Newcastle’s Japanese food scene stretches back to 1997, when Fujiyama became the city’s first teppanyaki restaurant, and now runs through Chinatown’s Stowell Street, the Quayside’s late-night bars and a Grey Street sushi counter founded by two friends in 2018. Here are the eight best Japanese restaurants in Newcastle worth seeking out in 2026.

Fujiyama opened in 1997 as Newcastle’s first teppanyaki restaurant, and remains the reference point for tableside hotplate cooking in the city more than 25 years later. Every table gets its own personal chef for the duration of the meal.

Raw ingredients arrive at the table before the chef cooks everything on the hotplate directly in front of diners, turning the meal into as much a show as a dinner. It’s built a loyal following over more than two decades in the same Bath Lane spot.

Fujiyama — 35-39 Bath Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5SP | fujiyama.restaurant

Hanahana sits a few doors from Fujiyama on Bath Lane, close to Newcastle’s Chinatown, and takes teppanyaki dining a step further with eight separate grill stations spread across the restaurant. It’s built for groups and celebrations as much as a regular meal out.

A karaoke room downstairs seating up to 50 adds a genuinely different dimension to the evening, letting diners carry the night on well beyond the meal itself. Having two teppanyaki specialists on the same short stretch of street says something about how popular the format has become in the city.

Hanahana — 45 Bath Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5SP | hanahananewcastle.com

Butakun opened on Percy Street in the summer of 2022 and quickly built a name for itself in a city with plenty of established Japanese competition. The trendy space mixes neon signage and foliage against simple white walls and wooden tables.

The menu covers sushi, donburi and ramen, backed by an extensive wine and sake list running to more than 20 options by the glass. It’s one of the more design-conscious Japanese restaurants to open in Newcastle in recent years.

Butakun — 105-115 Percy Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RY | butakun.co.uk

Aveika combines a Japanese restaurant with a late bar and club on Newcastle’s Quayside, giving it a genuinely different rhythm to most of the other restaurants on this list — dinner service flows into a bar and late-night atmosphere rather than winding down after the meal.

The food menu covers a broad Japanese range alongside a strong cocktail list, making it as much a destination for a night out as a sit-down dinner. Its Quayside location puts it among some of Newcastle’s busiest bars and restaurants.

Aveika — 10-15 Sandhill, Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3AF | aveika.co.uk

Maki & Ramen made its Newcastle debut inside Eldon Square Shopping Centre, bringing the Edinburgh-founded chain’s full sushi bar and traditional Japanese menu to the North East for the first time. An eye-catching Sakura blossom ceiling marks it out from the mall’s other food options.

The menu covers house-made ramen alongside a proper sushi bar, giving shoppers a genuine sit-down Japanese meal rather than a food-court compromise. It’s quickly become one of the better-reviewed Japanese restaurants in the city centre.

Maki & Ramen — 9 Eldon Square, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7XS | makiramen.com

Dojo trades from Stowell Street in the heart of Newcastle’s Chinatown, standing out as a dedicated Japanese restaurant in a stretch otherwise dominated by Chinese restaurants and supermarkets. Its popularity means booking ahead is genuinely worthwhile at busy times.

The menu covers sushi, sashimi, tempura and other Japanese classics, beautifully presented rather than stripped back to basics. It’s regularly named among the strongest contenders for the best Japanese restaurant in the city.

Dojo — 26-28 Stowell Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4XQ

St Sushi has traded on Westgate Road since 2006, making it one of the longest-running Japanese restaurants in Newcastle and a genuine fixture rather than a recent addition to the scene. Its longevity has been built on consistency rather than reinvention.

The menu runs from signature raw and cooked sushi to curry dishes, soup noodles and bento boxes, covering enough ground to work as a regular local option rather than a one-off destination visit. Two decades of trading have kept it a reliable name in the city.

St Sushi — 89-93 Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4AE | st-sushi.com

Sushi Me Rollin’ was founded in 2018 by two friends determined to bring the freshest sushi they could to Newcastle, opening on the city’s grand Grey Street before later adding a second site in Whitley Bay. The focus stays on quality over an overly sprawling menu.

The style leans towards modern, California-influenced sushi rather than strict tradition, with a proper vegan selection and customisable uramaki alongside fish-based classics and chicken options. It’s built a strong reputation quickly for a relatively young business.

Sushi Me Rollin’ — 25 Grey Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6EE | sushimerollin.co.uk