Top Best Japanese Restaurants in Leigh Common

"Branches of the growing chain of Sushisamba restaurants can be found in New York, Chicago, Miami and beyond. London’s outpost is found on the 38th and 39th floors of the City’s Heron Tower so it’s likely you’ll see deals being brokered at nearby tables, but the atmosphere is kept in check by personable staff and the spread of dating couples out to have a good time. The menu’s an eclectic mix, too, featuring a blend of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine, alongside one of the most comprehensive sake selections in the city."

"Unashamedly fusion, this restaurant and bar at the top of the Heron Tower mixes Brazilian, Peruvian and Japanese influences. One of the coolest things about the experience is being whisked up in panoramic glass elevators, Willy Wonka–style, to what are the highest dining terraces in Europe. There’s probably no better place in the city to drink in the sunset."

"At Sushisamna, a newcomer to Covent Garden although the second in London, the concept of Japanese-Peruvian-Brazilian fusion cuisine makes for an unforgettable dining experience."

"Two years after it launched, Zuma got a little sister in the form of the first Roka on Charlotte Street. Since then, the suave sushi bar’s predictable popularity has seen three more follow in its footsteps in Mayfair, Aldwych and Canary Wharf. Pretty plates may come at a pretty penny but are exceptional with it, with dishes including a wagyu tempura maki with karashi ponzu and yellowtail sashimi with truffle yuzu."

"There's something elegant almost Edwardian to its atmosphere, and you wouldn't be surprised to find London A-listers drifting through its doors. It's sleek and welcoming, and its sushi menu is near impossible to rival. Roka's Premium Tasting Menu will get you delicate treasures like yellowtail sashimi with yuzu-truffle dressing, and robust meat courses like smoked duck breast with barley miso and kumquats."

"Restaurants Japanese Canary Wharf. When the suits vacate Canary Wharf, this slick Japanese rolls out the red carpet for residents. Family brunch is a blast: under-tens can choose from a three-course menu and run riot in the play area."

"Sushi Tetsu is a traditional Japanese Sushi Bar located on a side street in Clerkenwell. Specialising in sushi and sashimi that is considered to have some of the best sushi in London, there are only a handful of seats so booking well in advance is highly recommended. Tip: Sushi Tetsu uses Twitter to announce free seats and cancellations, but they get snapped up quickly."

"Outside of lockdown this teeny Clerkenwell sushi restaurant is one of the best in town and, consequently, the hardest to get a seat at. During lockdown it’s been more egalitarian. There’s just one option - a dining set with Omakase - which gives you a range of sashimi, sushi rice and more for you to make up as you’d like."

"This 7-seater is home to an endearing husband-and-wife team of Toru (chef) and Harumi Takahashi (manager). The Kobe-trained chef opened Sushi Tetsu, he wished for no media, hoping to keep the place “hidden” and focusing only on perfecting his supply chain and craft. After an Observer review, it didn’t last."

"There’s only one place that we could be talking about and it’s, of course, Mayfair’s hottest restaurant, Sexy Fish. The restaurant brought in giant international names like the Martin Brudnizki Design Studio team and architect Frank Gehry to create sensational underwater motifs."

"Ever the sexy spot, this restaurant and bar centres on East Asian food, late night bites and cracking cocktails. It's a numbers game here; not only are there over 400 bottles of Japanese of whisky, but there's even £1 million-worth of artwork by Frank Gehry and Damien Hirst."

"Chef Yoshinori Ishii trained at one of Japan’s most revered kaiseki restaurants Kitcho, went to become the chef-in-residence of Japanese Embassies in Switzerland and USA, and moved to Umu in 2010. Contrary to the belief that chefs should stay and work hard in their own kitchen, Ishii has been spending time profitably outside Umu, mostly in Cornwall, in order to elevate the ways locally caught fish could be treated — he introduced ike jime practice to Cornish fishermen — and to source directly into his restaurant. On the menu, find many world-class fish caught in the Cornish waters: from mackerel and sardine, to red mullet and turbot, to squid and spiny lobster — as well as extraordinary wild eels from Ireland."

"Take a Michelin star chef, an intimidatingly swanky location, and a near theatrical take on detail and decor, and you have Umu, one of the shining jewels in Mayfair's menagerie of high-end Japanese luxury restaurants. Head Chef Yoshinori Ishii has been displaying his flair for exquisitely delicate Kyoto-inspired cuisine since taking over at Umu in 2010, and he has curated an experience which will leave both Japanese-food-pedants and poshies in awe. For £45 a set lunch will get you a selection of fresh sashimi with kinshi and shiitake, or go a la carte and try Ibushi smoked "a la minute" with plum-shiso for £28."

"We had a memorably good delivery from this Bethnal Green restaurant at the beginning of lockdown. They do seasonal special sushi platters and their wagyu and foie maki rolls are amazing. Read our Test Drive."

"Chef Masayuki Kikuchi has been one of the most respected Japanese chefs in London. While the restaurant serves both tasting and à-la-carte menus, it’s possible to ask to be seated at the sushi counter and have nigiri served one piece at a time in an omakase manner. Sea urchin rice bowl, uni don, is the highlight but has to be pre-ordered one day in advance."

"Sumi, in Westbourne Grove, is sushi master Endo Kazutoshi’s version of a lower key restaurant, an analogue to his Michelin-starred restaurant Endo at the Rotunda in White City. But low-key here means beautiful brushed wood interiors that will hopefully welcome guests again soon, and a trio of bento boxes with superlative quality chirashi. One of the most luxurious takeaway options out there right now."

"Recently refurbished by its new owners, the Columbo Group, with a fresh look and a lot more than a lick of paint, the Jazz Cafe is everything a jazz bar should be – intimate, unperturbed and in love with music. What’s more, there’s a decent-sized dance floor, meaning it’s not the usual table-dwelling and head-bobbing that you’d expect at your average jazz night. Address: 5 Parkway, London NW1 7PGContact: 020 7485 6834Website:thejazzcafelondon.com"

"As far as I’m concerned, drinking in the capital’s most impressive sights at the same time as drinking alcohol should be a year-round activity. Winter doesn’t need to be a period of mourning for your social life. Instead of staying cooped up waiting for summer, venture out and up to a few of these drinking spots in the sky."

"Hidden behind the busy Hackney Road, Rogues London is stoking the fires of a brilliant residency at Hackney Coffee Club. In a charming courtyard at the back of the building, the team have set up an outdoor kitchen that gently wafts tantalising smells across to hungry diners. The tables are covered and heated, surrounded by festoon lights that add to the secret garden atmosphere."

"Designed in 1775 for government departments and royal societies – perhaps the world's first office block – Somerset House now contains galleries, restaurants and cafes that encircle a lovely open courtyard and extend to an elevated sun-trap terrace. The Embankment Galleries are devoted to temporary exhibitions (usually related to photography, design or fashion). In summer, the grand courtyard hosts open-air live performances, dancing fountains for kids to cool off in and the Film4 Summer Screen, plus an atmospheric ice-skating rink in winter."

"London is bursting at the seams with historic architecture, but the neo-classical Somerset House is a true standout. Built in the late 1770s, it’s home to art exhibitions, open-air concerts, and 55 sparking fountains. It’s worth a visit in the winter, too: the courtyard hosts one of the world’s best skating rinks."

"This museum is one of the most atmospheric and fascinating in London. The Georgian building was the beautiful, bewitching home of architect Sir John Soane (1753–1837), which he bequeathed to the nation through an Act of Parliament on condition that it remain untouched after his death and free to visit. It's brimming with Soane's vast collection of art and archaeological purchases, as well as intriguing personal effects and curiosities. The house-museum represents his exquisite and eccentric tastes, persuasions and proclivities."

"Sir John (1753–1837), architect of the Bank of England, bequeathed his eccentric house to the nation on one condition: that nothing…"