The best restaurants serving Japanese food in Kingston upon Thames London

Cute little setup inside, friendly staff and delicious food. We went for the crispy salmon sushi which was delicious and a meal in itself. Definitely underestimated the portion sizes. The sushi was lovely and fresh and full of flavour. The chicken yakisoba was again lovely, well presented and very filling. I think if we went back we'd just have the sushi as it was definitely the best sushi we've had.

Got my 1st time lockdown delivery, food was great, if I would have known I would have ordered more and am still contemplating it. I makes a change to have another good sushi place in my area 10/10 thank you Uber for showing this place will definitely ordering more 😍

The atmosphere and location of the store are very good. The staff are all friendly and the food is very delicious.

We thought the restaurant was empty due to it being Monday which was fine. Very dark place, plastic covers on the chairs. Friendly enough. ordered white wine which they did not have but offered us another for over £20. Awful Dino cheap wine tasting like water. Lady brought us main course before the starters then all came at once. which I had never experienced that. We were all confused!! Bill came as a shock. Pity. Last visit for us.

Review written on 7 October 2021: I have been a customer of AtariYa in Kingston for many years ever since the shop originally opened, but my visit yesterday with a friend was most disappointing. In fact, we were so disgusted that we walked out. My friend and I were both wearing masks. I have a Japanese family and I have lived, worked and travelled widely in Japan for over 45 years and have friends who run top quality sushi restaurants in Tokyo and Narita so I do know proper Japanese food. My first disappointment was the lack of sushi Bento boxes. Previously, there has always been a really good selection of excellent quality all freshly made but on this visit there was very little on display and all looking rather dull. Apart from the lack of stock, possibly caused by the present worldwide delivery problems, I was disappointed to see items which appeared to be Japanese but were not actually made in Japan. That is extremely misleading. Inspection of some of the nori seaweed packets showed that they were produced in China, similarly, some items in the freezer which were made in Vietnam. I asked the male fishmonger (not Japanese) behind the sashimi counter about this but got no answer. Of course it is not impossible to produce good quality food which is not made in its original country but I go to a Japanese food shop to buy genuine Japanese food, not food produced somewhere else. I do not eat anything from China because I do not trust their production methods due to at least one scandal in Japan involving the use of pesticides on imported Chinese products. At the sashimi fish counter at the rear of the shop there seemed to be a much smaller selection than there used to be. I ask the male fishmonger, in Japanese, for a particular fish but he didn't understand me so I repeated just the name of the fish (shime saba) and he did point to the correct fish. However, although he was wearing a mask, it was pulled down, thus exposing his nostrils. A female staff member then appeared, also wearing a mask but also not covering her nose. I asked both of them why their masks were not correctly positioned but they just smiled (I don't know why) and pulled the masks up to cover their noses but it was too late. I told them that it was disgusting to be breathing all over raw fish while the Covid pandemic is still continuing but there was no proper reply from either. These two staff members were not Japanese and the very nice Japanese gentleman who has always previously run the fish counter was not present. Two English men then came in and looked at the sushi bento items but neither was wearing a mask even while leaning over the products. The products were in plastic boxes but that is not the point. It is absolutely unimaginable that any Japanese person, either customer or staff, would lean over any food, particularly raw food, in a virus pandemic without wearing a proper mask. In Japan, staff who are preparing food in public view normally wear masks, gloves, hats and a proper uniform but, of course, this is England. I absolutely cannot imagine what Japanese people think of such low standards. I complained once before about the poor attitude of an English staff member in this shop and received an apology from AtariYa. Obviously, poor hygiene is even more important so I will be writing again to the AtariYa management. It is very important that shops purporting to be Japanese do actually give a proper good impression of their products. Very few non-Japanese people have any idea what real Japanese food is and what I saw in the shop yesterday was simply not acceptable. Other reviewers on this site have made similar criticisms. I will never go to this shop again. Nor will my friends.

To be honest we felt let down by the whole dinner. The service was not great. One dish never appeared and it was taken off the bill. We waited over an hour between dishes and asked several times when it was coming and kept being told yes soon. We watched the Delivery orders constantly being picked up which added to the frustration of whilst sat in your restaurant we were getting less service.

Visited here a couple of weeks ago with friends. It took a long time to get served despite not being busy and dishes came at random times: I got my starter and main together. The food is quite good, however the Korean barbecue is disappointing as it is electric and the bibimbap didn't contain an egg and there was Japanese dishes on the menu - it didn't feel authentic.

Loved the bulgogi! The pancake is also amazing

I hate doing this because all my favourite places get crowded. This place, however, is an absolute gem. I lived and ate all over Asia for over a decade. This is authentic and good Asian cuisine in London. The sushi was outstanding. The beef ramen is perfect. Value wise, this little place can not be beat. If you miss great food in Asia or would like an authentic Asian taste experience at an unbelievably reasonable price, go here. Service was friendly and quick and we enjoyed the vibe.

Delicious food and great prices. I've tried all their dishes over the years and all brilliant. Favourites are the chicken teriyaki and yaki soba. Staff are lovely too, very friendly and helpful.

We booked the place on the day for table of 6 for my Parents’ anniversary. We were greeted with lovely smiles and they were overall very welcoming and friendly. When we got in, to our surprise, we had a private dining room with its own heater & coat hanger! The room was the right size and had this very Japanese style room. Ko & Alice had an excellent customer service which definitely made my parents’ anniversary special ❤️. We didn’t have to wait long for the food. Quality of the food was good!! They’re so quick responding to our requests aswell (like refill of tap water). Overall, we highly recommend this restaurant! Great food and excellent service! Will definitely be back x

Standard pre made sushi. Good price with a voucher.

We ordered chicken katsu curry, chicken gyoza, prawn katsu curry, and dorayaki pancakes. Most of the food was great, but the chicken in the katsu curry was really disappointing. It tasted like old frying oil, even though the rest of the dish was fine but the chicken was easily the worst I have ever had from a Japanese resturant. For how much it costs, it just didn’t feel worth the price. On top of that, the kitchen didn’t look clean. The stainless steel walls and hot plates seemed like they hadn’t been properly cleaned in ages, and the bowls on the conveyor belt, especially the clear domes, looked dirty too. Luckily, my wife’s chicken gyoza and prawn katsu curry were really good and I highly recommend them especially the orayaki pancakes, so at least she enjoyed her meal!

A couple of weekends ago, I stumbled upon Pokie & Roll, a delightful Japanese Fusion Poke Bowl restaurant in Kingston, which turned out to be an unexpected highlight of my evening. After discovering that the kitchen at the neighboring pub had already closed post 9pm and with my stomach growling louder than the music next door, I was in dire need of a quick, satisfying meal. Thankfully, the security at the pub recommended Pokie & Roll, just as they were about to close for the night. At first glance, seeing the staff tidying up, I was hesitant. But to my surprise, they were incredibly welcoming. Upon request from the security, a staff member named Abs graciously reopened the salad bar and consulted with the kitchen. Moments later, they prepared a delicious crispy chicken katsu curry bowl with a side of fresh salad. Abs was particularly friendly and helpful, offering recommendations without rushing me, ensuring my meal was exactly what I needed. The bowl was not only a lifesaver but genuinely delicious—a true testament to the quality and freshness of their food. The kindness and flexibility of Abs and the rest of the staff at Pokie & Roll turned a simple meal into a memorable part of my night. This place isn’t just a restaurant, it’s a prime example of customer service excellence, where the staff goes above and beyond to accommodate a late customer. Pokie & Roll is definitely a hidden gem in Kingston with its lovely team and exceptional food. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, delightful bite. Huge thanks to Abs and the team—you truly made my night!

Nice little Korean restaurant with decent food (Korean food was good, the Korean infused Japanese food was decent) and friendly staff. Impressed by the charcoal Korean BBQ. Wish there're more kimchi options.