{"id":729026,"date":"2026-01-29T17:25:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T17:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/729026\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T17:25:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T17:25:18","slug":"the-best-japanese-restaurants-in-london-from-omakase-counters-to-neighborhood-gems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/729026\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Japanese Restaurants in London, From Omakase Counters to Neighborhood Gems"},"content":{"rendered":"

A true Mayfair stalwart, Kiku has been serving the neighborhood since 1978, making it one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in the city\u2014and unlike some of its flashier neighboring sushi restaurants, Kiku\u2019s vibe is one of calm, quiet elegance. It\u2019s the place to go for a consistently excellent, no-frills sushi experience where the quality of the fish speaks for itself, whether it\u2019s the salmon and tuna in a classic sashimi set, or rare delicacies like Hokkaido sea urchin and sweet prawn served on perfectly seasoned rice. The tempura here is world-class, with a light, lace-like batter, and the \u00a340 lunchtime set menu\u2014which consists of yakitori, tempura, sushi, miso soup, and a dessert\u2014is one of the best deals in central London. The ultimate seal of approval? It\u2019s a favorite spot among the staff at the nearby Japanese Embassy on Piccadilly. \u2014L.H.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Courtesy of Sushi Kyu<\/p>\n

This low-key but stylish joint, which opened in 2024 last year in a bijou shopfront on Brewer Street, is the brainchild of chef Takamasa Mogi\u2014also the founder of popular Mayfair spot Cub\u00e9\u2014and serves up astonishingly good sushi to the 10 seats that surround its subdued but stylish hinoki wood counter. (Soho regulars will remember the building\u2019s former life as a manga store and karaoke bar\u2014it turns out there\u2019s still a karaoke room downstairs if your omakase dinner ends up getting a little raucous.) I was especially impressed by the creative but not overdone nigiri, including smoky slivers of seared Korean turbot and Spanish tuna with Oscietra caviar, served atop pillowy beds of red vinegar-seasoned rice. Given the quality, it\u2019s excellent value too: the lunchtime menu offers salad, seven pieces of omakase nigiri, and dessert for \u00a351.80, while the dinner menu of two appetizers, nine pieces of omakase nigiri, a temaki roll, and dessert comes to \u00a389. (They also do a well-priced pre-theater menu if you\u2019re planning to catch a West End show.) \u2014L.H.<\/p>\n

Under former Noma sommelier Yuki Kaneko\u2019s ownership, Yuki Bar has transcended East London\u2019s small plates and orange wine scene. Within the low-lit, 20-cover spot soundtracked by disco J-pop, dishes riff on French and Nordic classics with Japanese inflections, like a sesame-studded take on oeufs mayonnaise, embracing home-style cooking and a choose-your-own-adventure menu of \u201csnacks, littles, and larges.\u201d A few portions of house-made potato crisps with sansho pepper and grilled onigiri kick the evening off, while rotating mains have included an aromatic chicken hot pot and blushing strips of beef tataki silken with soy sauce and mustard. Go with a group, be greedy, and get a few bottles recommended by Kaneko. \u2014Anna Cafolla<\/p>\n

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Photo: Courtesy of Taku Mayfair<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A true Mayfair stalwart, Kiku has been serving the neighborhood since 1978, making it one of the oldest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":729027,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7757],"tags":[748,393,1203,4884,257,72982,21898,183,16,15,4715],"class_list":{"0":"post-729026","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-london","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-food","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-london","13":"tag-splitscreenimagerightfullbleed","14":"tag-storytypelist","15":"tag-travel","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-web"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115979559079992395","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}