The best restaurants serving Japanese food in Edinburgh and Lothian

what a great space we love this place is great food without pretentions best karagee chicken for us we will be back many times

THE BEST fried chicken I’ve ever had. Okonomiyaki on the menu which I’ve not seen on menus anywhere outside of Japan so far. They do huge pizzas too which look delicious. Fun and relaxed place to hang out. Good and drinks CHEAP drinks menu. Really interesting looking cocktails I’ve not seen before. I’m looking forwards to coming back. Every so often I like to treat myself to a little meal on my own. Nice to sit in the corner watching Naruto. I noticed families eating there as well as some other solo customers who sat at the bar, the staff were all cheerful and friendly without exception. Seems like a cool place to hang. The vibes were immaculate. They also cater to veggies. I’ve been searching high and low for a Japanese/chicken place. Really authentic food, lovely atmosphere, huge portions and unbelievably good prices. It’s well worth the minuscule 2 minute walk away from the main drag where the restaurants are all either over priced and/or quite shoddy. I can’t recommend this place enough I’m so happy I’ve found it. Thanks guys :) Food: 5/5 | Service: 5/5 | Atmosphere: 5/5

El servicio es muy amable y amable, siempre tienen las mejores comidas y son muy complacientes con su comida ya que mi novio es vegetariano y siempre cambian sus recetas para adaptarse a él. Su Yukgaejong y okonimiyaki es el mejor que he tenido, incluso mejor que algunos de Japón. Tienen un precio muy razonable, además de la increíble elección que tienen y el servicio que brindan. Su hija y su hijo son una delicia absoluta y la familia ha hecho maravillosamente para llevar su cultura a esta parte del mundo. Ten su pastel de matcha y te prometo que será la mejor parte de tu día <3

Went to Edinburgh for the day and found this place on our tour! It has only been open a month the owner told us. The food was absolutely amazing! Please check out the pics I posted.. you won’t be disappointed 😋

we went here on a whim, however the sushi was amazing !! Small and cosy, but the staff were friendly :) i can definitely tell that they value their customers a lot :)) My friends really enjoyed the ramen and okonomiyaki, the sushi was great too n

Bubble Tea was divine. It was a bit of a wait but Taro Tea definitely worth it. Would definitely return.

I was craving a comforting rice dish and this place definitely delivered. I ordered the aubergine miso and the pork kastu curry and both were delicious. All the staff were very friendly and food did not take long at all to come out.

got the tonkotsu ramen, rich and creamy, very warming for a cold winter day, the pork was cooked very nicely, quick service and friendly staff too, highly recommend, there is also a 10% discount if you pay with cash!

Absolutely fantastic sushi and friendly staff

Great sushi at reasonable prices. Great service!

Will definitely go back for the chicken karage. Great food, amazing service and ultra comfortable chairs (trust me)

Unexpectedly after 2 volleyball matches we came here on a Saturday evening without a reservation. Fortunately, a table became available, which was lucky, because it was so busy. Had to wait a while, but it was so worth it! We enjoyed it so much! This is not the last time we will be here!

Kenji Sushi is incredible! It’s a small fairly intimate venue which is reminiscent of traditional Japanese restaurants. The decor is great and helps to make a great atmosphere, which is added to by the helpful, very friendly staff. The food is incredible, I would really recommend the takoyaki and the tonkotsu ramen. The only downside is that it’s cash only which might catch some people out!

My partner and I visited for my birthday meal and we weren’t disappointed. Having returned from an amazing trip to Japan last year, we’re currently trying to find authentic Japanese food in Edinburgh and Umi is a top contender! The styling of the restaurant is like stepping into a little Izakaya which we loved. The vibe is very relaxed and the service was very quick. We ordered some small plates to share. We had the chicken gyoza, chicken karaage, wagyu croquette, mushroom and soft shell crab gyoza and the UMI Dragon rolls and everything was delicious and beautifully created. The dragon rolls were some of the best I’ve tasted in Edinburgh! The pricing is reasonable despite the portion sizes and the quality of ingredients used. With 6 dishes and a bottle of wine being under £100. We’re excited to come back to try some of the ramen and rice dishes 😍

Good service but food quality was less than average. Sushi was Ok but chicken teriyaki was bad, most of it was plain rice, chicken was scarce and tasteless, and there was an evident lack of vegetables. Sad if you consider they charge £9 per Teriyaki dish. We won’t come back.