W1 London / Where to eat / Japanese restaurants

The Best Japanese Restaurants in W1: Seven Picks, From a Two-Star Counter to an Udon Bar

The best Japanese restaurants in W1 cover almost the whole range of Japanese cooking within a short walk: a two-Michelin-star tasting counter in Soho, Ginza-style sushi on Park Lane, Kyoto kaiseki in a Mayfair mews, a hidden omakase in Shepherd Market, a robata grill on Charlotte Street and a walk-in udon bar that has been feeding Soho since 2010. We checked every listing against the current Michelin Guide and each restaurant's own website in October 2026. Prices at the top end are high and bookings are essential; Koya is the one place here where you just turn up.

The seven at a glance

Michelin status checked on guide.michelin.com, October 2026.

1. Humble Chicken, Frith Street, Soho

Chef Angelo Sato's counter restaurant at 54 Frith Street began life as a yakitori bar and has turned into one of the most decorated restaurants in Soho, with two Michelin stars. It now serves a single tasting menu at two sittings a night, with a lot of theatre and very precise cooking: Michelin's inspectors single out the shokupan milk bread and the chawanmushi. Bookings open in advance online and go quickly. Expect a long evening and a bill at the top of the London range.

2. Sushi Kanesaka, 45 Park Lane, Mayfair

The London outpost of Shinji Kanesaka, whose Tokyo restaurant is in Ginza, sits inside the 45 Park Lane hotel and holds one Michelin star. It is the closest thing in London to a top Tokyo sushi counter: a small number of seats at a hinoki wood counter, an omakase built around fish and premium ingredients such as Scottish lobster and Kobe beef, and service to match. This is a special-occasion meal; book well ahead.

3. Umu, Bruton Place, Mayfair

Umu, at 14-16 Bruton Place, has long been Mayfair's address for kaiseki, the seasonal multi-course style of Kyoto, and keeps one Michelin star. The kitchen applies Kyoto technique to British produce such as Orkney scallops, Cornish squid and Scottish langoustines, and the sake list is one of the best in London. Seating is at tables rather than on tatami.

4. Maru, Shepherd Market, Mayfair

Hidden at 18 Shepherd Market, Maru is easy to walk past, and the Michelin Guide, which lists it without a star, notes that finding the door is part of the experience. Everyone is served together, so arrive on time. The chef trained at Nobu and Umu and serves an 18-course omakase of around two and a half hours, built largely on European fish. It suits people who want a counter omakase with a little less formality than Park Lane.

5. Aki, Cavendish Square, Marylebone

Aki opened in October 2025 in a restored former bank building on Cavendish Square, just north of Oxford Street, and was added to the Michelin Guide in July 2026. The menu runs from sushi and sashimi to tempura and grilled meat, with a signature menu at £95 a head. It also does a Japanese take on afternoon tea, from £45, with mini dorayaki pancakes in place of scones and sandos in place of finger sandwiches, which makes it a good choice for a long lunch near the shops.

6. Roka, Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia

Roka has been on Charlotte Street, at number 37, since 2004 and is the original of what became a small group. The draw is the robata grill in the middle of the room, with seats at a long wooden counter around it, and a menu of grilled meat and fish, sushi and sashimi. Downstairs, the Shochu Lounge serves Japanese spirits and cocktails. It is bigger, louder and more of a night out than the counters above, and it works for groups.

7. Koya Soho, Frith Street

Koya opened its udon bar at 50 Frith Street in 2010 and is still one of the best-value meals in central London. It makes its own noodles and dashi, serves them hot or cold, and runs a blackboard of weekly specials. It opens at 10am every day for Japanese breakfast, with a grilled fish breakfast set at £16.90, and noodle bowls such as kitsune udon cost about £15 to £17. There are no bookings, so expect a short queue at peak times.

How to choose

• For a once-a-year meal: Humble Chicken for creativity, Sushi Kanesaka for classic sushi, Umu for kaiseki.
• For an omakase without the hotel formality: Maru.
• Near Oxford Street or for afternoon tea: Aki.
• For a group or a lively evening: Roka.
• For a quick, cheap and very good lunch: Koya.

For more starred dining across the postcode, see our list of Michelin-star restaurants in W1, and for other cuisines our best Indian restaurants in W1 and the best restaurants in Soho.