Windsor, Japanese Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: This ultra-stylish boutique hotel reopened in late 2016 after a multi-million-pound, two-year renovation. Its “lovely food choices” run the whole gamut from Japanese dishes through to sourdough pizzas, and a large garden contributes to what's “an ideal spot on the way to Henley”.

“This local gem has an unchanging but always consistent Japanese menu”, including “great sushi”. “The delightful Bobby on front of house” earns repeated mentions in feedback for “making Umi exceptional”: “nothing is too much”, and he “remembers his regulars and treats everyone like family”.

“Proper Kyushu-style ramen with a thick, silky broth” is the secret behind this small London noodle chain from former pro cyclist Kazuhiro Kanada. “Especially great on a typical cold, rainy London day”, it’s “a go-to for a quick, cheap and (relatively) healthy supper in town” (“I’ve stopped for ramen at all the main chains and a few indies, and for my money this is the very best bowl at a great price”). The sixth branch opened in summer 2024 at Westfield Shepherd’s Bush.

2022 Review: This “lovely little Japanese restaurant with a very decent range” is a “very welcome option in Richmond”. Run by a Korean family, it has provided “sterling service” for 17 years.

This 15-strong London noodle chain (now with branches in Brighton, Birmingham and Bristol) is “a good stand-by” – perhaps it’s “not as good as some of its competitors”, but it is widely seen as “good value”: in particular “the lunch-time meal deal” is a winner.

2022 Review: “The food is very good” at this “typically impersonal” – but actually, by the standards of the genre, pretty “convivial” – Japanese joint near Ealing Common tube, which serves a variety of set meals at lunchtime and izakaya-style dining in the evening.

“Fantastic, authentic Japanese food at reasonable prices” (including “really good and varied sushi”) means this four-year-old is “favoured by both locals and Ealing’s Japanese expat community” – there’s “always a few lone diners, a reliable indicator of a warm and welcoming place”. Top Tip – “Friday is the best day to visit, for the special sushi offer”.