London’s Japanese food scene stretches from a Knightsbridge institution that introduced the city to open-fire robata cooking in 2002 to a Mayfair sushi counter that changed its name and chef within the last year without missing a beat, and takes in everything from a 24-hour tonkotsu broth in Covent Garden to a rooftop dining room above Whitehall with views across the city. Here are the eight best Japanese restaurants in London worth seeking out in 2026.

Zuma opened on a quiet Knightsbridge side street in the summer of 2002, founded by Rainer Becker after six years spent immersing himself in Japanese cuisine while working in Tokyo. It was the first restaurant outside Japan to build its menu around open-fire robata grilling, a format that’s since been copied across the world but rarely bettered.

The menu moves between the robata grill, a sushi counter and a full izakaya-style small plates selection, all served in a cavernous, design-led dining room a short walk from Harrods. Its global success has since spawned more than 20 Zuma restaurants worldwide, but the Knightsbridge original remains the reference point.

Zuma — 5 Raphael Street, Knightsbridge, London SW7 1DL | zumarestaurant.com

Nobu London opened on the first floor of the Metropolitan Hotel on Old Park Lane in February 1997, making it one of the earliest outposts of Nobu Matsuhisa’s now-global restaurant group and still the original London site nearly three decades on. A second Nobu on Berkeley Street traded from 2005 until its 2020 closure, leaving Old Park Lane as the longer-standing of the two.

The menu popularised the Peruvian-Japanese fusion style Nobu is known for worldwide, built around dishes like miso black cod, yellowtail with jalapeño and a rotating omakase selection alongside an extensive sushi and sashimi list. It remains one of the most recognisable names in London’s Japanese dining scene.

Nobu London — 19 Old Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1K 1LB | noburestaurants.com

Umu opened on 1st September 2004 as London’s first Kyoto-influenced Japanese restaurant, and won a Michelin star within five months of opening — a star it has held ever since. It remains one of only a handful of UK restaurants built specifically around Kyoto’s refined kaiseki tradition rather than a broader national menu.

The kitchen’s kaiseki cuisine emphasises seasonality, balance and precise presentation across a multi-course tasting format, though other Japanese regional influences appear on the menu too. It’s a considerably quieter, more contemplative experience than Mayfair’s louder Japanese dining rooms nearby.

Umu — 14-16 Bruton Place, Mayfair, London W1J 6LX | umurestaurant.com

This 16-seat Albemarle Street counter opened in March 2023 as Taku, chef Takuya Watanabe’s Michelin-starred omakase restaurant, and picked up its star within four months of trading. In February 2026 it relaunched under new ownership as Sushi Amamoto London, the first restaurant outside Asia from Taipei-based chef Shogo Amamoto, whose original Sushi Amamoto in Taiwan holds two Michelin stars.

Head chef Jongho Park and general manager Manson Au have stayed on from the Taku era, giving the relaunch genuine continuity rather than a clean break, while Amamoto’s Edomae-style sushi now sets the tone for a menu built entirely around counter-side omakase service at lunch and dinner.

Sushi Amamoto — 36 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London W1S 4JE | amamotolondon.com

Kanada-Ya was founded in Japan in 2009 before bringing its tonkotsu ramen to London in 2015, with the Covent Garden branch on St Giles High Street becoming the brand’s flagship UK site. It’s built its reputation on doing one thing — a rich pork bone broth simmered for 18 hours — better than almost anywhere else in the city.

The tonkotsu ramen arrives with hand-made alkaline noodles and slow-cooked chashu pork belly, and the compact menu resists the temptation to pad itself out with unrelated dishes. Queues outside the door at peak times are a reliable sign of how consistently it delivers.

Kanada-Ya — 64 St Giles High Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 8LE | kanada-ya.com

Bone Daddies opened on Peter Street in Soho in 2012 as London’s original rock-and-roll ramen bar, and is widely credited with kickstarting the ramen craze that’s since spread across the city. The loud music and late kitchen hours set it apart from the quieter, more traditional ramen counters that followed in its wake.

The menu runs well beyond a single broth style, covering tonkotsu, miso and spicy varieties alongside gyoza, fried chicken and other izakaya-style small plates. It’s since grown into a small London-wide chain, but the original Soho site remains the one most associated with the brand’s start.

Bone Daddies — 31 Peter Street, Soho, London W1F 0AR | bonedaddies.com

Shiro sits in Broadgate Circle near Liverpool Street station, part of the Aqua Restaurant Group behind Aqua Shard and Aqua Kyoto, having first made its name in Hong Kong before opening in the City of London. The concept draws on Tokyo’s Ginza, Shinjuku and Shibuya districts rather than any single regional style.

Its signature Crystal Sushi drapes intensely flavoured jelly layers over traditional nigiri, a genuine innovation from the chefs rather than a gimmick, alongside ramen built on a 50-year-old family broth recipe and one of relatively few edomae sushi menus in the city. It’s a reliable pick for Japanese fine dining without leaving the Square Mile.

Shiro — Broadgate Circle, 100 Liverpool Street, London EC2M 2QS | shirosushi.co.uk

Kioku by Endo opened on the rooftop of The OWO, the former Old War Office building on Whitehall, from third-generation sushi master Endo Kazutoshi, who already holds a Michelin star at his other London restaurant, Endo at the Rotunda. The name means ‘memories’, reflecting a menu built around dishes from across the chef’s career.

The space spans a main dining salon, a dedicated chef’s table and a 55-seat rooftop terrace with panoramic views across Whitehall, with nigiri, prime cuts and robata-grilled fish all featuring. It’s one of the most dramatic settings for Japanese food anywhere in London, on top of the cooking itself.

Kioku by Endo — The OWO, 57 Whitehall, London SW1A 2BX | kiokubyendo.com