Mugen in Islington

I came twice here in less than an hour! The first time it was early in the morning so only sushi was available however the spicy Californian roll wasn't on the shelf, but after asking them they freshly made it right in front of me and it was on the best sushi I've ever had - incredibly fresh and the price is very good too. The second time I went was at lunch and after seeing that their chicken katsu curry was popular I decided to buy it. Unfortunately I didn't realise that it was made using beef stock because it was only mentioned in small writing outside the shop on a foldable blackboard. As I don't eat beef I asked the owner and he was very helpful, apologising for it and giving me a replacement of a chicken teriyaki which is not made from beef stock. Thank you for the excellent food and customer service. We will definitely come again!

The food is really cheap and of questionable quality. Had a hot spicy chicken takeaway box and there are black parts in the chicken meat. Someone should tell them chicken meat is actually white on the inside. This isn’t an authentic Japanese but rather Chinese food being passed off as a substitute.

Best Japanese takeout in the area.

The sushi 🍣 and 🍱 has different variations then competitors and are alright quality The hot food looks a bit stale and re heated. Slightly overpriced for the dosage and quality.

Review is based on the most recent experience where it was vile. I have had the sushi before which was nice so thought it would try the hot food. Got the chicken teriyaki bowl and could not eat any of the chicken due to the poor quality. The chicken was brown/black and tough. The food itself was also lukewarm. Very dissatisfied and won’t be going back.

Super affordable and great variety of authentic Japanese takeaway food- not the westernised Japanese! Good service too

The best lunch spot, so reasonably priced and very delicious!!! The vegetable selection is also really good.

Homemade chicken katsu (+1 point) The best rice I have eaten for a while

Get what you need. Quick in and out, no fuss. Very efficient. Good tasting lunch food and value for money. Love it!

I got the chicken mayo teriyaki box (£9.80) and some of the chicken is low quality (lots of dark meat and gristley bits), really disappointed in my lunch. Lots of salmon sushi options I could've had instead oh well. Fast service.

The katsu curry sauce is extremely salty! Couldn’t eat it…

One of the best sushi takeaways I've ever had! Super fresh salmon and of high quality. They have warm meal options, too. Highly recommend it!

On the 1st Oct 2023, I attended the Japan Matsuri and, having heard quite a bit about Mugen, was eager to sample their offerings. They had an intriguing set-up with two adjacent stalls – one catering for hot food and the other for sushi. However, my anticipation quickly turned to frustration. Despite the glaringly long queue for hot food, which took over an hour to navigate, the staff at the sushi stand continued to allow patrons to order hot dishes. This arrangement not only muddled the ordering process but was simply unjust for those who had been queuing diligently in the hot food line. It was evident that the hot food stall was already grappling with the volume of orders, and this approach only added to the chaos. Any food stall, especially at an event as renowned as the Japan Matsuri, should champion efficiency and fairness. Regrettably, Mugen's stand failed to deliver on both accounts. Here's hoping future visitors encounter a more organised and fair service.

Really good sushi here. Without a doubt a step or more above Wasabi and itsu.

Sushi is fresh, always good for takeaway lunch.

I love this place, really good sushi, great value for money in the evenings

Great lunchtime takeaway spot. Best chicken katsu curry compared to similar places, including the chains. Great selection of sushi if you fancy something lighter. And very reasonably priced.

A fine Japanese katsu curry in the heart of Farringdon. I’ve always walked past this little joint and on my way back home I found there was no queue and decided to eat. There are numerous options inside and my favourite is katsu. For the portion size, location this is good value. All in for £8.30 The service is prompt and polite and I sat outdoors where there are small seating areas. Highly recommended considering it’s always busy and represents good value for money!

Tiny corner, filled with amazing people. It's next to my work, so I end up going there for nearly 80% of my lunches AND DINNERS. The picture speaks for itself on how much this place is loved. 🖤

Great for lunch, the Chicken Teriyaki is a must try!

Very good quality and good portion size. I'd say the price (Paid £10.40 for the sushi set in the pic I think) is fair for this quality as everything is very expensive nowadays! I was particularly impressed by rice. I tried so many sushi which the rice quality was pretty poor (usually they don't add enough amount of water and it turns out so hard and inedible). Rice was spot on! I wasn't sure about the crispy topping (fried garlic?) though. Very weird and not necessary when the sushi quality is this good. I'll definitely come here again. Will possibly try hot food next time.

Very average, sushi roll chicken teriyaki was okay, chicken was dry not a big fan of the peppar. Spicy salmon hand roll was okay. The pork bun was a bit too sweet and again taste okay, meat is either not as fresh as I would like it or low quality. Wouldn't come back here again.

Good food, usually a good bet for lunch just a shame there's often a queue out the door and a little pricey.

Quality and taste has dropped over the years especially in hot food, which was really disappointing as it used to be one of my favourite spots.

Got a sushi tray takeaway for lunch. The form is well made for the nigiri but the rice is not seasoned enough. The price is reasonable given the amount and I am full after one set. I would have given 4 stars if they used a better quality wasabi with their sets. They are using a very cheap wassabi (I know most wasabi isn't actually wasabi root but you get my point). I might come back go try the hot food one day.

great sushi, great value definitely a go to for me!

Tuna wasn't fresh today. It put enough doubt in my mind to throw out the rest of my lunch.

Top Japanese food! Tasty and quality!

One of the best sushi in town! Highly recommended!

Amazing places for quick, high quality food.

Can’t complain about the sushi which is fantastic and fresh. The food probably deserves 5 stars however I’ve knocked one off as unfortunately they’re still using plastic bags. Abokado next door (which also has great sushi) use paper bags - I’d love to see this incorporated here. That being said, this food is definitely a lot better than the big sushi chains.

Great fresh sushi and support friendly service. Nice little tables outside too if weathers nice

delicious food, friendly staff, reasonable price :)

Excellent sushi! So good, I went back 2 days in a row and would probably be back again if it wasn't Friday! The freshest produce used, good quality with delicious flavour. I tried the steamed chicken gyoza which were the best I've had from a take-away. Only let down were the prawn tempura which were a little oily. Highly recommend!

This little sushi shop is delightful. I’ve lived in London for 15 years and this is unquestionably the best sushi around. Keep up the good work!

Selection 10/10 Food 10/10 Service 10/10 Always worth coming here if you don't have time for the restaurant

Amazing Sushi, amazing food, amazing people. The food and service is really good. They really care for dietary requirements. They will make special effort to make something if not on the shelf. We travel into London just for the food. Amazing!

Such a good lunch stop! They were closed during lockdown 2.0, and I was so glad to see them open again today! Great sushi and hot food, and lovely staff to boot. Reasonably priced for good quality.

Really lucky this is near my office. The location is convenient and employees are efficient. Really like the variety of sushi available, you have sushi handrolls nigiri, and hot options such as steam buns, gyoza, katsu curry and rice and tokoyaki.

A real gem. Really high quality Japanese takeaway

Not sure when they reopened. Possibly last week. Had the spicy chicken and curry with rice as they sold out of the chicken Katsu Curry. The alternative absolutely delicious. Loved the chicken and curry!

One of the best take away sushi in Farringdon

Sushi is definitely one of the best in the area. And it's so affordable! Shop is small, but the queue moves fast! Definitely adding Mugen to my go-to places

Small and well stocked takeaway attached to the nearby Japanese restaurant. I enjoyed the best vegan maki rolls Ive had in London. And I've tried many. The vegetable gyōza was also top notch. Now that I'm working in the area, I look forward to trying the other tasty looking food.

Best sushi in the area! Their katsu curry is also great.

probablemente el mejor sushi de la zona, incluso con algunas de las marcas de sushi reconocibles en la carretera. Siempre fresco, buen tamaño de pociones por un precio bastante bueno.

I have pretty high standards of sushi and I can confirm that this is some of the best and most affordable sushi in London. It's super fresh as the staff are continually making it to replenish the fridges. Take the queue as a good sign, it's a favourite with all the office workers in the Farringdon area. Highly recommend!

Acabo de tener una caja aquí para el almuerzo y el salmón estaba realmente fresco. Ingredientes de buena calidad a precios decentes y personal muy amable. Definitivamente regresando aquí.

I often grab there some sushi or bento for lunch ...and it's always soo tasty ... soo spot on. They also do steam buns, gyoza, bento boxes, katsu and many more... The prices are reasonable and service is friendly and fast.

Brilliant spot just outside Farringdon station. They sell a quality range of sushi and warm dishes and it's pretty decent value. If you fancy an absolute bargain, at the end of the office day they're selling off what's left at about 5pm at half price. I really like their food and the staff are both friendly & helpful.

I eat sushi everywhere and am as picky as can be. This has got to be one of the best value high quality sushi offerings in London. Simple restaurant but awesome food along with friendly and helpful service. And very reasonable bill/prices. Hadi (senior waiter) couldn't be more helpful.

Been here a handful of times now and its yet to disappoint. I can only speak for the sushi which always hits the spot and is reasonably priced.

I actually came in here by mistake and I'm glad I did. Conveniently located near Farringdon station it sells great sushi to take away. There are a range of different selections including tempura prawns, chicken, vegetables and the various variations on sushi. The salmon was very good.

If you want to try original Japanese food, this is the best place, very neat and friendly environment and great service and of course, food :) Greetings from Serbia, Stevan! ;)

quality little Japanese cafe. if you want a quick quality sushi snack then this is the place around the farringdon area, the salmon here you get are bigger than at itsu. also the service is with a smile.

Located just outside Farringdon Station this is THE place to buy takeaway sushi. Its Japanese owned and run which is probably why. The staff are very helpful, the sushi reasonably priced. They also sell other Japanese dishes like chicken katsu curry and also desert style things like doriyaki and mochi.

The sushi here is fresh, delicious and reasonably priced. I would definitely recommend. It's the best in the area. It's quick, easy and no fuss. Try the chilli sauce with your sushi. It's 20p extra but goes well!

Fresh and tasty sushi for decent prices. Miles better than all sushi chains around like Wasabi, Istu etc.

Voy a muchos lugares para sushi (placer culpable pero encaja mi dieta) y Mugen es mi favorito lugar ordinario. Su selección es genial y normalmente terminan con un juego de sashimi de salmón y un almuerzo para alrededor de £10 - 11 que costo 17 - 20 en otras tiendas y cadenas. Su calidad es casi la misma que la cadena de tiendas de calidad, pero obviamente no en el restaurante. No puedo opinar sobre la gente pidiendo la comida caliente aunque he tenido la bolas que eran deliciosas.

No puedo hablar de la comida caliente, pero el sushi es muy bueno! Sin duda un paso de cadena del varios lugares en esta carretera.

Un poco de responsabilidad que sólo hemos tenido sushi de Mugen, sin embargo, regularmente ir aquí para el almuerzo para recoger algunos de Sushi y en mi opinión uno de los mejores alrededor para una rápida parada para comer.

If you want to give an independent lunch shop your custom around Farringdon instead of a Byron or Pret or Itsu or.... you get the idea, I cannot recommend Mugen enough.They do a sushi portions personal favourite the spicy salmon and avocado shwrap. with average makizushi, containing the usual salmon and cucumber hosomaki and chumaki. Nigirizushi is a decent range of tuna and salmon (good) and prawn (okay). I wish they did cuttlefish Nigiri and Inarizushi but you can't have everything 5mins away from your workplace....(Japan centre do both of these and I would highly recommend). On occasion I have had some Uramaki and they have been quite good too.In terms of warm meals they do a selection of bento's and curry. In contrast to other reviewers I find the portions quite generous and the Katsu sauce to be especially good, poured over either chicken or pork atop a bed of rice. I usually have this alongside three takoyaki balls - these are quite nice but lack any japanese mayo or sauce to them - a trick missed! On occasioan I will also have a bento which are very good too.I have never had anything from the warm 'counter' and have not had a steamed bun so I cannot comment on those.All-in-all a great place to have lunch although it may not be the pinnacle of Japanese cuisine, for £6 it beats most of the nearby competition.

Farringdon is full of chaintastic lunch places - two (yes, two) Pret-a-mangers, Starbucks, Leon, Eat, Itsu. I prefer independent stores, and Mugen is one of the last remaining non-chain players.There is often a queue out the door - this reflects the tiny floorspace of the shop as much as the popularity. The food is generally good - the sushi seems fresh, and you can see them preparing it in the kitchen on site (I don't eat fish, so can't confirm). My favourites - the teriyaki bento and katsu curry options - are generally good. The bento has a good range of flavours and texture, and the curry is warm and comforting, though perhaps not quite as rich in flavour as I'd like.The service is friendly, though not particularly efficient.The negatives are that the warm food is kept in a cabinet, and doesn't taste particularly fresh after around 1PM. Over time, the portion size seems to have reduced - presumably in an effort to keep the price competitive.

I wish they had a direct email to the manger or owner, so I could complain about how cheeky they are with portion sizes, considering the price, over £5 for a rice dish but you get two spoons of meat + sauce and a bucket of rice, the ratio is dreadful, today for once I asked can I have it separate, I then checked the container before paying it there was less than 2 spoons, I asked for more and the older lady on the till was cheeky and said "it's difficult to do it separate" what she really was trying to say is, " damn this woman has figured it out on how we make more profit" The sauce for the curry is extremely runny too, so no doubt it is watered down, when it isn't so busy I will go and have a chat with the manager, coz I rapidly commented on how rubbish their distribution of food is considering the price, Thai/Chinese/Asian curry is very easy to make, if I had a microwave at work I would bring my own because they are 100 times better and probably cost me under 2pound to make.

This is a popular small eaterie, right next to the station. The food is mainly oriental .. Rice and dishes, steamed buns, sushi...fast and quick.

I've been here a number of times with colleagues - great just to grab some tasty sushi. Plus I think they do half price after 5pm if you've got to work late! Much better than other sushi chains out there.

Mugen always has a queue when I walk past it around lunchtime, so I thought I'd give them a go. Their chicken katsu curry was nothing special - weak, runny sauce and chicken that tasted quite stringy. Disappointing.