City, Japanese Restaurant Guide

“Authentic, fresh udon” bring a real and very affordable taste of Japan to Soho and now to the City’s new Bloomberg Arcade. Quite different from the ramen that has proliferated recently in London, udon are soft, fat wheat noodles that can be eaten hot or cold – “great value for money” and “their specials change constantly and are fantastic” too.

“Been going here years and love their sushi”, say fans of this well-established operation near St Paul’s, which has “a conveyor belt bar upstairs and a restaurant downstairs” – “the best value for money Japanese in the area, and the quality is always very good”.

A “lunchtime sushi favourite” in the City – the Mincing Lane branch boasts Europe’s longest ‘kaiten’ conveyor belt of sushi, sashimi and other Japanese dishes. This and the Broadgate restaurant are only open for weekday lunch, but the chain has takeaway and delivery options in the evening. New branches opened this year in Queen Street and Fetter Lane.

A “lunchtime sushi favourite” in the City – the Mincing Lane branch boasts Europe’s longest ‘kaiten’ conveyor belt of sushi, sashimi and other Japanese dishes. This and the Broadgate restaurant are only open for weekday lunch, but the chain has takeaway and delivery options in the evening. New branches opened this year in Queen Street and Fetter Lane.

“Tasty (and filling) noodle dishes and decent quality sashimi” draw a steady crowd to these Japanese pit stops: a “good option in busy, trendy areas”, even if “space is cramped” and “you might have to queue”.

A “lunchtime sushi favourite” in the City – the Mincing Lane branch boasts Europe’s longest ‘kaiten’ conveyor belt of sushi, sashimi and other Japanese dishes. This and the Broadgate restaurant are only open for weekday lunch, but the chain has takeaway and delivery options in the evening. New branches opened this year in Queen Street and Fetter Lane.

A “lunchtime sushi favourite” in the City – the Mincing Lane branch boasts Europe’s longest ‘kaiten’ conveyor belt of sushi, sashimi and other Japanese dishes. This and the Broadgate restaurant are only open for weekday lunch, but the chain has takeaway and delivery options in the evening. New branches opened this year in Queen Street and Fetter Lane.

A “lunchtime sushi favourite” in the City – the Mincing Lane branch boasts Europe’s longest ‘kaiten’ conveyor belt of sushi, sashimi and other Japanese dishes. This and the Broadgate restaurant are only open for weekday lunch, but the chain has takeaway and delivery options in the evening. New branches opened this year in Queen Street and Fetter Lane.

What’s not to like at this “fabulous” 39th floor pan-Asian in the Heron Tower (reached by western Europe’s fastest lifts!) – the interior is “very cool”, “the views are to die for” and “the food just sings – punchy flavours of sweet, sour, salty deliciousness”. The answer, unfortunately, is “slow and disorganised service” and “prices even higher than the skyscraper it’s based in” which leave far too many reporters nowadays (including former fans) accusing it of “style over substance”. Its long-awaited new Covent Garden sibling – occupying the dramatic site that has seen many chains come and go (most recently Brasserie Blanc) finally opens in November 2018.