Japanese

45 Park Ln, London W1K 1PN

Already enjoying two Michelin stars at his Tokyo restaurant, chef Shinji Kanesaka created a stir with the opening of this incredibly luxe omakase restaurant at 45 Park Lane, not least because the set menu was a startling £420. Given that he's one of the finest traditional Edomae sushi masters in Japan that price probably isn't surprising. With just 13 seats the diners are getting an incredibly intimate experience here.

Southbank Riverside, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 7PB

Tokyo-born Chef/Proprietor Daisuke Shimoyama grew up working in his uncle's restaurant before training up as a chef (and also a sake sommelier). The ex-Umu chef has moved from running his own street food stall to this bricks-and-mortar spot on the South Bank serving up an omakase menu at lunch and dinner.

11 Goods Way, Kings Cross, London N1C 4PW

Sushi on Jones started life as a tiny sushi stand in New York and was immediately showered with praise. The latest in that group is this London restaurant with a mere eight seats serving up an omakase sushi experience on the hour every hour.

157 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RS

This comes from sushi master Endo Kazutoshi, the man behind Endo at the Rotunda. While that's a full omakase affair, this sushi bar in Notting Hill is a slightly more casual affair, which has gone down extremely well with West London folk. It remains easily one of the best sushi spots in town.

43 Chiltern Street, Marylebone, London W1U 6LS

Mayha's original opening was in Beirut, a somewhat surprising way for a Japanese omakase restaurant to arrive in London. Here it's a two floored affair with the ground floor serving a long omakase menu. Downstairs, you'll find the bar which has its own omakase experience - smaller snacks, each paired with a cocktail.

Unit 114 Lower, Stable St, London N1C 4DR

If you value a menu that cuts straight to the chase, this no-nonsense Japanese canteen is the place serving up three varieties of curry and rice and nothing else.

10-12 Bloomberg Arcade, London, EC4N 8AR

If you have a penchant for freshly made udon noodles, this is the place: a larger version of the much-loved Koya in Soho, where you can sit at wooden tables and enjoy izakaya small plates with sake and beer.

157 Kentish Town Rd, London NW1 8PD

Following in the fusion footsteps of Bintang in Camden, Ramo Ramen offers Filipino-Japanese halal ramen. There's a sister site in Soho under the same name. Ramen flavours include oxtail kare kare as well as miso and walnut, while the menu also has plenty of gyozas, bubble tea and mango peach pie for pud.

31 Beauchamp Pl, London SW3 1RD

If you need somewhere to regroup from a particularly onerous shopping spree in Knightsbridge then this cool, calm sushi spot on Beauchamp Place is the place to go. Like its sibling restaurant in Mayfair this is a counter dining restaurant at heart; select your own sushi and sashimi or opt for the chef’s choice with an omakase experience.

19 Motcomb St, London SW1X 8LB

There's plenty to choose from in terms of dining at this Nordic Japanese concept store, from the rooftop restaurant with its seasonal offering and the Cafe Kitsune cafe with its Insta-friendly patisserie to the elegant offering at the lower ground floor Sachi restaurant which serves up super sushi with a Nordic edge.

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, 66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LA

Taking over The Mandarin Oriental's lower ground floor, this Japanese izakaya is a warren of opulently designed dining rooms and cocktail bars. Expect to try a range of top-drawer sushi and Japanese dishes with the focus firmly on the cocktail list.

422 St John St, London EC1V 4NJ

Owner Mr Pham trained up at Suntory and Miyami before opening his own sushi counter spot by Angel. For more than a decade they’ve been building up a fiercely loyal Islington clientele, and have recently had a very modernist makeover.

36 Albemarle St, London W1S 4JE

Chef Takuya Watanabe left Paris for London to open Taku and it's paid off in style. His Mayfair omakase restaurant has just 16 seats with chef Taku serving up a regularly changing menu based on the best produce available.

100 Liverpool Street, Broadgate Circle, London EC2M 2QS

Fresh from success in Hong Kong comes the Aqua Restaurant Group’s latest opening. This time they’re hitting up the City, with this sushi restaurant in the heart of Broadgate. The dish you’ll definitely want to try is the crystal sushi the made a name for themselves with - which sees nigiri draped with intensely flavoured jelly.

9 Chance St, London E2 7JB

Cycene is the restaurant inside Blue Mountain School in Shoreditch, with chef Theo Clench in charge. Here you can expect a tasting menu-only experience, with its influences in Japan and Australasia, that takes place throughout the building - from the bar to the kitchen and the dining room.

38 Grosvenor Street, London W1K 4QA

This comes from Samyukta Nair, the restaurateur behind hits like Jamavar and Mimi Mei Fair. This time, it's all about Japanese food and it's a restaurant which comes in two halves. Downstairs is the dark hues Magma with plenty of robata grilling while upstairs is the lighter Midori, with a focus on Sushi.

56b South Molton Street, London W1K 5SH

Tucked down an alleyway off South Moulton Street, this new omakase restaurant from the owners of next-door Chisou feels like a secret discovery. There are just 10 seats, so everyone gets a ringside view of the kitchen action by husband and wife team of Tamas Naszai and Tomoko Hasegawa (both ex-Tokimeitē). Faultless sushi and sashimi follows with a menu that changes daily.

Unit 1A, 3 Ravine Way Embassy Gardens, London SW11 7BH

Evernight comes from Lynus Lim, a Singaporean chef who trained up under Tom Anglesea at the Laughing Heart. It's inspired by Japanese izakayas, using mostly produce local to the UK. Here you'll find a big emphasis on low intervention wine too.

4 Park Pavilion, 40 Canada Square, London E14 5FW

Roka has had hits from Mayfair to Dubai, with its combination of high-end sushi and signature robatayaki dishes. This Canary Wharf outpost overlooks Canada Square and has an extensive rooftop terrace.

1 Crossrail Place, London E14 5AR

This popular Copenhagen chain serves up a large menu of sushi and yakitori. The Danish influence shines through the inventive takes on Japanese cuisine with plenty of fresh produce on offer.

3 Stroud Green Rd, London N4 2DQ

This much-beloved Finsbury Park spot serves up a menu of Korean and Japanese favourites so you’ll find bulgogi alongside sashimi and kimchi along with nasu dengaku. The set menus are a particular steal for food of this quality. Take note - it’s cash only.

8 Clifton Terrace, London N4 3JP

Over the past few years, Tenmaru has been quietly carving a reputation for itself as a standout place for good ramen. Their chicken-based ramen broth particularly makes them stand out from the crowd. They also do a nice line in izakaya style snackage too.

Lennox Gardens Mews, London SW3 2JH

A glossy take on the Japanese izakaya, this Chelsea restaurant uses the very best of British ingredients for their amazing sushi dishes. It’s a real fusion of taste, technique and influence between Japan and Europe.

165 Lower Clapton Rd, Lower Clapton, London E5 8EQ

This is a family-run Chinese dumpling house and sake bar that started as a pop-up and has become hugely popular in Clapton (it also has a sister site in Victoria Park). The specialities are their hand-rolled dumplings made fresh every day. Alongside those dumplings, there's a big range of sake from small family-run Japanese breweries.

499 Kingsland Road, London E8 4AU

Luke Findlay had been running Supa Ya Ramen as a supperclub, but this is his first permanent restaurant. As with their pop-ups, you can expect what they call "traditionally inauthentic" ramen and this restaurant added lots of extras to the menu like roast chicken skin and noodle ice cream with miso caramel for dessert.

12 Jerusalem Passage, London EC1V 4JP

The tiny Sushi Tetsu is both one of the best sushi restaurants in town and also one of the hardest to get into. With only half a dozen seats inside, each item served to you will be almost a work of art. This may well ruin other sushi restaurants for you. Note that bookings open on the first and third Monday of every month and go very fast.

1A Shepherd St, Mayfair, London W1J 7HJ

Mayfair's Shepherd Market is the site of this dinky all day Japanese bar, with an ex-Novikov Head Chef in charge, serving up gyoza, soft shell crab salads and green pancakes for breakfast.

4 Blenheim St, London W1S 1LB

A top Japanese izakaya in Mayfair - if you're looking for excellent sushi without the Mayfair prices, this is the place you come. Chef Takamasa Mogi was previously at Nobu and goes big on omakase where you let him choose what to feed you.

7 Blenheim Cres, Notting Hill, London W11 2EE

This Tonkotsu is a small departure from the rest, as it features a counter-style ramen bar of the kind you'll find in Tokyo. But don't worry - if it's your favourite ramen dishes you're after, they're on the menu too.

240 Portobello Rd, Notting Hill, London W11 1LL

Notting Hill's Ukai is very much in the fusion mould - mainly Japanese, but taking in Mediterranean and South American infuences. The robata grill is put to good use - and look out for their snacks, aka "Japas".