So Restaurant in City of London, Westminster

The food is a bit expensive but it was worth it and incredibly good and my table came with a amazing view

Everything was very delicious. It felt like I was visiting an izakaya in Japan! The sashimi was thick and filling, and the sushi roll was just the right amount! In particular, the tempura was the most delicious and crispy I've ever eaten anywhere, making me feel happy. I highly recommend it! The cocktails were also very delicious! Both the dessert terrine and matcha cake are said to be homemade, so they were delicious, and those of us with a sweet tooth were so happy! I thoroughly enjoyed Japanese food!

I had a wonderful experience at that place, very simple and down to earth! Small choice of wine but my pino grigio was wonderful if you like dry one go for non organic one! It’s absolutely amazing! I had Chardonnay by glass it’s also wonderful! I went for my regular choices edamame (perfectly cooked, not overcooked!) seaweed salad was a bit different but soooo lovely def recommend!!! Sashimi were fresh as fun!) and aubergine miso was lovely ! Served by an amazing Japanese girl ! Def price was overmatching the quality!!! You won’t regret it!!!!

Hidden gem ❤️ tasty, fresh , tried lots of dishes with my husband and everything was delicious! Fresh sashimi , eel , gyudon were fantastic ! Would highly recommend this place and will come again 👍🏼

Absolutely loved my experience at this place. The sushi was fresh and flavorful, and the staff were super friendly and attentive. Can't wait to go back for more delicious bites!

Walked by this spot while staying nearby during a business trip to London and glad that I did! Nice atmosphere, music, and calming setting. The staff were very welcoming and kind and service was excellent. I tried the beef gyudon, which was flavorful and the beef was tender and delicious. I hope to come back to try the sushi!

If you want to have authentic Japanese food in London, look no further. At SO you will find the highest Japanese quality of both food and service.

Had an incredible meal at this little family run place. Couldn’t fault the food - everything was done excellently and the service was exceptional.

This is my favorite authentic Japanese restaurant. The staff are very friendly, and the atmosphere is nice. Everything is so delicious as well. Highly recommended!

Their Ton katsu is one of the best in central London in my opinion, thanks to its use of higher quality pork, and the panko coating achieves the perfect crispiness. Their 'Ninja' charcoal curry is particularly eye-catching due to its uniqueness. The service is attentive, and the environment is very cosy.

One of the best Japanese restaurants in London. The food is so delicious, fresh and well presented, furthermore the manager Nadiah and all the staff with their professionalism and attention make the atmosphere very comfortable. I had a wonderful experience at this place, it was soothing and beautiful. Highly recommended!

This restaurant is very unique style of interior Japanese restaurant. It is YATAI BAR ,, Real Japanese style which I never had seen before in London ,, only When I was in Japan . Tasty foods and Warm Staff ,,, We will come back !! See you soon !!

One of the rare spot in East London where you can find authentic Japanese food, drink and fancy cocktails. It’s been great pleasure get to know them and play music for them as well. Definitely coming back again soon! :-)

Great food, the wagyu starter melts in your mouth and the eel was very tasty. It's definitely on the pricier side though! Good for a special occasion or look out for their deals.

One of my favorite restaurants in London. The food is authentically Japanese and delicious, and the family running it are really friendly. The clientele is mostly Japanese, which is quite telling in itself.

Very good food . Lovely atmosphere

This was my first time eating at So Restaurant, but what an amazing culinary experience! I ordered tonkatsu with rice and miso soup. It's a popular dish served by many restaurants in Japan, but that makes it all the more difficult to get right. I lived in Japan for many years and have had tonkatsu more times than I can count. Nevertheless, the tonkatsu here was completely authentic and delicious, obviously prepared with quality ingredients and skillfully cooked. (The pork is Kurobuta Berkshire pork so a real Anglo-Japanese delicacy). I could hear the staff talking in Japanese in the kitchen and learned that the restaurant is family run. If you want a taste of real Japan in London, this is the place to go to! Gochisosama.

We came here for a nice close friend's dinner, we enjoyed a starter of Tempura Prawns, Edamame and Wagyu Jibuni in a sweet soy sauce. The highlight for me was the Wagyu Jibuni the beef was so smooth and tender and sauce as lovely. The Tempura Prawns were large and had a fluffy batter that was light. For mains my partner had the Katsu Curry and I had Aberdeen Angus Beef Gyudon both were cooked well and filling. For desert we had a meze of deserts the best for me was the sweet potato cheese cake but all desserts were good. Service was very friendly not to fast and the environment welcoming. Thanks team! 😊

Fabulous food, ice cold Asahi with great service at an authentic Japanese restaurant that’s well worth a visit.

One of the best authentic Japanese cuisines and elegant, yet relaxed dining experiences in London. The restaurant is run by a truly beautiful family, whose superb values transcend every aspect of their business. For a few hours at So you will become a part of the Hama family, while savouring the delectable miso marinated black cod, grilled to perfection tofu and aubergine, melt-in-your-mouth wagyu, and exquisite fois gras-topped sushi. Keep up with the cocktail menu, which never stops surprising with new inventions. And top your feast with a delicate, yet rich (or, simply, heavenly) miso cake. The whole experience is love and kindness manifested in food and caring, which will heal, nurture and celebrate your senses and your soul!

It's a fantastic Japanese restaurant with incredibly delicious food! From tonkatsu to tempura, all of their meals are mouthwatering. And let's not forget about their desserts, which I absolutely love!

Amazing venue, staff and food. I’d pay 3x and it would be worth it.

Hands down one of the best 5-star culinary experiences in London! While rooted in tradition, the food is expertly pushed to a new standard of modern excellence. It is apparent that the owners care deeply for every aspect of this wonderful restaurant. The staff are exceptional, friendly and personable, the decor is warm and inviting and the food is amazing. Highly recommend!

Recently visited SO with a couple of friends. The quality of food was amazing the sushi especially good as was the sesame salmon & katsu pork. Great service and hospitality too. A little gem of a place, highly recommend.

Authentic Japanese food, friendly staff and good service. The quality of the ingredients used are apparent in the dishes I recommend sesame salmon dish

Being coeliac it’s not easy to eat out. But I got a full look over the menu to tell me what I could and couldn’t eat. The sushi was delicious and fresh, the cocktail was original and the service was great. Will happily go again!

Small and authentic Japanese restaurant with a small and well executed menu. Highly recommended, food is great and the service is excellent.

I adore this place and the food is amongst the best in London ( and Nadia is a star )

Good service and ambience but the salmon in the maki was so chewy . Tuna was better.

Went for a meal here with a couple of colleagues and was thoroughly impressed on all fronts. Really enjoyed the food, which was delicious and very well prepared and had absolutely fantastic and polite service throughout. The restaurant itself is very stylish and has a great atmosphere. I will happily recommend this place as a great place to eat. Thanks very much!

Absolutely amazing food and service. Lots of dishes that are unique like the charcoal cooked fish. The seaweed salad is amazing!! A really unique dining experience. Can't wait to go back!

The foie gras rice was fantastic. I also recommend the Saikyo Miso Yaki Black Cod.

Had a wonderful meal here with friends. Food was excellent and enjoyed the drink taster set. Staff were super friendly made the atmosphere homely. Highly recommend visiting!!!

The staff were really friendly and the food was amazing and really fresh. Great atmosphere. I enjoyed it so much I went back the following week.

Very fresh and high quality products, the cooking is just perfectly balanced, full of flavours, and nicely presented. The rice is very well cooked, and it is something not that easy to find, and plays a crucial role. I also noticed that the Nori (seaweed) was very tasty, it even kind of nicely surprised me. I had a green tea and a roasted green tea (Hojicha), the last tasted amazing! The dashimaki was very sweet, I was really happy to have chosen it! I highly recommend if you like sweet flavours. And overall, the staffing members were warmly welcoming and eager to help and give information. “I’ll be back” Many thanks!

Very kids friendly, excellent food and nice service!

久しぶりのロンドンでイギリスの食事の印象を変えてくれました。 海外では日本”風”なお店ばかり増えていますがここは本格的な和食店。お店はきれいでスタッフの方も良く気配りしてくれ、居心地も良かったです。 日本酒を頂いたのでランチとしては少し高くなりましたがその価値はありました。

Excellent and reasonable lunch menu. Very good service and value for money.

服務人員消息介紹菜單，環境很舒服，沒有嘈雜的音樂 餐點口味不會太重，跟其他倫敦餐廳比起來好吃一個等級以上

I happened upon this restaurant completely by accident and can't believe how lucky I was. The food was so so so tasty and staff were lovely. I rarely review but, in this case, it felt like a moral obligation!

Came to the restaurant without any expectations. Just wanted to have Japanese food. The menu is very straight forward and no fuss. But I have to say that some of the dishes we ordered really blew me away - particularly the black cod and eel - SO GOOD! Sushi and Sashimi was great. But Chirashi (not on menu) was a bit of a let down for the price. Anyway, will definitely come back. Underrated Japanese restaurant in London.

Well I would say it is an ambitious restaurant with its service and decoration. The service is really good but even maybe a bit over the top. But nothing really to complain. We came because of the grilled eel rice, it tastes amazing, kinda up to my expectations, some small bones are still there but I think it's kinda unavoidable. What we ordered extra are, sushi plater. Well the portion is amazingly small, more like a side dish or appetizer rather than a main. I think it is way overcharged for what it offers, but yeah, i think it's not mainly what they sell, so understandable. We also order Japanese fatty meat boil. The selection of meat I think is too fatty. It's cooked perfectly, flavored well. It would be better to my view if it could be changed to cuts with a bit leaner meat. The beef rice is well portioned but the beef is not really a nice cut so it's a bit too chewy. Ginger flavor is really strong in the sauce. But overall it's not that bad. I hope they can increase the quality of the beef here. It doesn't really go with the vibe of the restaurant to be honest. I would probably go again, but I would not order sushi from there anymore. But everything else are well recommended.

We like to eat sushi and sashimi a lot, so I google where we can eat near Aldgate East and Liverpool Street station; found this one seems a good one. We ordered crispy lotus as the starter, never tried this before, very excellent. Salmon with avocado sushi was tasty; three mixed sashimi was fresh and yummy. Overall, it was amazing food and delicious, good service too. Just the price is slightly not cheap at all.

Really great meal and lovely service. The pork katsu was incredible and one of the most authentic I've had in the UK!

Great Food Great Service. I was here eight years ago and the food is still amazing after all these years.

必须尝试他们的鹅肝饭！非常美味。如果和我一样不喝酒，那你应该点一杯热茶，和鹅肝饭很和谐，解腻温润。我还尝了天妇罗和一些冷的前菜，都很不错

Lovely restaurant, very clean. Amazing food. Reasonable price and very friendly staff, 5+ stars service. Highly recommend

the owners are very nice , the food its amazing , its very cool place to go

Food was fresh but quite bland. However, staff was very friendly.

Great taste and nice environment, very meticulous and nice staff. Recommend!

I recently visited this location and was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the food. I ordered unagi, tamagoyaki, and shrimp tempura and all were excellent. The service was also noteworthy, with a friendly and helpful staff member. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in London, it's a must-visit.

This is the best Japanese restaurant I’ve ever been in London! Sushi wise, there are not many options but all are so delicious. I don’t even know if there’s a sushi chef. But from miso soup to lotus root, everything here is amazing! You can tell that from the customers who are mostly Japanese. Thank you!

Restaurant owned by Japanese completely as the staffs were speaking them. Price is a bit higher end for the restaurant condition. The unagi rice sauce was really flavourful and you probably might not be able to taste such fresh grilled eel fish in the sauce anywhere else around London. If you want some Japanese food to try on, this could be a selection to go.

Best Japanese restaurant in London

Great Japanese experience, fish is really good in comparison with other Japanese restaurants. Cozy and relax. I love it!

Loved it! I hope to visit soon.

Worse Chirashi ever. Sushi rice was hard covered with inexpensive fish chopped up in so tiny pieces. I couldn't even comment on the fish quality because I could hardly taste the fish. Do NOT believe the pictures you saw. Even the store front is not the same (I just checked there were posted 7 years ago. Most of the positive comments are 3 years plus) I am from San Francisco Bay Area where the cost of living would not be lower than London. A $30 USD Chirashi Don would at least have slices of fish (not chopped up tiny dice size). Some Japanese restaurants would offer salad, soup and maybe complimentary green tea. (I know the higher end does not do that. But often time they would have more selection of Sushi and Fish). This is much worse than the Poke Bowl that normally cost $15 USD. This restaurant has very limited selection, too. I saw the pictures of some sort of Sushi set or Deluxe Chirashi. It was not on the menu. So Restaurant is so disappointed. If there is a 0.5 star or 0 star, I would do that. (By the way, I have been to London a few times and ate Japanese food. They were fine.) Yes, they also charged 12.5% service fee.

Finally - an authentic Japanese restaurant! Small menu but a lot of deliciousness.

Worst takeaway I've ever ordered. £19 for a small bowl of stringy overcooked pork. Style over substance. avoid takeaway complete rip off soo disappointing. The takeaway menu only had 3 items too so I'm not sure how this was made sooo terribly. Poor quality dressed up with high prices but doesn't come close to hitting the mark at all

Ordered grill eel rice box, zero complain except the S&B Sansho Pepper seems no flavor, maybe no one use it for a long time. Will come back next time for sushi. FYI, they are run by real Japanese staff as I heard them talking 日本语 (Nihongo)

Amazing food and the interior and decorations were very pleasant. The staff was very polite.

Restaurant run by Japanese for real. Excellent service to welcome customers. Food is fabulous in reasonable price! In my opinion, So is much better than those Japanese restaurants in Soho or Chelsea area.

The food’s very good and the staff are super friendly. Loads of gluten free options and prices are reasonable. Absolutely love it here - they clearly take their craft seriously.

Incredible quality at a reasonable price.

Food was good quality but prices were significantly higher than similar standards in the area. Staff were polite and service was prompt.

Best Japanese restaurant around, been a customer since it was at Warwick street.

Visited the place for the 1st time when it’s moved to city from Piccadilly Circus. Taste hasnt changed and remains high / above average tier among Japanese restaurants in London. Strongly recommend the grilled Eel rice, great portion at reasonable price. Decoration seems changed, used to be more high end decor while now looks more average (i.e more formal than wasabi say) but depends on if you are coming for taste or ambiance.

Best Japanese food ever I have had here today.

The tuna sashimi was very stale and I vomited all day.

ロンドンで最もお勧めの和食レストラン。オーナーの人柄が滲み出た素晴らしいお店です。

Friendly staff and tasty food, but price was a high for what we got.

Really nice food and service, a little expensive for what it was through.

Restaurant has moved, now near Aldgate. The old restaurant was so much better in terms of the atmosphere, view and menu... Menu has been reduced a lotttt compared to at the old place... Price still the same, definitely not cheap. Food quality is still decent, luckily the still do the Foie Gra rice 😍😋 I took my friends and highly recommended them based on my previous experience at the old place, but unfortunately it's not as good as before. I would only go there for the Foie Gra rice and sashimi, nothing else (because nothing else good to choose from... 😞)

Love the yakitori and lotus roots!! Average spending £30 without alcohol. 人均30磅（無酒），偏高價的日餐,精緻路線。生魚片壽司沒啥亮點，反而是前菜例如炸豆腐與烤雞令人印象深刻。

Now settled in its new location in East London, quite a different vibe from its roots in Soho - So had always been a favourite spot for me and my better half with its quality food and sushi-bar atmosphere - though I doubt we will visit again based on our latest experience. The food is by no means bad now (July 2021 at the time of this review), but I can say the fish wasn't certainly as fresh, nor was the quality of the rolls as high compared to its glory days. The selection is also lackluster compared to its golden days - the prices have stayed somewhat similar, which for me is quite overpriced for the current offering. Also, completely different and arguably inexperienced staff (maybe the electronic menu system contributed to this, but there were quite a bit of hiccups on service - from bringing the wrong wine to not including wasabi with the rolls...). Still a decent place for a quick sushi bite but don't expect its legacy to have survived if you haven't visited for a while, probably better for cooked Japanese cuisine based on other reviews.

I went to this place in October 2020 without knowing that the former cooking school/canteen has moved out. However - this new Japanese restaurant is AMAZING! Great food (better than all the other Japanese restaurants in the area) and nice service. The eel don is delicious - one of the best in London. Can’t wait to come back after lockdown!

Got the home delivery and the sushi was excellent! Now I couldn’t find it on the delivery menu anymore :( hope I could order it again!

Very good food. The sweet potato dessert was amazing !!

交流会をこちらで開催。とても和食の美味しいお店です。今回はおまかせでいただきましたが、話しも弾み、楽しい時間を過ごすことができました。お勧めです。

Very fine food and special drinks. The serving speed is great with very friendly staffs. We really enjoyed our evening there!

鹅肝真的好好吃啊！还点了和牛饭，也很好吃！！除了贵真的没什么缺点了吧～不过和牛和鹅肝一起吃多了还是有点腻，毕竟鹅肝太肥了hhhh 哦对了！和牛饭给我的部分不是特别好... 边缘脂肪和经有点多

Gosto muito do atendimento, bem limpo,

So is an OK Japanese restaurant. There are quite a few Japanese restaurants in this part of London: some excellent some very good some OK some passable So is OK, nothing to write home about

Love the Foie gras rice(hidden menu) and eel rich here, a bit pricey but this is exactly what I need, feel quite satisfied after the meal 😋😋😋

We stumbled on this restaurant by chance, when we were shooed away from other nearby restaurants because they were full. The staff were very efficient and we had an excellent sushi-sashimi combo for the entire family, plus two dishes of tempura giant prawns. It was all very delicious and we left very satisfied. My only criticism is that the sashimi does not come served with boiled rice as an accompaniment - the latter is extra. But this is a good place, which I will return to.

My friend and I saw 2 mice chasing one another and playing around on the underground floor right by our feet and running towards the kitchen afterwards. More shockingly, the waitresses didn't seem surprised at all and there were no actions taken with these mice. Not to mention that we had to ask for speaking with their manager to get a 'sincere' apology from them. And ofc the manager wasn't there. Truly awful experience. Not the kind of hygiene level or service attitude you'd expect from a Japanese restaurant. Might as well go to a street food stand to get safer food and better service. Ik mice r probably inevitable in most restaurants, but mice don't actually appear right under ur eyes in most restaurants. It suggests a large group of them trying to invade human space. Yet with all the sashimi and raw food around, higher hygiene standards should be applied. If u wanna have a meal in this restaurant, just think about what kind of germs or fluid that their mice family back in the kitchen left on ur sashimi, and the stink faces u get from the waitresses after that.

My friend and I saw 2 mice chasing one another and playing around on the underground floor right by our feet and running towards the kitchen afterwards. More shockingly, the waitresses didn't seem surprised at all and there were no actions taken with these mice. Not to mention that we had to ask for speaking with their manager to get a 'sincere' apology from them. And ofc the manager wasn't there. Truly awful experience. Not the kind of hygiene level or service attitude you'd expect from a Japanese restaurant. Might as well go to a street food stand to get safer food and better service. Ik mice r probably inevitable in most restaurants, but mice don't actually appear right under ur eyes in most restaurants. It suggests a large group of them trying to invade human space. Yet with all the sashimi and raw food around, higher hygiene standards should be applied. If u wanna have a meal in this restaurant, just think about what kind of germs or fluid that their mice family back in the kitchen left on ur sashimi, and the stink faces u get from the waitresses after that.

Great Japanese restaurant in the heart of London, it has very good quality for very reasonable prices.

Sitio agradable en el centro de Londres, personal encantador, atento y amable. La comida muy buena, no es barato, pero estamos en Londres, el shashimi muy bueno. Fuimos un miércoles en Diciembre sobre las 20.30h no fue necesario reservar, tampoco estaba lleno. Totalmente recomendable.

I always order chef's special sushi for lunch. The quality of fish is excellent and price is reasonable for the good quality. Highly recommended.

A great restaurant with very tasty food! I would have appreciated some menu guidance on choosing sushi (as a novice), but everything else was excellent!

We waited 30 minutes and then they seated someone behind us without reservation just because we ask if they have a table rather than bar for us. Terrible service

Had the Fois Gras Ju which was delicious but overpriced for it's quantity.

Great Salmon Teriaki. I'd never had pickled cabbage before and was pleasantly surprised. Everything complimented the salmon and other veggies, specifically eating the lotus root with the cabbage and salmon (I'd never had lotus root before either and those three things worked together in great harmony). The tea was nice (and interesting) too. Watching the sushi chefs prepare fish was entertaining too. Definitely the right choice going to this Japanese place instead of any of the surrounding ones.

Good lunch choice. Food was great.

Great sushi restaurant. Have been here a few times and the food is always really great. The menu has a good amount of choice and their sushi is always very fresh and we'll prepared.

Cut experience, tasty but too pricey and there's strong fish smell.

I come to this place ona weekly basis and price/quality, I dont think they have a competitor. Quality of the food is very good and the service always fast and polite.

I wasn’t feeling well so I couldn’t have raw or the crab :( but this is super good! Getting the tempura and tasting it, u know they have good quality stuff! Must try tho it’s a little expensive but worth it

Really really expensive. Food ok, not worth its price