The best Japanese restaurants in Shoreditch

Sanjugo may look unassuming from the outside, but inside, it's a little slice of Japan. The restaurant is cosy and small, serving grade-A sashimi and sake – which can be seen on the counter at the front – with welcoming staff and super-skilled chefs, including a head chef with over 20 years of experience working at Sushisamba. Upstairs, you'll find an intimate whisky and sake bar, perfect for sipping on the finest Japanese drinks. 

Nobu's reputation is well-deserved, with 56 locations on six continents, where Chef Nobu Matsuhisa has crafted menus of Japanese techniques mixed with Peruvian flavours. The Shoreditch branch provides a sleek setting for some of the best Japanese fine dining in the city. Their Bento boxes are filled with their viral dishes, like their famous miso black cod and baby tiger shrimp with three sauces. While the sushi is among the best in the city, the cocktail menu is also worth ordering from.

Few places serve a bowl of creamy ramen as comforting as Shoryu, including their popular Shoreditch restaurant. Their rich Japanese soup is made with hearty 12-hour pork broth and topped with things like char siu barbecue pork belly. They also offer a delicious mushroom broth that's vegan-friendly, along with a variety of other tasty Japanese side dishes.

The food at Sticks'n'Sushi is more like art than food, and has made a name for being one of the best places to enjoy the Japanese delicacy in London, or perhaps even the UK. The menu focuses on traditional sushi and yakitori skewers, which come in various meat and veggie options. This restaurant is all about Japanese techniques but with Danish minimalist aesthetics in both its decor and food presentation.

When it comes to ramen, Tonkotsu has mastered the craft. As the name suggests, their speciality is ramen with noodles cooked to perfection in precisely 32 seconds, which is supposedly how you cook them for the perfect medium bite. You can also enjoy a selection of sides, like chilli cauliflower wings and cucumber and mustard seed pickles.