The best sushi restaurants in Mayfair

Titu is a small, intimate restaurant in Mayfair specialising in gyoza and other Japanese favourites. It seats less than 20 people on packed-in tables, in a setting decked out with traditional parasols, origami cranes and bold colours. The menu is brimming with Japanese classics, including all kinds of gyoza flavours, as well as sashimi, vegetarian dishes and more. The drinks menu boasts sake and a concise choice of wines, with old and new bottles on the list.

Cubé Mayfair is a Japanese omakase restaurant helmed by a team of specialist chefs serving exceptional sushi and Japanese fare. They have a main Japanese sushi bar on the ground floor and another on the lower ground floor, both decked out with wooden walls and an open kitchen where you can oversee your food being prepared right before your eyes, omakase-style. Ingredients are high-quality and locally-sourced, with highly-trained chefs showcasing their skills via each delicate dish.

Umu in Mayfair is a Michelin-star restaurant behind an unassuming door in Mayfair. This Kyoto-inspired Japanese spot is stylish and sophisticated, and upon entering, all of the chefs at the open kitchen stop what they are doing to greet you. Here they use the highest quality indigenous line-caught fish from Cornwall and around the British Isles to create their menu of sushi, sashimi, fish of the day and other seafood dishes. Executive chef Ryo Kamatsu uses the traditional Japanese method of Ikejime, a 17th-century technique that is said to be the freshest and most humane way to prepare fish for consumption. Alongside the food, they also serve a drinks menu of spirits and traditional Japanese sake.

Roka in Mayfair is an authentic Japanese robatayaki restaurant in Mayfair serving premium sushi and grilled Japanese dishes in a sophisticated setting. Roka has made quite the name for itself over the years, and has several restaurants around London, as well as in Dubai, Istanbul and the Middle East. The menu is filled with a variety of the finest Japanese dishes, like teriyaki salmon with sansho salt and baby back ribs with cashew nuts. They also serve a range of authentic drinks such as sake.

Maru is a traditional omakase restaurant in Mayfair, which means they leave everything up to the decision of the chef. They embrace the Japanese spirit of 'Omotenashi', which translates to "wholeheartedly looking after your guest”. Chef Taiji Maruyama does all the food here, and he crafts a daily changing multiple-course menu for every sitting. Most of the dishes are based largely on raw and cooked fish and shellfish, enjoyed over a handful of sittings throughout the week.

Chisou in Mayfair serves a menu of authentic Japanese dishes in a classic izakaya-style. Japanese izakayas are casual places to grab a bite to eat and drink. Chisou's menu is based on seasonality, including top-notch sushi, a range of cold dishes and some hot selections, like fried chicken karaage. Inside it's spacious and bright, with oak tables, an open sushi counter and a wall stacked high with classic sake bottles. It's a little on the pricier side but you really pay for what you get here.

Ikeda is a traditional Japanese restaurant on Brook Street that has served exceptional cuisine in a fine-dining setting since 1973. This historic restaurant specialises in sushi and sashimi, only made with the best ingredients. There's a little sushi counter with a few seats at the front as well as some tables and counter seats further back, some of which you can watch the chefs work their magic from. Although this place is popular amongst celebrities, the decor and vibe is pretty laid-back, and you don't have to dress to impress.

The Araki introduced London to  world-renowned Edomae sushi, an old-style of sushi where the rice and topping are shaped together. There are just nine seats in the dining room as well as a private dining space for six people. There are two sittings per day, where guests get to enjoy a menu of only sushi. Each sitting here features exquisite omakase tasting menus that highlight the creativity of Chef Marty Lau, a protégé of three-Michelin-starred sushi master Mitsuhiro Araki.

Sexy Fish is a popular Asian restaurant and bar on the corner of Berkeley Square in Mayfair. The restaurant is filled with funky artwork by Frank Gehry and Damien Hirst as well as an eye-catching ceiling by Michael Roberts. The menu here is all about sushi, sashimi, seafood and fish cooked on a robata grill, a cooking method, similar to barbecue, where skewers are slow-grilled over hot charcoal. The bar is home to the world's biggest Japanese whisky collection, while The Coral Room on the lower ground floor houses two of the largest live coral reef tanks in the world.

Nijū is a slick spot from third-generation sushi chef Endo Kazutoshi, who also has a prestigious reputation for his Michelin-starred Endo at the Rotunda and Kioku at the OWO Raffles Hotel. The menu is divided into different sections, with a big focus on meat cooked on hot grills and high-quality seafood dishes, served in a katei ryōri style of cooking, which translates to 'home-cooked food'. Cocktails are also out to impress, with options like the satsuma and blossom margarita and the yuzu and verbena shandy. There are two spaces to enjoy your meal here, one more upbeat and lively, the other small and intimate with a sushi counter.

Keen fine diners and Japanese lovers can enjoy in a swish omakase experience at Taku, a three Michelin-starred restaurant in Mayfair. This upscale restaurant embraces the omakase tradition, where the chef curates a multi-course meal featuring up to 20 dishes made from premium ingredients. It's small and intimate, with only 16 seats and just three sittings per day.