Bushey Heath, Japanese Restaurant Guide

Some of the “best reasonably priced sashimi and sushi” in London has long been found at this basic but “friendly” café, near Golders Green Tube. In recent years, it’s fallen under the ownership of top Japanese fish and seafood wholesaler T&S Enterprises, with outlets (usually under the Atariya brand) in Finchley, Kingston, Swiss Cottage and West Acton.

“Proper” Japanese food at a “very affordable price” (“the sushi is seemingly no more expensive than Yo! Sushi, but so much better quality”) ensures that these Tokyo-inspired pitstops are “always busy” and there are “often queues”. “The canteen atmosphere and sometimes inflexible service doesn’t make you want to linger” but no-one cares given the “extensive menu – made with fresh ingredients and served up super quick – that’s good overall value”. Top Tip – “the bento boxes are tasty and authentic”.

“Proper” Japanese food at a “very affordable price” (“the sushi is seemingly no more expensive than Yo! Sushi, but so much better quality”) ensures that these Tokyo-inspired pitstops are “always busy” and there are “often queues”. “The canteen atmosphere and sometimes inflexible service doesn’t make you want to linger” but no-one cares given the “extensive menu – made with fresh ingredients and served up super quick – that’s good overall value”. Top Tip – “the bento boxes are tasty and authentic”.

“Tasty, good-value noodles” in a “relaxed environment” make this 12-year-old London chain (14 branches, plus Brighton and Brum) “worth a visit”. The “ramen is deep and fabulous” if “limited in range (no fish-based dishes except prawn)”, and is augmented by “quite acceptable katsu curry”. Aficionados should head to the Haggerston branch to watch the noodles being made.

“The best ramen in London, IMO – the rich, porky broth is perfect”, say fans of former pro-cyclist Kazuhiro Kanada’s five noodle bars – in Angel, Piccadilly, Covent Garden, Carnaby and Ealing. “If you’re going to do one thing, do it well, and they do” – so they “deserve the frequent queues”.

“Now happily doubled in size” – this favourite stalwart near Hampstead tube “hasn’t been spoilt by its recent expansion” and remains “an atmospheric local gem”, much to the relief of its large following. “You feel like you might be in Tokyo here”, such is its unpretentious yet “elegantly bustling” nature; and “wonderful sushi and yakitori” (especially the latter) gives it a justifiable claim to offering “the best value Japanese food of its quality in London”.

2022 Review: “The food is very good” at this “typically impersonal” – but actually, by the standards of the genre, pretty “convivial” – Japanese joint near Ealing Common tube, which serves a variety of set meals at lunchtime and izakaya-style dining in the evening.

2022 Review: “A sushi bar in a shop” may not sound appealing, but these cafés operated by a Japanese food importer – in Ealing, Swiss Cottage, Golders Green and Marylebone – provide fresh, “clean-tasting” sushi, and they’re “good-value”.

“A total one off” – Endo Kazutoshi’s “zen-like” venue occupies a unique site, on the top of the old BBC Television Centre, and is “spectacular in all respects”. “Chef Endo has ruined all other sushi restaurants for me… watching Endo and his team preparing individual pieces of sushi… the rice perfect and still slightly warm, the seafood surely all the best money can buy and prepared with utmost respect. It could be pretentious, but Chef Endo is such a warm and welcoming presence that it never feels like it”. Despite the ruinous expense, all reports say it’s “worth every penny”: “The best meal ever… until you go back!”

“Tasty, good-value noodles” in a “relaxed environment” make this 12-year-old London chain (14 branches, plus Brighton and Brum) “worth a visit”. The “ramen is deep and fabulous” if “limited in range (no fish-based dishes except prawn)”, and is augmented by “quite acceptable katsu curry”. Aficionados should head to the Haggerston branch to watch the noodles being made.

2023 Review: This tiny Japanese near Little Venice is “well worth seeking out”. “The food is served in a friendly manner and the sushi and sashimi is always very fresh”.

“Incredible sushi in an environment that is more relaxed and fun than many sushi joints of this quality” is a potent recipe for success at Endo Kazutoshi’s “welcoming” venture (“all the more enjoyable as it affords the opportunity to people-watch in the rarefied atmosphere of Notting Hill”). “A simple menu is very well realised; service is good and friendly”; and since it expanded in late 2022 “the extra floor-space has made for a better atmosphere”.

While you probably wouldn’t cross town for it, this basic pit-stop near Turnham Green tube is worth remembering – the sushi is a cut-above what you’d expect from the nondescript exterior.

2022 Review: Hidden beneath Smith’s Bar & Grill in the Paddington Basin development – a spring 2020 Peruvian newcomer named for the Ayllu community of the Inca Empire, and serving Peruvian-Japanese fusion dishes and cocktails.

This “very decent” small café near Stamford Brook tube makes “a good change from the usual Japanese”, with “yakitori grilled skewers the real draw”. “The room is a little jaded but a seat at the grilling bar is an entertaining winner” (“the friendly chef chats all through the meal”). Top Menu Tip – “the grilled mackerel is truly holy”.