UPDATE: We became regulars here until 2020 and were very sad indeed to dscover that it has closed its doors. A real loss to anyone who enjoys first quality Japanese food!
This is one of the best Japanese restaurants in London but it is so authentic that you need a guide. The sushi is good, the usual menu items are very good but if you really want to eat well you need to choose from the blackboard with the day's dishes chalked up in Japanese. Marinated squid guts and tuna cheek are delicious and so genuine: you could be in a very good local restaurant in Japan. These kind of dishes are not found in most
London Japanese restaurants and this is why Sakana Tei is special. Grab a Japanese or literate Chinese friend and treat them in return for choosing the delicious surprises you would normally miss!
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Reza Fakih
Google
4 years ago
5.0
Perfect place for true sushi/sashimi lovers. The food is the star as it should be. Fresh fish perfectly sliced and right balance of flavor. This is an authentic sushi experience, not like other restaurants that add sauces to cater to the wider palate. probably the best place for sushi in London.
Do not focus on the ambience or decor (it’s plain) this place is purely for the food experience. Priced very well given the location. Warm staff, chef and owner. Will definitely be back for more.
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Chewy Trewhella
Google
4 years ago
5.0
I mean, look. You get what you pay for. And sakana-tei is beautiful. Lunch menu is what I had. 30 of your human £. Very pleasing. House white is great. Service is exceptional. But. It's also total dive. You're not fine dining. You're *good* dining.
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Sean Pearce EVRY
Google
5 years ago
5.0
Absolutely authentic hand made Japanese Sushi from this small, intimate family run business.
Sushi was the freshest and tastiest I've ever had and every dish was described in great detail by our host.
This has been my lifetime #1 dining experience!
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HS Han
Google
5 years ago
5.0
A must go place when you are in London and if you like real quality Japanese food with originality in the middle of Oxford Circus and Regent Street area! served by really nice Japanese people. Prices are not low but always good value with high satisfaction!
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Iris J
Google
5 years ago
5.0
Best sashimi in town. Moderate pricy. But the food quality worth every penny spent. We ordered assorted sashimi and chef’s special sushi. It’s definitely authentic and you can tell the chef knows what he’s doing when you see the sashimi was ranked from the lgihtest color to the darkest, because that’s the traditional & corrxt way to taste sushi/sashimi.
Fatty tuna sushi was my favorite, although I will never order urchin again.
The owner seems to be very angry and unfriendly all the time but another lady was always nice and helpful.
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Jon Hart
Google
6 years ago
4.0
Don't expect a conveyor belt!
Having watched so many authentic Japanese restaurants come and go in London, I'm glad this one looks set to stay.
For a Mayfair restaurant (even though it's just on the edge) the ambience, decor, service and staff are not what you'd expect. Thank god!
It's about as relaxed and unpretentious as you'll get in these parts.
And if you like the stuff that is served up on a conveyor belt, this probably isn't for you. It'll be much to fresh and flavoursome for your tastes ;-)
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Pleasefeedmeimadoge
Zomato
Dec 18, 2016
4.0
One of my neighborhood favorites. The staff is entirely Japanese and will treat you like family albeit in broken English. If you don't overstock on toro they have very affordable and reasonable prices. Ask what the specials are, as they change often and are written in Japanese on a board that is not reflected on the menu. <br/><br/>My major quips with this place are that they (for some) could certainly be considered unforgivingly slow. The other fault is in their rice for sushi being too cold. <br/><br/>I have an extreme bias towards this place as I've spent countless lunches here and grown attached to the staff. A neighborhood vibe in a place that can be as soulless as Mayfair is for me an oasis.<br/> <br/><br/>Edit: On my most recent trip to Sakana my rice was body temperature
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S T
Google
9 years ago
5.0
Love it. Sushi quality is absolutely brilliant. But I have to say though it is absolutely comfortable for typical Japanese like me, may be it is little bit awkward for those non-Japanese to come alone. I recommend you to come along with your Japanese friends.
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Nicole S
Google
10 years ago
5.0
A bit expensive but all worth it. The Chef is Japanese so fish cut is perfect. Sake selection is great and after the meal there is a Karaoke Bar just opposite. Felt I was in Japan for real !!!
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Agostino Maurotto
Google
11 years ago
5.0
Went there for lunch, food was quite good. the miso soup of the udon was exceptionally light and lovely, sushi was freshly prepared and excellent even if I chose mackerel.
price was very attractive, being around 30% cheaper than other restaurant nearby.
staff was quick and polite, sometime a bit too much quiet.
will go again
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Isabella Wilson
Zomato
Sep 28, 2014
5.0
I recently tried this Japanese place and had a great time. The food was excellent and was cooked to perfection with wonderful authentic flavours to it. The sushi and wasabi was great. The service is not that good but anyhow the ambience is pretty good and the seating is comfortable. Thus, I would love to visit this place for it's amazing food and would surely recommend to others as well.
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Nathan Nelson
Zomato
Sep 16, 2014
5.0
Japanese cuisine is a favourite. There is not a country or city where i have been and not tried japanese cuisine. This has to be,by far, the most delicious and authentic japanese dishes serving restaurant outside japan. Fishes are extremely fresh and delicious. In desserts, we had Ochazuke, not too sweet, just perfect! A must visit!
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Tushar Dey
Zomato
Sep 15, 2014
4.0
We went to this place for their set lunch. The set menu consists of an ample amount of dishes along with fruits for dessert. Mobile phone is not allowed at the sushi bar and that really allows you to enjoy the food with the person you have come along with. Staff was prompt and pleasing.
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Shyam Cherian
Zomato
Sep 14, 2014
2.0
I ave had the most appalling experience at the restaurant. They have a special price menu, so considering that the restaurant overall is a middle range place, we had ordered without asking. To our dismal pleasure, it turned out to be ridiculous and we ended up paying more than double what we had hoped for.
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Soham Din
Zomato
Sep 11, 2014
2.0
I agree that the place was over crowded and hence the sloppy service is excusable but the pathetic food, that is certainly not. We had to wait forever for our order to arrive and when it did, it was poor tasting. Also the person at the reception was incompetent. Overall a bad experience.
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Joshua Moss
Zomato
Sep 10, 2014
4.5
I have had plans to go to this place for ages but something always came up. I had also read quite a few good things about this place on many blogs and could not wait to finally experience the warmth of this place and I must say I was not disappointed. The food here is worth every praise you can bestow upon it and the staff is very prompt and efficient. The ambiance is soothing and relaxing. A must visit for everyone!
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Taylor Dickinson
Zomato
Sep 09, 2014
4.5
So this place is essentially amazing for Japanese people since the menu was entirely in Japanese. Moreover, they made sure that the ambiance throws a light over the Japanese tradition which is actually impressive. Mrs. Fumio came up with a beautiful smile along with a big huge blackboard with the menu written over it in Japanese. Going to a different place at times is very soothing and refreshing. I personally liked everything as a whole :)
Holly Vaughan
Zomato
Sep 08, 2014
5.0
If you want to experiment with some wonderful Japanese food and want to truly enjoy it then this is the right place to visit. You might not know Japanese but that will not hinder the choice of your food. This is courtesy the patience of the servers who are kind enough to help you out with every little thing. If you try and explore then you will be able discover a whole new dimension to the Japanese food.
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Michael Mann
Zomato
Sep 08, 2014
4.0
I went to this place for the first time and really enjoyed their authentic Japanese food. I went for the miso soup and tempura. Both the dishes were appealing and appetizing. The tempura was crisp and fresh. Portion size of the dishes were good too considering what you are paying for it. Worth a visit!
Josh Sykes
Zomato
Sep 08, 2014
5.0
Sometimes it so happens that you tend to not visit a place because of the mere fact that it has not even put a sign board to clearly indicate its presence. I believe it is quite the opposite. It is just that they are so good at what they are serving and how they are serving it that they do not need to create conspicuous sign boards to indicate their presence. I ended up visiting this place because I was desperate to eat Sushi. I was just amazed by the culture of the place. The environment is so warm and cosy. It is beautifully decorated and the food is the best that I have ever tasted. The people who were eating here had a genuine love for food and of course Sushi.
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Henry Brooks
Zomato
Sep 08, 2014
5.0
This place serves the best sushi in the entire city. If you care about the quality and quantity of sushi served and other dishes are out of your concern then this place would definitely be of your interest. The decor is good. The ambiance is inviting and the staff and their service is good too. The best part about this place is that they serve fresh and delectable sushi. Thoroughly recommended.
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Sofia Hill
Zomato
Sep 08, 2014
4.0
I stopped here to have some lunch the other day and I must say I was very impressed. The menu offers a variety of choices in food. All the food items we ordered were quite delicious and full of flavours. We even received some fruits as dessert. Take note that mobile phones are not allowed at the bar. The staff is amicable and the service impeccable. Definitely recommended.
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Sophie Thomas
Zomato
Sep 08, 2014
4.0
I first heard about this place from the most renowned critic of Japanese food in the country. I had asked him a question about which his favourite Japanese place in the city was, and to be honest, I was totally expecting him to reply with the name of the competitor of this place. However, he took the name of this place, and until then, I had never heard of it.
Leon Sanderson
Zomato
Sep 06, 2014
5.0
If you do not know anything about this restaurant, do see all of the reviews above and without a doubt go with the recommendations. This place serves brilliant Japanese food. The menu has an extensive selection of dishes to chose from. The menu is written in Japanese also. Service is prompt. Worth a visit!
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HungryBee Maija
Zomato
Sep 26, 2013
0.0
I don’t think my review does this restaurant justice and I actually advise you to look at the reviews for this restaurant that some of my fellow food bloggers have done, and you will have my sort of experience only if you don’t know anything much about this restaurant. The point of this restaurant, is that they have an amazing menu in Japanese and you need to speak to the owner or his wife and let them help you order food, then they will bring you some amazing things. Ordering from the menu they give you in English all the usual things just wont do this restaurant justice, but that is exactly what I did. So don’t do what I did, go there and engage with the people and let them help you. I went to Sakana Tei as two of my friends independently had told me I had to go there and it was very good. The restaurant is located in Mayfair, in front of the much mo
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Theskinnybib
Zomato
Sep 09, 2011
0.0
There was a special Japanese menu for Japanese people. Mrs Fumio arrived with a big smile and an even bigger blackboard where the menu was scribbled in Japanese!
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Two True Shokutsu
Zomato
May 15, 2011
0.0
Unfortunately for me, this is where the meal turned south. I was around halfway through my sushi selection, when I took a bit of the single piece of flounder. I found this had a distinctly chemical taste.
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Andy Hayler
Zomato
Sep 25, 2010
0.0
When I asked Richard Hosking (perhaps the leading authority on Japanese food in the UK) where his favourite Japanese restaurant was, I expected him to say Umu, which I knew he was impressed with. In fact he said Sakana Tei, which I had never heard of. Thi
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Meemalee
Zomato
Apr 18, 2010
4.5
I've been meaning to go to Sakana Tei for what seems like aeons. I'd read good things about it on a blog called Food for Stomach, which I'd followed avidly until one day it was made private - "for invited readers only". I was too embarrassed to ask for a
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Gourmet Traveller
Zomato
Oct 01, 2009
4.5
Avid readers of my blog will notice that I’ve written about Sakana-tei before. Indeed, repeat reviews are not the norm for me, but our fantastic meal there last Friday was so full of unusual offerings that I felt it warranted a second mention. This small
