OKAN South Bank in Lambeth

Exceptional Japanese food in an authentic setting and great location.

A very authentic Japanese experience - I would defo recommend!

Recommended by Japanese friends, and it truly felt like a little taste of Japan. Relaxed atmosphere and flavourful dishes. The Okonomiyaki exceeded expectations and was great value for money. The interior is quite small, so booking ahead is probably wise. The only downside was the ventilation -not the best, so we left smelling of smoke. Something to improve, but overall a great experience!

Amazing authentic Japanese food, great cozy atmosphere too!

Ordered many dishes, all delicious. Staff very friendly. Totally recommend.

Portions are a bit small, but I enjoyed the food and atmosphere. I like their Oden

Most delicious Japanese food we've ever had!!! Taka served us and was brilliant

Real izakaya feel. Taka was amazing.

great food, adorable place, lovely staff!!

Very good Japanese food, very authentic, delicious, and most importantly, the price is very cheap! A treasure shop discovered while traveling

What a find! I was very surprised to find such a good place in a touristic area. Okonomyakis tasted really good!

Okonomiyaki was delicious. Okonomiyaki is very delicious

Delicious authentic food, nice staff (thanks Taka-san), and great atmosphere, it reminded us of our trip to Japan.

Very bad food. Oden has no flavour.

Taka gave an amazing service! And so did Mariko, always a pleasure here!

Have been here so many times always love it

Taka was very friendly and accommodating, lovely food and service

Taka was amazing, the food is so good. I always recommend this place because it’s on point!

We had an amazing dinner. The ambiance is cozy and authentic. And our waiter Taka was so friendly and accommodating. We will definitely come again and can 100% recommend!

Great atmosphere, great food and great service. Taka told us to eat, so we did and it was amazing !! 😁

Very tasty! Friendly service and very authentic

I visited Okan for the first time after a recommendation from a Japanese friend. I was looking forward to it as I love Okonomiyaki and had not had it outside of Japan. I am pleased to write that the meal exceeded my expectations. I have to comment on the atmosphere first of all. When you walk into Okan, it is like you are in a small but cosy restaurant in Japan. I genuinely felt like I was transported back to Osaka with the way the restaurant is laid out and even the notices on the walls. It was a really nice feeling of nostalgia which enhanced the dining experience. There were a number of dishes on the menu which I have not come across in other Japanese restaurants in London. I chose the Isobe Yaki and Onasu as side dishes and they were delicious. I then had their special, the Wagyu Beef Okonomiyaki as my main course. It was just as good as any Okonomiyaki which I had in Japan. Of course, I could not resist dessert and finally settled on the Yuzu Cheesecake. The service provided by Taka san and the rest of the team was also excellent. All of the dishes I ordered were served promptly and they were happy to answer any questions I had and also engage in friendly conversation. I spoke to the staff in Japanese, but I overheard them speaking to other customers in English and there were no communication issues. There are a lot of Japanese restaurants in London, but I genuinely think that Okan is something special. I will definitely be back when I need my Okonomiyaki fix and look forward to trying other things from the menu. I highly recommend Okan if you want an authentic Japanese eating experience.

Very authenic,food is amazing a must visit. And if you have a picky eater i recomend the tori onigiri.But if your up for anything i recomend a okan noodles

Wonderful dinner, delicious food and great atmosphere!

Very delicious Okonomiyaki and a great service! It has a lovely Izakaya/ Japanese bar flair and I felt like back in Japan. We could even test our Japanese in a short conversation with Taka-san. ☺️

Food wasn’t great - The grilled gyozas tasted too much of whatever food had been on the grill before, likewise the grilled edamame.

Amazing service from Taka and food was delicious

Delicious! Great place for lunch if you want to avoid chains and get something with good ingredients

Had an amazing dinner, thank you Taka for the lovely time! Delicious, quick and super friendly 🌟

Lovely dinner. Really felt transported back to Japan with the ambience and the food. Taka-san was very kind and helpful. Will definitely go back!

Great place, super cool and friendly staff! Thank you Taka!

Thank you Takasan for arranging our table quickily without reservation. Food taste really good with authentic Japanese style. Highly recommend.

Love this place. Taka was a great server. A small but mighty restaurant.

Great food and good service from Taka

Always a great experience, great food, great atmosphere. Really feel like I'm back in Japan. Would definitely recommend! Taka-san made sure we had everything we needed and was a great character! Will be back here again for sure. Thank you, it was so much fun and delicious! I will definitely come again!

Taka was brilliant, the food was brilliant, we will be back for sure!

Excellent, highly recommended - thanks also to Taka who was a wonderful host.

Taka San was very nice, the food was excellent as always

Great food, decent value. Paid £100 for 3 people and got 7 plates. Restaurant was small and compact. Would recommend.

We had an excellent meal reminiscent of visits to an izakaya in Tokyo. Our waiter, Taka, was really helpful with suggestions too. Service with a smile. Will visit again

Absolutely delicious, great value, strongly recommend! Taka was very friendly :)

Was served by Taka who was a delight. I love this place 💗 they are so lovely and the food is stunning

Taka was very attentive and the food was incredible! Very cosy atmosphere.

A really authentic japanese place in the heart of London. Small and busy but it's definitely worth it. The food was truly amazing, we haven't dined this well in a long time! Thanks, we'll be back :)

Taka and Mai were super kind and food was amazing

Fantastic food, loved the okonomiyaki and the spicy miso noodles . Great service from Taka-san!

Very nice food and atmosphere!!

We came from USA and this was by far the best food we’ve had in London. Chef Taka makes the best Udon!

Taka san is so nice and such a great host. I recommend the Mushroom Okonomiyaki 🤤

Taka was able to accommodate us at short notice. Service was super quick and the food was amazing

Taka looked after us so well! He was a great host who found space for us on a busy night when we didn’t have a reservation. The food is delicious and affordable, and the staff team are very friendly and kind. Thank you to Taka and to the OKAN team!

Taka was great! Go out of your way to check this out

Thank you so much! Taka-san was amazing as was his whole team! Arigatou Taka-san and team! We will be back again! Food took us back to Japan!

This took me back to Osaka, just amazing

This place never disappoints- today we had squid and kimchi okonomiyaki, prawn okonomiyaki and aubergine. It was all delicious and the service was as friendly as ever!

Cosy little place near the London Eye. Perfect for a casual date!

If you’re going to be mean to your employee at least do it in the back room or something. We sat a bit longer to finish our drinks and got some eye rolling. Menu is greasy and sticky.

Great food, lovely service from Taka!

Taka looked after us well and we had a beautiful meal. My partner lived in Japan and she said how authentic the food was here. One of the most authentic Japanese restaurants you can find in London

Lovely, authentic Japanese food in a fun setting. Reasonably priced too, we will be back

Excellent meal, Taka our server was really nice and made us feel comfortable, will 100% come back

Absolutely love the food here, strongly recommend Okra with Pork and rice wine here. Staff here is also super friendly, Thumbs up to Taka san who is very nice and kindly taught me how to drink in a traditional Japanese manner.

Authentic Japanese food with options to cater different style of okonomiyaki. Taka-san is enthusiastic on sharing Japanese food culture. Will definitely come back for other items!

Great food, great service, warm vibe

Very good traditional Japanese restaurant. The service was very good and fast. The price is reasonable and the quantities generous!

Wonderful time here with kaha! Thanks 😊

Service food drinks everything was amazing highly highly recommend will definitely be back

Best Okonomiyaki in London! Authentic Japanese cuisine Yaka was a great host, very friendly and shared few recommendations for our next trip to Japan!

Feel like eating in Japan, love the food and atmosphere!

We had an excellent dinner and a chill evening at Okan during our Christmas stay in London in 2023. Delicious Japanese food and very nice service. We still remember all of the staff smiling and saying goodbye with us and will absolutely come back next time we visit London.

I love the vibe of the restaurant and food.

Great place, very good service from Taka-San

Best place for authentic Japanese food and atmosphere. Really unique place feels like Japan! Tuka squeezed us in without a booking and made out night. Best to book in advance!

Great food and taka-San was super nice!

Wonderful food and really izakaya feel. Taka-san was really kind and helpful. Great service!

Taka was our server again today and this was our fourth visit. We have, as always, had excellent service and the food is delicious. The atmosphere is consistently great and reminds my partner of his visits to Japan. Always visit when we are in London. 10/10

Great service from Taka! Amazing good

I was server by Okan, he was great!

Fantastic Japanese food and great service! Small joint, but really cozy and lovely.

Thank you so much Taka!!! Had a fab time and will definitely be back 😁

Best Japanese food in London. A special thank you to Taka who gave us a few tips regarding a trip that you’re planing to Japan. Highly recommended !

Taka and his team were awesome!!! The food was great and we had so much food there

It's too salty, and food is really ordinary. You may eat better somewhere else.

Amazing food, great service fromTaka

Brilliant meal and atmosphere, highly recommend. Small restaurant so would recommend booking at weekends!

Very authentic Japanese restaurant. Amazing service from Taka and the rest of the staff. Small cozy vibes, exactly the same as any independent restaurant in Japan.

Super authentic really reminded me of Osaka, Japan. Also Yuki san is the best!

Great little restaurant, the pork okonomiyaki was excellent and our server Taka was really friendly

Ambiance is amazing, real Japanese vibe. Food is Amazing !!!

Taka was an amazing server! Lovely food, we had a great time!

Served by Taka. Food was lovely, service was great. Had a really good time in a cute resteraunt

Brilliant atmosphere, cozy location and delicious food and drinks!

Taka and his team was amazing. Food is authentic and the place have an amazing vibe. Feels like you just stepped out of London for moment into a Japanese local small restaurant. Highly recommend.

Always so busy! Authentic atmosphere & really tasty food. Staff (especially Taka) were very welcoming & helpful. Highly recommend.

Taka was great!! Thank you for a lovely evening

Very nice okanomiyaki, Taka was a great server!

Taka-san was incredible in his service and kindness. We were able to enjoy the delicious food thanks to me. Thank you.

Small intimate Japanese restaurant. Has great service and the food definitely hits the spot. You may find yourself hungry with portion sizes small so you may want to order a few plates. The staff were great and the meals were really authentic and delicious. We had to wait a bit despite booking however it was a good experience once settled in. It is a tiny establishment so be aware when coming along!

At the entrance I almost turned around but the food and service were sensational...the food is divine...we loved it

We went there for dinner on 06/02/25 to celebrate our twin daughters birthday! Great food, very interesting and refreshing flavours in all dishes with great sake!! Cute little Japanese restaurant makes you feel like you are actually in Japan!! Tako, made our evening more perfect with his super friendliness and hospitality!! We will definitely go back to Okan Southbank!!