The best omakase in London

You'll get a highly intimate and exclusive omakase experience at The Araki. This well-respected restaurant has a crisp minimalist look with a paltry nine seats, plus a private room for a further six people, and just two sittings are available each day. Only omakase sushi meals are served here, with multiple luxury courses by chef Mitsuhiro Araki, whose previous Tokyo restaurant received the full three Michelin stars.

One of London's most intimate omakase experiences is to be found at Juno, opened in early 2024. Located on the ground floor of Notting Hill's vibrant pan-Pacific restaurant Los Mochis, diners get a run of courses of inventive Japanese cuisine with a Mexican twist. Drinks pairings are also on offer. The restaurant seats just six people and runs two seatings per day.

Omakase restaurant Maru promises a one-of-a-kind Japanese meal, with devoted chef Taiji Maruyama crafting an exclusive multiple-course menu that reflects the seasons and makes the most of the top-tier produce used in the kitchen. There are two seatings only each evening at this intimate and modern, suffused in the spirit of omotenashi, a comprehensive, all-encompassing Japanese approach to hospitality.

The sleek London branch of Robert De Niro's luxurious hospitality group Nobu has some serious hype around it. The restaurant is a sophisticated contemporary space for upscale Japanese cuisine. As well as high-end tempura, sushi, and various other dishes, diners can enjoy a range of omakase tasting menus, from express lunch breaks to a location-specific premium experience where no expense is spared.

You can enjoy modern Japanese cuisine at Cubé, a stylish Mayfair restaurant featuring a couple of intimate sushi bars, with a calm, restful ambience overall. Patrons can enjoy a refined omakase experience, delving into this authentic Japanese dining style through delicate sushi prepared in front of you by the master chef and his team. Japanese alcohol including sake and whisky helps things flow smoothly.

Having received its first Michelin star in 2023, Mayfair restaurant Sushi Amamoto is all about luxury Japanese fine dining. The restaurant specialises in omakase, with indulgent multiple-course experiences full of premium ingredients on offer. During lunchtime, a slightly shorter menu is served, with the full prestige treatment available for dinner. The contemporary venue seats just 16 people and only has three sittings per day, making a meal here highly sought-after.

Combining modern and traditional style, this Japanese restaurant in Great Portland Street offers a one-hour omakase experience that doesn't compromise on on quality. Observe the Sushi Atelier chefs working at the counter as you enjoy their sashimi and sushi selections, with sake, plum wine, and Japanese beers served too.

Japanese fine dining restaurant Engawa in Soho specialises in Wagyu beef and fresh sushi and sashimi. Their indulgent omakase experience is available for both lunch and dinner, and includes dishes like A5 Kagoshima prefecture Wagyu on a hot stone with a sashimi bento box. The elegant restaurant features pleasant courtyard seating in addition to an upscale interior, and the drinks are designed to match with the menus.

Part of cultural centre Japan House, Akira is an upscale restaurant that celebrates Japanese tradition. Lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea are served here, including creative omakase meals. Multi-course robata or sushi omakase menus are available for lunch and dinner, accompanied by sake and Japanese-inspired cocktails, and everything is served with authentic Japanese tableware.

At Dinings, the interior is intentionally minimalist so that the focus stays firmly on the food. Visit this stylish restaurant for Japanese plates to share, including a varied assortment of sushi and sashimi. The omakase experience served here comes in three different price tiers and is available for a minimum of two people. Sake pairing can be provided on request as well.

New York transplant Sushi on Jones is located in King's Cross. This smart and modern spot specialises in sushi and offers a curated range of Japanese whisky and sake. It's also particularly well-known for indulgent omakase meals, where the chefs will wow you with a changing assortment of distinctive courses.

Kikuchi is a slick and modern restaurant, tucked away from the busy streets around Tottenham Court Road. At this gourmet haven, you can sample inventive omakase menus that include sushi, sashimi, warm dishes, and more. The menus are seasonal and subject to regular change. A range of sake and sochu round off the authentic experience here.

Visit Ginza in St James's for a range of luxurious Japanese dining experience. The stylishly furnished restaurant with an upscale feel has several private dining spaces in addition to the main room, and offers à la carte menus, teppanyaki show cooking, a Japanese twist on afternoon tea, and omakase dining from the sushi counter, where fresh dishes will be prepared by the highly skilled sushi chef.

The Aubrey is an exceptional Japanese izakaya located at the luxurious Mandarin Oriental hotel in Knightsbridge. Aside from serving traditional Japanese dishes nightly, the restaurant offers London's first-ever omakase cocktail experience at its private omakase bar. Award-winning mixologists take guests on a tantalising adventure of innovative cocktails, Japanese flavours, and Asian ingredients. 

Sushi Kanesaka at the prestigious 45 Park Lane hotel is styled to evoke the feel of a traditional Tokyo sushi restaurant. Helmed by acclaimed chef Shinji Kanesaka, this intimate spot has a handful of counter seats and space for four in the private dining room. With the chef having dedicated his life to perfecting the art of Edomae sushi, it comes as no surprise that his London flagship received a Michelin star within jujst seven months of opening.

Marylebone's Mayha adds to London's flourishing omakase trend with an 11-seater restaurant and bar. The dim ambiance, courtesy of an intricate, cherry-blossom-style light installation, ensures an intimate culinary experience, highlighting different Japanese meat and seafood dishes through the chef's menu. Expect delicacies such as Scottish langoustine sushi, salmon carpaccio in miso garlic dressing with tosazu jelly, or sake-cooked wagyu cheeks, accompanied by sake, fine wines, rare spirits, and niche beers.

Originally launched in Fitzrovia and now relocated to Bloomsbury, Rai offers refined omakase dining with a focus on contemporary Japanese cuisine. The restaurant prides itself on elegant, sustainable dishes, crafted from meticulously selected, high-quality ingredients sourced from both the UK and Japan. Choose to dine in the cosy main seating area or experience the lively atmosphere at the sushi counter, watching the chefs showcase their culinary skills.

With barely any online presence and only seven seats, this tiny sushi counter is one of the most difficult spots to get into in London. Run by a husband-and-wife duo, the strictly word-of-mouth Sushi Tetsu offers a consistently brilliant dining experience that embodies the essence of omakase. It's definitely worth the effort of getting a booking, as well as the not insignificant (but not outrageous) price tag.

Kurisu Omakase offers a distinctive omakase experience in London that blends traditional Japanese sushi with unexpected Thai-Colombian influences. The intimate Brixton restaurant seats only eight guests, fostering a personal atmosphere where the chef shares stories behind dishes like flame-torched fish and truffle-topped otoro.