Reigate, Japanese Restaurant Guide

The high-end Japanese-style dining at this splendiferous country-house hotel is “a special treat from start to finish: every visit fulfils your salivating expectations and appetite” – innovative Polish-born chef Wojciech Popow combining Nordic influences with his sushi-master skills in dishes like red bream nigiri with Cornish ants; or rice with young pine shoots foraged from the estate. There’s also the slightly bonkers option of eating a Japanese yakiniku barbecue in your own hot-air balloon – not flying, but tethered in the Italian Garden. It’s all “great fun and great food, but be prepared to sell a kidney to cover the cost”.

2024 Review: This “relaxed local Japanese” in Raynes Park “opened recently on the site of (confusingly similarly named) Hashi”. Reports suggest “the quality of the food is better”, with “authentic, skillfully prepared dishes” including “good fresh sushi”.

“Consistently great omakase” cuisine that’s “incredible value for money” has attracted an adoring fan club over the past decade for this “exceptional” Japanese spot in a suburban shopping parade, near South Wimbledon tube. Ex-Nobu chef Taka and his wife Yuko guarantee a “serene experience”, and “the neutral decor creates a Zen-like calmness which somehow enhances the food”. “It’s worth taking the Northern Line to SW19 just to eat there!”. (In putting together our prices for this year, though, we note a big jump in its formula price from previous editions – the offering here seems to be becoming more ambitious but priced more to match other omakase experiences around town).

With “clever”, “good-quality Japanese food” – in particular the “excellent, if relatively expensive, sushi” – and “busy, competent service”, these “fun, stylish and friendly” Scandi-minimal venues are “always buzzing”. Founded in Copenhagen by a pair of Danish-Japanese brothers more than 30 years ago, the company came under new ownership in 2024 with big expansion plans, and unveiled two times F1 champion Fernando Alonso as a major shareholder in April 2025. Recent London openings include a “huge new site” in Islington and Battersea Power Station.

“Well priced” Japanese dishes make this small, no-frills 26-year-old chain a useful option, whether for a “quick pre-theatre visit” when in town or in one of the more far-flung branches (Catford or Brentwood), where “decent quality sushi is found in a local high street for the first time”. Top Tip – “the delicious honey tea”.

“An oasis in darkest Wood Green!” – This ‘izakaya with a Western twist’ is a big space occupying the ground floor of the ‘Green Rooms’ hotel and offers a sizable menu incorporating noodle dishes, tempura, teriyaki, curries, salads and ‘tapas’. (It also has a lesser-known spin-off in Chinatown).