Soho, Japanese Restaurant Guide

2017 Review: “If you don’t like sushi or Kobe, don’t come” to this “intimate”, little shrine to Japan’s highly prized Kobe beef, in the cute environs of Soho’s Ham Yard – a “truly authentic experience of exceptional quality”, featuring “stunning food that begs to be talked about and talked over.”

2017 Review: “Takes over where Koya (RIP) left off”, this “cramped” but “cool” Soho Japanese is “famous for udon noodles, but their small plates and donburi rice dishes are even better”. “The purity of the stocks and sauces is fantastic”, so it’s “well worth the queue” (you can’t book).

“Some amazingly tasty dishes” – of a funky, western-influenced Japanese genre – again earn high ratings for this “really delightful” Soho outfit (the brainchild of Australian chef, Ross Shonhan, creator of the Bone Daddies group). “It may not quite count as cheap ’n’ cheerful, but the tasting menu is a bargain for £30” – in fact, it may be a better choice than going off-piste, where “the bills rack up quickly”. Top Tip – “deliciously indulgent green tea ice cream dessert”.

“Under the direction of a single, passionate and precise chef” (Yuya Kikuchi), this brilliantly “authentic” little (about 20 seats) izakaya in Soho produces some marvels, with dazzling sushi being the top pick on the menu. Don’t go if you’re in a hurry.

LA’s Art District housed the first branch of this Roka-lite concept (same founder), and this Soho yearling, with its “manifestly cool decor” (from a California design agency) delivers well all-round (even if it’s maybe “a little expensive”), especially if you are in the mood for a meal combining “a fun bar ambience” with “simple yet exciting” Korean/Japanese dishes.

“Incredibly filling bowls of ramen” – backed up by “interesting menus of delicious food, served quickly with a smile” – attract an enthusiastic crowd to this small chain of hip Japanese-style fast-food bars, although feedback supports the view that “the original in Soho is by far the best”. The founder, Aussie-born, Nobu-trained chef Ross Shonhan, has spun off a series of “Asian-fusion” concepts – Flesh & Buns, Shack-Fuyu and his latest, Poke-Don.

“Punching above their weight in terms of flavour and presentation” – this “buzzy” quartet of “medium-priced” Japanese/Asian fusion “pit-stops” are “fab little places” for a high-quality refuelling (the new Barnes site is “perfect before a film at the Olympic across the road”).

2018 Review: “The perfect neighbourhood sushi stop” – “reasonably priced for the location” near South Kensington tube too. (There’s also a branch in Soho, but no-one reports on it).

“This huge restaurant above Regent Street” with a sizeable rooftop setting (from the Hong Kong-based group also at The Shard) serves “surprisingly good Japanese food” and “feels like a nightclub, with bouncers, red carpets, loud music, moody lighting and a sexily groomed, exuberant clientele”. It’s “very buzzy, very loud and great for people-watching”. A neighbouring rooftop sibling, aqua nueva, does similar things with a Hispanic menu but doesn’t inspire the same level of feedback.