Discover where to indulge in the best Omakase menus in London for a true Japanese dining experience.
World-renowned master sushi chef Endo Kazutoshi is behind this eponymous sushi restaurant (for just 10 guests) in the rooftop rotunda of the former BBC headquarters. Master sushi chef Endo Kazutoshi has honed his craft for more than 20 years as well as being a third-generation sushi master - with credentials that include a spell at El Bulli and acting as executive sushi chef for the Zuma group of restaurants. Endo Kazutoshi is said to be the chef Heston Blumenthal calls when he wants sushi. Born in Yokohama, Kazutoshi left Japan to experience other cultures, in turn undertaking an apprenticeship at the famed El Bulli, gaining a different perspective to traditional Japanese food which he has expanded upon throughout his career. The light-filled minimalist space is grounded by its stunning 200-year-old Hinoki wood counter and crowned by a cloud light feature, levitating gracefully above the action. The 18-course omakase menu is priced at £275-per-head.
Hidden above Los Mochis - is this six-seater omakase restaurant - thought to be the country's smallest — promising a “Tokyo meets Tulum” dining experience and the “world's first” gluten and nut free omakase menu. Expect produce such as madai (red bream) sourced directly from Japan, and saboten hirame (olive flounder) from Jeju Island in South Korea and Japanese Kagoshima wagyu A4 - served with bone marrow and smoked chilli, and seared Hokkaido scallops alongside fig and truffle goma. In what Juno is calling a world first for an omakase experience, these dishes — and the rest of the 15-course menu (priced at £180-per-person) menu - are nut and gluten-free.
Sushi Kanesaka at 45 Park Lane
Sushi master Shinji Kanesaka has opened a 13-seat omakese counter at 45 Park Lane - the first outpost of his two Michelin-starred Tokyo restaurant. Housed inside the 45 hotel, the restaurant is divided into two; a nine-seat counter forming the majority of the seating, with room for four more in an adjacent private dining room. Designed by the master of Japanese fine-dining restaurants, Itai-san, Sushi Kanesaka’s design honours the traditional style with centrepiece being the counter - a single carved piece of hinoki wood, lined by a row of bent wood chairs modelled on Hans J. Wegner’s iconic Wishbone design that’s said to be the perfect sushi bar seat. The menu will be built around sushi, with a focus on delicacies, with even the rice the chef’s own blend. Think sweet amaebi shrimp topped with uni, sliced yellowtail wrapped around daikon radish ribbons and fatty slithers of toro tuna. The tasting menu - of 18 courses - is priced at £420.
A Japanese omakase restaurant - in Mayfair - headed up by Chef Takuya Watanabe, formerly of Jin, the first sushi omakase in Paris to receive a Michelin star. The 16-cover restaurant offers a traditional yet modern omakase setting - where elements of wood and natural stone are complimented by a waterfall of light - creating a very intimate setting. Expect a daily-changing tasting menu prepared using the freshest and locally-sourced ingredients. There are three menus to choose from - a lunch menu at £180 with 17 courses, the Signature menu featuring 20 dishes priced at £280 and the Prestige priced at £380 which includes ingredients such as caviar, truffle and additional courses. The drinks list features an array of fine and rare wines and champagnes and specialty sakes.
A 20-course omakase restaurant replacing the original Taka by restaurateur Andrey Datsenko. The intimate restaurant is situated in Mayfair's Shepherd Market next door to Ferdi and Kitty Fishers. Centred around a counter designed to seat just 10 diners - making the most of its space. Expect a 20-course farm-to-table tasting menu - changes daily - presented omakase-style, using British ingredients with classical Japanese culinary training and techniques - overseen by third generation sushi chef Taiji Maruyama. Maru is also the first Japanese restaurant in the UK to specialise in dry ageing fish - showcased in custom-made display fridges and features predominantly on the menu. The tasting menu is priced at £160 for 20 courses, with a supplementary drink pairing, to include wine, Champagne, sake and tea.
A recreated traditional Japanese tea room embracing the authentic Japanese kaiseki-ryōri tradition. Chef Daisuke Hayashi - formerly of Tokimeitē and Sake No Hana - showcases Kaiseki or kaiseki-ryōri dining - a traditional multi-course Japanese style of dining. Hayashi is one of the only masters of the Kaiseki tradition globally, and the first to bring this spectacular form of Japanese cuisine to London. This exciting interactive Japanese style of dining features a ten-course menu of tantalisingly fresh, seasonal produce - priced at £190 per person. The interior, built in Kyoto, has been assembled by the world's leading experts in Sukiya design - which favours small, modest spaces designed with natural materials.
Nobu alumni Masaki Sugisaki, Executive Chef at famed contemporary Japanese restaurant Dinings SW3, offers a monthly (every last Tuesday) off-menu Omakase evenings paired with exclusive sakes. An intimate gathering (for just 12 diners) based around the central sushi counter, the evening offers a chance to learn more about Dinings SW3’s selection of own-brand Sakes and try a one-off Omakase menu, devised especially for that particular evening by Chef Masaki and his team, showcasing the best that the restaurant has to offer with their take on the ‘Japanese Izakaya’, combining traditional Japanese techniques with modern European cuisine. Dishes could include their signature sushi and ‘tar-tar chips’ with fresh sashimi to the hot ‘Shuko’ dishes cooked on the traditional Josper grill such as the ‘Creel-caught native lobster with sauce vierge a la yuzu’ as well as completely new creations such as his own take on the Katsu-Sando and the ‘Cornish Squid Pasta Bolognese’. Priced at £285 or £228 without the Sake pairing.
Specialising in Edomae-sushi (translating to Edo style), the sushi created by world-renowened sushi master Mitsuhiro Araki (one of just a handful of sushi chefs to be awarded three Michelin stars) is concentrated on focusing on the flavours of one ingredient, and uniquly incorporates European produce (including black caviar and white Alba truffle). Araki himself is quite a showman, preparing dishes in front of diners on a wooden counter. The restaurant accommodates just nine people up at the dining counter (and six in a private dining room) - making for an intimate and unique atmosphere. The (no-choice) Sushi Omakase menu is priced at £300 per person.
An authentic Japanese dining experience by chef Shimizu Akira based on his ‘trinity of cooking’ principles – food, tableware and presentation. Located on the first floor of Japan House London - experience Japanese-style omotenashi hospitality and the theatre of cooking as the chefs prepare dishes reflecting Japan’s diverse food offer, using seasonal ingredients over roaring robata (charcoal grill) flames. Akira Shimizu was formerly the executive head chef of Soho's Engawa and highlights of his menu include imaginative sushi specialities and chargrilled kushiyaki skewers made from umami-rich wagyu beef, pork, chicken, seafood and vegetables. At dinner there’s an option to dine on 3 to 5 courses - based around the robata and sushi menus. Priced from £60.
Run by husband and wife team, Harumi and Toru Takahashi, Sushi Tetsu is a seven-seat authentic and traditional Japanese restaurant in Clerkenwell that specialises in sushi and sashimi. Getting a table at this Clerkenwell sushi-ya has been a challenge ever since it opened in summer 2012. Chef Toru Takahashi (ex-Nobu) takes centre-stage preparing (with near forensic precision) and presenting straight up sushi – nigiri and maki – and sashimi with the occasional hand roll - served on a banana leaf. For the full experience, go for the omakase menu, and let the chef choose what’s freshest that day - from sea urchin, turbot, snow crab, octopus and (hopefully) seared otoro fatty tuna - all embellished with the necessary accoutrements. Priced from £96.
A seductive and 'eccentric' izakaya and London’s first omakase cocktail bar in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. Inspired by Japanism, the mid-nineteenth-century art movement, The Aubrey London channels (as per the Hong Kong location) the whimsical vibe of Japanese izakayas in Ginza with a clubby, throwback style meant to replicate a Georgian mansion of a worldly aesthete - having been inspired by and named after the eccentric British illustrator and author Aubrey Beardsley. Expect wonderfully moody, decadent interiors featuring ukiyo-e prints and impressionist paintings alongside antique furnishings and richly upholstered armchairs and banquettes. The 'Omakase Cocktail Experience' is a two-hour experience and takes place in a secret six-seater bar serving up an interactive ever-changing experience through the expansive world of Japanese spirits that are transformed into exciting serves.
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London's Best Omakase Menus
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