Buckhurst Hill, Japanese Restaurant Guide

This 15-strong London noodle chain (now with branches in Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol) is “a good stand-by” – perhaps it’s “not as good as some of its competitors”, but it is widely seen as “good value”: in particular “the lunch-time meal deal” is a winner.

This 15-strong London noodle chain (now with branches in Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol) is “a good stand-by” – perhaps it’s “not as good as some of its competitors”, but it is widely seen as “good value”: in particular “the lunch-time meal deal” is a winner.

This 15-strong London noodle chain (now with branches in Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol) is “a good stand-by” – perhaps it’s “not as good as some of its competitors”, but it is widely seen as “good value”: in particular “the lunch-time meal deal” is a winner.

“Remarkable food combinations”, “full of delicious surprises” win high ratings for this Italo-Japanese project in Dalston, whose “innovative dishes” are paired with “excellent wines” by “well-informed and thoughtful” staff. Meals are served kaiseki-style, with 13 courses on a menu that changes every five weeks. Success here has led to a follow-up venture, pasta and grill specialist Osteria Angelina, opening in Shoreditch last spring (see also).

This “tiny, unbookable but excellent” Finsbury Park stalwart has been a source of “great home-cooked Korean and Japanese food” for 15 years. It’s good value, too, which means it gets “a little crowded”. Cash only!

2022 Review: In Hackney’s Broadway Market and next to the Regent’s Canal, this Japanese street food and ramen bar opened in December 2019. It’s smallish – 45 seats – mixing communal seating and some individual tables. Early reports suggest it’s an OK standby – not enough feedback for a more hearty endorsement at this stage.

This 15-strong London noodle chain (now with branches in Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol) is “a good stand-by” – perhaps it’s “not as good as some of its competitors”, but it is widely seen as “good value”: in particular “the lunch-time meal deal” is a winner.

2024 Review: “Still a bit of a hidden gem, which is a real shame as this place should be packed” – this converted pub by Essex Road station is a longstanding fixture of the area. With its mix of sushi and other “enjoyable and very tasty” fare, fans say it serves “really wonderful izakaya dishes in a pretty chilled-out environment”; and that even if “it’s not as cheap as it once was, it’s still good value”.

2024 Review: “Top-end sushi for a fair price” is the deal at this Bethnal Green izakaya from Claire Su, who delights her guests with “the freshest sushi and some great hot dishes too”. The weekday bento-box lunches are extremely good value, and the “unlimited brunch (starters, sashimi and maki rolls) on Saturdays is fantastic”. Top Menu Tip – “don’t get me started on the butter fish”.

“If you’ve never had a stuffed mussel you haven’t lived!” – Tokyo-born Angelo Sato’s brave Soho venture is ‘dedicated to redefining what fine dining for the next generation looks like’ and has metamorphosed from a relatively simple seller of chicken skewers into a so-now, 13-seat omakase experience that won two Michelin stars in the tyre men’s 2025 awards. It’s one of the most talked-about top-end Japanese experiences in our annual diners’ poll and in close contention as the highest rated. The 16-course menu for £235 per person fuses Japanese and European inspirations for dishes and “service at the bar creates a great interaction with the engaging staff”. “It’s a lovely way to spend an evening eating amazing food and drinking sake”, plus “an eclectic off-piste wine list often from small producers”. “So good is Humble Chicken that you’ll talk about booking again on your way home – even though it is eye-wateringly expensive – and that’s before the second star and refurb that may reduce the covers” (the latter is ongoing over summer 2025, with reopening later in the year).

With “clever”, “good-quality Japanese food” – in particular the “excellent, if relatively expensive, sushi” – and “busy, competent service”, these “fun, stylish and friendly” Scandi-minimal venues are “always buzzing”. Founded in Copenhagen by a pair of Danish-Japanese brothers more than 30 years ago, the company came under new ownership in 2024 with big expansion plans, and unveiled two times F1 champion Fernando Alonso as a major shareholder in April 2025. Recent London openings include a “huge new site” in Islington and Battersea Power Station.

This 15-strong London noodle chain (now with branches in Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol) is “a good stand-by” – perhaps it’s “not as good as some of its competitors”, but it is widely seen as “good value”: in particular “the lunch-time meal deal” is a winner.

2024 Review: “An amazing variety of small, tasty and unusual combination dishes served in a very cool environment” continues to win a thumbs up – if from a tiny fan club – for this Israeli-Japanese one-year-old in the shiny new Islington Square development.

Back in the day (in 2004), Arjun Waney & Rainer Becker’s successful Japanese fusion-favourite on Charlotte Street helped forge new expectations for fashionable dining out – with its slick combination of sushi, sashimi and robata-grilled items – and “it’s still a winner, even if we have now seen it all before”. Over the years four London siblings have been added, alongside another nine in the eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf. A particular hit with business diners, some reporters visit several times a year, and say “it’s always an enjoyable experience, with delicious options like the black cod, crab gyoza and fillet beef”.

“Sometimes it just has to be ramen”, and this group from Japan Centre owner Tak Tokumine provides noodles and broth that are “consistent, quick”, “high-quality and very reasonably priced” – “service isn’t amazing but the food makes up for it”. The 12-hour tonkotsu pork broth is a speciality of Hakata, Tak’s home district of Fukuoka city on the island of Kyushu.

This outpost of the Japanese master of Nikkei dining puts in a steady performance for those who make the trip to its capacious (240-cover) basement location, which is at the foot of a custom-built, Nobu-branded boutique hotel in Shoreditch. There’s the odd gripe about high prices, but no complaints about the food; and all the classics are present, from high-grade sushi to the much-copied miso-glazed black cod. Even so, the venue has never really taken off to the same extent as its siblings further west.

“Delicious ramen with rich home-made broth” draws a steady crowd to these “quick, casual” joints “with a fun classic rock soundtrack”; and whose “great noodles are very consistent across their branches” (there are now seven across the capital). Top Menu Tip – “bao bun specials are good too, and great value”.