TAKAGIYA — Restaurant in London

The best Japanese restaurant in London by far! So refreshing to have truly authentic Japanese cuisine that is clearly cooked from the heart of the chef.

Not only is the food delicious, it is beautiful. We (me an annoying foodie with high standards and my Japanese wife, also with impeccable standards) first went on the 31st July 2020 and booked our second visit 2 weeks later (on the 15th August) after the starters were devoured. The food is so divine that we have again booked our next visit before the end of the meal (in 4-weeks’ time).

Each dish is brought together with an artist’s eye for the food and the plate that the food is presented on. The Chef takes the true ethos of Japanese cooking and eating (true kappo chef!) to the highest standard of Japanese plating. Not only does the food appeal to the most immediate sensory denominator for food (taste), but also appeals to the eye. The key concepts of balance, servingware, empty space and arrangement as described on the Metropolis Japan site are executed on with perfection.

The Nasu Dengaku (warm aubergine/eggplant) was amazing – I’d never seen anything cooked or presented so beautifully from a food or plating perspective. It was delicious too! Gyoza dumplings are usually pork, chicken or prawn, but the beef dumplings were a taste sensation. Kinpira burdock and carrot is a simple and traditional Japanese dish that never fails to deliver.

Each time we’ve had the salmon, seabass and sea bream sashimi, as well as the Kinpira burdock dish. Some of the freshest and delicious fish we’ve had in London. The Chef’s standards are impeccable. The sea bass tempura was so light and not oily and the prawn and asparagus with the yuzu koshou sauce was again delicious.

The menu changes frequently depending on what is in season and is of the best quality. We had a chicken/plum in panko breadcrumbs dish and a prawn and lotus dish at the end of July, but weren’t on the menu in August. Both were delicious and beautifully presented. On the second visit, we had the tofu and tomato shungiku salad which was a light and refreshing way to start the meal.

Each time we’ve had the salmon sashimi and avocado rice dish – again fantastic and delicious. The Tonkatsu-don is pork katsu as it is meant to be done, with the egg cooked to runny perfection.

It is making me hungry again just writing this review. See you again in 4-weeks’...

BEST RESTAURANT IN LONDON - TRULY. Takagiya is hands down my favourite restaurant. First of all, they serve some of the best food I've ever eaten. To give an idea: their Nasu Dengaku is my favourite dish ever, the sashimi is out of this world, and all the desserts are just insanely good - but really every single dish I've tried on the menu is so fresh and tasty. I can tell each ingredient comes from a top quality source, and the sauces and preparation are like nothing I've experienced before - in my opinion, what Mr Tagaki creates is Michelin Star quality and artistry. I have never been to a restaurant before this where every bite makes me smile. And even outside of the food, the whole experience at Takagiya is magic. You have the lovely garden in the front, and the decor is beautiful. I've been to Japan a couple of times, and this is the first restaurant I have been to here that really makes me feel like I'm back in Kyoto or Hakone again. Everything has an authentic charm and signs of an artist's touch; the interior design, furniture, unique ceramic plates and bowls, the softly playing music - even the smallest details are clearly chosen with love and care. Mr Tagaki is a truly a master chef, and Mrs Tagaki is the most gracious, kind person who will make you feel so welcome. I am happy the moment I walk into Takagiya, and it my go-to choice for special moments (e.g. birthdays, reunions or an anniversary) or even just times to treat myself and a friend to a guaranteed beautiful dinner. Finally, there are too many chains in London - I am so grateful to the Tagakis for offering something...

Have you ever been to a restaurant where you were pressured to order your meal choices quickly? It was a first for me. I was looking forward to trying out this restaurant with some friends. We all love Japanese cuisine and frequently like to try different restaurants. It was an early evening booking, in fact we were one of their first customers & despite the positive reviews I had read about this place, my experience was not a good one. We ordered our starters and needed a little more time to select our mains, but the lady serving us was adamant that we ordered everything at the same time. We felt rushed and couldn’t enjoy our meal, it was quite intimidating. The starters were ok, nothing special, we didn’t get a chance to try any of the mains as the woman serving us wouldn’t allow us to order any because we didn’t order them at the same time as our starters, which is probably for the best I guess as the atmosphere would have spoilt the flavour. What a disappointment, sadly. …. Dear Takagiya, in reply to your comment about this review I can assure you that I am a genuine contributor and have never had the need to use aliases, this is my honest opinion of my experience, I have only written this one review about your restaurant, do you not remember the evening? You had 3 customers, myself and 2 friends. The male waiter by the way was...