Five Japanese spots within thirty minutes

Restaurants

Pick One · Carnaby W1F · Neo-izakaya

HIMI

4.8★ (196) · 30m drive · 43m transit · ~£108pp w/ sake

"As close to perfect as a restaurant gets." — The Infatuation

AboutHusband-and-wife team Tamas Naszai and Tomoko Hasegawa closed their 10-seat Mayfair omakase Roji in 2024 and reopened in Carnaby (the old INO site) with a looser à-la-carte format. Mix of sushi, sashimi and dishes from an open-flame charcoal grill. Counter at the front + sunken back room described by Hardens as "somewhere between a Norwegian sauna and an industrial-chic hotel bar". Hardens overall 4/5; Michelin Guide listed at "Good cooking" (no star); Infatuation in their top "Best Of The Best" tier.

ReviewsHardens (Charlotte Ivers): "plate after plate of dishes distinguished by umami — that wonderful, earthy, brothy taste to it. If you aren't a disciple of the fifth taste, eat somewhere else. If you are, this is paradise." Caveat from Hardens diners: "the counter seats are very tight to passing people." Infatuation: rice "vinegared and pre-seasoned perfectly", fish "some of the best in London". Hot Dinners and The Nudge anchor the ex-Roji pedigree. No critic decline notes.

OrderSeared trout nigiri · kabuki-aage with beef tartare · char-grilled mushrooms · robata prawns · signature fried chicken · daily blackboard.

Maps · Hardens · Infatuation · Website

Pick Two · Marylebone W1U · Counter omakase

Mayha

4.6★ (209) · 26m drive · 54m transit · £100 lunch / £200 dinner

"Beautiful and serene… service is attentive but not overwhelming." — Hardens

AboutChefs Jurek Wasio and Yuchi Nakaya run an 11-seat omakase counter — the London outpost of a Beirut original (Nothing But Love Group). Daily-changing tasting menu, luxury ingredients (wagyu, lobster, caviar). Has a basement cocktail bar — Hardens calls it "unusually vibey for this genre of venture". Hardens overall 3/5; Michelin Guide added it in 2023 at "Good cooking" listed tier (no star). Country & Town House also covered.

ReviewsHardens reporters: "every dish is divine and it's so interesting sitting at the 11-seat counter watching your food being prepared… caviar, wagyu beef, lobster and all are just exquisite". But also more measured: "not quite the best sushi omakase in the now very competitive London market but nevertheless very good", with prices striking some as "toppish" — "dishes were all good but not exceptional…" Hardens 3/5 reflects this.

OrderNo menu — full omakase, lunch (£100) entry · dinner (£200) deeper aged fish · wagyu / caviar / lobster surfaces routinely.

Maps · Hardens · Michelin · Website

Pick Three · Marylebone W1H · Kappo / kaiseki

Roketsu

4.5★ (143) · 27m drive · 51m transit · £150–250pp

"Everything is exceptional… you are literally taken away to a small Japanese inn." — Hardens

AboutChef-patron Daisuke Hayashi trained at Kyoto's three-Michelin-star Kikunoi before opening Roketsu in 2022; the room itself was tailor-made in Sukiya style from 100-year-old hinoki wood and shipped from Kyoto. Relaunched late 2025 as kappo — interactive course-by-course rather than a fixed nine-course tasting; lighter touch, same precision. Hardens overall 5/5; Hardens UK Top 100 (2026); covered by Time Out, Wallpaper* and The Week.

ReviewsHardens reporters: "a great and authentic kaiseki experience" with "luxury ingredients and amazing presentation"; "a little bit of Kyoto in London"; "every dish has a story". Consistent kaiseki feedback — "superb Japanese food… exquisite dishes", "a sublime experience with top-quality ingredients". Post-rebrand to kappo (late 2025) reviews still thin; format now à-la-carte-with-guidance, season-led. No critic decline notes.

OrderKappo is à-la-carte-with-guidance — lean into seasonal vegetables (turnip, sansho), then sashimi, then a yakimono.

Maps · Hardens · Time Out · Website

Pick Four · Mayfair W1S · Sushi counter / omakase

Cubé

4.6★ (644) · 30m drive · 52m transit · £80–130pp

"Fantastic, authentic traditional sushi… the food rather than the ambience is the reason to visit." — Hardens

AboutChef-patron Takamasa Mogi (Chef Masa) cooks "Japanese Tapas & Sushi Fine Dining" off Bond Street — five years in. Two counter spaces alongside tables on the ground floor; lower-ground "Kakurega" (hideaway) bar serving cocktails, rare sake and Japanese whisky. Omakase £125, large à la carte, lunch bento boxes. Hardens overall 4/5; reviewed by Infatuation and Time Out.

ReviewsHardens: "super-fresh, the best" sushi with "service that's always good"; "the sushi is exquisite, the chef is extremely accommodating and the experience is consistently good". Wagyu nigiri specifically called out. Bill for two with hot sake = £159 without service. No critic decline notes.

OrderCounter omakase if a chef seat is free · à-la-carte sushi + a few cooked plates · Wagyu nigiri · whisky/sake nightcap downstairs.

Maps · Hardens · Infatuation · Website

Pick Five · Hampstead NW3 · Izakaya / yakitori

Jin Kichi

4.6★ (952) · 10m drive · 26m transit · £40–60pp

"You feel like you might be in Tokyo here." — Hardens

AboutDecades-old Hampstead izakaya on Heath Street — yakitori counter, sushi menu, classic izakaya cooked plates. Family-run; doubled in size with a second-room expansion a couple of years ago. Excellent sake list. Half the room is native Japanese diners, "a testament to the quality" per a Hardens reporter. Hardens overall 3/5 (price 3 — notably cheaper than the omakase peers above).

ReviewsHardens flags a real decline since the expansion — "long a beacon for exceptional and authentic Japanese cooking… the ratings have dipped for this restaurant since it expanded into the premises next door a couple of years back. It's twice the size and quite posh now, but the service is not as great" and "the sushi, yakitori skewers and so on are good, but didn't blow me away as they did in the past". Opposing camp says it "hasn't been spoilt" and remains "an atmospheric local gem". Either way: counter side still reads as the original; new side is more functional.

OrderYakitori counter sticks (chicken, leek, tsukune) · seaweed salad · sushi from the menu · ask after the daily fish.