Chinatown, Japanese Restaurant Guide

“This intimate little counter-dining venue” in an ancient pub that nowadays finds itself part of Chinatown “shows levels of skill and technique to compete with much better-known places that leave you with a far higher bill”. James Goodyear has taken over from Luke Selby (the latter departing to be head chef at Le Manoir), but all reports swoon over “a truly special experience” and a multi-course tasting menu that’s “absolutely exceptional”. “Love the counter-top layout of the restaurant and the chefs are very happy to talk, explaining in detail how things are made (important to me because I am a very keen cook!)”. “It has a buzzy vibe and is a bit of a squeeze (in both space and time), making it a very different formula than nearby Aulis. Having said that, the cooking is consistently delightful, imaginative and bold. The menu feels well thought-through, building and balancing as it progresses”. “File it under ‘one to watch’ as they plan to build out the ambition even further”: from mid-2023 they are opening on Monday nights and also incorporating their wine bar, The Mulwray, and the pub, The Blue Posts, into the overall offering at Evelyn’s Table.

2021 Review: “I just love it: it’s so cheap ’n’ cheerful” chorus the many fans of this down-to-earth Japanese canteen in Chinatown, which has been for yonks “a great place for the freshest sushi and yummy tofu”.

Yuya Kikuchi’s no-frills, very personal, small Soho six-year-old inspired little feedback this year, although we have received rave reviews in the past, particularly about the sushi. You can eat quite cheaply here, but aficionados of Japanese cuisine regularly go nuts for his £120, 18-course omakase. The FT’s Tim Hayward was one such in February 2023, declaring it “the best Japanese food in London” where “the chef’s attention to his ingredients is quite staggering… his craft skills second-to-none”. We have never had any complaints, but read Tripadvisor reviews if you are at all sensitive to poor service…

“The ramen is excellent” at this West End-based group from the Japan Centre’s Tak Tokumine – although “the rest of the menu is not as good” and the venues tend to be “too cramped and/or noisy to be ideal”. A drive to expand via franchise operations has apparently stalled since the summer 2022 opening of a branch in Kensington High Street – a possible sign that “we may have passed peak noodle”.

2021 Review: “Good quality Japanese comfort food” including “proper tonkatsu – rich pork served with cabbage” – is on the menu at this rather “cramped” venue off Leicester Square from the duo behind Kanada-Ya, Aaron Burgess-Smith and Tony Lam. “Also of note is the speakeasy bar in the basement”.

2021 Review: Izakaya-style Soho yearling, which opened in Spring 2019, making a feature of the robata skewers for which it is named, and whose other attractions include bao buns, sushi and cocktails. It opened too late to inspire much in the way of survey feedback, but the general social media buzz about the place is upbeat.

“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”.

These funky (and noisy) ‘rock ’n’ roll ramen’ bars shook up the capital’s Japanese fast-food scene when the first outlet opened in Soho 11 years ago, spawning a small group now reaching as far as Richmond. Their “super ramen” is served with 20-hour pork bone broth cooked these days at a kitchen on Bermondsey’s ‘beer mile’. But the business has not been immune to the industry’s difficulties: a Putney spin-off only lasted a year before closing, and a long-touted outlet in the old Eurostar terminal at Waterloo has yet to eventuate.

2021 Review: Near Leicester Square tube and need a quick bite? – maybe grab a meal at this simple two-year-old: the first London outpost of Japan’s largest (1,000-strong) chain specialising in kare raisu dishes – curry and rice: over 40 different rice toppings are available, including hamburgers, scrambled eggs and fried oysters.

“Love the original Koya, sitting at the long counter with a bowl of udon – even if you do have to queue”, say fans of this Soho noodle bar. Top Tip – the “definitive zen breakfast” is well liked, too, both here and also at the Bloomberg Arcade and Hackney spin-offs.

“Well produced, tasty morsels of delight” including “ace lunchtime bento boxes” are served at these “pared down” Japanese canteens, which provide “good value for money for what is generally an expensive cuisine”. Founder Mr Taro is not one for fast food: he conceived the idea of opening an ‘everyday dining room’ on a visit to London in 1979 and launched it in Soho 20 years later. Two decades on he is in expansion mode, and in February 2023 opened a sixth branch in a former Manze Pie & Mash shop in Walthamstow, with a Grade II listed interior now restored to its previous glory.

2023 Review: This “tasty” and fun Soho side project from the Bone Daddies group sounds like a post-modern culinary joke – a western take on a Japanese take on western cuisine! It started out as a pop-up, but proved popular enough to stick around on a permanent basis, serving hits from Korean fried wings and tuna tacos to kinako French toast with soft-serve ice cream.

“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”.

“The ramen is excellent” at this West End-based group from the Japan Centre’s Tak Tokumine – although “the rest of the menu is not as good” and the venues tend to be “too cramped and/or noisy to be ideal”. A drive to expand via franchise operations has apparently stalled since the summer 2022 opening of a branch in Kensington High Street – a possible sign that “we may have passed peak noodle”.

2021 Review: “Always there to satisfy a Japanese food craving”: this conveyor-belt sushi-stalwart in Soho rates well for “fast, good-quality plates” – less so for the “uncomfortable stools and loud music”. But nobody is complaining with “fresh hand-made tempura and salmon rolls for £4 – a steal!”. It lost its spin-offs last year, though, in Covent Garden and South Kensington.