Best sushi restaurants in London

It may be fleeting, but beautiful things can happen in a mouthful of sushi.

The practice of sushi-making has been revered in Japan for hundreds of years, but over here we’ve only cottoned onto it in the last thirty at a push (even if the first Japanese restaurant opened in London in 1884).

Healthy, skilfully made and packing in the flavour, a perfect piece of sushi can convince any non-believer that this is about much more than fish and rice.

From fine-dining favourites to lunchtime bites, snap those chopsticks because these are the best sushi restaurants in the capital.

The Araki

There are just five restaurants in the UK that hold three Michelin-stars, and only one of them has nine seats and costs £300 a head. The Araki is arguably the most exclusive restaurant in London, with single-figure diners permitted to watch Mitsuhiro Araki expertly prepare sushi and taste the outcome at any given sitting. The sushi master is assisted by just his wife Yoko and an assistant – this is the ultimate sushi experience, if you can pay the price.

Unit 4, 12 New Burlington Street, Mayfair, W1S 3BF​, the-araki.com

Sushi Waka

With all this high quality fresh fish being flung about, sushi is ripe fine dining fodder. But good sushi doesn’t have to be accompanied by fancy surroundings and a big bill as Camden’s Sushi Waka proves. This modest, casual spot serves up quality sushi at serious value, with its lunch deals never costing you more than a tenner. Pick up its sushi lunch box and get salmon, tuna, prawn, omelette, mackerel pieces and more for just £8.

75 Parkway, Camden Town, NW1 7PP, sushiwaka.co.uk

Nobu

Names in the sushi world don’t come much bigger than Nobu Matsuhisa. The Japan-born chef was integral in globally popularising the Japanese cuisine in the early nineties and, through his partnership with Robert “The Codfather” DeNiro, created one of the most celebrity-packed restaurant brands on the planet – Kanye West and Future have even namechecked it in songs. You’ll find his Peruvian-influenced nikkei dishes at three locations in London, with classic dishes including the soft shell crab roll and the “New Style” sashimi gracing the menu.

Two locations in W1, EC2, noburestaurants.com

Sexy Fish

Have you ever thought “I like fish, but I just wish it was sexier?” Look no further than Berkeley Square, where Sexy Fish is solving just that problem. The interior of the restaurant is certainly alluring: a pair of Damien Hirst mermaid sculptures adorn the bar, and a glittering crocodile takes to the walls. On the menu you’ll find signature slithers of sashimi, along with a “Sexy Fish” and yuzu maki and a toro tataki and caviar version for the particularly well heeled.

Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square, Mayfair, W1J 6BR, sexyfish.com

Kurobuta

Sushi gets down and dirty at Kurobuta, where it teams up with Japanese pub food for a night on the tiles. Modelled on Japanese izakayas – think Nashville dive bars with less country music – this restaurant serves up makis alongside deep fried snacks, with ex-Nobu chef Scott Hallsworth in charge of the fare. Choose from gravadlax, avocado and dill or tempura crab with kimchee, or the brave can get involved in a Spicy Tuna Roulette Maki platter, in which one piece is laced with hot sauce.

W2 and SW3, kurobuta-london.com

Zuma

The original outfit of Rainer Becker's globally popular restaurant concept, this Knightsbridge sushi bar is still pulling in well-moneyed sushi lovers more than 15 years after it opened. The food here is also izakaya style, but with a considerably more upmarket twist. A dynamite spider maki sees soft shell crab spiked with chilli mayonnaise, while tuna is rolled with homemade chilli miso and yuzu tobiko.

5 Raphael Street, Knightsbridge, SW7 1DL, zumarestaurant.com

Sushi Atelier

At Sushi Atelier, it’s all about going omakase. This more-casual-than-most sushi bar will take the decision of your hands if you go for the traditional “leave it up to you” sushi option, when you pick your number of pieces and the chef serves up what he thinks best. If you want to regain a little control, you choose to tuck into the likes of butterfish carpaccio served with foie gras and an Iberico pork teriyaki.

114 Great Portland Street, Fitzrovia, W1W 6PA, sushiatelier.co.uk

Chotto Matte

Japan and Peru may be nearly 10,000 miles away from each other, but they have more in common that you may think. When Japanese immigrants first arrived in the south American country in the 19th century, they discovered a mutual love of raw fish, which lead to the creation of the fusion nikkei cuisine. Soho restaurant Chotto Matte is perpetually throwing a party to celebrate its love of nikkei food, with dishes on the menu including a star dish scallop aji amarillo nigiri, which sees sweet scallop mixed with sour, fiery South American chilli.

11 - 13 Frith Street, Soho, W1D 4RB, chotto-matte.com

Sticks ‘n’ Sushi

Japanese cuisine isn’t all sushi, and this restaurant is based on mixing it up, serving sushi with grilled yakitori dishes (like a little bitsize kebab). Indulgent highlights from the sushi side of things include a Wagyu beef tartare maki and a black cod gunkan, alongside intriguing nigiri toppings including king oyster mushroom with lime salt and soy cured salmon with smoked cheese and lumpfish roe. Throw a few sticks in the mix, and this spot will also keep carnivorous friends satiated.

Various locations, sticksnsushi.co.uk

Sushisamba

Peruvian and Japanese cuisine have a well-known partnership, but at Sushisamba, the Brazilians are joining in the party too. You’ll find an El Topo salmon nigiri served with jalapeno and melted mozzarella, and a kobe steak with churrasco among the larger dishes. The sushi here, of course, comes with a view at the city location, where diners can enjoy the fruits of the 38th and 39th floor spot in 110 Bishopsgate. While not seeing quite as much of it, you'll still be at the heart of London at their soon-to-open Covent Garden Market location.

EC2 and WC, sushisamba.com

Roka

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 two more follow in its footsteps in Mayfair and Aldwych. 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. If you do stray off the sushi menu, the black cod is a must.

Two locations in W1, WC2, rokarestaurant.com