Harajuku Kitchen Japanese Bistro in Edinburgh, City of

I had slow cooked pork which was wonderful, however my wife had a tempura dish and the batter wasn't that crisp perfection that you would expect. My desert was straight from the freezer. It could have been left out for a little in the way you do with ice cream. Very good service, and good atmosphere and decor.

The food was absolutely incredible all round, especially the seafood. The staff were kind and attentive, giving us tea and checking in on us. We took some food home due to me being ill, and the food was just as delicious eaten as leftovers, and the staff were so kind as we were leaving. Would highly recommend!

Really lovely tempura and sushi. Friendly staff. Great service.

Esta es mi segunda vez aquí y la comida es increíble El personal es muy amable y atento Me encantó La sensación de Edimburgo también con las magníficas cornisas Amor amor

What used to be an Edinburgh staple is now both a waste of time and money.

Underwhelming If you’re familiar with authentic #Japanese cuisine, this isn’t the place for you. Slow service, below-average food, and an overall disappointing dining experience. Won’t be returning.

The sashimi, the tamagoyaki, everything we ordered was very delicious, and it was a wonderfully arranged meal just like what you would get in Japan! I will eat there again!

Service was a little slow and haphazard but the staff were lovely and happy to make recommendations.. Perhaps we just caught them on a particularly busy evening. Will definitely dine here again as the food was amazing as well. Fantastic sushi. Highly recommend the Dark Dragon Rolls.

Harajuku Kitchen Bistro japonés es una joya encantadora que trae auténticos sabores japoneses al corazón de Edimburgo. El bistró ofrece un menú cuidadosamente seleccionado con ingredientes frescos de alta calidad y platos bellamente presentados.

I came in for a quick bite to eat before watching a film at the Cameo and I could not fault the food or service- I was served by Carys, who was really friendly and offered some great recommendations for food (the Kara-Age Chicken and Tofu Teriyaki were delicious!) and the food came quickly and was beautifully presented. I will certainly be back!

Lovely place, amazing authentic food that was just what we needed in this cold weather. The ambience is really nice and the service was great and very welcoming! We loved it all and will definitely be back!

Este es un restaurante pequeño y personal que sirve excelente comida japonesa. Me llevé a mi esposa y a mis padres. Teníamos entrantes para compartir y uno principal cada uno. El personal es muy servicial y no muy exigente. Los precios son buenos también. Teníamos tres entrantes, un plato extra y cuatro platos principales. Además de una botella de cerveza para mí. Con el cargo por servicio, solo £ 119.

Excellent food, we had a great time.

La cocina era auténtica japonesa y deliciosa. La sopa de miso estaba sabrosa y el arroz al vapor sabía muy bien. Experimentamos un excelente servicio y la comida era deliciosa.

We ordered the vegetarian set at your cafe for our child because it seemed safe, especially for a child, as it didn’t include any raw fish. My child ate avocado rolls, tamago nigiri (omelet), and kampyo maki (rolls with pumpkin). For dessert, they had dorayaki. Unfortunately, about an hour after dinner, when we returned to the hotel, my child developed a stomach ache and vomited. We’re not sure what went wrong, as the dishes seemed simple and child-friendly. We hope this was just a coincidence, but we wanted to bring this to your attention regarding the freshness of the ingredients.

Excellent. We were part of a private group taking the whole restaurant.

Great sushi sashimi and Korean/ Japanese done well.

Took my daughter, her best pal and her mum (my good friend) out for a belated 16th birthday treat - and we fell in love with the food and ambience of this bistro. The food was delicious and we kept wanting more. The texture palate, presentation, the choice of options available and their deals were all fantastic. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and will be back again. Thank you so much!

Very mediocre food, small portions for a high price. Ordered chicken yaki udon but received a different more expensive item and was charged for it, I didn’t realize I had the wrong dish. Service was extremely slow and after having our plates cleared it took 45 minutes before we were able to pay despite asking multiple times.

Worth a try if you're not sure about sushi, it may open you up to a whole new culture. I'd never really liked sushi before trying this place. Totally changed my opinion of Japanese food for the better.

Amazing food and great service. Thank you!

Had the lunch set menu and the food was phenomenal! The miso soup was perfect for the cold temperature and the Aubergine with the sweet Miso sauce was a delight (highly recommended) Service was excellent, very attentive but the food was definitely the highlight well worth the £14.90 for the lunch deal!!

Fantastic dinner at harajuku kitchen. Excellent service, all our needs were catered for. Our server Abigail gave us a fantastic tour of the menu and made us some delicious matcha highball cocktails.

Great little restaurant, nice and cosy and delicious food. Great menu!

What a gem. Lovely food, Great service. we had a range of starters and rolls and sushi and it was all absolutely delicious. Highly recommended.

What a wonderful restaurant. It has a lovey atmosphere, the staff were great and they allow dogs too! Food was amazing! My first time having Japanese food. Highly recommended.

This place is truly a gem! My wife and I stopped in one night for some sushi, then came back again a few nights later. The salmon teriyaki bowl was life-changing! The staff were very helpful with my dietary restrictions - and they have GF soy sauce! This is our new favorite spot in Edinburgh!

Booked for an evening meal, and the restaurant is evidently popular, considering how busy it was! We ordered a few hot dishes before our mains with some cucumber kimchi, all of which was fantastic! Mains were karaage and tonkatsudon, both amazing and full of flavour, with hefty portions! We also got some small pieces on the side, including a delightful seared salmon nigiri (Pictured). Dessert was apple gyoza, surprisingly light and delicious, with very well-made matcha ice cream Only negative in any way was that while the atmosphere was great, and it's a lovely space, if you're seated by the door it can get a bit crowded/loud around your table, but would still heartily recommend to anyone

Cozy, delicious food, and phenomenal service! A must for Japanese & Asian fusion cuisine when in Edinburgh 😍

We ate here twice on our visit and were so enchanted by the wonderful staff, delicious food, and lovely atmosphere. Jennifer and Deva couldn’t have been kinder/more accommodating.

What a place, the food, service, and welcome you get is pretty special. We haven't been for a wee while, but it will not be long before we are back.

We shared a range of dishes -sushi, sashimi, chicken and veg. All were excellent and the Sake flight is definitely worth sampling. Loved the volcano roll.

Carys and Jennifer were such wonderful hosts. The food was amazing as always as well. Thank you!

Beautiful warm welcome and lovely service. Very charming and cosy ambience. The food was fantastic! Gyoza were the favourite, and handmade. Aburi Salmon Toro Nigiri special melt in the mouth delicious. Lots of authentic touches, Tempura especially good, and the Sushi was incredible!! Excellent value and quality.

definitely on the pricier end but worth it…. a happy surprise:-) you really taste the quality of the produce and the skill of the chefs. service was friendly if a wee big over the top (we mustve been checked on half a dozen times over the course of the dinner!)

I would have loved to try this restaurant. However, I was turned away at 2:40 even though the online hours have the closing time at 3:00. It was a long walk, and it was very disappointing.

Customer service was really poor. I ordered the 3 drinks (can’t remember the name) which the waiter recommended and literally took a sip and hated it. I let the waiter know about this when the bill came and she said there’s nothing they could do about it. I would’ve expected some sort of accommodation like replacing the drink or removing it from the bill giving that I literally didn’t drink it but the atmosphere just felt so cold. We had to call them over to get our order as well. Wouldn’t recommend!

I am a huge fan of Japanese food and was really looking forward to our dinner last night. Unfortunately, we left disappointed as a lot of the dishes simply tasted sour due to the fact that they pickle a lot of their vegetables - which is not stated in the menu. The vegetable gyoza we had were unfortunately some of the worst one‘s I‘ve ever tried: sour and bland at the same time. Even the gyoza sauce tasted sour. We also had Maki with cucumber and crab meat which tasted sour as well because they appear to pickle their cucumbers? My Karaage chicken was okay but also nothing mind-blowing. Overall, it was a bit of an underwhelming experiences and I wouldn’t eat here again. Only good thing: They have a good number of vegetarian and vegan options! Service is friendly, and the atmosphere is nice. Would recommend booking a table if you ever plan to visit.

Lovely evening, food was delicious and super fresh, the king prawn gyoza, kara-age chicken, and grilled eel nigiri with teriyaki sauce where the winners for us. Staff were lovely, atmospheric was cosy and relaxed. Will definitely be going back

Parecía un lugar altamente valorado. Cuando llegamos a tiempo para - 5 pm reserva dijeron que necesitamos mesa de vuelta para las 6. 30 nit hola. Sólo queríamos un bocadillo rápido. Horrible horrible frío distante servicio descuidado. No entiendo que sea el mismo lugar el que reciba las críticas brillantes.

Fantastic food and service, would have been 5 stars but no beer on tap and over £5 for a small 330ml can of beer is a tad steep

Warm relaxed attentive service and fresh delicious well priced food. A favourite.

Best japanese food I've had, the food was super tasty. We had sushi, tempura, softshell crab was outstanding, rice dishes. The service was quality too.

cute spot, food was very fresh & delicious. service was very relaxed, maybe not the place if your wanting a quick dinner but was still enjoyable. will definitely be back !

What an amazing authentic Japanese Restaurant! Such tasty food and wine matches their food. And lovely cocktails.

Visited Wednesday night with friends visiting the city. Food was absolutely wonderful with a great range to choose from. The vibe in the restaurant was great and the service was so welcoming which made for a great experience. Would highly recommend!

Great atmopshere, authentic food! Lovely slow cooked pork don and mixed seafood sushi bowl. Very clean food without much heavy mayo/oils that sometimes overwhelm the natural flavours of sushi/dish.

Everything was delicious. I lived in Japan and the taste is there. To recommend

A 15 min dal centro, spostato dai posti turistici si trova questo giapponese buonissimo. Servizio ottimo, piatti buonissimi e abbondanti. Ottimo rapporto qualità prezzo

Food good, the special tuna belly was really tasty with beautiful texture. Decor was standard, chairs were a tad uncomfortable. Mural on the wall was interesting. Reasonably priced.

I have wanted to dine here for years and finally did, and I left a little sad. Food was ok, portions were very small for the steep price. Service was slow, we had to wait 50 mins for food to arrive with no spoons for the miso soup, so we had to wait. The tempura was cold and soggy and not crispy as it should be, which makes me think it had been sitting out for a while. The service was very mellow. I hope this review just gives a little nudge in the right direction for the place.

Wow! What can I say this taste experience saved me during the fringe. So much flavour and great sauces. Also the staff are legends and have wonderful banter. Can't wait to be back.

Second time at Harajuku and it didn’t disappoint. The food was gorgeous! As someone with an allergy it’s often hard for me to eat in Japanese restaurants but I had everything explained to me really nicely. It’s the best I have ever felt my allergy taken care of in a restaurant.

Very good food. Sweet little restaurant.

Fantastic restaurant. The food is amazing and great choice. Next time we're definitely going to try the Saki. Highly recommended and we've eaten sushi (and Ramen) all over the world.

I don't usually leave bad reviews for restaurants because it's someone's business (I think I've only done so once before)...... but this meal was SO exceptionally disappointing. The decor of the restaurant is really cute and welcoming, but that's about it. The rice in all our sushi was overcooked and wet, so that it felt stodgy and frankly just unenjoyable to eat (especially because they used so much of it per sushi piece to bulk out the mass. At one point I thought to myself, sadly, that chain shop sushi tasted better and cost 1/3 the price... Like the rice was sticking to the plate when you tried to lift it, because of how wet it was.) The fish slices were thin and poorly flavoured (the negi toro in particular didn't taste fresh to me). And to top it all off we waited an hour for our food and only got it after prompting the staff - who were individually lovely to us, but seemed overworked and stretched thin. I would not recommend coming to this restaurant; as an Edinburgh resident I feel there are other Japanese restaurants in the city that offer better taste and value for money. I rarely get so disappointed after a meal that I feel have to tell someone, but this place finally did it I guess!!! Such a saddening taste experience for the cost.

We had lunch and it was amazing. I can tell everything was prepped properly and freshly. We thought it might be helpful to mention to the customers that there's a small bottle of soy sauce on the table, as we saw someone eating sashimi without it(unless that's how they like it, of course). We will definitely be back next time when we visit Edinburgh. Thanks for the lovely experience.

My two teens and I had diner at Harajuku when visiting Edinburg, mid-July 2024. We had the best meal: duck noodles, teriyaki fish and curry chicken. Everything tasted great; and the service was exceptional.

We went for dinner yesterday. Food, as always, was rather good and we enjoyed it. It is at the same level as the best Japanese places in Edinburgh. But the service was really bad unfortunately. I appreciate that it's a small place and kitchen and I don't mind waiting a bit. We've had long-ish waits before at Harajuku but I appreciate that things are made freshly. Yesterday, however, was really bad. After being seated our waiter simply did not return to us. We only were able to put our order in after me politely asking to put it in - more than 20 minutes after we sat down. We hadn't even been given water yet, so I asked for some - the waiter forget about it and we had to ask again 15 minutes later when another person finally brought us the water. Our drinks arrived another 25 minutes later. So it took 45 minutes to serve drinks. We continued to wait for our food. Then two tables that were seated about 10-15 minutes after us were getting their food delivered. At this point (over an hour after we sat down), I asked about our food. It was then brought out after another 5 minutes. Again, I am very happy to wait for good food when it's freshly made - but an hour and 10 minutes after being seated is just not good. We then had to rush our food - as we had further plans. What made it worse, was that our waiter in particular never came over to apologise or at least acknowledge that something was not going right. So I left quite disappointed unfortunately and don't think I'll rush to return.

Chef is run by Japanese, authentic as it can get in Edinburgh.

A really cozy restaurant with lots of food options and incredibly tasty food in big portions. The staff were welcoming, professional and very friendly. Would absolutely eat here again.

We booked our reservation online for 8:30pm and received an email saying that the time was unavailable which was fine as they were able to accommodate us with a later time at 9PM. We arrived at 9 and the restaurant was practically empty. Shortly after we began ordering and were told that they it was too much food. We took a few items off our order and they put it in for us. The chef then came out to tell us that he has never seen such a large order for 5 people… We removed even more items off the order. As the food started coming out we realised that we would still be hungry. Since the kitchen closes at 10pm we weren’t able to order more… We were all still hungry and went to get more food after… It seemed like they just wanted to leave early which poses the question as to why they would allow a 9pm reservation. They lost alot of revenue from us tonight as we could’ve eaten alot more… Fyi the food was all excellent.

One of the best meals we have had recently. It was all delicious but more than anything else I loved the king prawn gyozos

We had a sake flight, an aburi toro salmon nigiri, and a tuna/salmon bowl for lunch on a Monday. They asked if we had a reservation but was able to seat us so maybe plan ahead to insure a table. The salmon nigiri is the best I've ever had. The charcoal, smokey note hits your nose before the bite. Rich and subtle it melted in your mouth. That smokiness is an incredible balance to the richness. World level, top shelf. The sake flight was great and reinvigorated me to appreciate clear sakis as in the the States those are usually very bad. The tuna, salmon bowl was great and presented well. Staff was attentive and food came out quick.

This is m second visit its not for me. I can see why people like. The service was better he first time.

Lovely service, food delicious and beautifully presented. A fantastic neighbourhood restaurant.

Really good food for an affordable price. The staff are very polite as well

We were booked for 5pm on a Monday and arrived at 1658pm to be told they were not open until 5 however the waitress thought it was earlier. We were sat down in silence and another member of staff appeared. We ordered and whilst waiting uncomfortable for our meal the male member of staff who had appeared started an angry conversation with the other waitress and swore loudly about someone being a 'dumb bitch' and then stormed off to the kitchen. the same server then stormed out the restaurant slamming the door. I have never felt so unwelcome and uncomfortable in a restaurant, if this had happened before we had ordered i would have left. After our food arrived the same server was still storming about and looked very angry. He then arrived at our table and said 'FINISHED', no question or politeness and proceeded to take plates away when we were not finished. I have been before to this restaurant and had a good experience with lovely food however after this i will never be back.

Great food and service in a cozy atmosphere. We had a variety of dishes at our table of 4 and really enjoyed all of the, and meal as a whole. The food and cocktails were top-notch and the service was spot-on.

Our first time here. A great experience, great food, service, and atmosphere.

Great service from staff even though wait time was long but couldn't be helped! It was super good value for money and meant we could chat longer so no problems!

Had the spicy tuna roll, salmon and cucumber maki, karaage chicken and apple gyoza for dessert. Everything tasted great and all the staff were really friendly!

The food was sensational, and I loved every mouthful. While the staff were friendly and helpful, their chatting loudly to each other at the till sort of ruined the restaurant vibe. Definitely get the apple gyoza, it was amazing!

Picked 5 different things from the menu - best food we have eaten on our mother/son trip in Edinburgh. We enjoyed sushi, tonkatsu, cucumber kimchi and Kara age chicken. Vey service minded waiters, and a beautiful restaurant with great ambiance. We will be back next time we are in town. Everything was delicious. Thank you so much for a lovely evening.

It's not really a Japanese restaurant, but just an imitation. Great atmosphere, but it has nothing to do with Harajuku. The food itself is actually pretty decent. Good ingredients, and flavours are authentic. Although the food served has nothing related to the culture of harajuku. Terrible service. The staff do not know how to work in a Japanese kitchen, for the price range that they are asking for.

Amazing veggie sushi. Best one I ever tried

Some of the best Japanese food I've had in Edinburgh, it's a small walk outside of the city center but 100% worth it, highly recommend going here.

The food was amazing. Such a treat to go somewhere where there are so many vegetarian options that were just as impressive.

My first meal in Edinburgh, and I absolutely loved it! Service was great too with friendly staff. Went for the lunch menu option which came with miso soup and rice. Even had some leftovers which were packed up and I was able to enjoy it at the nearby park. Will be back for more when I’m in the city 😊

Absolutely wonderful experience. Food, service, and the atmosphere are fantastic! A must place to dine.

Wow oh my gosh. Best coconut ice cream I’ve ever consumed. And awesome customer service, too! It was very clean. Thank you, harujuku for a wonderful dinner!

Our go-to spot for wonderful Japanese food. Very fresh,delicious – and beautifully presented. Highly recommend the aubergine katsu curry, kara-age chicken, potato salad and salmon-tuna futomaki. But save room for a slice of dorayaki (sponge cake)! The best Japanese food in Edinburgh and lovely staff, as well.

Our go-to spot for wonderful Japanese food. Very fresh, delicious – and beautifully presented. Highly recommend the aubergine katsu curry, kara-age chicken, potato salad and salmon-tuna futomaki. But save room for a slice of dorayaki (sponge cake)! The best Japanese food in Edinburgh and lovely staff, as well.

Had lovely vegetarian sushi, the portions are reasonable and the service is attentive. I'll definitely be back - the smells coming from the kitchen were delicious!

This place was incredible. Amazing staff and plenty of vegan options for me. Well done guys. Just wish I didn’t live 500 miles away.

the food was high quality and tasted great, but was not served all together so we ended up not being able to eat at the same time/things went cold. Salmon teriyaki was lovely but definitely order some kind of veg with it as it doesn’t come with much. The tea selection was very impressive and hugely enjoyed. Service was also good 👍🏼

The food review on Google was 4.6 stars, so I booked this Japanese restaurant. The food quality is indeed top-notch, the Chirachi Sushi rice is fresh, the Katsu Curry is delicious and the portion is sufficient, and the Spider Roll is delicious. The only difference is that the tiger prawns in the Dragon Roll are not tasty enough, but the presentation is really top-notch. Highly recommend to friends, I will definitely visit again next time I visit Edinburgh.

Food was OK. The sushi were almost the size of hockey pucks and had far too much rice to fish but the flavour was ok. The rice and meat dishes tasted good but could have done with some vegetables or even a sauce as it was a little dry.

We were recommended to try from a friend in England, we were not disappointed. The waitor and waitress that looked after us were amazing, had great suggestions and were happy to accommodate us with what we asked. The food was gorgeous, really fantastically presented sushi that was fresh and delicious and a great selection too. Beuatifully decorated with subtle background music gave the establishment an authentic feel. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Edinburgh or even locals that haven't yet had a chance to visit this wonderful restaurant.

Everything we tried was amazing!

This place was good, but what happened? Take away takes 1h longer than promised, app gives you random name, when you inform the staff they say it is out issue and someone may be using our app, staff is generally unhelpful. Food is mediocre and overpriced. Get a grip guys!

Great sushi, par service, atmo was good but very tight recommend reserving a seat by the window. Also avoid the crispy salmon the skin is cooked on it and the meat is unrecognizable and left flavorless in a otherwise mediocre roll. Great teriyaki bowl tho.

Although slightly apprehensive about visiting my first Japanese restaurant I am so glad we did! All the dishes were amazing - sushi, tempura, salads & sticky chicken - so fresh and prepared with obvious skill and attention to detail, very filling too. Staff were very patient & welcoming and it had a lovely atmosphere - would thoroughly recommend :)

Possibly the best meal of our lives! Staff were so friendly and informative, with great recommendations

It is very hard to find good sushi in Edinburgh, and this place is definitely the best one I’ve found in 2 years living here. The fish is fresh, and the chef is Japanese and takes pride in his cooking, so you know the food will be good. Good atmosphere and great staff too! Highly recommend the soft crab tempura.

There are very few restaurants that serve Asian cuisine allow dog, and this is one of them. We enjoyed our lunch. The food was great, well prepared sushi and sashimi, the waiting staffs are friendly, based on the food it is probably the best Japanese restaurant in Edinburgh.

Nice food!!! The sauce that came for the tonkatsu was especially delicious. My small critisms would be that the rice was on the watery side ever so slightly and also the miso soup was a little bland. The tonkatsu and takoyaki were amazing though and overall, my lunch was great. The restaurant itself has a cozy and friendly vibe, with calm music enhancing that. The staff members were all welcoming too. I will come back to try other dishes!🍙🐙

Honest good food, great service, place is clean and welcoming. A lovely lunch experience! Thank you xx

Good food, authentically created, with knowledgeable service. But not if you’re in a hurry.

Highly recommended if you are looking for authentic Japanese food in Edinburgh! Tempura and don are delicious. Please make sure you make reservation before you go as the space is not very big.