The joy of finding good Japanese restaurants in London is unmatched – we’re talking superb sashimi, yummy yakitori, ravishing ramen, fine fluffy pancakes and ooohhhh so good okonomiyaki.
From independent restaurants Monohon Ramen and Tenshi to the larger Japan chains like Ippudo, Marugame Udon and CoCo Ichibanya, there are so many Japanese restaurants in London to enjoy.
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If fine dining isn’t your thing, negate Nobu or skip Sushi Samba and try Japanese food court finds such as Bang Bang Oriental or the Japan Centre.
From Ramo Ramen to Katsune 100, Bone Daddies to Abeno, here is our guide to some of the best Japanese restaurants in London with photos.
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Japanese restaurants in London
1. Yokocho (two London locations)
We start our Japanese restaurants in London list with two of the best looking ramen restaurants in the capital. Yokocho transports you back to the retro alleyways of 1970s Japan with glowing lanterns and neon street signs!
Yokocho offers a variety of ramen from all regions of Japan including Sapporo miso ramen, Tokyo tantan men ramen and Fukuoka hakata tonkotsu ramen, plus some London ‘specials’.
Other menu offerings include udon and soba noodle soup (Panton Street only), street food side dishes and sake cocktails.
They have an offer available on Mondays and Tuesdays where certain bowls of ramen are just £9.99 – prices correct as of summer 2024.
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2. Okan (Brixton and Southbank)
Our first ever London okonomiyaki restaurant experience, ‘Okan’ is billed as a little bit of Osaka in London – and yes, it lives up to the description.
Began in the heart of bohemian Brixton Village (with a second East Brixton branch now open), Okan is a joyful Japanese restaurant with a big heart and limited pancake and noodle menu (and all the better for it).
We’ve been to Okan Brixton probably half a dozen times over the years as the okonomiyaki is so damn tasty. There are a few tables inside or several on the terrace outside (a great place to people watch with pancakes).
The three main dishes at Okan Brixton are okonomiyaki, yaki soba noodles and spicy udon pots. Okonomiyaki fillings include pork, squid, chicken or a mixture and generally cost around £10 to £12 .
They also have a £13.95 Okan special – king prawn, kimchi, corn and squid okonomiyaki – Londoners are in for a treat.
Okan Brixton Village is located a short 5 minute stroll from Brixton underground station and 2 minutes walk from Brixton train station.
They also have another Okan located in the shadow of the London Eye in County Hall on Southbank.
Check out our guide to the 9 best okonomiyaki restaurants in London >
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3. Sushi Samba (Heron Tower in Liverpool Street and Covent Garden)
Head up high to the 38th floor of Heron Tower / Bishopsgate for London’s most sublime sushi with real ‘altitude’ (plus one epic roof terrace – just don’t drop your edamame down below).
Sushi Samba offers the best of Japanese, Peruvian and Brazilian dishes with stunning views as standard. There is also a sister Sushi Samba (try saying that after several sakes) located in Covent Garden. Advance bookings are essential.
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4. Monohon Ramen, Old Street
Founded in 2015 by Ian Wheatley who studied at ramen school in Osaka, Monohon Ramen started life as a pop-up and developed into a hugely successful and authentic London ramen restaurant.
Their signature tonkotsu ramen dish has delicious umami flavours with a creamy broth made from pork bones, kelp and shiitake mushrooms. The noodles are freshly made in-house with specialist flour from Japan, and their pork belly is slow-braised for up to 5 hours.
Other dishes on the menu include Taiwan Maze (Nagoya style soup-less ramen), vegan tan tan men noodle soup and ramen noodles served with Japanese style chicken curry.
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5. Ippudo – Central London branches and Canary Wharf
Ippudo is one of the few Japanese restaurant chains to make it really BIG overseas (there are currently over 50 branches in Japan).
There are now several Ippudo ramen Japanese restaurants in London including three in central London (Charing Cross, Tottenham Court Road and Goodge Street) plus one at Canary Wharf.
This award winning restaurant started life in Fukuoka, Japan in 1985, before opening its next branch in Yokohama in 1994. It opened its first Ippudo London restaurant in 2018 and quickly expanded to four branches due to its popularity.
Their signature dish is a creamy tonkotsu pork broth ramen served with homemade thin and straight noodles. You can also order bowls of ramen with miso paste and fragrant garlic oil, plus a spicy miso paste version and a vegetarian option.
Other dishes available on the menu include bao buns, takoyaki, kara-age, gyoza, donburi bowls and Japanese curry with rice.
You might like – Plan My Japan’s guide to the 10+ best ramen restaurants in London >
6. Nobu
One of the most famous sushi and Japanese restaurants in London, Nobu first opened in London in 1997, originally established in the USA in the mid 90s by famed Japanese sushi chef, Nobu Matsuhisa.
He originally opened his famous ‘Matsuhisa’ restaurant in LA and celebrities liked it so much that he opened Nobu with film star backing from the likes of Robert De Niro.
There are now almost 60 Nobu restaurants worldwide, including 3 Nobu London branches – Shoreditch, Old Park Lane and Portman Square.
The first Old Park Lane Nobu restaurant is still going strong today and it isn’t just about savoring sashimi and sushi (they do a special set omakase menu at lunch with 6 dishes for £75). Advance bookings are essential.
Nobu also offer monthly ‘immersive’ sushi making classes.
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7. CoCo Ichibanya – Leicester Square & Bond Street
Coco Ichibanya in Japan is the country’s number 1 casual Japanese curry restaurant (as Ichibanya literally translates as ‘number 1’), famed for its classic curry, katsu and rice dishes.
Whilst there are over 1,300 Coco Ichibanya chain restaurants across Japan, London currently only has two – the original Leicester Square branch, plus a newly opened James Street / Bond Street branch.
Coco Ichibanya is BIG in Japan, mainly because it is convenient to order, quick to eat, cheap but also because you can customize your curry (as you can in London).
You select your spice level, size of curry plus what sides you want. A basic chicken katsu, curry and rice at CoCo Ichibanya London costs £14.90 as of summer 2024.
Check out our guide to Coco Ichibanya Japan curry restaurants >
8. Ramo Ramen, Soho
For ramen with a twist head to Ramo Ramen, where the noodle soup dishes have unusual and creative Filipino-Japanese fusion flavours!
Some of the most fun and non traditional items from their menu include Chicken Sopas (creamy chicken broth with black garlic oil and Hakata noodles), and Sinigang (spicy tamarind seafood broth with grilled king prawns and roasted tomatoes).
Side dishes, rice bowls and desserts are also available.
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9. Marugame Udon (multiple London locations)
An inexpensive Japanese restaurant in London with numerous branches and oodles of noodles – ‘konnichiwa’ to cheap udon noodles.
Marugame Seimen (known as Marugame Udon in London) is a Japanese chain restaurant with over 800 branches in Japan and is now rapidly expanding in London and across the UK (well… Reading).
At the time of writing (summer 2024), there are 9 branches of Marugame Udon in London including Canary Wharf, Kensington, Oxford Circus, the Strand and the 02 in North Greenwich.
We love Marugame because it serves up super inexpensive bowls of udon noodles (with veggie options available), katsu curry and top tempura too. If you join the Marugame Club, you often get free dishes or loyalty points towards discounts.
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10. Katsune 100 Japanese Tea Room – Islington & Brick Lane
London has no shortage of afternoon tea places but how about some fine dining and matcha tea, Japan style.
Katsune 100 is renowned for its joyful Japanese desserts, matcha creations and sublime sake – kanpai! This is also a great place to try the famous sweet treat, ichigo daifuku (strawberry mochi).
As well as matcha, you can try other tea flavours like Yuzu fruit tea or Iribancha smoky tea, best served in the little tea garden out the back (at their Islington branch).
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11. Abeno, Bloomsbury
Established over 30 years ago in London, Abeno is a family run Japanese restaurant in London that was a pioneer of the London pancake scene.
Its Japanese pancakes in London are pedigree and Abeno was the first Michelin-listed okonomiyaki restaurant in the world! It is also one of the only okonomiyaki restaurants in London where the dishes are prepared right in front of you at your own table.
The set up inside Abeno Okonomiyaki in beautiful Bloomsbury is cosy, with just a handful of seats. Every table has Teppan hot-plates (don’t touch them – hot as)! centered in the middle, and the decor is low key with some Japanese paintings and calligraphy on the wall.
Abeno’s okonomiyaki menu in central London is massive with a wide variety of authentic Kansai-style Okonomiyaki that wouldn’t seem out of place in Osaka.
There are around 20 different options with prices starting at £16.50, and for £4.50 extra you can add noodles to it to make it Hiroshima style. The beef special costs between £33 and £38! Abeno London prices correct as of Summer 2024.
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12. Menya Ramen House, Bloomsbury
Located footsteps away from the British Museum, the highly rated no frills Menya Ramen House has been serving tasty bowls of ramen to hungry London locals and tourists for years.
The majority of the menu is devoted to tonkotsu ramen dishes made with 48 hour simmered pork and chicken bone broth, including the popular and firey Korean style kimchi ramen.
You can tweak your noodle hardness and spice level to your own personal preference.
A selection of vegetable broth shoryu ramen bowls and some small side dishes are also available.
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13. Kanada Ya (multiple London locations)
Founded in 2009 in the small city of Yukuhashi in Japan, this highly rated and award-winning global chain of restaurants serves up authentic bowls of tonkotsu ramen with a rich and smooth broth made from pork bones that have been simmered for 18 hours.
Each of their four London ramen restaurants make their wheat noodles on site with an imported high tech Japanese machine that allows them to offer differing levels of noodle hardness. You can choose between soft, regular, hard or extra hard noodles, but they recommend ordering the hard noodles.
Highlights from the menu include a spicy green yuzu ramen and their famous truffle ramen. You can also customise your bowl and add extra toppings such charred black garlic sauce and soft boiled marinated ‘Harajuku’ eggs.
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14. Tonkotsu (multiple London locations)
This popular no frills chain restaurant has a solid menu of tonkotsu ramen soup noodles made with their creamy and delicious pork bone broth.
The first Tonkotsu restaurant opened in Soho in 2012 and has steadily grown to 12 branches across the city.
Each of the stores use mid-century noodle making machines that have been imported from Japan to create their springy noodles, and their policy is that their noodles must be cooked for exactly 32 seconds to create the perfect texture!
To accompany your ramen you can order classic side dishes such as chicken kara-age, gyoza and chilli cauliflower ‘wings’ for vegans. The chicken kara-age was some of the best we have ever tasted in a Japanese restaurant in London!
If you are looking for a bargain lunch deal then between Monday to Friday you can order a set menu for £9.95 which includes a small bowl of ramen and a side dish of gyoza.
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15. Tenshi, Islington
Tenshi is a fine family-run Japanese restaurant in Islington, famous for its homestyle Japanese cooking and sushi (plus offers okonomiyaki in the evening).
A basic vegetable okonomiyaki is priced at £12.45, but you can add chicken, bacon, kimchi or cheese for an extra £2.50 each, or squid or prawns for £3 extra.
As well as okonomiyaki there are plenty of other delicious Japanese delights on its menu including a large range of donburi, noodles, sushi, tempura and katsu curry, plus an extensive list of sake and Japanese beer. Kanpai!
Tenshi Islington is located a 5 minute walk from Angel underground station and is open Tuesday-Sunday.
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16. London sushi train restaurants
We’ve already mentioned Sushi Samba (and we won’t dignify Yo Sushi with a proper mention), but London does have several sushi conveyor belt joints and unique delivery set-ups for you to enjoy.
There are a few super fast sushi train style restaurants in London including Moshi Moshi near Liverpool Street (the UK’s original sushi conveyor belt restaurant), Kulu Kulu Sushi in Piccadilly, Central London and a small scale sushi train at Yazu Sushi in Mayfair (we’re surprised they didn’t call it Yazu Yazu!)
Please note the Chuo Sushi Monorail in Shoreditch that lots of travel guides talk about appears to be temporarily or permanently closed as of July 2024.
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17. Shoryu Ramen (multiple London locations)
Specialising in tasty tonkotsu ramen from Japan’s Hakata district in Kyushu, this chain is rapidly expanding across London and other parts of the UK.
The brand was conceived in 2012 by Hakata native Tak Tokumine, who also founded the popular Japan Centre in London. As you step into the restaurant you are greeted with the traditional Japanese welcome ‘irasshaimase’!
Shoryu Ramen has a decent range of tonkotsu dishes using their thick, rich and meaty 12 hour simmered pork broth.
Unusual options on the menu include the ‘dracula tonkotsu’ with black garlic mayu, and the ‘piri piri tonkotsu’ with spicy Korean gochujang sauce and jalapeños!
Other Japanese foods available include curry and rice, bao buns, poke bowls and donburi.
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18. Bone Daddies (multiple London locations)
Bold and brash, Bone Daddies serves Japanese street-style dishes with a rock ‘n’ roll attitude.
This London ramen restaurant chain is inspired by the chaotic street scenes of downtown Japan with a mix of bright neon and traditional Japanese graphics, and a blaring soundtrack of classic rock hits.
Bone Daddies has a solid menu that mainly comprises of a range of creative ramen dishes made from a rich 20-hour simmered pork bone or chicken broth, plus a decent selection of plant based broths for vegetarians.
Don’t overlook their epic selection of side dishes to accompany your bowl of ramen. The crispy Korean fried chicken wings are some of the best we’ve ever tasted in London, and you can also order bao buns, spicy pigs bones and a variety of poke dishes.
There is also an extensive list of Japanese drinks including cocktails, beer, saké, shochu and whiskey.
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19. Taro (multiple London locations)
Taro was founded in 1979 by Mr Taro, who had a vision of bringing authentic and delicious Japanese food to London.
Today Taro has seven branches across London including its first branch in Brewer Street, Soho and a recent new Japanese restaurant in Walthamstow (located in a former pie and mash shop).
Their specialty ramen dish is soya soup (a thinner, soy-based stock), but they also offer tonkotsu ramen.
Other dishes on their extensive menu include bento boxes, udon noodles, donburi bowls, sushi and Japanese curry rice dishes.
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20. Cocoro (multiple London locations)
Despite being located in several upmarket areas in London, Cocoro is a down to earth restaurant chain serving affordable and tasty bowls of Kumamoto pork bone ramen.
It first opened its doors in Marylebone Lane in January 2006, and they have since opened 3 more branches in London.
Other items on their menu include izakaya-style small dishes, sushim udon, donburi and Japanese curry and rice.
21. Japanese Fluffy Pancake Restaurants in London
Japan has some tasty foods and treats, but one of the most delicious desserts has to be fluffy soufflé pancakes which are wonderfully wobbly and topped with sweet or savory sides.
Also known as ‘Fuwa Fuwa’ pancakes (‘Fuwa’ means ‘fluffy’ in Japanese), they are soufflé style pancakes with no additives or preservatives.
They are often steamed to retain moisture, which creates their unique fluffy pancake texture and jelly-like wobble.
Popular Japanese pancake places in London include CA Japanese Pancakes near Vauxhall, Fuwa Fuwa Café in Soho or Hefaure on Shaftesbury Avenue in Central London.
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22. Koya (3 London locations)
Koya is a cosy Japanese udon noodle bar with a Tokyo-style dining experience where the seats are lined along the counter of the kitchen (you can watch the chefs prepare your order). This style of seating makes it a great Japanese restaurant for solo diners.
The first Koya store opened in Soho in 2010, and they now have two other branches – one in the city (Cannon Street) and one in Hackney.
Koya’s has an extensive menu of freshly made chewy udon noodles in a clear dashi broth, alongside donburi rice bowls, and many side dishes including light and crispy tempura, chicken Kara-age and braised pork belly. They also have a traditional Japanese breakfast menu that is served everyday until midday.
This restaurant is very popular so if you are planning to visit, expect to queue.
23. Koi Ramen (multiple London locations)
Koi Ramen started life as two very popular street food stalls inside Pop Brixton and Tooting Market, before opening up a small chain of Japanese restaurants across south London.
The menu is very simple and affordable consisting of their signature tonkotsu ramen, a shoyu ramen, a vegetarian miso ramen and ‘naked ramen’ (a no-soup version).
You can add a side dish of gyoza to your meal, and matcha green tea ice cream for dessert. Japanese beer, sake and whisky is also available.
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24. Jeux Jeux Okonomiyaki Restaurant, London South Bank
So nice, they named it twice – probably. JEUX JEUX Okonomiyaki is the second such restaurant in London’s County Hall, joining existing Japanese OKAN.
The name Jeux Jeux apparently stems from the noise spatulas make when crafting the okonomiyaki pancake shape (and we guess a restaurant called ‘Splat’ isn’t so welcoming).
This is the sister branch of the popular Hannah Japanese restaurant next-door.
Jeux Jeux’s is London’s newest dedicated okonomiyaki (it opened in late 2023) and their Hiroshima style version of okonomiyaki with all the trimmings costs £20 per portion.
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Japanese Food Courts in London
25. Japan Centre Food Court, Central London
Located just a stone’s throw away from Leicester Square, Japan Centre is the daddy of all Japanese shops in London, selling a huge range of high quality imported Japanese groceries, hot food, sushi, Japanese Kit Kats, gifts, cookware, beauty products, books, magazines and more.
Better still, the lower ground floor combines traditional elements of a ‘depachika’ (the Japanese word for a basement food hall) and has a hot food counter plus loads of chillers filled with sushi boxes where you can purchase a meal deal (main, snack and drink) and ice cream mochi balls.
There is also a fish counter selling sushi-grade fish, a Japanese bakery, a donut and mochi bar and the largest selection of sake in Europe!
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26. Bang Bang Oriental
London’s largest Asian food-court, Bang Bang Oriental is tucked away in Colindale in North London.
Based in a brand new, purpose built food hall, London’s Bang Bang Oriental has over 25 different street food key kiosks and huts, several of which are Japanese food stalls. It has a huge area of table and chairs (enough to seat almost 500 diners) plus a bar.
Joyful Japanese dishes at good prices, Yaki Ya at Bang Bang Oriental offers hot treats like Seafood ramen soup, katsu curry and our favourite, okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancakes – the best!), plus personalised bento boxes.
Our final Japanese restaurant in London / Japanese food court
27. Shōtengai Japanese Market, King’s Cross
This monthly Japanese food and crafts weekend market takes inspiration from Japan’s many Shōtengai (local market streets) and is located in Coal Drops Yard, just a few minutes walk away from King’s Cross station.
You’ll find around 10 stalls selling a range of Japanese snacks and an array of artisan gifts ans homewares . Sample Osakan street food delights such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki, plus shop for Japanese homewares and art prints.
To see the opening dates and hours please check the official Shōtengai Japanese Market website >
Finally, looking to spend the night in a Japanese style hotel in London after dining in London Japanese Restaurant? Then check out these recommended hotels in the capital:
Expensive ($$$)
The Prince Akatoki London
Luxurious hotel with Japanese-style decor. Facilities include a Japanese fusion restaurant, bar and gym, plus sushi-making classes and sake tastings. Check rates and availability on booking.com and agoda.com
Expensive ($$$)
Nobu Hotel London Shoreditch
5 star upscale hotel located in Shoreditch, with Japanese-style minimalist rooms. Facilities include a Japanese fine-dining restaurant with courtyard garden and cocktail bar. Check rates and availability on booking.com and agoda.com
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