Kirazu in City of London, Westminster

"Tiny Japanese "Tapas" venue more than small and popular enough for a booking to be essential. Note pad ordering is fun but services is a let down for this other very good destination."

Es muy difícil encontrar un lugar donde se puede disfrutar de una auténtica comida japonesa ... pero Kirazu es uno de los mejores que lo recomiendo a cualquiera que quiera encontrar auténtica comida japonesa.

El lugar, descrito como "acogedor" en otras críticas, era realmente incómodas y pequeñas, especialmente si es alto. El servicio, aunque cortés lo suficiente, era muy lento (nos llevó por lo menos una hora para conseguir la comida). Las raciones eran pequeñas, a veces estúpidamente diminutos como la pieza minuscule de peces dentro del sushi rolls, y para rematar algunos platos estaban muy lejos de extraordinario, con una o dos catas simplemente simplemente mala.

El ambiente de este lugar se detuvo, y la idea de servir comida japonesa estilo tapas es muy intrigante. La decoración es minimalista con mesas de madera y sentarse puede ser un poco 'acogedor'. Es un restaurante muy pequeño, así que, si son un grupo de 2, es muy probable que usted tiene que sentarse en el bar con taburetes.

Increíblemente auténtico pequeño Izakaya, exactamente igual que muchos Izakaya que he visitado en las partes menos turísticas de Tokio. El ambiente es, así como un bar de residentes en Asakusa con tipos de negocios japoneses por un buen tiempo. El menú de la comida es pequeña, pero había una cantidad enorme de ofertas en cuando fui, algunas de las cuales nunca he visto antes fuera de Japón. El chef es un poco gruñones, pero se convirtió en amable después de que le compró un sake para darle las gracias por su gran comida!

Un pequeño y pintoresco restaurante en Soho riund la vuelta de la esquina del teatro Apolo. está amueblado de forma sencilla y bastante llena durante la cena. En cuanto a comida, muy sabrosa, auténtica comida japonesa, si sabes lo que elegir. Quizás el único inconveniente es el precio. Un poco demasiado cara para algunos de la comida dadas las pequeñas porciones tamaño tapa. Aparte de eso, es un buen lugar para visitar.

Nunca ha sido tan poco tiempo para mucho. Las ostras gigantes fueron las más grandes que he visto jamás, y el precio se correspondía con la cáscara. Sin embargo, la carne que en la oyster no venga a nuestra mesa. Sólo había un bocado dentro de la Shell gigante. Obviamente, las conchas son reutilizados una y otra vez y el cliente recibe más de una quinta parte de la carne. Todos los platos se sirven en moldes y era increíblemente pequeña! Pero las ostras era mentira. No se podría tener una cena agradable tamaño allí por menos de 150 libras por persona. El interior es humilde y sencillas. No te dejes engañar por otros comentarios!

Soho restaurant. Understated in terms of exterior and interior and be prepared to be sharing tables and sitting cosy with the next person. Fresh ingredients and tasty little tapas. Around 5 pounds each and ramen about 11.

Heerlijk gegeten hier tijdens onze stedentrip in Londen. Kirazu is een ontzettend klein en makkelijk voorbij te lopen restaurantje.

Bien, sinceramente, es bastante difícil encontrar auténtico restaurante japonés en Londres ... Así que cuando nos topamos con este pequeño resto, queríamos probarlo, dado que es gestionado por la familia japonesa. Para nuestra decepción, la comida es de lo más normal, muy caro, y la mente que la porción es muy pequeño.

Kirazu (lo que significa que las judías, como en la soja, salsa de soja, tofu...) ofrece una muy sorprendente y deliciosa variedad de tapas japonesas, inspirado en la famosa soja. Como en un restaurante español, usted tendría que pedir varios platos para compartir con su amigo(s). Prepárate para ir un descubrimiento culinario. Los platos son todos super fresca, ofrecen interesantes pero deliciosas variedades de platos sepas ya y las opciones de pescados, carnes, mariscos y comida vegetariana. También pedimos platos de que no teníamos ni idea de qué era voy a llegar, lo cual es siempre una buena comida. Cada día hay nuevas opciones diarias, que se presentan en una pizarra para escribir. El restaurante es pequeño, pero muy acogedor y agradable. El servicio es muy amable. Este pequeño restaurante japonés es una tranquila isla tempestuosa Zen en las calles del Soho de Londres. Se recomienda hacer la reserva, sin embargo, nos robaron una mesa sin reserva.

Kirazu has its own distinctive atmosphere and feels like a very squashed Japanese izakaya. They serve what they describe as Japanese tapas, though some of the dishes are not suited to sharing, such as the noodles. The food was good with nice fish and a variety of other dishes. Their rice was a little dry. It was all authentic Japanese flavours. The staff were friendly but service was a little slow. Drinks are very expensive.

At Kirazu you make your order by putting a tick against the item on a paper menu/order sheet. We chose 14 dishes between 4 of us and not all of them arrived. As our order sheet had been taken away by the waiter and items came out as and when they were ready we couldn't work out what was missing. We tried to ask the waiter to bring the sheet back so we could check but he didn't understand and brought us a new sheet, then some water and then bizarrely, a pencil. Also the bill was not itemised so again, no way of checking what we'd not had. The couple seated next to us appeared to have the same issue. Staff were as friendly as they could be but there is a real issue with being understood as no member of staff we had spoke sufficient English to answer the most basic questions about the food. Twice dishes were placed in front of us and when asked is this the grilled halibut? The squid? the response each time was yes yes halibut yes yes squid and both times they were in fact completely different dishes.The food that was delivered was good but the service and language breakdown was incredibly frustrating. Also it is a very small space with quite a lot of people crowded in so despite you being squished close together, it's actually difficult to hear your fellow diners speak.

We booked a table for two; what we actually got were two stools and a surface to eat on in the corridor area from the kitchen. There wasn't any space to put your legs and you keep on getting knocked by people walking past.It certainly wasn't a relaxing experience and we were keen to leave when we finished our food. Maybe if you sat at a proper table it would be better though even then they looked very cramped. They are clearly trying to cram in as many people as they could and we weren't the only people who seemed annoyed at this.Food-wise, our impressions had been dampened by the seating arrangements but some dishes were good such as the octopus balls. Others were disappointing - the seaweed for example consisted of a small amount of seaweed on top of a load of basic salad leaves which left us feeling cheated.Value wise it was just about ok, but the drinks in particular were a bit expensive.All-in-all, we won't be coming back. The quality of some of the dishes didn't make up for the others, and certainly not the unpleasantness of how we were seated.

i absolutely love this place, but if you go, dont think it's gonna be a smooth relaxing experience :)

have been to Kirazu several times and always had amazing dishes. The tapas are rather small, that is true and it is not the cheapest place on earth. However I think for the quality you get it is worth to spend a bit more.It's a very chilled-out atmosphere and the stuff is attentive and incredibly friendly.We've been here with friends and as a couple and it is also a great place for solo dining.Probably one of the best places in London.

This small japanese restaurant on Rupert St. is only open in the evenings, but very much worth a visit. Excellent small dishes, and a large selection of both sake and tea. They take reservations; recommended to avoid a long wait.

It's hard to find a good quick place to eat anywhere near the tourist hell that is Piccadilly Circus. We happened across this restaurant and it was superb. 'Japanese Tapas' which is very different from the usual and delicious. Great service too. The only problem is that it is very small and cramped. But it has a good atmosphere.

We were a group of six, as Kirazu is quite small we reserved seats in advance. It was quite busy, but there was a relaxed atmosphere. Food was served tapas style and you need to order quite a free dishes to make a meal. I had the Octopus balls £4, Roasted Duck £5.50,Conger eel & cucumber + tosazu £4.50, Pork Belly with miso £4.50, Spicy cod roe rice ball £2.50, a glass of Chenin Blanc wine £5.50, a bottle of Stout £5.00, and for dessert Pancake £2.50. The service was very good and staff were friendly. Definitely worth a visit, to try the various dishes available. When we visited there was quite a few special dishes not on the main menu and these special dishes are changed on a regular basis.

Visited on Jan 24th with my daughter. Wanted her to have a memorable authentic experience. This restaurant totally delivers. Loved the Sochu cocktails, understated and £6 each were worthy of our money while we pondered the tapas chalk board, the specials board and the regular menu. Phenomenal range of dishes, prepared seemingly, like many small places in Japan with a single main chef. Loved the octopus balls, the sashimi, razor clams, mackerel etc. absolutely a joyous snacking/grazing/tapas restaurant. Service was polite boarding on lovely, drinks well priced and food to die for. Total treat!!!!

The food here is excellent at least on my visit.It is a typical subtle Kansai region taste as opposed to the stronger flavoured Kanto Tokyo region taste.If you are looking for big meals, forget it, Kirazu is catering for a typical Japanese Izakaya experience. Food will not be served quickly as it gets busier and this is typical for a one man operation so if you come in a large group expect to wait.Yuya San is an excellent cook, and no... I don't know him. To be able to prepare and cook to that level, on his own, on a very busy friday night and still produce quality tasty food requires talent. Our waitress/s was excellent and maybe Yuya San had some issues with previous staff in the past but I didn't see it, only in so much as making sure the staff were on the ball with remembering orders etc. My partner is Japanese and is particularly fussy regarding food. Her happy face said it all.Yuya's business card refers to himself as Itamae 板前 - Chef - which is a traditional way of describing oneself and is not often used nowadays.This is authentic Japanese Izakaya food and if you don't like it.....go to Yo! Sushi and drown your food with soya sauce and wasabi!Recommended.Just a note but ramen is not available on the menu anymore as of Dec 2014

I popped in here around 8pm on Saturday night and nabbed a seat. Luckily there were only 2 of us & we didn't mind sitting on a stool, facing the chef. I didn't have a reservation & the larger, sit down tables were already taken by a big group. The space is small, so it was now full with our arrival! This is the kind of place I'd come back to for some tasty quick bites over some wine, not a full blown 3 course meal. I'm not a big enough fan of eels & shellfish to enjoy the whole menu thoroughly (there's a lot of seafood) but this place specialises in 'tapas' size dishes, great for sharing if you're on a date or in a small group.Driven by seasonal availability, we ordered the small pork belly dish, the beef tataki, cucumber with miso & crispy chicken with sweet chilli dip. All great dishes - we even went back for a second helping of the Beef. Seared to perfection, it melts in the mouth.I was pleasantly surprised to find a St Emillion Wine on the menu too which was lovely. Usual Saturday night service meant that I had to ask for things a couple of times but we were quite outnumbered by the table of 8/10 behind us...

こんな日本食のお店があるなんて気づかなかった...店内は狭いですが、日本食のお店らしくないかわいい内装！タパスのお店なので、小さなお皿で少しずつ楽しめます。すごく狭いし隣の人と近いし、相席状態なので長居するには向いていません。めんたいこやお刺身など、日本酒と一緒に楽しめます。

We were a group of eight young professionals who sought Kirazu out because of reportedly great reviews on another website (4/4 stars). Boy, were we disappointed!First off, the staff are imposing. Being a large group, we repeatedly but politely requested for at least three menus. The waitress actually TOLD us to just settle for one menu and to consolidate our orders. How rude can you get?Next, I have no idea why the photos here show ramen, when they did not have that. They were serving only Japanese Tapas, at prices that seemed exorbitant even for London standards.Finally, seating was very cramped, and the reverse exhaust fan (yes, it was in reverse because it was desperately trying to pipe in air from the outside into the stuffy interior) was not helping.You'll be better off someplace else. Don't waste your time (it took a while before our small, expensive orders were served) and money.

We stepped into Kirazu while cruising one evening and the smell of dashi (Japanese broth) hit us in a way which is rare outside of Japan and certified that this was the real thing. We made a reservation for two days later. When we came back we squeezed in to the awkward space. This is not a very comfortable arrangement - tiny space with a maximum of people crowded in, mostly sitting on benches or stools. Arthritic backs abstain! Yes the food was sometimes slow in coming but every dish was tasty and the service, occaisionally inefficient, was friendly enough. We ordered mostly from the extensive selection of daily specials listed on slates that almost no one can see from their seats. Some of the suggestions were quite exotic - definitely not the kind of things you see often in Europe. Good small selection of sake, sochu and tea.

I have always been curious to try this place by the way it looks and from the good reviews but was a bit scared off by the bad reviews.Glad to say the good reviews won.We really enjoy the food which tasted not only very delicious but is like those I had in other Japanese places said to be authentic. The service was quick, polite, and friendly.

This is an excellent place if you understand that this is a very small place and the food will take time to arrive as there is only one person working in the kitchen. The menu is truely exceptional, covering a wide range of food. Although it is all very well made and tasteful, the chef could reduce the variety of dishes a bit. For example, he could cut out the ramen, and focus more on Japanese tapas and sashimi. By the way, the size of the tapas is pretty average for this kind of restaurant. They are small, yes, but that is what tapas are supposed to be....

Not sure what happened with the negative reviewers but the service at Kirazu was great. The waitresses were attentive, although when it became busier later in the evening it was harder to grab their attention.The portions were also standard for tapas and just lovely.Everything is just as you would expect from a rustic little place like this.

Second time at this wonderful little Japanese restaurant. Delicious small dishes, friendly staff and great atmosphere. Also good value. Unique

I had made a reservation a week earlier for 12 people, knowing that it was a very small space. I was assured that it would be no problem and that we would be able to have the main table. We we arrived at Kirazu, we were told our table would be ready in a few minutes. A few minutes later, they came to tell us the booking had been made for 4 people, not 12. They tried to convince me that I had made the mistake when booking. When I asked to talk to the manager, he was rude and absolutely unapologetic. He suggested all 12 of us stand in a corner that could comfortably accommodate 6. Again, with no apologies. We ended up finding another place, which gladly accommodated us in just 30 minutes. It was Dozo, just a couple of streets away. It was excellent, the staff was very helpful and the food was of much better price/quality ratio than at Kirazu.

Simply the best Izakaya. The chef used to be a head chef at Mitsukoshi restaurant and Kaiseki trained. Hence his dishes are all awesome! It is very small and he is pretty much running himself. You have to be a little patient here but well- worth visit. Ask him for the special of the day. He will give you the best dishes ever!

"Oh, not another one of these fusion nonsense" I dreaded when I saw the words Japanese and Tapas next to each other on the blackboard outside. But the food puritanist in me was quickly reassured when it was discovered that "tapas" component simply meant small plates and nothing more. Phew!Walking in to this Japanese-run place reminded me almost instantly of a cool little cafe in Horie district of Osaka. Wooden features, beautiful crockery, cool light bulbs...and slightly claustrophobic! We ordered a good enough mix to be able to justify writing a review, including moriawase (mixed sashimi), nasu dengaku (aubergine with miso paste), takoyaki (octopus balls), prawn gyoza, stuffed squid and a tofu salad. The quality of the food here was excellent, good value and very authentic compared to other Japanese restaurants in the area, which are mostly overpriced and/or not run by Japanese people. The food we ordered all came "when ready", which we actually liked. While I can sympathise with those who were annoyed that not everyone's food arrived at the same time, everything was very obviously freshly cooked and made to order. To be fair to other reviewers though, as we were not particularly hungry during our visit our opinion could easily have swayed the other way. This may be something they can work on. Also, as it's so tiny and cramped I'm not sure if I'd want to be here in a big group, meeting someone new or staying here for long as it's not really somewhere you can relax very easily. The stools by the window for example where we sat were uncomfortable after a while, we actually couldn't wait to get up from them by the end!Overall the quality and atmosphere makes it stand out from other Japanese places in the area, will visit again.

Slow serviceVery mediocre foodThe place smellsThe portions are minusculeDon't be fooled by its looks, lots of better places to get your Japanese fix.

This tiny and cosy Japanese place is hidden in the middle of the tourist ridden soho area in central London. I highly recommend this place for its fresh sushi/sashimi à la carte . Rice bowls and udon are delicious as well. Its a nice place to go with a couple of friends and just enjoy good food in a good company. The chef and waitresses are highly attentive to any demand whatsoever!

A Londra ho pranzato in questo café per ben tre volte data la comodità (in piena Soho),la bontà dei piatti e la gentilezza del personale.Si tratta di un café giapponese che serve vari tipi di the e bevande tradizionali e che offre anche piatti per pranzo e cena,con possibilità sia di mangiarli in loco che di portarli via.Molto conveniente bento box a 5sterline:zuppa di miso,insalata,sushi(6 pezzi) o piatto del giorno(una volta è stato un curry giapponese,un'altra pollo yakitori).Ci sono anche altre formule con prezzi molto convenienti e contenuti e varie opzioni vegetariane. si mangia su banconi di legno,con bacchette e cucchiai di legno anch'esse. Consigliatissimo!

Dined here with my brother on a Monday evening. We came in quite early, so had full plenty of choice for seating. We decided to perch at the counter in front of the chef. We only ate the 'tapas' menu and a few bits off the menu. The best gyoza I've had in a long time, delicious monk fish and fabulous sushi. I will defiantly be back here. I really enjoyed the food, and the staff were equally pleasant.

Tried to go an a Saturday lunch time, despite the signage saying they were open, they weren't! Finally got a dinner reservation a few weeks later. The restaurant is tiny. Shared tables and not much room to manoeuvre. The waitress recommended that we order 3-4 dishes each. We did so, the food was lovely, chicken teriyaki, salmon sashimi, duck, tempura and more. However, the dishes are tiny! 3 bite sized portions in each dish. After 10 dishes between 3 I was still starving! We all ended up ordering a ramen to fill ourselves up. The service is a bit of struggle, the waitresses didn't speak much English and soy sauce seemed to kept under lock and key, a portion looked like a small spillage on a dish and we must have asked 4 times for more! A shame really, thefood that we did have was lovely, there just wasn't nearly enough of it.

This place has to be closed down immediately. I found roach eggs in my food! Utterly disgusting standard of hygiene. The loo stunk to high heaven too. The owner couldn't care less either.Go at your peril or of you really really enjoy a good case of food poisoning.

Wer sich wirklich für die wunderbaren Speisen und die feine Abstimmung der Geschmacksrichtungen der japanischen Küche interessiert, der ist hier bestens aufgehoben. In dem kleinen, sehr einfach eingerichteten Lokal herrscht bei aller Enge eine sehr angenehme und freundliche Atmosphäre. Das Augenmerk liegt eindeutig auf der sorgfältigen und ausgewählten Zubereitung der Gerichte. Die Portionen mögen kleiner sein als Europäer und Amerikaner erwarten, gemessen an der Qualität des Essens aber ist der Preis absolut in Ordnung. Und es schmeckt phantastisch! Wer also in erster Linie auf die Größe der Portionen achtet, der sollte sich ein paar Straßenecken weiter in eines der Kettenrestaurants begeben. Von japanischer Küche wird er dort nicht viel mitbekommen. Ich werde aber auch bei meinen nächsten Reisen nach London regelmäßig hierher zurück kehren.

friendly staff and nice atmosphere. all the dishes we ate were good, but the portions are absolutely tiny. we spent around 35 per person and i left feeling hungry. ok for a snack i guess but too pricey for what you get in my opinion.

Kirazu is a small piece of Japan in London - and I do mean small: the restaurant gives the average Westerner that feeling of being several sizes too large which I recall from visiting restaurants in Japan. The staff - all Japanese - speak only a few words of English and the place was, when we visited, full of young Japanese. Typical of Japanese restaurants are the scrubbed wooden tables and the stools arranged around the cooking area, where the chef prepares meals in full view of his customers - often while conversing laconically with them. The loo is not for the faint-hearted; an unlocked cupboard with a button that, when pressed, accompanies the call of nature with soothing music.The dishes are described as 'tapas', but don't let that deter you: this sort of restaurant is traditionally Japanese; it is, I believe, correctly described as 'izakaya' - a bar which serves small dishes, as various as the chef's imagination permits, originally intended to accompany sake. And what food! My charming companion and I ate eight dishes: deep-fried tofu (bean-curd); dim-sum-style prawn dumplings; barely-cooked beef that melted in the mouth accompanied by a shirt-button sized dab of a sweet, mild horse-radish; diced octopus in balls of the lightest choux pastry; fish-roe on sticky rice; a Japanese fish-cake; and - well, I'm not sure what the others were. Each dish was well-judged and executed, delicate in flavour, carefully presented and quite delicious. To drink, there's a wide range of sake - we tried two, and very good they were - and several Japanese beers; we drank Asahi stout and one I hadn't tried before - Uwa, or something similar, it was called - which resembled Anchor Steam, with an oriental hint of rice added. One orders by filling in a questionnaire - rather like shopping in Argos, though with less predictable results - and handing it in at the till. The latter is at the rear of the establishment and requires a plump diner to edge precariously between bar and tables as if making his way along a mountain ledge. One helps oneself to beer from the 'fridge, which seems odd. Despite their lack of English, the staff were charming and helpful, though a detailed explanation of the menu would, I suspect, have been beyond them; when my companion dropped a chopstick, a fresh set was in her hands at once. The bill is totted up at the end - which involves another trip to the till. The damage? In my case, £62, which I thought perfectly reasonable. Since I'm English, I added a tip; the Japanese never tip. Kirazu easily becomes full, but, if I can squeeze in when I next come to London, believe me, I shall.

Food was tasty but portions very small. Good for dieting. Service was good - I was one of the two there at that time. Hence full attention.

My review of Kirazu is not based on any misunderstanding of Japanese dining or etiquette. My fellow diner and I have both been to Japan dozens of times, and lived there briefly, so we are very familiar with all types of Japanese food from street food to kaiseki. What I love about dining in Japan is that the customer is treated with great courtesy and nothing is ever too much trouble. Sadly this ethos seems to be sorely missing from Kirazu!The first thing that jarred slightly was when we walked into a totally empty restaurant but could not choose where to sit. We were told we had to sit at the centre of the large table, or at the less comfortable window counter. Apparently twos have to sit at the centre of the table, so that groups of three can be placed at the ends. This meant that by the end of the meal there were us and a couple seated right next to each other at the centre of the table in the otherwise empty restaurant. I understand that this is a small venue, and they can't afford to have empty seats, but the table is small enough that three people seated together in any configuration would be fine, so there's no need to annoy earlier diners with the strict seating restrictions. Another couple left to eat elsewhere because of this, so it is clearly driving customers away.My friend told me that on her previous visits the restaurant had another table, but it had been removed. This left an unnecessary empty space in the room that would have been better filled with the other table so that customers could perhaps sit where they want.At the start of our meal the waitress pointed out to us a specials board for sushi/sashimi but didn’t bother to tell us about the two boards behind the door which listed by far the most interesting dishes. We only ordered from these because my friend knew about them from a previous visit. The waitress did exactly the same to the next couple who arrived, so it seemed intentional rather than an oversight. Very odd! The next jarring note was their weird system of prepayment. Although the till is literally two paces from the table we were told we had to get up and stand by the till in order for staff to take our order and that we would have to prepay. This system is not only inconvenient, but not conducive to customers ordering more food or drinks.When the food arrived, we were told to get our own chopsticks from a jar on a shelf even though the waitress was stood right next to them and could have passed them without moving. This happened again with the soy sauce. There were at least three waitresses on duty, to two customers, so they didn't have any excuse for such rudeness.Our food arrived quickly, and was tasty, but the portions were tiny, even for tapas style. Potato salad was little more than an egg-cup worth. After 7 dishes and two soft drinks we were still starving, but we couldn't face being made to feel that we were an inconvenience any longer, so we paid up and left. Our visit lasted 30 minutes from start to finish!We went around the corner to Ittenbari, where we were greeted warmly and had a large portion of Japanese comfort food to console ourselves that our night out wasn't a total wash-out.I'm not sure what is going on with Kirazu. Media reviews tend to be good, and my friend loved it on her two previous visits, but recent customer reviews seem to be poor and neither I or my friend will be going back.

Came with a group of 5 (including friends visiting from NY)and it took 40 minutes to be seated (despite a reservation) and 2 hours to get our food!! It wasn't even that busy, and yet several times I had to get up from the table, chase down the waitress and ask where our missing food/drink item was. Completely unacceptable! Stay away from here ....

My experience (Feb 04) suggest that things may have changed since the damning reviews were posted - I've given it 5 stars for the food, the ambience, and its essential Japanese oddness.We booked by telephone and were greeted and seated with no problems.The menu sheets (tick boxes, pencils provided) and specials boards are all in English and the staff very helpful. The system for paying, maybe as a consequence of one reviewer's behaviour, is pay-as-you-go. You take your order to the service point and pay there and then. A little tedious paying for each 'round' but no means a problem - if you think you will find this difficult, then you haven't really got the hang of things. Kirazu has no pretentions.The food is excellent, by far the best Japanese food I have eaten outside Japan. This Kansai home cooking is delicious. If you like Japanese food, and if you like a genuine Japanese feel to a restaurant, you will be happy in Kirazu.

Service was very poor, they were rude, unhelpful, trying to make my 60 year old mum sit on a high, wobbly stool instead of the bench. Really really bad value. 2 tiny pieces of bitter salmon cost 3.5, a miso beef stew with NO miso taste and 2 TINY bits of beef was 5.50, the ramen with a tea spoon of pork mince, only half an egg and very poor soup to noodle ratio was over 10. So disappointed. Even the edamame was a stingy amount! Koya is much much better. I'll never go back.

I lived in Japan quite a while and have travelled there many times. Japanese food easily my world favourite. In this place, I cannot begin to describe how small the portions are. There is not a lot more than 2-3 mouthfuls in each dish (exc. ramen). Service is exceptionally slow too. Our dinner was c. 3hrs long and I left pretty hungry. Paid £30 including 2 beers and 1 shochu. Waitresses are nice enough but think they are woefully understaffed and out of space in what is a very small spot. The food itself is nice; not spectacular, but nice. Non-itemised bill a bit worrying. In their favour, they didn't add the now-ubiquitous 12.5% 'optional' service charge.

Went there with friends a few nights ago and had a terrible experience. The service was terribly slow and there was a bit of a language barrier which was only the beginning of the tale. We waited for up to two hours for the last of our dishes to arrive, which was a tuna sashimi, and as such, should have been the first item on our table. Even a simple order of edamame beans took three waitresses and 30 mins to arrive. The portion sizes for the food that did come was pretty small, so all food was devoured with seconds, and there wasn't much to be enjoyed as part of a sharing experience. The final nail in the coffin came with the presentation of the bill. Having had a lot of confusion with the ordering of our dishes, when the bill came simply split into two lump sums for food and drink, we sought some clarity from the wait staff, and some clarification from the chef/owner about why some of our food took so long to arrive. After a bit of a back and forth, and another age in presenting us the itemised bill, the owner threatened to and subsequently called the police, and locked the doors on us. At no point had we threatened to walk out, and were fully intending on paying the bill, so were mystified to have to justify ourselves to the police, and it was an embarrassing end to a frustrating evening.

I ate at this restaurant two nights ago. As someone who has visited Japan and tried many Japanese restaurants in London, I found the dining experience at Kirazu very disappointing.First and foremost, the food is sadly lacking in flavour. When combined with the tiny (even by Japanese standards) tapas portions, this is not a good thing. Secondly, the service is poor. Friendly but inefficient is a good summary.Disappointing.

You've got to like elbows, because you will be meeting the ones of the guests next to you here! Kirazu is a small restaurant in buzzing Soho, maybe seats 25 customers at a stretch. I found it nearly impossible to make a booking, there is no telephone number on their website, none outside the restaurant which is only open at night, a google search for the phone number was wrong and only found the correct number by going on their facebook page! exhausting!The service is friendly and a bit quirky with some definite language problems between server and customer but it all worked out. The menu is fairly small and we ordered a bottle of wine and about 6 tapas items. All very tasty and well presented. The restaurant was full to heaving and a nice quirky place to try in Soho.

Apparently a 'ml' in Japan is different than in the UK ........... according to the chef at least !!Upon ordering a 'large 360ml' Sake @ £25 a tiny flask arrived, it could have contained no more than a small wine glass full of liquid, certainly no where near the half wine bottle that 360ml promises. When i complained the smiling waitress was useless, I then took my complaint to whom i assume to be the owner/chef who scowled and declared 'that's how it is in Japan'. I wonder if the possible thousands of pounds fine from the local councils 'weights and measures' will also be the same!. Having only eaten two small plates the experience was now ruined so we asked for the bill, it arrived with no concession to our complaint, thus more aggravation ensued to come to an agreement regarding the charge for the Sake. Absolutely terrible - amplified by the profusion of great eating establishments in the area - AVOID !

Went last night to Kirazu after having read about it on Time Out. Through typical japanese curtains we've entered in this <15 table place, with the kitchen overlooking the entire place. What's different here vs. any other japanese place I've been so far? It's a different format, based on tapas more than traditional plates. Meaning, you can order a few and share them with your friends. The menu has dishes that are not that common to find in London. Among others, we had shabu-shabu salad, pork belly which was absolutely incredible (ordered it twice!) and delicious scallops.All is served in authentic Japanese pottery. I have been to Japan a few times and it's so easy to spot the difference. The master is Japanese, helped by a few japanese girls, all very sweet.In three, with sake and a few tapas each, we have spent ~20£, which is more than fair for the quality and originality of the place.Book in advance and try it!

Went here tonight with my wife for dinner. Firstly, the management and levels of service are truly appalling! We are well travelled and eat out in London often and can honestly say we have NEVER experienced such bad service. The waitresses are actually reasonably pleasant but are totally clueless. Wrong orders, long waits (despite the restaurant being v quiet), mistakes with the bill, and just a general lack of efficiency. Trust me, these nice people do not have a clue what they're doing! And the food, hmmm.... What to say? Well, it's not terrible for a start. However, the portions are extremely small and at least 2 of our dishes from the 'hot tapas' menu came out completely cold. Of course when we sent them back and asked for them to come back warm they a) didn't return and b) were added to the bill.Finally, the guy (I presume owner) at the front kitchen was extremely rude. Regularly turning customers away despite there being plenty of empty seats with an attitude that needed to be seen to be believed! All other customers in the restaurant were shaking their head in disbelief too. Avoid avoid avoid!!

We booked to go to Kirazu after reading the Fay Maschler review and we loved it. It is a tiny place - you wouldn't see it (look for the mini-cab sign and that is where it is) on the still-sleazy part of Rupert Street - and the waitresses took a rather long time to take our order - but all the food was absolutely delicious. Loved the rice balls in the shape of hearts - they were blow-torched at the counter and we enjoyed watching these - also the (deep fried but cold) salmon was delicious. The takoyaki was a surprise to our Western/Far-Eastern palates - but glad we tried it. The ramen (soy) was actually very tasty. Our son who is a Japano-phile was very happy to spend his birthday there.

My boyfriend and I wanted to come here for weeks, Japanese food is my favourite of all cuisines, we even queued to ensure we got a spot! There was great excitement as we started picking items from the tapas list. What transpired over the next hour and 40 minutes was part Emperor's clothing and part teething problems I suspect. Initially a tiny garnish or amuse-bouche came out, only it was actually the spicy cod roe. It then took over an hour for 3 other dishes to trickle out, the salmon croquette was just that - a solitary and lonely croquette in a tiny bowl. How that does make a dish? Tapas is meant to be shared! So we ended up cutting it in two. It was light, but we couldn't really taste any salmon. We were so hungry we thought about ordering more dishes, however, I couldn't bear the idea of another excruciating wait for these lilliputian sized canapes. And although each dish is seemingly cheaply priced, based on portion size you'd have to spend a lot! We waited another half hour for our final dish, which turned out was never coming. In the end they overcharged us for the 5th dish and for tap water, but we got these refunded. I know this review makes us sound like greedy, impatient westerners! But I am Asian with a small appetite and who likes to take my time eating - I have also eaten all over Japan. I have never left any other Japanese establishment hungry and disappointed. The place is small and charming and the staff extremely polite of course, but reading other reviews here and on Time Out I can see it's not a rogue experience. Perhaps the pace will pick up in the coming months once they've found their feet, but at the moment it's amateur hour. I do feel there's a great meal to be had here, it's almost like you need the staff to tell you what the best dishes are and steer you away from the lonely croquettes!

This restaurant is small and pleasant, but it was very busy when we went and the staff (although very friendly) seemed rather overwhelmed by a full restaurant. Overall the food was good, but some dishes were better than others. The deep fried salmon was served cold (despite being listed as a "hot" dish) which confused us. The agedashi tofu was hot, fresh and delicious (we very nearly ordered another serving!), as were the steamed dumplings. However, I wasn't as excited about the grilled rice balls we had at the end to finish. On the drinks side, the fruit sake with soda was great and very refreshing (we tried plum and pear). A good place to pop in for a light but filling snack. I'd go again if I was in the area.

I heard about Kirazu through word of mouth, and it was worth the visit. It's small but that is part of the charm; the menu is very good and have very good selections of sake, wine and beer.Food was very tasty and menu was definitely not currying to local (i.e. British) taste - they were authentic Japanese dishes that we expect to see in normal everyday dinner table, but done really well and presented beautifully. If you are expecting westernized-Japanese menu (like certain asian fusion restaurant whose name starts with W) then you will be pleasantly disappointed.The service at time could be a bit slow, you'd think as it is a small place the waiting staff would easily respond to customer's needs, but small place also means smaller number of staff also. I could see they work very hard and were very busy, they were always polite and never rude so I just took it as part of the charm. I guess if you are in a hurry, just go somewhere else! But if you do, it's your loss.

The food was pretty good, and I appreciated the range of ceramics the small plates were served on. We had about 6 dishes plus a bowl of ramen. The pork belly miso was tasty, but not exactly melt in the mouth. The eel and cucumber left me wanting more. I felt slightly disappointed by their awkwardness though. I booked last Sunday for a meal last night at 6pm. I received confirmation last Monday. When we arrived they claimed they couldn't find the booking, and we were seated at the counter along the window. I asked a few times for a table, but was told "No!". During the hour of our visit, the tables mainly remained free. It was annoying. The genuine izekaya experience is about casual flexibility and pleasing the customer - not sure Kirazu has this yet.

Simple, unfussy 'Japanese tapas' - otherwise known as izakaya. I haven't had food like this since Tokyo. Straightforward, quality ingredients. Service was a bit slow but I think that adds to the charm.I hope this place is the start of a new trend of izakaya in London!

Kirazu is a chunk of left out, OKARA, from making soy bean curds, TOFU, in Japanese.It means something that can be used in any way and every way.This restaurant is newly made in March, and is already known quite well to the Japanese community as the BEST RAMEN PLACE in London so far.CHEAPER than Bone Daddies, and BETTER in quality - especially for the salt ramen.IF you want to know how Japanese real ramen tastes like, go for it.BUT, unfortunately, only SALT one is the best quality. MISO and SHOYU (Soy sauce) ones need more improvement...FOOD: Excellent. Try the Karaage (Fried chicken) which is not on the menu. REALLY GOOD.STAFFS: Nice and attentive, but don't expect perfect food explanation in English...AMBIENT: Nice, cozy and I actually can stay there for hours if I want to. SERVICE: Although the service in general is fine, the foods are often unacceptably slowly served when busy - they have to improve this point really quickly. Regrettably the place is so small that it's too hard to run this place well... some structural problem they need to overcome is quite huge.PRICE: Good, if you drink too much! (And I mean this!!)BUT still, the place is full of real stuffs. Go there if you want to try the real Japanese food.