Kurumaya in City of London, Westminster

The sunken table area is quite cool downstairs but we sat at a normal table. The atmosphere was super off with it being dead quiet with no music. Just an awkward atmosphere. The salmon sashimi was really good, super fresh! I had a rice bowl with steak as my main and it was just okay- it was pretty bland and could’ve done with a sauce, there was just so so much pickled ginger as well, it would’ve been nice to have some other veg. The waitress was amazing, super lovely and she was concerned when we left loads of food at the end but we were just so full!

Incredible food and great atmosphere - thank you Eric and the team! See you in July, Conor

Best sushi and service in town. Nothing else needs to be said.

Nice conveyor belt sushi Fresh fish and quality sushi. High service charge to eat in compared to take out. Sushi sets and hot food available to take away.

It was fun watching sushi going around on the belt conveyor. The restaurant has table service downstairs and a take away section at the entrance as well as the belt conveyor counter. Sushi and other dishes are on the different colour plates indicating it's prices. Orange £3.50 Red £3.90 Green £4.50 Blue £4.90 Pink £5.50 Yellow £5.90 Most cooked dishes from the kitchen were on the yellow plates and I thought they were good value as long as you pick them up while it's still hot. Most dishes including sushi are on the belt without top covers for the first few rounds, and I found them unhygienic. Sushi chefs in the corner were friendly, though they are very busy making all sushi for takeaway, downstairs tables as well as the belt conveyor counter. You'll get your bill from a staff, and pay at the till by the entrance. Be aware that the service charge is astonishingly high even for the city standards. It is 20%! For pick up by yourself sushi and pay at the till, I think it is outrageous. I don't think bringing a drink and counting the plates and writing it down isn't worth 20%. Or am I mean to think that way. Prawn tempura was good, machareal sushi was good, others I had weren't. One experience was enough for me.

Great food. But portion is too much A bit noisy ... not suitable for discussion

Overly expensive for a Gyu don, doesn’t even come with miso soup + service charge that came together over £18. Not even authentic and portion is tiny.

This is my goto lunch place for donburi. So much more authentic than K10 or Itsu. The staff is very efficient at serving takeaway customers too. If you are looking to grab a rice bowl for a takeaway, highly recommended.

We eat at the top, where food was circulated on a plates. Unfortunately it doesn’t say if it is spicy or not. So we picked up several spicy plates. Overall, everything was ok. Service was good.

One of the few very authentic Japanese restaurant in the city.

Delicious Japanese food, although I don't think it tasted all that authentic to the food I've had in Japan. It's still pretty good, with several options from sushi, nigiri, to noodles and soups. I thought my soba was terrific!

Thanks a lot to the cashier who helped me today 😘 love the food. (Spicy salmon) 🍣 Defo go again.

I’ve been to this place many years ago while working in the city. Recently went back and was shocked by how poor the food has become. Quite possibly the worst “Japanese” food I had in London in terms of quality. Do they still have ANY Japanese running this kitchen? Really not try to be mean, just candid. The standard has slipped far down south! I wouldn’t even call it Japanese anymore. One star for the service and the other for the atmosphere- still buzzing at lunch time like how I remembered. Won’t go back again when you have so many amazing Japanese restaurants to choose from in London

I bought some take out Sushi for lunch. It was very nice and felt you got a bit more fish than you do in the usual packs from the likes of Itsu or Wasabi. It was however expensive (what London lunches aren’t!?) at £11.50, but on par with similar foods. However, reading the other comments on the cleanliness of the place, I’m not sure I’ll be coming back. Shame, because I do enjoy a nice Sushi restaurant and saw they also have a conveyor belt set up too. Would have liked to return but going to give it a miss.

Worst customer service I have ever experienced. I asked whether their ramen was soup-based or not and was met with an eye roll, followed by “ramen always has soup”. There are many restaurants that serve ramen dishes without soup, and there was really no need to start dashing the items I ordered in the bag to then place it on the other end of the till. Real shame as the dish I ended up ordering did taste good, but it was not worth the disrespectful attitude.

A lovey spot to have lunch with some friends

Re: Friday 4th August evening Food was good and I feel the pricing was fair for a central London restaurant. Seating was downstairs. A little too cozy. It's nice they give you the option to sit at the tables or on the sunken floor area that requires slippers. The waitress was fantastic and did a great job working by herself, tending to all tables and checking in on us. They are lucky to have her! Bad look to see who I got the impression of the owner sitting at a table drinking and looking unfriendly or helpful. Unfortunately, the condition of the one toilet available was atrocious. For this reason we will not come back. I forgot to take an image of the sink- it would be impossible to wash hands if someone were to use the urinal which is in front of it. I do not think I would feel comfortable bringing children into that toilet without waiting for them. There is no excuse to have it in the condition it is and this could be renovated over a weekend. They are closed on the weekends so that baffles me even more. The majority of the floor tiles are loose. Additionally, the amount of fruit flies in the toilet and restaurant needs to be addressed. I'm sure this goes against many H&S standards. Disappointed to say the least.

Always a pleasure to eat at Kurumaya. The food is good and freshly made, and service is always with a smile. Prices are reasonable for the location too.

Always a pleasure to eat at Kurumaya. The food is delicious and freshly prepared, and the service is always with a smile. Prices are reasonable for the location too.

Great takeaway lunch options. I’ve been enjoying different options they provided, Teriyaki chicken is the best I reckon. By the way, this week has been disappointing as rice quality was so bad…was too sticky and couldn’t finish more than half 2 days in row. And £1 for extra teriyaki sauce is a bit disappointing as it needed only because the original drizzle is too less.

Food was alright, wasn't too special but it hit spot. The boat is good value for two.

Worst meal I've had in a while. Ordered the £49.50 Chef's Nigiri Special 3 and a number of items were switched out for cheaper ingredients without explanation. What did arrive was cold, old and lacking in flavour. This extended even to the dry ginger. I've never had toro (fatty tuna) that hasn't first been blowtorched to render the fat and bring out the flavour. The waiter wasn't particularly engaged but did offer £5 off the price after I pointed out the switches. No questions were asked when I left five pieces of nigiri when requesting the bill.

Good food and the experience was unique

This place had been on our list for a while. Maybe this place is better at lunch - but tonight the restaurant floor was dirty (not great when we had to get down to your socks); no heating and a few spiders crawling around. The toilets were mostly out of order, had no lights, a small candle in the cubicle (and cables hanging out the roof and bulbs in the corner) and had to use to phone torch to wash hands. The waitress was lovely and more than helpful. But this didn’t make up for the food we sent back - stringy, dry and tough pork. We won’t go back - but maybe this is great for a lunch spot or for a takeaway.

The food was great and the service it's recommended

Nice atmosphere and lovely food

I went with my girlfriend and dined in the basement area. As I arrived clearly it was chaotic. Understaffed. We Ordered and the food took more than half an hour. Also, my tempura sauce was missing the radish. I asked a waiter for the radish and it never came out. Because the sauce finished before my tempura did, I asked another waiter for more tempura sauce. When I asked, she acted surprised. When she took it out she asked me if this was the sauce. Honestly. Who is the customer here. The taste of the food in general was not bad. But when we had to pay, the same waiter had a row with my friend about the bill. We had to take out our calculator which was appalling. And she told my friend her calculation was wrong. At that point, my friend had enough and she spoke to a more senior waitress that she would file a complaint. It was a shame. The place used to be okay but I guess that too had passed.

A good takeaway place never too busy. If you could just stop being selfish in giving the soy sauce. Especially when one comes every week for the past 4 years...

Upstairs has a takeaway counter and seating with a conveyor belt for a quick lunch. But downstairs is a gem - lovely seating and excellent food. There is quite a lot of seats available considering it’s central London and I’ve never had to wait long for a table. It can get a little loud but still lovely.

Decent, but if you want a chicken katsu curry to takeaway for lunch, make sure your arrive at noon. All the katsu curries are kept in a cabinet to keep warm and the crispy breadcrumbs go soft very quickly once they've been put out. Also wish the larger sushi boxes were more varied from day to day and didn't always have octopus in them, say.

Its more usually a lunchtime spot at the sushi conveyor belt. For evenings its in the basement in an unappealing bland and crowded room. Crowded with tables not people. Food was fine, ebi tempura a bit greasy but passable. Japanese is rarely cheap and this was no exception, £16 for 6 prawns is a bit toppy especially as the environment was more cafe than fine dining. Better as a lunch snack place or takeaway. The plus was the charming waitress.

Not what it was, but it was OK. 2* is fair

Think the place needs a lick of paint. Mens toilets grotty, food ok but nothing to write home about. The girl that served us was friendly though.

Traditional sushi, great quality food, excellent service, nice atmosphere

The food tasted a bit bland, I went for gyoza ramen but I’ve had much better ramen before. I was expecting more 🙁 Service was alright.

I love Sushi and adore this restaurant. Thanks for a delicious lunch today.

Utterly hopeless. The food was so awful it made the service look good, which was just as poor. If you want to marry a gold digger and call your bank a week later claiming fraud, then this is the place for you. I asked what some of the fish in my ramen was; to which the waiter replied ‘squid’. Unless I lost my eyesight from the poisoned food I can assure you there was no squid in the ramen. Stay clear

great sushi restaurant in the city!

I go there from time to time. Food is nice, service fine. I have no hesitation going back there. There is a sunken table/ shoes-off area with mats. Good if you want something different to sitting at a conventional table.

We came on a monday around 1pm, was very nice and quiet, there is a restaurant section where we were sat (downstairs) very japanese, no shoes allowed in the section, so you can sit cross legged and enjoy your food japanese style! I ordered Chef special maki sushi and salmon + avocado maki, absolutely loved it and my partner had Hyashi seaweed salad and pork noodles and it was delicious. Very nice staff, very friendly, helped us pick the dishes, very quiet, amazing food!

It was my second time here, sushi was well made, extensive wine choices, prices were okay, some items I found a little expensive. Overall it was good and above average. A menu with pictures would be a good idea.

The food was below par but it was the awful service that I wanted to highlight. The service was slow and unhelpful. When asked about different items on the menu, the waitress had zero clue and was more confused than I was. She answered my questions with more questions and had no idea what was going on. She didn’t know what was included in any of the meal sets. Hoping that this review helps people make decisions!

Good place for sushi 🍣 in central London.

The sushis are good (bit expensive though) but the service was really bad. The waitress forgot something in our order and then kicked us out at 9pm bringing the bill before we had finished eating!! And lots of items on the menu were not available so really not the best experience...

Good sushi and food in general, cosy place in a great part of London

Staffs are nice but the food is disappointing, tuna sashimi tastes not so fresh

Bankに近いという立地からしたら、お手頃な価格で美味しい和食が食べられます。スタッフもフレンドリーです。おすすめは、お寿司セット松です。お刺身とお寿司と汁物のセットで量も十分。お魚美味しかったです。逆にガッカリしたのは先月食べた天丼セット。天ぷらの品数が少なくて貧相な感じ。物足りなさが残りました。

Good was awesome, really fresh. Service was friendly. We did wait a while for our food, but I think that's because we were a big table. Only 2 sakes were available off a menu of ~20. They quoted supply issues. The atmosphere was not great; lighting too bright in tatami area, music awful and ads playing in between songs! But the great food and nice service made up for most of that.

Nicest waitresses. Kid' friendly. Great food . What more can I say

The best food I've had in a long time Amazing service, fresh food and amazing Atmosphere hidden from the eyes of many..

Food was good but sadly all but the traditional eating area is a bit grubby, toilets particularly. Staff were friendly and attentive. Overall was let down by the chefs sushi special, which had several substitutions to different fish than the menu without warning. The food was good but several pieces weren’t what we would have chosen. There was also no hot Sake, and then not able to offer my choice of beer out of four on offer. Therefore only three stars.

My favourite City sushi joint. Great quality food, always bump into someone at the conveyor and basement table service is great for a special occasion

The place quite lack of atmosphere and feel a bit tired. The food was ok but doesn't justify the price. The service was good.

A really good sushi place near Bank. Good service, fresh well made sushi and sashimi. I wouldn't compare it to the best I've had in London, but still miles better than your normal high street chains. The restaurant has a lot of oriental and japanese customers whcih speaks for the authenticity and quality of food and drinks here.

Best sushi in town, everything was delicious - recommend the udon and Maki. Great dining experience and service. The restaurant had a lovely atmosphere and I would definitely come back again.

Great dining experience on tatami mats. Loved the spicy tuna maki roll. Unagi ju was tad bit sweet, only other feedback is that waiting service could be improved.

Three of us had dinner in the tatami mat section of the restaurant. We shared amazing maki rolls and sashimi, grilled vegetables, chef special rolls and yakitori. The food was delicious and the staff are lovely! Will be recommending to everyone working in St Paul's area

One hour wait and no food. Not even miso soup. Terrible.

Had a really nice lunch alone, didn’t order a lot of food as it was fulfilling. I recommend getting the Alaskan crab California roll

One of the proper Japanese restaurants in central London. Great food, simple & cozy ambiance and good service.

Enjoyed the sushi with lovely atmosphere

The food was good , nice atmosphere and very welcoming staff😊

Fantastic sushi food for a quick family take away. The very kind owners even gave us a free box of sushi! Highly recommended.

Always a great experience, the sushi boat is the best!

Decent Ramen! Not much else to write home about.

Lovely food, friendly staff and great location!

Katsu was great, gyoza tastes amazing. fantastic service and great atmosphere

Tuna smells. Katsudon was all grease, very bad.

I know that everything is getting more expensive now, but compared to other places the prices are a bit too high, the toilet is neglected and the service is slow .... the food is tasty ... the decor is so-so ...

Came once, accidentally saw chef dropping then picking up a piece of salmon from the floor and carry on putting it in a roll... disgusting never again

Nice downstairs restaurant for Japanese food in the city. Staff were very polite and friendly.

Excellent sushi, friendly members of staff and great atmosphere overall. Highly recommended 💯

Great Japanese restaurant. We went as a group of eight for lunch and ate downstairs. Very authentic with taking shoes off and sunken tables. We had a hug sharing platter of sushi, sides and tempura and everything was very good!

Love this place! Great for take away lunch, conveyor sushi or sit downstairs in the restaurant. Superb food and attentive, friendly service every time

Nice place with proper Japanese vibe, food is good and my katsu curry was really nice

I love this place. For starters, back in my banking days I used to lunch at the belt almost every single days. These days, whenever I’m in London, I stop by to remind myself how great Kurumaya is. Competent chefs, tastiest dishes and a good selection of wines. Love the boat presentation! Loyal customer here, will keep going back. AAA !!

Excellent option for a quick lunch. The sushi sets are great and have a very good price.

got food poisoning after eating either bad salmon or bad chicken. Will not be coming back again.

I've been to Kurumaya many times over the last years: the food is always amazing (consistency!) and the staff is just lovely. Highly suggested

The service was amazing. Was so yummm.

We had made a booking here for dinner to celebrate my husbands birthday in one of his favourite Sushi restaurants. We arrived on time, to find the venue closed. There was someone cleaning up inside and he came out to apologise to us, and the other customers who were also wondering what was going on. Birthday evening was trashed. Never again. Off the list for ever.

I have found the downstairs area to be much better in terms of quality (the other is still decent but downstairs is just better). I’m partial to sushi and sashimi so that’s what I order and I’m yet to be disappointed. Generous cuts (proper Japanese sized instead of the anemic ones common in London) nice firm fresh sashimi, good eel. For a simple restaurant they have a vast selection of sake at a reasonable price.

Sashimi was fresh but very thinly sliced. Edamame tasted old cooking oil (although edamame shouldn’t have oil at all.) Agedashi dofu’s tofu was low quality. Other cooked dishes were average. The only thing we really enjoyed was quality cold sake.

Ramen is way below average. I’d recommend Shoryu instead.

Good fresh sushi, love the boats

Good vibe. Japanese restaurant with tatami seats where you take off your shoes and sit. Food was ok. Udon tastes nice. Bento ... well good quality but not sensational. Jirashi don was quite nice with generous fish. Portiobwise... adequate, not so much.

I used to order from this restaurant all the time on ubereats, but I moved away from the area. Recently I came back to visit, and it is everything good as I remembered. Their cooking is very flavourful, a teppan grill in garlic and butter. Their sushi is also very good but I would have to say that their speciality is in meat and seafood. The prices are also very reasonable, especially for central london. The only downside I'd say is their restaurant hours are very erratic and I wish they would post accurate hours on their site.

A very nice Japanese restaurant serving all your favourites. It has a very broad menu for you to choose from. We ate downstairs, and not a conveyor belt in site. Instead it was the dimly lit, low seating, shoes off style dining that you might like from your Japanese experience. There are also British normal style tables if you're either not as brave or perhaps suffering from arthritis. The food was great, although for the price I have tried slightly better sushi. It's fantastically presented and overall great tasting. But just a bit disappointing some items were cooked, like the prawn sashimi instead of the fresh-is-best style I prefer. All in a great central location for a dinner date with your mates or colleagues.

Great food and ambience! Will give 6 stars if the music matches the vibes (LOVE THE PLACE THOUGH)

Excellent food and service and very nice ambience

There’s a very high standard of Japanese food available here, it’s exceptional and the standard is the same at lunch or dinner.

Had a quick and pleasant dinner for 4 at the Kurumaya in the early evening; service was quick and attendant and food was good. The miso especially was really nice. If I could choose the main again I would likely go for the sushi set next time as the bento box, although nice, in my opinion could not compare agains what the sushi sets offered. If I had to offer a minor point of critique it would be that the music was perhaps a bit loud and maybe not exactly completely fitting with what you would expect in a restaurant (I think the main song for the Lion King was in rotation at some point ) but that is a minor point. Overall a good experience worth repeating.

Give this a miss! Really wasn’t a good experience. My colleague and I both felt sick and was food poisoned after. The food was average at best, some of the dishes were cold and been left on the convey belt for a while. I think these aged dishes was a hazard and probably the cause of food poisoning. When I raised with the staff, some handled better than others, the chef was accusing me of not complaining at the time. How would I know I’d be food poisoned by you when I ate it, we didn’t want to make a fuss but wasn’t expecting to be food poisoned after! Quite shocking behaviours.

Great place with wonderful and attentive service and super tasty food. Our children (5 and 8 years old) loved it too!

I just had lunch at this restaurant. I'm really sorry to say that it's very disappointing experience, as the food is just not as good as the overall rating it has. I ordered a bento, which is just over £20, and it was worse than the 'fake' Japanese food I can get from Pret or itsu... The beef and prawns were overcooked, and with too much source (way too salty), and the sushi doesn't have the right sushi rice(too much sushi vinegar) or the fish (those were a little saggy, and not fresh). Spinich salad again has too much sauce... And no miso soup showed up at all. When I raised the issue to the waitress, she was apologetic, but she said the manager was not in and offered to take my tea(£2) off the bill... I didn't want to argue as they all looked busy. On that note, I would highly suggest that you avoid this place if you know what good quality Japanese food should taste like. Too expensive for what the quality of the food or service is, and the meal was just not enjoyable at all.

Fish are dry as paper on some dish and left out on the belt. Hot stuff and cold stuff is piled onto the belt. Not very clean look nor safe. Way too expensive for what it is. But had a great service from waitress/waiter.

Delicious sushi. Attentive waiters.

They sell tasty lunch boxes but it’s bit expensive. They also sell Japanese plum wine which tastes really good.

Small place and basic sushi choices but good for a quick lunch

Couldn't have a better time at my birthday celebration. The food is incredibly and Rafael was the best waiter I could have. Such a lovely guy. Such a lovely place.