill. Named after sushi master Endo Kazutoshi’s mother, it’s unassuming from the outside and cosy from within – all golden wood and gentle lighting. And, if you’re lucky enough to be seated on one of the four stools facing the chef’s table at Sumi’s entrance, you’ll be witness to the chefs’ punctilious artistry – and organised chatter – throughout your meal.

With its moody interior, Instagram-perfect lighting, eye-wateringly expensive cocktails and slightly hostile “if your name’s not down, you’re not getting in” vibe at the reception desk, Aqua Kyoto certainly feels like a “scene” – or at least a direct import from party capitals Ibiza or Mykonos. Headed up by Pavel Kanja, who is known for his Japanese, Korean and Nordic-inspired dishes, this Oxford Circus eatery is the Japanese branch of the Aqua restaurant group’s large portfolio, which includes Aqua Nueva and Aqua Shard. But it’s important not to judge a book by its cover here. With its gloriously fresh sashimi, stunning sushi platters and creative dishes – including soft-shell crab tempura with yamagobo slaw, katsuobushi (fermented tuna) floss and tentsuyu broth – Aqua Kyoto is far from style over substance.

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