LDNGuide

The Best Sushi Restaurants In London

Spanning high-end omakase experiences to more casual spots with great hand rolls, these are the best places for sushi in London.
The hot sake maki at Chisou.

photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch

Sushi isn’t something any old restaurant can make well. It’s the kind of thing that requires a skilled chef, high-quality fish, and can be in the form of a £12 california roll, or a £150 omakase experience. When you’re craving fatty tuna and seared salmon belly, this list of London restaurants will see you right.

If you're looking specifically for the best omakase menus in London, we've got you covered too. Plus places at the other end of the sushi spectrum that fit into the more casual category.


THE SPOTS

photo credit: Endo at the Rotunda

This spot is Temporarily Closed.

Sushi

White City

$$$$Perfect For:Corporate CardsImpressing Out of TownersLunchSpecial OccasionsUnique Dining Experience
RESERVE A TABLE

POWERED BY

SevenRooms logo
Earn 3x points with your sapphire card

How long has it been since you’ve been fed? No, we don’t mean since you’ve last eaten. We mean fed. Well at this eighth floor, 10-seater omakase restaurant in White City, you will be hand-fed. Well, hand-to-hand fed. And you will savour every bite. Not just because head chef Endo stands in front of you, peering into your soul after placing fatty tuna wrapped in nori in the palm of your hand. But because the food is excellent. Yes, dinner is 20 courses and yes it costs £250 but it will be worth it. This is the best sushi experience in London, although know it’s currently undergoing renovations and will reopen in summer 2024.

Roji is a plan-ahead, book-in-advance, get-excited-for kind of restaurant. The 10-seater omakase spot in Mayfair is a special place that comes to mind when we get the inevitable “what is your favourite restaurant in London?” question. The intimate setup, with wooden wrap-around counter seating, gives you a front-row seat to the open kitchen. Description of each course, from the oyster limushi to the eight rounds of nigiri, only adds to the anticipation, especially when you see the wide-eyed astonishment of people served before you. The cost is pretty serious, but it feels like a fair price to pay for a meal so memorable.

There are plenty of omakase experiences in London, and they’re almost always a special experience, but there’s something about Kurisu Omakase that feels a little different. The unique 18-course sushi experience mixes Japanese cooking with Thai-Colombian influences, genuine brilliance, and inimitable made-in-Brixton charm. There are only eight seats in the intimate restaurant, and you’ll find yourself gawping at flame-torched pieces of fish, losing words over truffle and caviar-topped otoro, and belly laughing at the stories you’re told.

This tiny sushi counter in Clerkenwell only seats seven guests at a time, which makes it somewhat difficult to get a reservation. But that shouldn’t stop you, because it’s well worth the effort. All you need to know is that the experience is a traditional, unforgettable affair and the fish is never less than outstanding. Everything, from the yellowtail sushi to extravagant pieces of king crab, is excellent and well worth the price tag.

We all love Kensington. The museums, Hyde Park, that pretty street that you aren’t allowed to take pictures of. But we’ve got another reason for you to love it: Yashin Sushi. Why does this restaurant deserve your precious love? Because it’s serving some excellent and creative sushi using high-quality fish topped with things like yuzu salt, edible flowers, parmesan, truffle, and sun-dried tomatoes.

Our second favourite thing to do in Knightsbridge, after leaving Harrods empty-handed, is to visit this little Japanese spot on Beauchamp Place. The inside-out rolls are all excellent, as are the Chisou rolls. If you’re struggling to choose, just know that the soft shell crab and hot sake maki should 100% be on your table. As can be expected from the location, it’s not cheap but come in a small group, order a bunch of sushi rolls, some noodles, and the zesty horenso salad, and you can leave around £40 lighter.

If you’re near Great Portland Street—or even if you’re not—you should eat the sushi at this excellent Fitzrovia spot. It’s got what we like to call the holy grail of sushi: high-quality, affordable, and exciting. The sushi and sashimi are solid, and although the toppings can get a little theatrical, it doesn’t take away from the quality. The omakase starts from £25 for six pieces, making it some of the best-value sushi that you’ll get in London.

At Ikeda, there’s a personal note from Paul Simon by the toilets. There’s one from Steven Spielberg, too. Fergus Henderson says it’s one of his favourite restaurants in London. But those aren’t reasons to go to this old-school Japanese spot in Mayfair. Ikeda’s supreme assortments are. Each one comes with a mix of fatty to very fatty tuna, yellowtail, octopus, and more. It’s delicious, high-quality fish that melts away until you’re mourning it. And, importantly, the rice is perfect—warm, with a touch of vinegar. Get a hand roll packed with the stuff.

It’s worth noting that Temaki in Brixton doesn’t exclusively serve temaki. There are a few other things on the menu, including zesty yellowtail sashimi, monkfish karaage, and a comforting miso soup. But coming to Temaki and filling up on the small plates is like going to Burger King and ordering a salad. You’re here for the truly excellent hand rolls and for £39, you can try the set menu involving akami tuna, lobster, salmon, otoro, prawn tempura, and BBQ eel rolls without having to do any draining arithmetics.

Unlike many restaurants on this list, Jugemu does not pride itself on fawning service. The little sushi bar in Soho takes an altogether more laid-back approach, as post-work diners and dates look fervently towards Jugemu’s sushi chef carefully making each piece of fish behind the counter, alone. Regulars—often seated at tables rather than at the bar—are more relaxed. They know it's worth the wait. Get the seven-piece omakase sashimi or know that uni, scallop, and otoro all stand out in the melting nigiri stakes. Whatever your choice, all good things come to those who wait.

The second restaurant by chef Endo, this Westbourne Grove spot is more down-to-earth than his eighth-floor omakase counter in White City, with a calming interior and a covered front terrace. Even with a small-ish a la carte menu of main dishes like mushroom gohan, and a sushi menu of nigiri, sashimi, and hand rolls, you can’t really go wrong. The nigiri is exceptional, and if you’re not in the mood to spend £100+ on lunch, stick to the raw fish and steer clear of the ‘main’ section.

At this serious sushi restaurant inside a Georgian townhouse, you’ll find their sushi counter shoehorned into what was once a hallway. As you might have guessed, it’s quite a snug situation, but it’s entirely worth squeezing into this Marylebone spot for excellent sushi classics and fun modern creations. Expect spicy akami tuna rolls, the signature sea bass carpaccio, and a big bill if you don’t opt for one of the daytime lunch deals.

If you like your sushi with a side of ‘the grandparents of this scallop like Beethoven and long walks on the beach,’ then you’ll like Rai. It’s a serious omakase operation in Fitzrovia, and everything here leans towards expensive and theatrical. The 10-course tasting menu changes monthly and will set you back £75 per person but it also means you get to try things like excellent hand-dived ponzu scallops with sweet umeboshi and the meaty, fatty tuna roll.

Chase Sapphire Card Ad

Suggested Reading

The 6 Best Omakase Menus In London image

The 6 Best Omakase Menus In London

The best sushi experiences that are worth the money.

Endo At The Rotunda image
9.3

Endo at the Rotunda is an intimate sushi restaurant in White City, providing one of the most unique and eating experiences in London.

London’s Top Casual Neighbourhood Sushi Spots image

Searching for that elusive middle ground of reasonable, casual neighbourhood sushi? Here's where to find it.

Infatuation Logo

Cities

2024 © The Infatuation Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The views and opinions expressed on The Infatuation’s site and other platforms are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of (or endorsement by) JPMorgan Chase. The Infatuation and its affiliates assume no responsibility or liability for the content of this site, or any errors or omissions. The Information contained in this site is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness.

FIND PLACES ON OUR APP

Get it on Google PlayDownload on the App Store