Japanese

33 Old Jewry, London EC2V 8EY

This Japanese Izakaya restaurant comes from the same people who are behind Wild as well as Goodman, the City branch of which is just opposite this restaurant. Inside here you'll find a room dominated by a huge wraparound counter dining set up and a menu that features nigiri, sashimi, temaki and maki, but also sections for deep fried dishes, skewers, gohan rice bowls and more.

36 Albemarle St, London W1S 4JE

Taking over what used to be Taku, this is a similarly styled omakase restaurant but this time it's headed up by one of the world's best sushi chefs. Shogo Amamoto's Taipei restaurant is one of the hardest restaurants in the world to get a booking at, and now he's brought that restaurant to London, including some of his signature dishes. Expect a great omakase menu, delivered in a beautiful counter-dining setting.

30 Grosvenor Sq, London W1K 6AN

After being a hit in the Harrods Dining Hall, this sees top sushi chef Masayoshi Takayama opening his own London restaurant, inside the Chancery Rosewood hotel. Expect a very high-end approach to sushi with the chef's signature toro tartare caviar being the main draw.

86 Wardour St, London W1F 0TQ

From Mad Restaurants (also behind ALTA), MOI brings Japanese cooking over fire to Soho, led by Andy Cook (ex-Gordon Ramsay, Soho Farmhouse). Expect sushi, sashimi and grilled dishes using British produce, like Orkney scallops with juniper kombu, turbot with yuzu kosho butter and crab temaki with apple and kimizu sauce. The raw concrete-and-wood interiors feature two open kitchens, a dramatic staircase, plus a downstairs omakase and Tokyo-style listening bar with cocktails by Dino Koletsas (Artesian).

6 Chepstow Road, London W2 5BH

After making waves in Lima’s elite Nikkei scene, Fan has quietly landed in Notting Hill. Run by Romania Parra, Jorge Sasaki and Santiago Wong, the menu fuses Japanese technique with Peruvian, Chinese and global influences. Expect an 11-course omakase or à la carte options like scallops with squash butter or ceviche with coconut tiger milk.

2-4 Farmer St, London W8 7SN

Hidden away at the back of Los Mochis in Notting Hill (which is worth visiting too), you'll find this tiny omakase bar that fits just six diners every sitting. The menu here, which changes daily, takes inspiration from both Japanese and Mexican cuisines, so it's notably different to London's other omakase offerings. A cosy, intimate affair, it's right up there among London's very best omakase restaurants.

9th Floor, 100 Liverpool Street, London EC2M 2AT

London’s highest omakase restaurant (which seats just 12 people) can be found inside another high-rise restaurant, Los Mochis City. As the name suggests, there’s a lunar theme here, from the decor through to the menu. Expect clever creations from the creative team here as part of a 12-course menu, that also happens to be gluten-free. Sushi, sandos and modern twists on Japanese classics all feature.

1 Nicholl's Clarke Yard, off Blossom Street, London E1 6SH

Osteria Angelina comes from the same team behind the original Angelina, but this can be viewed as a more casual outpost. it still brings together Italian and Japanese cuisine under one roof, with a specific emphasis on northern Italian cooking. So you'll find milk break, sushi, sashimi and pasta dishes all on the same menu. There's a separate bar here, so if you're in the area it's well worth popping in for cocktails and a snack or two.

118 Talbot Road, London W11 1JR

This small 12-seater sushi bar comes from the team behind Dorian, and it's only just across the road from that restaurant. A walk-in-only affair, it's a casual sushi bar, albeit one with perhaps the highest quality sushi in the area. The wine list is also impressive, mainly as it's the same one as Dorian itself.

9 Chance St, London E2 7JB

Cycene is the restaurant inside Blue Mountain School in Shoreditch, with chef Taz Sarhane (ex Brooklands and Claude Bosi at Bibendum) in charge. Here you can expect a tasting menu-only experience, with a big focus on British produce and suppliers.The meal takes place throughout the building - from the bar to the kitchen and the dining room.

470 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AE

Anywhere that survives in Dalston for more than a decade has to be celebrated and Brilliant Corners' winning mix of Japanese-inspired dishes and DJ sessions continues to draw people in. For the food, think izakaya-style drinking food, so sushi and sashimi take centre stage with a wider than expected plant-forward selection of dishes too. The cocktail list is similarly Japanese-inspired with a short classics offering.

9th Floor, 100 Liverpool St, London EC2M 2AT

The City branch of this Notting Hill fusion restaurant serves up a winning mix of Japanese dishes with Mexican influences. Its biggest selling point here at Liverpool Street is the late licence and capacious roof terrace with a great view of the City. There’s also a huge separate bar here as well.

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.

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 a standalone bar which is also worth a visit.

The OWO. 7 Horse Guards Ave, London SW1A 2EX

Endo Kazutoshi, who also runs Sumi and his signature restaurant Endo at Rotunda, is behind this extensive Japanese restaurant at the top of The OWO in Whitehall. Here he's created a menu that has more European Influences than his other places, while boasting a great roof terrace that looks over some of London's most iconic buildings. Make sure to also pop into the excellent Kioku Bar on the ground floor for cocktails and sake.

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.

12 New Quebec St, Marylebone, London W1H 7RP

Roketsu comes from Daisuke Hayashi (previously Executive Head chef at Tokimeitē) and this is very much a passion project. The restaurant revolves around a Japanese Kaiseki tasting menu, taking dashi as its base. Particular care has been taken with the design, with elements that have been imported from Japan - it looks amazing as a result.

19 Old Park Ln, London W1K 1LB

The Nobu restaurants worldwide are just as big a deal since the first one opened in New York about 30 years ago. This Park Lane outpost was the first in London (and the first outside the US) and remains hugely popular to this day. The miso black cod is still the signature dish and the sushi here is excellent - many of London's great sushi chefs started here.

56 Dalston Lane, London E8 3AH

This Dalston restaurant has a modern take on Japanese and Italian food - resulting in a creative fusion menu that's inspired by both cuisines, while also pushing the envelope. They serve a 13-course Kaiseki menu which changes every five weeks to reflect the seasons, so there's a lot of opportunity for repeat visits.

37 Charlotte Street, London W1T 1RR

At Roka it's all about the robata grill. Start with sushi or sashimi and work your way up through dishes like black cod to various yakitori sticks.

Fifth floor, 240 Regent Street, London W1B 3BR

This is the Japanese part of the Aqua complex at Regent Street, featuring a sushi bar and sumibiyaki charcoal grill as well as a terrace that looks down over Regent Street.

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.

12 New Burlington Street, London W1S 3BH

This tiny restaurant - just nine people up at the dining counter and six in a private dining room - became a hit in London. The main chef returned to Tokyo, leaving his sushi apprentice turned head chef Marty Lau in charge. It's received recent notoriety for being one of Ed Sheeran's favourite restaurants in London.

54 Frith St, Soho, London W1D 4SL

This is top chef Angelo Sato's Soho restaurant and while it started life as a more casual affair that was all about chicken, it's now changed into a much broader omakase offering that's described as serving a "Japanese-inspired 8-course tasting menu with a European accent." If you love counter dining, this is the place for you.

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.

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.

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.

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.