About Zuma
Zuma opened on Raphael Street in Knightsbridge in 2002 and set the modern template for upscale Japanese dining in London. The format — sushi counter, robata grill, central bar, oak and stone interior — has since been replicated across its global chain (ROKA is its sister brand), but the Knightsbridge original remains the most theatrical and the hardest reservation.
The menu is a contemporary izakaya format: skewers from the robata, sushi and sashimi from the central counter, a signature miso-marinated black cod, a spicy beef tenderloin tataki, and a sake and shochu list that rivals any dedicated Japanese restaurant in the city. The bar programme — Japanese-accented cocktails, yuzu and shiso running through much of it — is genuinely destination-grade.
The Raphael Street location places the restaurant between Knightsbridge station and the Mandarin Oriental, which makes it walkable from the serious hotels and from Harvey Nichols. Service runs faster and louder than the Mayfair tasting-menu rooms — more polished nightclub than fine-dining restaurant in temperament.
Best Occasion Fit
Zuma closes deals where the evening wants to run long. The bar programme extends the dinner naturally, the sharing-plate format accommodates groups of any size, and the Knightsbridge address reads correctly to international clients who know the hotel circuit. Hardest of the Japanese-category reservations to secure, which is itself part of the signal.
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