The best Japanese restaurants in Soho

The refined Aqua Kyoto offers modern, luxurious Japanese dining in Soho, featuring both indoor and al fresco seating with city views. The restaurant serves an array of contemporary Japanese dishes, including sushi, sashimi, and Wagyu beef, alongside options like set menus, bento boxes, and weekend brunch. With a full selection of Japanese spirits, whiskies, and cocktails, Aqua Kyoto is a sophisticated destination for both meals and drinks.

Humble Chicken, now an elevated tasting experience by Tokyo-born chef Angelo Sato, offers Japanese cuisine with European twists, such as miso-cured foie gras and grilled short rib. Chef Sato, having trained under top names like Gordon Ramsay, reimagined his initial yakitori bar into a multiple-course omakase that earned a Michelin star within a year. The cosy Japanese restaurant in Soho provides an intimate, theatrical dining setting with counter seating for a close-up view of the chefs at work.

The Soho branch of Chotto Matte brings a stylish, artistic flair to Nikkei cuisine, blending Japanese and Peruvian influences in a buzzy setting. The menu features signature fusion dishes like Nikkei gyoza, sushi, and smoky delicacies from the Robata grill, alongside inventive cocktails inspired by both culinary traditions. With live DJs and performers, Chotto Matte offers an immersive fine-dining experience that's trendy, accessible, and uniquely designed to entertain.

Robata, a Soho restaurant named after the Japanese "fireside" grilling tradition, brings a contemporary twist to charcoal cooking with a shareable menu that spans sushi, small plates, bao buns, and grilled skewers. Highlights include dishes like soft-shell crab bao and hay-flamed beef, and guests can opt for a tasting menu with an optional sake pairing. Known for its lively izakaya ambiance, Robata also features a bottomless brunch and unique sake cocktails, making it a popular spot for a spirited Japanese dining experience in Soho.

Gourmet beef enthusiasts will want to pay a visit to Engawa in Ham Yard. Offering an authentic Japanese dining experience, this is one of the best places for high-grade Wagyu in Soho. The menu features multiple-course Wagyu omakase experiences, where you can enjoy the finest Kobe beef in an intimate, high-end setting. The luxury Japanese restaurant also offers an equally premium sushi omakase experience.

Koya is a relaxed Japanese noodle bar in Soho, known for its fresh udon offerings available from morning to evening. Begin your day with a Japanese breakfast featuring noodles and small bites, or stop by later for a menu of hot and cold udon, donburi, and shareable small plates. The contemporary space offers communal tables and a chef's counter where diners can watch the kitchen in action, and there's also a fully gluten-free menu to accommodate dietary needs.

If you want to feast on fresh sushi to your heart's content, head to Sushi Eatery, where a sleek, wood-panelled setting complements their unlimited Japanese buffet. Enjoy an array of sushi, tempura, gyoza, and other small plates, all prepared from locally-sourced ingredients with attentive service. There's also an à la carte menu featuring hot dishes like ramen and donburi, plus a variety of creative sushi rolls.

At Sticks'n'Sushi, each dish is as visually stunning as it is flavourful, crafted to resemble intricate art. The menu offers a mix of traditional sushi and grilled yakitori skewers, with options spanning both meats and vegetables. The restaurant's concept blends Japanese culinary traditions with Danish minimalist style, seen in both the carefully plated dishes and the sleek, understated décor.

Shackfuyu, from Bone Daddies, began as a pop-up, but stuck around after it became clear there's a never-ending demand for beloved Japanese comfort food such as sandos, bao buns, or the signature Kinako French toast. The izakaya fits seamlessly into Soho's famously vibrant nightlife with its lively ambiance and extensive sake offerings, making it a particularly popular spot before a big night out – or after, thanks to its bottomless Sunday brunch.

If you're after a nice steaming bowl of ramen, Shoryu is hard to beat. The warm bowls of this authentic Japanese soup are made with 12-hour pork broth and topped with the likes of char sui barbecue pork belly. A vegan option is available as well, and there are other tasty Japanese sides to try as well, along with sake flights to wash it all down. There are two branches of Shoryu in the Soho area, one in Kingly Court and one in Denman Street.

Taro is a growing group of casual Japanese eateries across London, known for offering authentic dishes for dine-in or takeaway. Their affordable menu covers Japanese favourites like ramen, teriyaki, sushi rolls, sashimi, and tempura, along with bento box options and location-exclusive items. The first Taro opened in Soho in 1999, marking the start of their expansion.