Top Best Japanese Restaurants in South

"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."

"Sushisamba is always a hit for Asian dining, with excellent food (think Japanese with a South American twist) and stellar views at its City site. Located at the famed Opera Terrace atop the historic Grade II-listed Market Building, this striking space is crowned by an Eric Parry-designed glass roof. Bold in design, the restaurant offers a host of inviting dining and drinking experiences: from the bar with its ‘living ceiling’, the exposed kitchen and high energy sushi bar, to the terrace overlooking The Piazza below, and the private dining room with its own entrance and terrace."

"Dinings restaurant, located in the Marylebone area of London, is a quirky Japanese tapas and sushi restaurant. It first opened its doors to the public six years ago, with excellent Izakaya style dining offering the very highest quality dishes, atmosphere and accompaniments. Since then, the menu has evolved into Japanese tapas, a heady fusion of traditional Japanese cuisine and contemporary European flavours."

"This is where people go for sushi in central London when they don’t want to go Mayfair. Much better than its newer sister in Chelsea, Dinings in Marylebone still has a very loyal following because it serves some of the best sushi in the city. A classic mix of counter and a small number of tables serving a first-rate sushi and sashimi menu with a very classic grounding."

"Dinings is a contemporary Japanese Tapas and Sushi restaurant located in Marylebone. The restaurant offers food based on the traditional Japanese Izakaya style with modern European influences where the menu is split into hot tapas, cold tapas and a large sashimi and sushi selection. Takeaway is also available for lunch and dinner."

"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."

"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."

"Hot Stone is an award-winning Japanese restaurant in Islington, which specialises in the ishiyaki method – DIY cooking on hot stones. It is also one of the few restaurants in the UK to serve certified Kobe beef. It’s a truly special dinner experience with Japanese wagyu and scallops to sear yourself, a selection of sushi and sashimi, plus salads on the side."

"Formerly head sushi chef at Tsukiji in Mayfair, chef Padam Raj Rai’s sushi spot in Islington was something of a hidden gem. They are about to open a second restaurant in Fitzrovia. Sushi platters are exquisite and a bit different - think fatty tuna with caviar rolls and Seared butterfish with truffle spicy ponzu."

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"You’ll find this neighbourhood spot on the corner of Merton Hall Road, and if the ceiling to floor glass windows and sleek tables don’t pique your interest, then a glance at their crunchy salmon roll should do the trick. This spot has options for everyone, from gyoza and pumpkin teriyaki udon to sashimi and nigiri. The sushi rolls are great, especially the urumaki, and with things like crispy prawn tempura and spider rolls, their huge menu has lots to choose from."

"Bella Italia on the Oracle Riverside has two kids menus: the piccolo menu and the grande menu. The piccolo mains are perfect for two to six year olds; teats for little tummies that like simpler flavours. The grande mains are great for seven to 11 year olds as the portions are slightly larger for those growing kids!"

"Over in Notting Hill, Cloud Twelve is a wellness and lifestyle club set across three floors. There’s a salon, spa and holistic wellness clinic, plus a healthy brasserie and creche. Treatments include drawl-worthy massages, facials, pre and post-natal rituals and treatments specifically designed for men."

"Now there are quite a few good places to get yummy ice cream in London, but I personally love to go super local. Enter Hackney Gelato. They produce their ice cream in Hackney, East London and it’s all handmade using Italian techniques."

" Retro in the best sense, this French ‘bistrot' wedged into Teddington High Street turns out hearty French cooking for a hungry local crowd. It's an ..." Read our full review"

"Chez Bruce celebrated its 25th birthday in 2020 and this longstanding restaurant is top of many a restaurant critic's all-time favourites list. Co-owner Bruce Poole and his head chef Matt Christmas set out their stall thus: "We are not particularly into gadgets and tricks in the kitchen and there are doubtless some who view our food as slightly old fashioned in this regard. We take this as a compliment!" Back when Marina O'Loughlin was at the Guardian she declared her meal there as one which "encourages you to wallow in sheer, sybaritic pleasure". More about Chez Bruce"

"Bruce Poole and partner Nigel Platts-Martin opened Chez Bruce in 1995 but it remains relevant and vibrant to this day. As Marina O’Loughlin put it recently, “It is, and will continue to be, an absolute classic.” Under Bruce and Head Chef Matt Christmas, the kitchen here cooks up dishes “based loosely on classical and regional French/ Mediterranean cuisine”. But that might see everything from the classic Foie gras and chicken liver parfait on the starter menu along with a spiced fish samosa with baked aubergine, tarka dhal, raita, ginger and coriander."