RFK Cuisine · Omakase · London
Best Omakase Restaurants in London 2026
Chef's-choice sushi counters · London · 6 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 20, 2026 · Updated June 20, 2026
Five years ago London had perhaps two serious omakase counters; now Mayfair alone has a cluster of them, and the talent arriving is Tokyo's own. Shinji Kanesaka brought his name to a thirteen-seat counter on Park Lane, Endo Kazutoshi rebuilt the city's idea of sushi from a tower in White City and a rooftop in Whitehall, and a tiny seven-stool room in Clerkenwell remains the hardest reservation in Britain. The fish is flown from Japan, the rice is seasoned with red vinegar and served warm, and the bill at the top end now rivals Tokyo's. This is a guide to the chef's-choice counters worth the money, ranked on the sushi, the room and what the evening costs, with how to get a seat at each.
1.Sushi Kanesaka
Shinji Kanesaka's starred Mayfair counter, fish flown from Tokyo; book ahead for the city's reference Edomae nigiri at the top of the market.
Sushi Kanesaka, on the ground floor of 45 Park Lane, is the London outpost of the Tokyo master Shinji Kanesaka, and it is the city's reference omakase. The thirteen-seat counter runs a roughly twenty-course Edomae nigiri tasting for around 420 pounds, built on fish flown from Japan and treated the orthodox way — cured, aged, brushed with nikiri, set on warm red-vinegar shari. It holds a Michelin star and feels the closest thing in London to sitting at a top Ginza counter, down to the pace and the silence. This is sushi at the very top of the market, and it charges accordingly. Book a week or two ahead, take a counter seat, and put yourself entirely in the itamae's hands. The benchmark.
Reserve a week or two ahead, counter only; the Edomae nigiri omakase, the aged tuna, a sake flight.
2.Umu
Mayfair's starred Kyoto kaiseki room; book it when you want a cooked omakase progression alongside the sushi, not nigiri alone.
Umu, hidden behind a sliding door on Bruton Place, is the kaiseki-led answer to the nigiri counters — a Michelin-starred Mayfair room where executive chef Ryo Kamatsu builds chef's-choice menus in the delicate Kyoto style, threaded with sushi rather than built solely on it. This is the choice when "omakase" means a full cooked progression: clear seasonal soups, sashimi, grilled and simmered courses, and nigiri as one movement among many. The room is plush and discreet, the sake list one of the best in the city, and the cooking more varied than a pure sushi bar. It suits a diner who wants range and ceremony over a single-minded nigiri tasting. Book a week ahead, take the kaiseki menu with a sake pairing, and ask for the counter if you want to watch. The kaiseki pick.
Reserve a week ahead; the Kyoto kaiseki menu, the seasonal sushi course, a sake pairing.
3.The Araki
The intimate Mayfair counter that once held three stars; book it for a pure Edomae nigiri tasting in one of London's smallest rooms.
The Araki is the most storied counter on this list — it held three Michelin stars under founder Mitsuhiro Araki before he stepped back, and it has operated without a Michelin award since 2019, when the chef returned to Tokyo and his protégé took over the nine-seat Mayfair room. What remains is a serious, pure-Edomae omakase: a tight nigiri progression built on hand-selected fish, served at a hinoki counter in near silence. It is no longer the three-star phenomenon it was, and we rank it on what it is today rather than its history — but as an intimate, high-end nigiri experience it still belongs near the top of London omakase. Book ahead, take a counter seat, and judge it on the rice and the fish in front of you. The pedigree pick.
Reserve ahead, counter only; the Edomae nigiri omakase, the seasonal tuna, the tamago to finish.
4.Sushi Tetsu
Toru Takahashi's seven-stool Clerkenwell counter; book the moment a slot opens for the city's best-value serious omakase.
Sushi Tetsu, a seven-seat room in Clerkenwell run by chef Toru Takahashi with his wife on the floor, is the cult counter — famous as the hardest reservation in London, where slots are released periodically and gone in moments. Takahashi trained in the Edomae tradition and cooks a precise, generous omakase at a fraction of Mayfair prices, which is exactly why it is impossible to book. The room is tiny and the experience intimate to the point of being personal; the chef talks you through each piece. It is not the most expensive or the most decorated sushi in the city, but on value-for-craft it has no rival. Watch the booking system, pounce when a date opens, and take whatever slot you can get. The value pick.
Book the instant a slot opens (direct, weeks out); the omakase nigiri, the chef's seasonal picks, the hand rolls.
5.Kioku by Endo
Endo Kazutoshi's rooftop room at The OWO; book it for a sushi counter inside a bigger, more glamorous Whitehall night out.
Kioku, on the rooftop of The OWO — the restored Old War Office in Whitehall — is Endo Kazutoshi's larger, more expansive London project, opened alongside his White City counter. It is not a purist nigiri-only room: Kioku mixes a serious sushi offering with Japanese-European cooking and a glamorous bar, in a setting far grander than the discreet Mayfair counters. For omakase purists it is a step away from the single-minded experience, but for a diner who wants top-level sushi as part of a special, see-and-be-seen evening, it is among the most impressive rooms in the city. Sit at the sushi counter for the chef's selection rather than the dining room. Book ahead, especially at weekends, take a counter seat, and let the bar carry the rest of the night. The glamour pick.
Reserve ahead for weekends; the sushi-counter selection, the Japanese-European plates, a cocktail on the rooftop.
6.Endo at the Rotunda
Endo Kazutoshi's starred White City counter, reopening late summer 2026 after a refurb; put it on the list for the chef's signature Edomae.
Endo at the Rotunda, in the old BBC Television Centre in White City, is the counter that made Endo Kazutoshi a London name — an Edomae omakase that retains its Michelin star in the 2026 guide. Following a fire in September 2025 the room closed for a substantial refurbishment and is set to reopen in late summer 2026 with a redesigned, narrower ten-seat counter and a new woodscape lounge designed with the architect Kengo Kuma; in the interim Endo has cooked at pop-ups around the city. We include it because it remains one of the best sushi seats in London and is returning, but check the reopening date before you plan around it. When it is back, it is a destination. Confirm the reopening, book the counter as soon as bookings reopen, and take the full nigiri omakase. The returning star.
Confirm the late-summer-2026 reopening before booking; the Edomae nigiri omakase, the chef's seasonal courses, the counter.
How London does omakase
London's omakase boom is recent and concentrated. The serious counters cluster in Mayfair — Sushi Kanesaka on Park Lane, Umu on Bruton Place, the Araki nearby — with Endo Kazutoshi's two rooms in White City and Whitehall and Sushi Tetsu holding down Clerkenwell. The model is Tokyo's: a small counter, an itamae setting the pace, an omakase (chef's-choice) progression of nigiri on warm shari, much of the fish flown from Japan. The market moves fast — the former Taku site in Mayfair has just become Sushi Amamoto under another Japanese master — so it pays to check what is current before you book.
A few practical notes. These are counters, not casual sushi bars: book a week or more ahead, longer for Sushi Tetsu, and reserve the counter rather than a table for the full experience. Prices run from around 100 pounds to 420, and sake pairings add up. Tipping follows London norms — a discretionary service charge is usually added. For pure sushi beyond the omakase format, and for the rest of the city's Japanese tables, see our best Japanese restaurants in London and the London dining guide, which maps the city by neighbourhood and occasion.
Where not to look for it
Skip these for serious London omakase
The conveyor-belt and high-street "omakase" set menus. Plenty of London sushi chains now print the word omakase on a fixed platter that arrives all at once — that is not omakase, which is a paced, chef-led counter experience. For the real thing, book Sushi Kanesaka on Park Lane or watch for a Sushi Tetsu slot.
Kioku when you want a silent, purist nigiri counter. It is a large, glamorous, bar-led rooftop room where sushi is one part of a bigger night — the wrong call if you want the hushed, single-minded counter experience. For that, point yourself at Sushi Kanesaka, the Araki or Sushi Tetsu instead.
Frequently asked
What is the best omakase in London?
Sushi Kanesaka at 45 Park Lane is the city's reference omakase — a 13-seat Mayfair counter from the Tokyo master Shinji Kanesaka, holding a Michelin star and running an Edomae nigiri tasting at around 420 pounds for some twenty courses. Endo Kazutoshi's rooms are its main rival, and Umu offers a more kaiseki-led version of the chef's-choice experience. Choose Sushi Kanesaka for pure Edomae nigiri at the top of the market and Umu when you want Kyoto kaiseki alongside the sushi.
How much does omakase cost in London?
London omakase runs from around 100 pounds at the more accessible counters to 420 pounds at the top of the market. Sushi Kanesaka's twenty-course Edomae tasting is roughly 420 pounds; the Araki sits a little below it; Endo's counters and Umu's kaiseki menus land in the 200-to-350-pound range; and Sushi Tetsu is the relative bargain at a fraction of those figures. Expect the bill to climb with sake pairings, and book the counter rather than a table for the full experience.
Is omakase in London worth it?
At the top rooms, yes. London now imports genuine Tokyo talent — Shinji Kanesaka and Endo Kazutoshi both bring Edomae lineages to Mayfair and Whitehall — and the fish, much of it flown from Japan, is treated to proper curing, aging and warm shari. It is expensive and the counters are small, so it is an occasion rather than a casual meal. For pure nigiri the answer is an easy yes; if you prefer a longer cooked progression, a kaiseki-led room like Umu may suit you better.
How hard is it to book omakase in London?
It varies sharply. Sushi Tetsu in Clerkenwell is famously the hardest seat in the city — seven stools, booked weeks out through the restaurant directly. Sushi Kanesaka and Umu take reservations through their own systems and need a week or two for a prime evening. Endo's rooms book ahead online. The Araki is easier than it was in its three-star years. As a rule, plan a week or more ahead for any of them, and longer for Sushi Tetsu.
Where is London's omakase scene?
Mostly Mayfair, with outliers. The recent boom has concentrated around Mayfair — Sushi Kanesaka at 45 Park Lane, Umu on Bruton Place and the Araki nearby — with Endo Kazutoshi at Television Centre in White City and his newer Kioku on the rooftop of The OWO in Whitehall. Sushi Tetsu holds down Clerkenwell. The centre of gravity is firmly in the west, where the high-end counters cluster, but the best seats are worth crossing town for.
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