Japanese Restaurants in Waltham Abbey
1. SOLA
American restaurant in Soho
64 Dean Street - W1D
“THE place to go for top-class Californian cooking in London” – Victor Garvey’s Soho five-year-old may be “eye-wateringly expensive” (“the price, ooh la la!”) but serves “top-notch cooking well deserving of its Michelin star”. “SoLa is that rare place that sources genuinely top-class ingredients and cooks them to perfection”: presenting them in either a 10-course tasting menu for £139 per person, or 17-course tasting menu for £229 per person. There are also drinks pairings to the above (at £170 and £230 per person) and a “fabulous” wine list drawn mostly from the US (and primarily, but not exclusively, from the West Coast). Despite refurbishment two years ago, the café-style ambience is the weakest link in the experience.
2. Ginza
Japanese restaurant in St James's
15 Bury St - SW1Y
“You can sit at the grill if you want added excitement” at this traditional basement Japanese in St James’s, where there’s the option of either a teppanyaki or sushi counter, as well as more conventional seating and a private room. All reports this year were of “superb” meals.
3. Wild Heart
Japanese restaurant in Westminster
20 Warwick Street - W1B
2023 Review: “Great name… even better food” say fans of this casual, Japanese-inspired dining experience within a Soho hotel, whose all-day dining possibilities (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea…) were conceived by star chef Garry Hollihead. Too limited feedback as yet, though, for a full rating of its mix of poke bowls, salads, sliders and main plates, complemented by an oriental cocktail list and sake menu.
4. Chotto Matte
Japanese restaurant in Soho
11-13 Frith St - W1
These clubby Nikkei haunts from former Nobu exec Kurt Zdesar in Soho and Marylebone have spawned an international group with outlets in North America and the Middle East – with Manchester scheduled to follow this year. The food can be “excellent”, and the joints are “buzzing” (so don’t go if you want a quiet evening, or the “thumping and repetitive club music spoils the dining experience”).
5. Tonkotsu
Japanese restaurant in Walthamstow
Unit 4, 202 Hoe Street - E17
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.
6. Tonkotsu
Japanese restaurant in Newham
Unit 1, Endeavour Square - E20
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.
7. Dotori
Korean restaurant in Finsbury Park
3a Stroud Green Rd - N4
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!
8. Tonkotsu
Japanese restaurant in Hackney
382 Mare St - E8
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.
9. Angelina
Fusion restaurant in Hackney
56 Dalston Lane - E8
“A wide variety of techniques” is behind food of “scrumptious flavour” and “rare visual beauty” at this “top-class experience”: a stylish neighbourhood haunt with large, leafy pavement terrace discovered “off the beaten track” in Dalston. The cooking is usually described as ‘fusion’, which in effect means broadly Italian dishes presented Japanese kaiseki-style, with multiple small courses chosen each day by the chef, in response to the best available produce.
10. Mio Yatai
Japanese restaurant in Hackney
129a Pritchard's Road - E2
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.
11. Tonkotsu East
Japanese restaurant in Haggerston
Arch 334, 1a Dunston St - E8
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.
12. Akari
Japanese restaurant in Islington
196 Essex Rd - N1
“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”.
13. Jiji
Fusion restaurant in Islington
6g Esther Anne Place - N1
“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.
14. Issho-Ni
Japanese restaurant in Bethnal Green
185 Bethnal Green Road - E2
“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”.
15. Kanada-Ya
Japanese restaurant in Islington
35 Upper Street - N1
“Proper Kyushu-style ramen with a thick, silky broth” is the secret behind this small London noodle chain from former pro cyclist Kazuhiro Kanada. “Especially great on a typical cold, rainy London day”, it’s “a go-to for a quick, cheap and (relatively) healthy supper in town” (“I’ve stopped for ramen at all the main chains and a few indies, and for my money this is the very best bowl at a great price”). The sixth branch opened in summer 2024 at Westfield Shepherd’s Bush.
16. Tonkotsu
Japanese restaurant in Shoreditch
New Inn Yard, 1 Anning Street - EC2A
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.
17. Hot Stone
Japanese restaurant in Islington
9 Chapel Market - N1
“Fresh, innovative sushi and sashimi” share billing with “fantastic wagyu beef cooked on stones”, according to fans of this “buzzy dining room”, which has moved from Islington to Fitzrovia in a reshuffle of ex-Zuma chef Padam Raj Rai’s restaurant portfolio. Even supporters feel “the voucher system – and the upsell when using the vouchers – can be annoying” though, while critics reckon “the food doesn’t live up to the hype, hence the constant discounted offers”.
18. Apothecary
Japanese restaurant in Shoreditch
36 Charlotte Road - EC2
2022 Review: On the sizable Shoreditch site that was Merchant’s Tavern (RIP), this mid-2021 newcomer is nowadays a 130-cover Japanese izakaya, with more of an emphasis on drinking (and DJs) than of old. It comes complete with open kitchen and robata counter, serving skewers, sushi and steamed buns to soak up the hot or cold sake, beers and cocktails.
19. Bone Daddies, The Bower
Japanese restaurant in Old Street
211 Old Street - EC1V
“Deeply flavoured and satisfying” ramen noodles in an “addictive” 20-hour pork bone broth combine with a “noisy hustle and bustle” at this ‘rock ’n’ roll ramen’ chain established in 2012, now with seven venues across central London. Perhaps the “quick and easy” (and noisy) vibe does not translate as satisfyingly from its original Soho site to the suburbs: a branch in leafy Richmond closed down last year, as did a Putney branch before it.
20. Nobu Shoreditch
Japanese restaurant in Shoreditch
10-50 Willow St - EC2A
“Food, vibes and service are impeccable… the price is ludicrous” – situation normal then at this Shoreditch-fringe boutique hotel, whose surprisingly big subterranean Nikkei restaurant looks onto a large sunken garden. With the brand’s signature sensational sushi and sashimi, plus more substantial fish and fusion dishes, it is finally emerging as some reporters’ “favourite Nobu” after a slow start, which was hit by the pandemic and subsequent WFH.
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