Cafe Japan in Barnet

My favourite Japanese restaurant in London! The food and service were exceptional, exceeding all expectations. I can’t remember how many times I’ve visited this restaurant, and every friend I’ve brought here for Japanese food has recognised it.

Amazing Omakase! I keep going back cause it's just so yummy! Highly recommend! Good price. Plus, very nice relaxing atmosphere. Thank you so much cafe Japan!

So far so good, not bad but as good as expected. Still can have improvement.

Outstanding food and service. Great staff. They go above and beyond. The best sushi in London👍

It's the most delicious Chu-toro I had in London!!! Also, they have a lot of options for the Japanese wine and I planned to try it next time.

The restaurant is clean, cosy and the service is very welcoming. And the food? The food is fab! We went for salmon and o-toro nigiri, spicy tuna and prawn tempura rolls, octopus karaage and giozas. The octopus was super tasty and well cooked (not too cheeky and not hard, just perfect!), and the sushi was simply put: amazing 🍣🤩 Definitely a must try restaurant if you appreciate good quality sushi and are in the area - We will come back for sure!

I'm so happy to have found such a wonderful sushi restaurant at the back of Golders Green. All dishes were extremely delicious. Be sure to become a regular customer of this store.

Rarely leave reviews but this place is the true definition of a hidden gem.

Favourite sushi in London for quality, vibe and value. We love to sit at the bar for omakase.

Good classic japanese restaurant. No discovery just what you expect

Authentic delicious sushi. We were so excited about the food that we even forgot to photograph everything. We’ll definitely come back until we tried everything from the menu. :)

High quality food very friendly service and friendly prices. Definitely recommend.

Japanese quality in terms of taste and service. Another surprising finding of Japanese restaurants in north London which I can recommend to my friends from Japan. The shop's name is "Café" but this is a truly authentic Japanese restaurant.

A must visit for all sushi lovers. Forget all the restaurants in Mayfair, THIS is the best value and quality you will be able to find in London. I am a regular and it never disappoints. Everyone who works there is amazing. Make sure you sit at the bar.

This sushi restaurant serves Japanese food of the highest standard in the UK. The cost performance is quite good.

We still chose omakase. The food is Very fresh and worth to go. The scallop is a little bit sweet. Unagi nigrini is the best ever!!!! I think I can eat 20 pieces. Lol

Hands down the best sushi spot in London for the price. This is serious sushi - not the run of the mill that you normally get in London. The nigiri is insane, we are talking Endo omakase level at a fraction of the cost. Don’t miss it if you’re into sush…

great place - as authentic Japanese as you will find in London and reasonable prices

Authentic Japanese food. Although price is on the high end, the food quality and service are excellent! Highly recommended.

It has been 5 years since I first came to this restaurant. The Omakase is amazing and definitely value for money; the surroundings are relexed and laid back, and all member of staffs are very friendly. Overall 10/10 with no double.

When coming back from my first visit to Japan I obviously missed the food and the simple places in the country where you could still get authentic and good sushi at a fair price. After a bit of research I stumbled upon this place. To say it is unpretentious from the outside would be an understatement. Once inside, you immediately get the feeling you are up for some good food though. Everyone is friendly and you can see a few hints that indicate this is a proper place for sushi. The quality of the fish is excellent as you would expect from a place that has the same source as some of London's top high end omakase restaurants. The rice is really good, not heavily seasoned or sweetened and served at room temperature. The prices are absolutely fair and I would say for £50-100 per person, you can really treat yourself (£100 will be at the top end with the most expensive items ordered). You wouldnt get anywhere near that at the Mayfair places. I would always recommend the sushi vs. the donburis though as the skills of the sushi master come out better here although a premium kaisen chirashi don for £30 is hard to match.

So my dad lives in China and there's amazing Japanese food in Guangzhou due to Japanese migration and I went with my friend to Cafe Japan because I missed real sushi not the over expensive bad central London " sushi" and omg Cafe Japan was perfect I loved it so much the good like medium price but SO MUCH and SO TASTY and gorgeous presented it felt like Michelin recommended I swear.

Very authentic Japanese dishes. All were so nice. Sashimi is high grade. Side dishes are all tasty and they are pretty authentic. Staff members were all nice and friendly.

Lovely food, arrived at 6pm sharp and got a table without booking. Very lucky. food was amazing with fresh seafood. Highly recommended. Sake was lovely and waitress were very helpful guiding us the how and why in sake. 10/10

The sashimi and sushi at this bustling local spot were of good quality and reasonably priced. The mackerel sashimi stood out with its rich flavour, while the uni in the maki tempura fell short due to its strong fishy taste. While the cold dishes shone, the hot options disappointed. The Tempura Don had a nice variety but was soggy, and the Grilled Eel Don lacked sufficient sauce. Additionally, service waned as the restaurant filled up, making it challenging to get staff attention for ordering and the bill. Perhaps opting for hojicha instead of the bland refillable green tea would be a better choice for tea enthusiasts.

Best sushi I've had in years. Super fresh, smooth, and wide-ranging sushi menu. I enjoyed my five kinds of sashimi, my O Toro Nigiri, my sea bream nigiri, and yellow tail nigiri. They have the full spectrum of 'fattiness' for the tuna - perfection. My fam loved the kake udon (soup udon), and everyone was simply gushing about the quality and experience the entire time. They are not always open and not open for long on their working days, so make sure to book ahead.

Amazing sushi, fatty tuna was the highlight!

One of the best Japanese restaurants in London. Very authentic and for a decent price. You really get your bang for buck here. The quality of fish is extremely fresh and very high. I think the service could be slightly better if I had any feedback. Had to really flag somebody down to take our order and the food also does take quite a bit of time to come especially during peak dinner times. However, I highly recommend all sushi and sashimi lovers to come check it out!

Come here frequently can't recommend it enough!

Love their omakase (better one by one at the counter), and negitoro. Haven't tried other dishes as these are my usual go to. My new fav red mullet nigiri. Nigiri quality easily better than those high end place in central London (except kanasaka, tetsu, endo but then..... )

Very nice and authenic food, nice staff and environment. Would recommend and visit again. :>

食物質素，服務及氣氛都很好👍🏻 每週營業五天，週一及週二休息。

Good as I recalled, Omakase set is a must try, I get it everytime I visit, regardless of the price. It is a bit expensive than your average sushi platter but this is totally worth it! 👍 The black cod miso is reasonably priced and very delicious 😋 good service and friendly staff. Hard to book the sushi bar but definitely should try for an Omakase experience 💯

Possibly the best sushi I’ve had in the UK so far. The fatty tuna was a highlight. The price was not too expensive for what it is. I’m already looking forward to my next trip back!

Across from Golders Green tube. I enjoyed the food and it seemed pretty traditional. My family had the nigiri platter which looked great. My food was tasty

I had the pleasure of dining at this Japanese restaurant, and I can say with confidence that it offers truly authentic Japanese food.

The best sushi I have ever had in London, highly recommended! Very authentic, and wide selection of sushi available

Absolutely the BEST 🍣 🍣 Sushi in London worth every penny 😋 👌 book to get a seat gets busy

I have to say that this is the best japanese restrant in London. They serve very quickly even if it was busy time with full of people around 7:30pm. And the stuffes are probably all japanese with a lots of respect. Food was fantastic : We had Oysters with Yuzu, Agedashi Tofu( Inside is thick and outside was so crunchy with thick skin), Sardine deep fried with shiso leaf, and Sushi assortment ( As soon as you put shusi inslde your mouth, Umami is spread with sweetnes). House Sake has full of cultures as they put a glass inside a box called Masu. You should try.

Really Authentic Japanese food. It's expensive but well worth the price for a special treat. The sushi is very fresh and has a strong umami and fresh ocean flavour. Had the Tako wasabi, Age dashi Tofu and Yuzu Oyster which were all very tasty. And A sushi set which was the highlight. Great Sake too. Generous portion.

Great price for 14 pieces of omakase experience. It’s a busy restaurant so make a reservation and already booked another time to come back.

Really one of the best sashimi you could find in London with a fair price

I’ve always been a big fan of Cafe Japan sushi for the quality of food as well as the service. I’ve visited for dinner last night and although the staff was very attentive and caring and fish was good, rice was just terrible. As a Japanese I understand the importance of rice when having sushi and café Japan never disappointed me before. But the rice I had yesterday was simply revolting. Either badly cooked or poor quality rice was broken and glued together, it has completely destroyed the good taste of fish. Very disappointing.

Top quality value and fresh 14 piece sushi omakase, highly recommend and will come back again

Very fresh and good sushi with reasonable price. Would recommend it.

Best Japanese restaurant in London

Went for dinner with some friends and thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the restraunt. Great service by our waitress Tiffany who recommended some great dishes, both sushi and other dishes. Can't wait to go back!

Authentic Japanese cuisine in London with no regrets. Nice staff.

Highly recommend this japanese restaurant, I Tried the nigiri omakase and the fish quality served was top notch at a very reasonable price you will definitely taste the freshness. We ordered a few other dishes and it was really good too. The service here are really good, all the staff are really nice and super friendly. Kudos to the amazing chefs and waitresses for this wonderful experience. I will definitely revisit when I’m back in London. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Totally unassuming entrance, name and location. But my goodness, this place has some of the best sushi in the city. Price is very fair too. Service is definitely on the slow side unfortunately.

Food was really good! Better than eat Tokyo but the select was smaller. I think it’s worth visiting though!

Amazing quality sashimi and sushi, much higher quality than any other London restaurants I've been to! Price also very fair, considering the quality. Very unassuming entrance and restaurant name,however it should not be missed for any sushi lovers

Great place with excellent food

Impeccable sushi - cooked stuff is very good too . Sushi is on par with , it not better than the sushi I ate in Japan over the past few months . Cafe Japan has had its ups and downs over the past few decades but under Atari-ya group it has been consistently excellent for a while now . So happy to have this gem nearby .

Absolutely wonderful food. I had the sashimi platter and a selection of nigiri and inside-out rolls. Not only were they all delicious, but everything was perfectly presented, and included freshly grated wasabi and good quality soy sauce. I'd recommend a bottle of sake to wash it all down. A gem of a place.

Absolutely valid, sushi was great

Amazing sushi, but impossible to get through to make a reservation. Please introduce an easier booking system.

Excellent authentic Japanese sushi and Japanese dishes, undoubtedly the best sushi around. Great service, kind attentive staff. Special dishes include: Tuna ribs, Nasu Dengaku, Miso Black Cod, Light & fluffy Tempura, Special Miso soup, and great sushi sets. They also have a great selection of Sake, Umeshu, and other Japanese alcohols & beverages. High quality fish. Highly trained sushi chefs. Nice atmosphere. Anti bacterial spray is available on the way in and the way out. Currently offering eat in, takeout, or delivery via Deliveroo. Highly recommended - The price is worth paying for a high-end product, just as it has been for the last 20+ years :-)

Excellent sushi, not ridiculously expensive, and friendly staff

Outstanding quality Japanese food in modest surroundings.

Cafe Japan has been in GG for years and years and having gone last week, it is clear that they are still the absolute gem that they've always been. This place is simply excellent. Amazing food and service. Honestly, I cannot believe that such an authentic Japanese place exists in Golders Green!

amazing dinner, high food quality with good service.

Outstanding quality and interesting specials menu. Great to have sea urchin

The dine in experience and decor was authentic with a fantastic menu (not too many or few options). The specials were amazing - I had to try the Wagyu Nigiri which was so flavoursome and interesting. I the sushi was as it should be (full of fillings and balanced with the right amount of rice with high quality ingredients. This was next level compared to other local sushi restaurants I have tried and would only ever contemplate Café Japan for sushi in London. I was full but wanted dessert just because I figured it would be interesting and high quality and it did not disappoint. The black sesame ice cream was incredible. So good!

Great food but the atmosphere really lets it down. A warmer, more welcoming and more comfortable environment would really take this restaurant to the next level.

It’s quite a good place to hangout w frds. Some of the dishes are yummy, like grilling fish. However, some sashimi is relatively less fresh as expected

We had their Omakase and were blown away by how fresh the ingredients were, very meticulously done by the Japanese chef behind the counter. Rice ratio to sashimi was perfect and made all the nigiris a personality of their own. Sake selections were great too!

21年来过 点了14piece的chef special 真的好吃 就是店太小了 爆满 所以服务有点跟不上 而且太远太远了

Really good sashimi. Very fresh fish. Most Japanese restaurants with this quality of food are in Central London, but at a much higher price. It can get very busy sometimes, so there might be a wait for your food.

Always a joy to come and eat. The sashimi and sushi are fresh and of fantastic quality. The service is good and the decor is simple but very functional. Price is moderate and would definitely come back again. We have eaten a lot and we have only posted a selection of our food missing 2 rolls.

Don’t get me wrong, the food is incredible. But I waited over an hour for 3 pieces of sashimi and a miso soup. Wasn’t even too busy at the time. Food was incredible though. The rest of my food didn’t arrive for quite a bit longer.

Always a joy to come and eat. The sashimi and sushi are fresh and of fantastic quality. The service is good and the decor is simple but very functional. Price is moderate and would definitely come back again. We have eaten a lot and we have only posted a selection of our food missing 2 rolls.

Unbelievable, go try you'll get surprised

3 of us visited on a Saturday night , wonderful fresh sushi with excellent other dishes of Octopus and Sardines . Young Waitress was attentive and helpful . This bill Just over a £100 was a bargain for the quality of the food .

As the name suggests this is a cafe rather than a restaurant and if that is your level of expectation then you will be fine. The food is okay however you can get better quality and much better choice in so many other Japanese restaurants in London. The drinks menu is very limited as well. The service is okay but not exceptional and the cafe style tables are tiny. Not enough room to fit everything on. If I was in Golders Green and fancied Japanese I might go again but I would never make a special journey as there are many better alternatives.

Fantastic! Even the vegan and vegetarian options were amazing!

We had omakase at the sushi counter and the sushi was amazing for the price. Definitely would recommend for anyone who wants quality sushi.

Very good sushi, and while not as cheap as other places, well worth the price. Tip wasn't included in bill which I didn't realise till we left, will return to tip!

Cool place with traditional sushi chef!! Highly recommended ( Because: Best Japanese restaurant experience in Golders Green• NWLondon🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🙏🙏❤️❤️🌺🌸

This is the place to go for sushi. Delightful staff and amazing food. Thank you all.

After the Japanese school moved to Acton there is less of a north London focus for the Japanese community but some links to the 1980s heyday remain. One of these is the fact that in close proximity opposite Golders Green station can be found two branches of Eat Tokyo and Cafe Japan. Whilst I've nothing against the former, the latter is authentic and independent and deserves to be supported. The interior is functional (which is exactly what you might expect), with food prepared in a cramped space towards the rear. Service from the three interchangeable serving staff was functional and prompt without being particularly engaging (the restaurant was busy with large takeaway orders in addition to the mostly occupied tables). Aside from an extensive list of sakes and shochu the drinks menu is limited, but they have Asahi on tap. So why the 5 stars? Well primarily because the food was very good indeed, offering, in addition to the normal dishes you would expect to see, a range of cooked specials that featured both fish you don't associate so much with Japan (such as sardines and monkfish) and fish that's unknown here (the ladyfish tempura was exceptional). A nice selection of mochi ice-cream balls too. At £105 for 3 people our total bill was pretty reasonable for what we had.

我們點了14貫的握壽司套餐，每一貫都是驚豔，建議點這個套餐要坐在吧台區，讓壽司師傅ㄧ握好就直接上桌，非常美味。

Not a bad place for Japanese food.

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC GREAT FOOD GREAT SERVICE I WOULD RECOMMEND IT

Amazing sushi, friendly atmosphere.

Best food in town! The quality was incredible ! Super kind and friendly staffs and amazing head chef! Even though we arrived late they accommodated us the best! Highly recommend it 😍

A nice place to sit. But food is not up to standard.

Love this place, its local and so authentic. Everything was fresh and delicious. Great service to match!

Simplemente el mejor japonés en el que comido en mi vida. La calidad del pescado y de la preparación es excepcional. Atariya Foods es un distribuidor de pescado y productos japoneses que opera por todo Reino Unido. Tienen supermercados, pescaderías y varios restaurantes. Es por ello por lo que su género es tan bueno. No es un sitio para venir todos los días, por sus precios, pero de vez en cuando puedes darte un homenaje.

Food came at random times throughout our meal. The sashimi was fresh which was good but the teriyaki chicken was overcooked (dry). Small portions and kind of expensive too

Heard very good things about the place so had a very high expectations before I went. The fact is that service was impeccable with really nice interior decor. We ordered Omakase sushi set, the scallop was the highlight for me, it was just so fresh that it tasted sweet, other items were generally very nice,EXCEPT one that had crispy rice and some sort of tuna I think, did not enjoy that at all. I also was disappointed that it didn’t include urchin and was not told by the waitress to eat it in the order usually Omakase would serve (white fish first then moving on to fattier fish). I also don’t recommend the tempura or the squid karaage as they are somewhat mediocre and over cooked too. But generally it was a nice and pleasant experience and would visit again just for the sushi.

Favourite Japanese restaurant in London 😍

A bowl of miso soup can distinguish a genuine Japanese restaurant from a so call ones. Try it yourself!

The best sushi in London, hidden away in Golders Green. Worth the treck from Central London. I highly recommend the Omakase course and seared salmon nigiri was my fav, amongst fatty tuna nigiri. MUST TRY!

I loved this place! I'm enthusiastic to have found another great place for sushi! There is a good variety of choices (Suzuki, Tai, Hamachi, Buri) and the quality definitely stands out (I suppose it is because the fish is supplied by Atariya). We had for starters edamame and agedashi tofu. For thefish, we had the nigiri omakase (chef's choice) and 7 kinds of sashimi. Last but not least, the price, which might appear expensive, is adequate in my opinion to the quality and the service you receive.

Great Sushi. Excellent food in general. Good service.

Always so good to go to Cafe Japan. They’ve been a family favourite for nearly 20 years and they never disappoint, especially with their sushi and the quality and texture of their rice. The age dashi tofu is always so so good! Thank you for all the lovely food and memories and we look forward to many more!

Excellent food, reasonably priced, friendly staff, cosy restaurant. Defo recommend!

Wanted to try out Cafe Japan for quite some time, especially after seeing so many good reviews for their Omakase. We opted for their normal menu instead of going for Omakase. Wide variety of choices from the main menu + lunch menu + daily specials. Everything has a nice flavour and fresh ingredients were used. This is an authentic spot for proper Japanese food with great service (slightly slow on a Saturday). They also do not charge for service fee which is a plus.

The only sushi bar in London that would punch above its price-point even in Japan.