Top Best Japanese Restaurants in Sawbridgeworth

"Equal parts Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian, SUSHISAMBA – nestled high up on the 38th and 39th floors of 110 Bishopsgate – is the place to see and be seen in the heart of the City of London. Standing tall as the second-highest restaurant in London and with floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, this space beguiles its guests with its immersive views of the city at night. Order yourself a moqueca mista – a platter of jumbo shrimp, squid, sea bass and mussels with coconut milk, dende oil and chimichurri rice – and you’ll catch a feeling for why people fall in love with SUSHISAMBA."

"What: Home to the glowing orange tree which you’ve seen on your Instagram feed countless times, the outdoor bar at Sushisamba’s original City location has an undeniable buzz. Filled with City types splashing the cash, and unbeatable views of the capital’s skyline, this is the place to come for cocktails with a view. Sip on a selection of Brazilian-Japanese fusion cocktails, before heading inside to enjoy a decadent menu featuring the likes of green bean tempura with black truffle aioli or sushi rolls topped with lobster and crab."

"Restaurants Brazilian Liverpool Street. Take the glass elevator clinging to the side of Heron Tower, shoot up 38 floors in a few stomach-flipping seconds, walk through the pulsating bar and find your way to the double-height glasshouse of a restaurant, with its magnificent bamboo-lattice ceiling and wraparound views. Japan, Brazil and Peru come together here, making Sushisamba a sure-fire hit for a showy date night."

"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 offerings of fish and shellfish is near impossible to rival. Roka's Premium Tasting Menu will get you delicate treasures like yellowtail sashimi with yuzu-truffle dressing and naka kaki Irish oysters with ponzu and chili daikon."

"If like me, you’ve got a proper sweet tooth, then Rokais right up your street. Bringing you neither one, nor two, but a whole assortment of treats, the dessert platter (£26) is the epitome of end-of-the-night feasting. Between exotic fruits and delicate sorbets, exquisite cheesecakes and the cutest chocolate Buddha, there’s a little bit of everything."

"Roka, on North Audley Street in Mayfair, will be opening its terrace to diners. Just moments from the bustling Oxford Street, Roka brings a unique style of contemporary Japanese robatayaki cuisine and its sophisticated design to Mayfair."

"This seven-seater on a Clerkenwell side street arguably serves the best sushi in town. Run by husband-and-wife team Harumi and Toru Takahashi, it is almost impossible to book. But when guests arrive at this shrine to sushi, they will find Toru expertly slivering and slicing smackingly fresh fish, visible from a counter-style bar."

"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."

"A delivery, Deliveroo-only kitchen — so proceed informed — which adds a regionally diverse option to a share of good Cantonese options in west London. A crimson, brooding mapo tofu is excellent, with skewers of barbecued lamb or chicken holding up surprisingly well; skip the noodle dishes and seriously consider the pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings."

"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."

"London’s Shoryu Ramen restaurant offers diners a tantalising taste of Hakata via their speciality Hakata tonkotsu ramen dishes. The base of these popular dishes is the full-flavoured, silky tonkotsu pork stock, carefully created over a 12 hour period. Shoryu has entered into a partnership with an artisanal UK noodle maker to source the perfect noodles for the ramen."

"Up in Hendon, this highly-rated local sushi spot is worth following on social to look out for daily specials to the delivery menu. Follow them on Instagram: @jinsushiuk. How to order: Order online"

"Normally we only feature restaurants on this list if they've opened - but Ave Mario (from the people behind Gloria and Circolo Poplare) has been quietly soft launching for a couple of weeks (Instagram is filled with pics of the neon lit loos) and we've also checked it out. It will be huge, much like the enormous ice cream cake that they wheel about the room. New additions to the menu include a caviar section, massive cocktails and a veal milanese that's twice as big as your head."

"This stylish and modern Japanese restaurant is a great find. The sushi is technically spot-on, a mixture of classic and modern fusion options. The sashimi and noodle, rice and grilled dishes are also of high quality."

"After strolling through South Bank, feel free to cross the pedestrian-only Millennium Bridge and visit the world-famous Shakespeare’s Globe, lying literally just a few hundred feet south of the Thames. Needing little introduction, Shakespeare’s Globe is a modern reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre that still produces open-air plays and performances on a daily basis!"

"Along the south bank (always worth a wander), you can stop in at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the Tate Modern Art Gallery, and even quickly cross the Millennium bridge for a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Globe and St. Paul’s Cathedral are both included on the London Pass, whilst the Tate Modern is free to enter."

"This spectacular theater is a replica of Shakespeare's open-roof, wood-and-thatch Globe Playhouse (built in 1599 and burned down in 1613),…"

"Rich Mix allows creativity in all its magnificent forms – live music, theatre, poetry, film, art, design and drawing, so it’s a little distinct from the other places on the list, but the charity behind the cross-media arts centre, The Rich Mix Cultural Foundation, has a pretty inspiring goal. And that’s to offer the public space to discover more about the creative offerings of people from various migrant populations. Since taking over the former clothing factory on Bethnal Green Road, Rich Mix has put on many free exhibitions, screenings and concerts."

"This fantastic creative space in the East End, on the site of what used to be in a leather factory, has regular exhibitions featuring emerging and established artists. 39-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA Free entryrichmix.org.uk"

"Originally home to one of London’s largest fruit and vegetable markets, Covent Garden now broadly refers to the West London district famous for its high-end shopping, theatres, entertainment complexes, and the Royal Opera House of London."

"Born from a man’s dream to recapture the American diner scene, along with home-grilled burgers, hand-cut fries and thick milkshakes, Big Moe’s diner perfectly encapsulates classic American eating. Their menu spoils you for choice, from chargrilled beef and chicken burgers, lamb ribs and steaks to Cod and veggie options. If you want to start your day right, their breakfast menu serves New York-style Cro-dough and huge platters of beef sausages and chicken rashers served with free-range eggs and baked beans."

"For the ultimate ‘modern greasy spoon’ experience  What to eat?. The white chocolate and caramelised banana pancakes. Long live the great British greasy spoon!"

"You may have heard of British vegan activist Earthling Ed, whose calm and collected approach to educating people on the realities of animal agriculture has helped to spread awareness to hundreds of thousands of people. Unity Diner is his restaurant, and in true Earthling Ed fashion, all profits at Unity Diner are put towards animal rights campaign work. Unity Diner is a great place to be, with beautiful decor in the form of greenery and fairy lights to set the scene."

"Nestled in East London's Spitalfields, Unity Diner has expanded to a much larger space shortly after opening, making this wholesome restaurant one of the biggest completely vegan diner and cocktail bars in the city. Founded by a couple friends, including vegan advocate Earthling Ed, this not-for-profit eatery is a safe haven for everyone, with options so good it's hard to tell the difference from traditional fish and meat dishes."

"Earthling Ed’s non-profit restaurant Unity Diner deserves a spot on this list for the three epic burgers that don’t just taste great but help animals too. You can choose from the classic Moving Mountains Burger featuring ‘beef’ patties, cheese, bacon, and all the trimmings. There’s also the VFC Burger – a vegan take on the Southern-fried chicken patty with cheese, bacon, and a hash brown."

"From the line of massive steel tanks behind Howling Hops’ Hackney Wick bar, beers (both the brewery’s core and seasonal) are served unpasteurised straight from tank to tankard without touching a keg, can, or bottle on the way. Clearly, visitors don’t hold back — in the late evenings, the taproom erupts into a disco of sorts, with limb-throwing patrons all too willing to get involved. Until nightclubs start serving their own lemon goses and US-hopped pale ales, this is the next best thing."

"Howling Hops opened Hackney’s first brewpub, The Cock Tavern on Mare Street, back in 2011. And that’s a claim to fame if we ever heard one (the pub also went on to win an award for its pickled eggs). Their motto is ‘brew interesting beer’, and this is exactly what they do, with unfiltered, unpasteurised, vegan brews."

"Another Hackney Wick hideaway, this unique brewery serves its homemade beers straight from the tap, making it a literal taproom!. With ten beers on sale, you can also find a range of freshly made snacks, meats and coffees made in-house before your very eyes."