A flight to Japan from the UK will currently set you back about a grand, give or take. Which is around the same as a meal for two at Sushi Kanesaka at 45 Park Lane in London. Now, depending what kind of mental gymnastics you perform to justify your eating out expenditure, the meal at Sushi Kanesaka either represents a considerable saving (Tokyo-standard sushi without the outlay on flights and hotels – boom!) or is pure profligacy and you might just as well have bought a flight for that price.
Is it worth it? It’s a question that comes up a lot around high-end sushi. Even for the discerning diner used to big bills, the cost of omakase sushi – essentially an off-the-cuff tasting menu chosen by the chef – is eye-watering. Sushi Kanesaka, £420 a head, is currently London’s most expensive omakase experience. At The Araki, it’s £310; At Taku, it’s £300 for the signature omakase or £400 for the prestige omakase (a shorter lunch menu is £160). At Endo at the Rotunda, it’s £275. Meanwhile, Sushi Tetsu has switched from an à la carte menu to a £187 omakase. If you have to go into debt or your children have to go without a birthday present for you to be able to afford these restaurants, then we’re duty-bound to steer you away. If you have the readies, however, it’s your call. As a splashy big ol’ birthday treat for the Japanophile in your life, ditto.
Having been to Sushi Kanesaka recently – I was a guest of the restaurant – it was not the otoro or the wagyu that wowed me so much as the crunchy, shattery nori, the body temperature rice, every last discrete grain of it, and the pickled ginger, which I pretty much polished off. All will be benchmarks against which I judge sushi restaurants in the future. The experience was also relaxed and enjoyable. Sushi-yas are so often imagined as minimalist, zen, hushed ‘temples’ with strict no perfume (Sushi Kanesaka) and no photo rules (Sushi Tetsu), that it comes as a surprise when the sushi chef is a smiley sort who is happy to chat. Extrovert Endo Kazutoshi at Endo at the Rotunda is a case in point. He was a guitarist in a punk band back in the day and the performer in him is alive and well. As observed in our review: 'To justify the cost (not that our fellow diners look like they need to), the experience is perhaps best viewed as a particularly well-rehearsed, produced and choreographed piece of theatre performed over three hours.' A night at Royal Opera House will set you back more.
Such big-ticket sushi restaurants are, of course, catnip to UHNWIs (Ultra High Net Worth Individuals). The New York Times’ Pete Wells coined the term 'bromakase' to describe the expense account spots so beloved of the Succession set. If that’s not you, you might prefer a private room (The Araki has one for up to six) or an exclusive hire of the counter, split between you and your fellow sushi-loving schlubs.
There are vanishingly few who can pony up four figures for dinner even once in a lifetime let alone on a regular basis. So where can the rest of us realise our Jiro Dreams of Sushi dreams on a budget? Cheap sushi is something of an oxymoron; however, there are excellent Japanese restaurants where you can enjoy gracious Japanese hospitality and an omakase experience in high style without busting out the Black Card. These are some of our inspectors’ go-tos.
Hannah, London SE1
The style of cuisine served by Daisuke Shimoyama, formerly head chef at Umu in Mayfair, at Hannah in County Hall on the South Bank is called ‘kappo’ – roughly translated as ‘to cut and to cook’. It is less formal than high Kyoto-style kaiseki, though not inexpensive. The omakase is £125 for eight courses, £185 for eleven but a more affordable five-course option at £55 is served at lunch. Dishes might include shio-koji marinated scallops with chicken and clam sauce and roasted tea ice cream.
Kaji by Musu, Manchester
Since leaving the Freemasons at Wiswell, Steven Smith has gone in an entirely new direction, opening an Asian-style restaurant in Manchester city centre. The diner can construct a menu of individual nigiri such as carabinero prawn and miso butter, £21, or charcoal-seared scallop with black garlic, £13. There’s also a chef’s sashimi selection starting at £35 for six pieces. Watch the wagyu and you could keep the bill under £100 a head.
Art Sushi, Bournemouth
'Art Sushi’s proprietor Kamil Skalczynski is an advisor with the World Sushi Skills Institute, an honour bestowed by the Japanese government – all the more remarkable for the fact that he happens to be Polish.' If it’s an omakase experience you’re after, take a seat at the counter, and enjoy a six-piece selection for £29 or, if you’re feeling swanky, a sushi selection with caviar at £65. Alternatively, pick and mix from the modern menu of gunkanmaki (e.g., Dorset crab and sake), seared salmon belly nigiri, and classic inari tofu. Good vegan options.
Shiki, Norwich
Shiki, est.2004, in the heart of historic Norwich is a simple izakaya set-up with bare tables, un-cushioned benches and bamboo blinds. Not limited to sushi by any means, it offers a full menu of tempura, katsu curry, gyoza, otsumami (small plates) and so on. If it’s sushi you’re after, however, £22 gets you 'today’s 9 nigiri and 4 rolls', while £48 will get you the 'Sushi Lovers' signature dish involving the likes of amaebi, hamachi or otoro.
Sushi Kyu, Soho
Sushi Kyu, sister to Cubé in Mayfair, opened in Soho in 2024. While omakase sushi is £125 in Mayfair, it’s just £51.80 at lunch or £74.80 at dinner for a selection that at inspection included sea bream belly with spring onion, scallop with yuzu zest and juice, and red mullet with shiso. Seating is around a simple wooden counter, where the friendly chefs quietly produce piece after piece of glistening nigiri sushi.
Sumi, Notting Hill
Sumi represents a good alternative to Endo at the Rotunda, its more illustrious Creative Restaurant Group sibling. Whereas the latter offers only Endo-san’s highly personalised omakase, guests at Sumi order à la carte. 'Top quality raw fish is the lynchpin here, from nigiri of rich chutoro (medium fatty tuna) or silky sea bass to fabulous temaki hand rolls.'
Temaki, Brixton
No prizes for guessing what this Brixton counter restaurants specialises in. Temaki is London’s first handroll bar. You can order à la carte or choose from three set menus at £29, £32, and £39. It has garnered a cult following not only for its hand-rolled, hand-delivered sushi rolls but for the cool space, all polished concrete and pale wood. The sushi rice is 'generally excellent' and the top pick, according to our inspector, is the signature roll with fatty otoro and lean akami tuna, generously garnished with tobiko flying fish roe.
One Sushi, Manchester
One Sushi is an essential Manchester spot for takeaway sushi where local workers line up for plastic trays of salmon nigiri, avocado maki, and California rolls. For something a little more swish, you can also book their unique stand-up omakase experience at £78 or £98 for a one-hour booking.
Nanahoshi, Soho
Formerly Jugemu, this quirky little sushi-ya is hidden away down a Soho side street. Chef Yuya Kikuchi runs it in his own idiosyncratic way. With its 20 seats in high demand, it’s not easy to get in, but walk-ins have been known. The multi-course omakase is £120 but there are à la carte options for considerably less. Note: the minimum spend is £30 a head. Round out the meal with izakaya-style dishes like jellyfish salad and aubergine with miso.
