London has, quietly and then all at once, become one of the world’s great sushi cities.
The transformation has been gradual but is now undeniable. A generation of Japanese chefs trained in London’s finest kitchens has opened their own restaurants. Japanese fish wholesalers – most notably Atari-Ya, which supplies many of the best Japanese restaurants in the country – have given London’s sushi chefs access to produce of extraordinary quality. And the omakase format, once a rarefied concept confined to very few addresses, is now available across the city from Soho to South Kensington, White City to Whitehall.
The best sushi in London in 2026 ranges from a ten-seat counter in Soho, where a pre-theatre omakase is among the best value fine dining experiences in the city, to a rooftop restaurant above the Old War Office, where a third-generation sushi master serves alongside cocktails and views of Big Ben. Every register of the form is represented.
This guide covers the essential sushi restaurants in London, verified as currently open in 2026.
Key Takeaways
- London’s sushi scene encompasses every format, from omakase counters and neighbourhood sushi bars to high-end à la carte restaurants and casual temaki and maki spots.
- Endo Kazutoshi, a Michelin-starred third-generation sushi master, has the most significant presence in London’s sushi world – with Endo at the Rotunda (operating as a pop-up at Annabel’s following a fire in 2025), SUMI in Notting Hill, Kioku at The OWO, and Nijū in Mayfair.
- Reservations are essential for all omakase restaurants, many of which have single or double-digit seat capacities.
- London’s best sushi frequently uses British-caught fish – Cornish monkfish, Scottish salmon, Devon tuna, and day-boat fish from Brixham – alongside premium imports from Japan.
- Omakase means “I leave it to you” – the chef determines the entire menu based on the day’s finest ingredients, making each experience unique.
Omakase Style
Endo at the Rotunda – Pop-up at Annabel’s
Endo Kazutoshi is the name that appears most often in any serious conversation about sushi in London, and for good reason.
A third-generation sushi master born in Yokohama, Endo learned his craft from his grandfather and later spent two years at El Bulli in Catalonia before becoming executive chef of Zuma’s global restaurant group. His flagship London restaurant, Endo at the Rotunda, which is housed on the eighth floor of the former BBC Television Centre in White City, with a counter made from 200-year-old hinoki wood, was Michelin-starred and considered by many critics to be the finest sushi experience in the United Kingdom.
Credit: Harden’s
In September 2025, the Rotunda premises suffered a fire and are currently closed.
Endo is currently operating as a pop-up at Annabel’s in Mayfair. Bookings are managed via the waitlist on the restaurant’s website, with availability limited and demand consistent with a restaurant of this reputation. The quality of the omakase (Edomae-style sushi prepared before your eyes, seasonal and always extraordinary) is unchanged.
Bookings via waitlist only. Not suitable for children under sixteen.
Sushi Kyu
On Brewer Street in Soho, Sushi Kyu is a ten-seat omakase counter. It’s the sister restaurant of Cubé in Mayfair and one of the most consistently praised sushi experiences in London for its combination of quality and relative accessibility.
The format is pure omakase: a chef’s menu of sushi and sashimi prepared in front of a counter of ten guests, paced with care and explained with warmth. The fish is sourced with the same rigour as its Mayfair sibling; the atmosphere is intimate and unhurried; the pre-theatre lunch and early dinner sittings represent exceptional value for the quality delivered.
Credit: The Good Food Guide
Time Out named Sushi Kyu the best value omakase in London.
For visitors who want a proper omakase experience without the commitment of both time and expense of a twenty-course tasting menu, Sushi Kyu is the most considered and satisfying answer in the city.
Endo Kazutoshi’s London Empire
SUMI
Named after Endo’s mother, SUMI is the neighbourhood expression of Endo Kazutoshi’s cooking. It’s a warm, elegant Japanese restaurant in Notting Hill that operates as a more accessible and relaxed alternative to his Michelin-starred flagship.
The menu is largely sushi-based, with a strong emphasis on temaki and nigiri alongside dishes from the robata grill. The ingredients carry the same sourcing rigour as Endo at the Rotunda. The fish is especially exceptional, but the atmosphere is entirely neighbourhood-friendly: bright, convivial, and welcoming to the kind of relaxed evening that a formal omakase counter does not encourage.
Credit: The Arbuturian
The cocktails are excellent. The terrace menu, available Thursday to Sunday, offers a lighter selection of SUMI favourites in an outdoor setting.
SUMI is the most approachable of Endo’s London addresses and, for many visitors, the most enjoyable: world-class sushi without the ceremony.
Kioku by Endo at The OWO
At the top of the Raffles hotel in the Old War Office on Horse Guards Avenue is one of London’s most dramatic recent hotel openings. Introducing Kioku. It is Endo Kazutoshi’s rooftop restaurant and the most visually spectacular of his London venues.
The views across Whitehall, Big Ben, and the London Eye are extraordinary; the rooftop terrace is among the finest dining terraces in the city.
Credit: Wallpaper*
The food draws on Endo’s personal culinary history more broadly than his other restaurants. The name literally means “memory” in Japanese, with dishes reflecting his time in Spain, Japan, and London alongside a central sushi counter delivering elegant nigiri and sashimi. The theatrical tuna trolley, where fish is sliced tableside, is the signature centrepiece.
Kioku is the right choice for a significant occasion where the setting is as important as the food.
Neighbourhood Sushi Bars
Yashin Sushi Bar
On Old Brompton Road in South Kensington, Yashin Ocean House is one of London’s most distinctive and consistently celebrated sushi restaurants. It’s a modern Japanese kitchen in a beautiful Edwardian building with an approach to the fish that is genuinely its own.
Credit: Tripadvisor
The emphasis is on what Yashin calls “head to tail” dining: unusual and often overlooked cuts of fish served in ways that most sushi restaurants would not attempt. The yellowtail with orange soy and chilli oil, and the innovative yellowtail with parmesan salad are cited by regulars as dishes worth returning for specifically.
Omakase offerings start at a notably accessible entry point for the quality and the address, and a full tasting menu is available for those who want the kitchen’s complete expression.
Dinings SW3
In a former artist’s studio in Chelsea, which retains an ornate Victorian fireplace that sits in remarkable harmony with the otherwise minimalist setting, Dinings SW3 is the restaurant of chef Masaki Sugisaki, and it is one of the most quietly excellent sushi restaurants in London.
Credit: Tripadvisor
The philosophy is to mingle Japanese technique with the finest Western ingredients: day-boat fish from Devon and Scotland, freshly grated wasabi, seasonal combinations that reflect both Japanese tradition and the best of British produce.
The Dining’s approach has been consistent since the original Marylebone address established it, and the Chelsea restaurant has given it a new setting worthy of the food.
Nijū
Endo Kazutoshi’s Mayfair restaurant, located on Berkeley Street, with a Japanese nightcap bar called Nipperkin in the basement, takes a different angle from his other London addresses.
Credit: NIJŪ – The Nudge
Nijū is an ode to katei ryōri (Japanese home cooking), but elevated through the skill and produce that define everything bearing Endo’s name. Wagyu of remarkable quality, shokupan with yuzu butter, and an elegant central sushi counter producing artfully prepared nigiri and sashimi all feature.
For those who have eaten at Endo’s more formal omakase experiences and want something that feels like a different register of the same extraordinary kitchen, Nijū provides exactly that.
Chisou
Chisou, which translates as “feast” in Japanese, has been a benchmark of quality neighbourhood sushi in London since it opened in Mayfair, and the second address in Knightsbridge has extended that reputation across two of London’s most important dining neighbourhoods.
Credit: Chisou – London
The approach is classically Japanese: exceptional fish, precise preparation, attentive and knowledgeable service, and a menu that rewards those who move beyond the familiar rolls into the seasonal specialities and more unusual sashimi cuts.
For visitors who want a full Japanese dining experience (not purely sushi) in an elegant, low-key setting, Chisou consistently delivers.
Hot Stone
In Angel, with a second location in Fitzrovia, Hot Stone is chef Padam Raj Rai’s steak and sushi bar. It’s one of only nine restaurants in the UK to hold certification for serving genuine Kobe beef, alongside a sushi programme of very high quality.
Credit: Hot Stone
The combination of wagyu and sushi is not unusual in London’s Japanese restaurants, but Hot Stone does it at a level that justifies the reputation both elements have built independently.
Award-winning, consistently praised, and accessible from both the City and the West End, Hot Stone is a strong recommendation for anyone who wants to eat serious sushi alongside serious beef.
More Accessible Options
Atari-Ya Sushi Café
Atari-Ya is London’s leading Japanese fish wholesaler. It’s the company that supplies many of the city’s best sushi restaurants with their finest imported and UK-sourced fish.
Their small sushi cafés in West Hampstead and Ealing are the logical destination for anyone who wants to understand what that quality tastes like without the formality or expense of an omakase counter.
Credit: Atariya
The cafés are modest in setting, generous in portion, and extraordinary in ingredient quality. The fish is the same as what is being plated in restaurants charging multiples of the price a mile or two away.
Atari-Ya is a genuine insider tip and one of the best value sushi experiences anywhere in London.
Nanahoshi
For temaki specifically – the hand-rolled cones of fresh, crispy nori wrapped around excellent fillings – Nanahoshi in Soho (formerly known as Jugemu) is the most recommended address in London.
Credit: The Infatuation
The temaki are made to order and eaten immediately, while the nori is still crisp. Scallop, salmon, and premium fillings rotate seasonally. Sushi and sashimi platters are also available for those who want a wider selection.
Nanahoshi is casual and quick in the best sense: excellent product, focused menu, no unnecessary ceremony.
Practical Notes
On omakase etiquette.
Omakase restaurants ask that you arrive on time: all guests are served together, and the kitchen prepares the menu accordingly. Dietary restrictions and allergies should be communicated well in advance, preferably at the time of booking. Most omakase counters in London do not accommodate walk-ins.
On sourcing.
London’s best sushi restaurants use a combination of premium Japanese imports like specific rice varieties, aged soy, or freshly grated wasabi root and exceptional British fish. Cornish day-boat fish, Scottish salmon, Devon tuna, and Brixham monkfish all appear regularly on the finest menus. This is one of the things that makes London’s sushi scene distinctive: the quality of the local fish is a genuine competitive advantage.
On reservations.
Booking windows vary: the smallest omakase counters open reservations weeks to months in advance and fill quickly. SUMI and Hot Stone typically have more immediate availability. Endo at the Rotunda (currently at Annabel’s) operates on a waitlist. Checking restaurant websites directly is always the most reliable approach.
Conclusion
The best sushi in London in 2026 is world-class by any standard.
The city’s Japanese restaurants span every format from the most intimate ten-seat counter to a rooftop above Whitehall, and the quality of fish available, through suppliers like Atari-Ya and the relationships London’s finest chefs have built with both Japanese importers and British day-boat fisheries, is as high as anywhere outside Japan.
Whether you are looking for a once-in-a-visit omakase experience at the counter of Sushi Kyu or SUMI, a neighbourhood dinner at Dinings, or the theatrical pleasures of Kioku’s rooftop and tuna trolley, London’s sushi scene will meet you at exactly the level you are looking for.
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FAQ
Where can I get the best sushi in London?
London’s best sushi includes The Araki (three-Michelin-star omakase), Sushi Tetsu (intimate counter dining), Umu (two-Michelin-star), and Dinings SW3. Zuma and Roka offer excellent contemporary Japanese. Sticks’n’Sushi provides quality at moderate prices. Kanada-Ya specialises in authentic ramen. High-end options include Nobu, Aquavit, and Kurobuta. For traditional edomae-style, visit Shougun or Atari-Ya’s restaurant locations.
What is Ed Sheeran's favourite sushi restaurant in London?
Ed Sheeran has mentioned enjoying Sticks’n’Sushi, a Danish-Japanese fusion chain with multiple London locations offering quality sushi at accessible prices. He’s also been spotted at various Japanese restaurants in London, including Zuma. However, celebrity dining preferences change frequently, and Sheeran hasn’t officially designated one favourite sushi restaurant. His appreciation for casual, high-quality dining aligns with Sticks’n’Sushi’s approach.
Is Zuma or Roka better?
Zuma and Roka both offer exceptional contemporary Japanese cuisine from the same restaurant group. Zuma features a livelier, more glamorous atmosphere with celebrity sightings, while Roka emphasises robata grill specialities in a slightly more relaxed setting. Zuma suits special occasions and impressive dinners; Roka appeals to those prioritising grilled dishes. Quality is comparable at both. Choice depends on the atmosphere preference and the menu focus.
Why is Sukiyabashi Jiro famous?
Sukiyabashi Jiro became world-famous after the 2011 documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” featuring 96-year-old chef Jiro Ono’s pursuit of sushi perfection. The tiny 10-seat Tokyo restaurant earned three Michelin stars (later removed from the guide due to reservation difficulties). Jiro’s decades-long dedication, meticulous technique, and unwavering standards elevated sushi to an art form, inspiring chefs globally and making reservations nearly impossible.
