Hyde Park Corner, Japanese Restaurant Guide

“An oldie but a goodie” – Nobu Matsuhisa‘s first restaurant in Europe when it opened in 1997 on the first floor of a Park Lane hotel remains “a truly special place” that still offers “the same excellence after all these years”. It’s “expensive” (always has been), “doesn’t have the best decor” (a long-running complaint), “but it hands-down serves some of the best Japanese food in London”, from a menu of Nikkei-fusion dishes including the signature miso black cod that spawned a thousand imitators.

A Japanese accent to the pastries adds exoticism (and expense?) to a trip to this swish perch, in the beating bougie heart of Belgravia. It originally opened in the foyer of the stunning-looking Pantechnicon building next door, which – in summer 2024 – rebranded as ‘19 Motcomb Street’ – leading (we understand from the press) to a relocation of the café to the ‘Halkin Arcade’.

Feelgood vibes abound on the lovely rooftop (complete with retractable glass ceiling) of this swanky Belgravian site atop the building formerly known as ‘Pantechnicon’, whose crowd seems to be jetting in for the day from St Tropez (with pricing to match). It’s closed as we go to press as it undergoes a major reformatting, but we’re betting that on re-opening in late 2024 much of its original DNA will survive. The menu – on relaunch – will be Japanese (under the brand of what used to be the basement restaurant); and it will also be served in the space immediately below (previously Eldr).

2022 Review: On a strip of Sloane Street south of Harvey Nicks that has lacked its natural international passing trade in recent times, this outpost of the Moscow-based Sumosan empire serves a luxurious mix of Italian and Japanese dishes, often to the backing of live entertainment. Yet again, the level of expense is the main sticking point (and service can have its off days, too), but it has its fans for a glam night out.

A “super-reliable” Mayfair veteran, which (having opened in 1978) claims to be the “oldest family-run Japanese” in London, and serves “well executed, unpretentious Japanese food at reasonable prices”. “It’s my local canteen!” says one reporter… a sentiment shared by many staff from the nearby Japanese embassy, which makes “booking essential at lunchtimes!”

“Still going strong” – the “electric, buzzy atmosphere makes for great people-watching” at Rainer Becker & Arjun Waney’s charismatic Knightsbridge scene, whose cocktail bar is a ‘Beauty & The Beast’ bearpit of expensively clad Eurotrash-types. “It’s expensive, but even knowing that it’s still a great experience”: “service tries hard without being terribly fast or particularly friendly” and delivers superb “precision cooking” from a bewildering Japanese-inspired array of luxurious robata dishes, sushi and sashimi, wagyu, lobster and seafood.

“Fantastic sushi is delivered with epic flair and care… but the cost is mind-blowing and straying from value for money” at this Dorchester Collection yearling, which opened in July 2023 to easy headlines for offering the UK’s most expensive menu (£420 per person… before the 15% service charge). It’s a spin-off from Shinji Kanesaka’s original in Tokyo with two Michelin stars and head chef Hirotaka Wada quickly won a star from the tyre men in the UK 2024 awards. Whether that justifies taking one of the nine seats at the counter (a single piece of 300-year-old cedar wood – there are also four in a private room) almost certainly depends on how deep your pockets are. Rice and Kobe beef imported from Japan, together with fish and seafood from Cornwall, Canada and beyond all help to create an 18-course omakase experience that all feedback suggests is true to the website’s claim of a ‘true embodiment of Japanese fine dining’; and one that ranks favourably alongside London’s other top Japanese counters. Whether your allotted two hours in a not-particularly-vibey room for such an experience is a worthwhile investment is down to whether you have the necessary disposable and that’s your ‘bag’.

2023 Review: Billing itself somewhat misleadingly as an ‘eccentric Japanese izakaya experience’ (which would suggest it’s down-to-earth… which it isn’t), this luxurious space decked with Japanese prints is this Knightsbridge hotel’s new incumbent for the basement space that was previously Bar Boulud (RIP). It is rated on limited feedback to date, but all of it enthusiastic. Top Tip – bargain set lunch menu featuring katsu sandos, plus cocktails.

2023 Review: Esteemed Tokyo steakhouse, Aragawa (est 1967, and actually predated by its Kobe branch) is set to open in late 2022 on the Mayfair site that for over 20 years as Miyama (long RIP) was an exemplar of traditional Japanese cuisine. Tokyo diners may pay over £400 per head for the best cuts… and that’s before you go wild with the list of Premiers Grands Crus on the wine list.