Japanese Cuisine

Kanada-Ya returns to expansion trail with Westfield opening

23-Jul-2024 By James McAllister

Japanese ramen group Kanada-Ya is to launch its first London restaurant in nearly two years with a new opening at Westfield shopping centre in White City.

Tonkotsu heads to Bristol

16-Jul-2024 By Joe Lutrario

London-centric ramen restaurant group Tonkotsu has chosen Bristol for its third regional location.

Sticks’n’Sushi heads to Islington for 14th restaurant

10-Jul-2024 By Restaurant

Danish Japanese restaurant group Sticks’n’Sushi will open its 14th UK location this September.

Capdesia exits Marugame Udon Europe

08-Jul-2024 By Restaurant

Marugame Udon Europe parent company Toridoll Holdings is to take full ownership of the noodle restaurant group, with Capdesia successfully exiting its investment.

Taro launches restaurants in Brentwood and Catford

28-Jun-2024 By Joe Lutrario

London-based Japanese restaurant group Taro has launched sites in Brentwood and Catford bringing its total number of sites to eight.

Junsei opens first international outpost

27-Jun-2024 By James McAllister

Junsei, the high-reaching yakitori restaurant in London’s Marylebone, has launched an international outpost in Indonesia, with further expansion planned.

Bone Daddies tees up new concept as it returns to profit

26-Jun-2024 By James McAllister

Bone Daddies will launch a fourth restaurant brand this year as part of a new joint venture.

Bow Hospitality to open first Edinburgh restaurant

14-Jun-2024 By James McAllister

Scotland-based operator Bow Hospitality Group is to open its first restaurant in the country’s capital next month.

Latest opening: Akira Back

10-Jun-2024 By Restaurant

The new Mandarin Oriental Mayfair hotel has welcomed a superstar Korean chef to its ranks.

Sushi Revolution plots further expansion as it launches second London site

07-Jun-2024 By James McAllister

Contemporary Japanese restaurant Sushi Revolution has launched its second London site in Shoreditch with plans for further openings in the capital.

‘Volatile economic environment’ leads Kokoro to reassess expansion plans

05-Jun-2024 By James McAllister

Grab-and-go sushi and bento brand Kokoro is to ‘transition from pursuing aggressive growth’ following a dip in profits.

Latest opening: Los Mochis London City

07-May-2024 By Joe Lutrario

Markus Thesleff has put his money where his mouth with one of the most ambitious restaurant launches The City has seen for some time.

Chotto Matte to expand into Georgia

19-Apr-2024 By James McAllister

Kurt Zdesar’s Japanese-Peruvian restaurant brand Chotto Matte is continuing to push forward with international expansion having secured a site in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Sticks'n'Sushi and Deliveroo announce exclusive partnership

11-Mar-2024 By James McAllister

Danish-owned sushi and kushiyaki specialist Sticks’n’Sushi has launched an exclusive partnership with Deliveroo.

Sticks'n'Sushi secures £22m loan to support UK expansion

21-Feb-2024 By James McAllister

Danish-owned sushi and kushiyaki specialist Sticks’n’Sushi has secured a £22m loan from digital bank OakNorth to support its future growth in the UK.

Endo at the Rotunda to refurb and reopen with a more ‘immersive and personal omakase experience’

20-Feb-2024 By Joe Lutrario

Endo Kazutoshi 11-seater flagship will close for a refurbishment mid next month before reopening in late summer with an ‘even more immersive and personal omakase experience’.

Chris Hicks and Alex Bagner to open The Blue Pelican in Deal

16-Feb-2024 By Restaurant

The husband-and-wife team behind The Rose in Deal will open a restaurant and wine bar in the coastal town later this month.

Endo Kazutoshi reveals details of his forthcoming restaurant at The OWO

02-Feb-2024 By James McAllister

Sushi maestro Endo Kazutoshi’s new restaurant at The OWO in London’s Whitehall will be called Kioku by Endo and is set to launch in the spring.

Flash-grilled: Ashley Chipchase

31-Jan-2024 By James McAllister

The founder of London-based fusion street food brand Mexican Seoul on his first experiences working on Brick Lane market, solving problems, and the two best meals he's ever eaten.

La Muña restaurant to open first UK site

24-Jan-2024 By Restaurant

Japanese and Peruvian restaurant La Muña will open its first London location this spring.

Masaki Sugisaki: “I won’t buy from fishermen I haven’t been out on the boat with”

12-Jan-2024 By Joe Lutrario

The chef patron of Chelsea Japanese restaurant Dinings SW3 is partnering with four like-minded cooks to champion sustainable fishing practices and a ‘gill-to-tail’ approach in the kitchen.

Latest opening: INÉ

05-Jan-2024 By Joe Lutrario

Takuya Watanabe and the Leong family’s follow up to their Michelin-starred Mayfair omakase joint Taku has a more casual vibe but is still decidedly high-end.

Dinings SW3 highlights sustainable seafood with ‘gill-to-tail’ dinner series

03-Jan-2024 By Joe Lutrario

Dinings SW3 executive chef Masaki Sugisaki is partnering with four other high-profile chefs for a series of dinners that are designed to throw the spotlight on sustainable seafood.

Los Mochis Notting Hill to launch six-seater omakase counter

11-Dec-2023 By Joe Lutrario

Mexican-Japanese restaurant Los Mochis Notting Hill will launch a six-seat omakase concept early next year.

Catch CLAP in London’s Knightsbridge

24-Oct-2023 By Restaurant

Middle East-based Japanese dining concept CLAP is to make its UK debut later this year in London’s Knightsbridge.

Taku team to double up with INÉ

02-Oct-2023 By Joe Lutrario

The team behind Michelin-starred Mayfair omakase sushi restaurant Taku will launch a much larger restaurant in Hampstead later this month.

“Nothing goes according to plan sometimes” - Hot Stone Group replaces The Gurkhas with WagyuNSushi

28-Sep-2023 By James McAllister

Hot Stone Group has closed its modern Nepalese restaurant The Gurkhas on London’s Great Portland Street after less than six months of trading and relaunched it as Japanese concept WagyuNSushi.

House of Fu heads to Manchester

20-Sep-2023 By Joe Lutrario

Leeds-based ‘day to night’ ramen, cocktail and karaoke bar is doubling up, with a second location set to open in Manchester next month.

Purchase of YO! owner completes

19-Sep-2023 By Restaurant

The Snowfox Group’s acquisition by Zensho Holdings has completed in a deal valued at $621m (£500m).

Japanese restaurant Ginza to open new cocktail bar

18-Sep-2023 By Restaurant

Japanese restaurant Ginza is launching a cocktail and sake bar this month.

Sukoshi Sushi to launch debut site at KERB’s Seven Dials Market

08-Sep-2023 By James McAllister

A new sushi bar concept is to launch its first site later this month at KERB’s Seven Dials Market in London’s Covent Garden.

Bone Daddies confirms Leicester Square opening

30-Aug-2023 By James McAllister

Bone Daddies has confirmed it will open its next ramen bar this October close to London’s Leicester Square.

The Lowdown: KFC's omakase dining experience

04-Aug-2023 By James McAllister

The Colonel has used the capital’s growing appetite for omakase restaurants as inspiration for the launch of its latest burger special.

Wolfox group launches FUMI in Brighton

27-Jul-2023 By James McAllister

Brighton-based coffee shop and restaurant group Wolfox has launched a new concept designed to merge ‘Japanese culinary culture with the local produce of Sussex’.

Manchester’s New Wave Ramen to launch first permanent site

26-Jul-2023 By Joe Lutrario

New Wave Ramen will build on its success at Manchester’s Mackie Mayor food hall with the launch of its debut permanent site later this year.

Bone Daddies enjoys ‘consistent demand’ as revenue rises

13-Jul-2023 By Shwetali Sapte

Bone Daddies has reported £17.3m in revenue for the year ended 30 September 2022, up 57.5% on the £11m reported in FY21.

Shinji Kanesaka: "I still consider myself a student, the customer is my teacher"

23-Jun-2023 By Joe Lutrario

The sushi master behind the recently opened Sushi Kanesaka at 45 Park Lane on why being a top omakase chef requires a philosophical outlook.

Sticks’n’Sushi to open two south west London restaurants

23-Jun-2023 By Restaurant

Restaurant group Sticks’n’Sushi has announced it will open two new restaurants in London.

KIBOU heads to Cambridge

30-May-2023 By Joe Lutrario

Premium casual Japanese group Kibou will open a site in Cambridge this summer taking its total number of sites to five.

Latest opening: Kibako

05-May-2023 By Joe Lutrario

A Fitzrovia-based Japanese restaurant that’s boxing clever on the former site of RAI.

Flash-grilled: Daisuke Hayashi

27-Apr-2023 By James McAllister

The kaiseki master behind high-reaching Japanese restaurant Roketsu in London's Marylebone on getting his start at the renowned, three Michelin-starred Kyoto restaurant, Kikunoi; and his love of sake.

How Chotto Matte turned the pandemic to its advantage

25-Apr-2023 By Joe Lutrario

Amid the chaos of Covid-19, Kurt Zdesar snapped up a string of big-ticket sites for his premium-casual Nikkei restaurant concept.

Hakkasan owner Tao Group acquired by Mohari Hospitality

18-Apr-2023 By James McAllister

The US-centric Tao Group Hospitality, which owns the Hakkasan restaurant group, has been sold to a global investment firm owned PokerStars co-founder Mark Scheinberg in a deal worth $550m.

SushiDog secures funding for further expansion

05-Apr-2023 By James McAllister

Quick service sushi roll concept SushiDog has secured more than £500,000 in funding to further expand in the capital.

Steve Hill appointed managing director of Bone Daddies Group as co-founder steps away

15-Mar-2023 By James McAllister

Steve Hill has been appointed managing director of the Bone Daddies Group after its co-founder and previous MD, Demetri Tomazos, recently stepped away from the business.

Roketsu to launch downstairs à la carte dining space

10-Mar-2023 By James McAllister

High-reaching Japanese restaurant Roketsu in London's Marylebone is to launch a downstairs à la carte dining space this month to serve as a counterpoint to its main tasting menu concept.

The Lowdown: sushi terrorism

10-Mar-2023 By Stefan Chomka

Japan’s restaurant scene is under threat from a wave of hygiene incidents caused by customers.

Marugame Udon hits double figures with The Strand opening

08-Mar-2023 By Restaurant

Japanese noodle group Marugame Udon will open its 10th restaurant in the UK this month, on London’s The Strand.

Boxing clever: contemporary Japanese restaurant Kibako to launch in Fitzrovia

27-Feb-2023 By Joe Lutrario

The group behind Islington Japanese restaurant Hot Stone will launch a restaurant that majors in kibako - selection boxes of sushi and sashimi - in Fitzrovia mid next month.

Ivan Orkin eyes franchising opportunities in the UK following the launch of Ivan Mazemen

17-Feb-2023 By Joe Lutrario

High-profile US-based ramen chef Ivan Orkin is exploring further expansion in the UK after licensing a new concept to delivery and food hall business Sessions.