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Sake No Hana

Japanese, Sushi·
££££
·
Silver Award
·

SquareMeal Review of Sake No Hana

Silver Award

It might feel like being trapped inside a panda’s lunchbox, but beyond the swathes of cypress and bamboo there’s plenty to divert customers at “trendy” Sake No Hana. Perennially popular, it offers a vast menu that straddles the Japanese canon (and beyond), combined with a “superb atmosphere” and just enough pizzazz to make it all feel special at the price. The repertoire repays close attention. Start, perhaps, with colourful seared sushi or the umami riot of seared rib-eye beef with sesame dressing, before moving on to iron-pot rice topped with truffle and wild mushrooms or mirin-marinated black cod with yuzu, chilli and miso. A menu of this magnitude might expose weaknesses in lesser kitchens, but here the chefs are obviously well-drilled – especially when it comes to intricate desserts such as matcha pannacotta with mango sorbet. Saké classes, whisky and chocolate flights and a boozy Saturday lunch all help to maintain interest. “Excellent, as ever”, confirms one regular.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £50 - £79
Cuisines
Japanese, Sushi
Ambience
Cool, Fun, Glamorous, Luxury
Food Occasions
Dinner, Lunch
Special Features
Wheelchair access
Perfect for
Special occasions

Location

23 St James's Street, St. James's, London, SW1A 1HA

020 7925 8988 020 7925 8988

Website

Opening Times

Lunch
Mon 12:00-15:00
Tue 12:00-15:00
Wed 12:00-15:00
Thu 12:00-15:00
Fri 12:00-15:00
Sat 12:00-15:00
Sun Closed
Dinner
Mon 18:00-23:00
Tue 18:00-23:00
Wed 18:00-23:00
Thu 18:00-23:00
Fri 17:30-23:30
Sat 17:30-23:30
Sun Closed

Reviews

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Write a review


27 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Harriet F

26 July 2019  
The best sushi! Nice style, reliable and consistent.

Virginia U

08 July 2019  
Unbelievably stylish interior and delicious food to match. I can't understand why it doesn't share the reputation of Hakkasan.

Sangita A

27 June 2018  
Service always amazing, presentation is fabulous, food is fresh and delightful, i've been several times and never disappointed.

Sandeepa S

05 May 2017  
My favourite, amazing food and service.

Julian R

13 May 2016  
Great food, superb atmosphere, trendy.

Anthea C

14 January 2016  
Food & Drink 3.5
Service 5
Atmosphere 2.5
Value 2.5
Lunch
Excellent, as ever.

Agnieszka T

11 October 2015  
Food & Drink 3
Service 2
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
Rushed like at McDonalds
Three of us went for a dinner to try London Restaurant Festival menu. Restaurant is beautiful with a very nice atmosphere. Table is booked for two hours which is enough to enjoy 5 course menu. Unfortunately the service is too annoying and rushed, cleaning the tables the second you put your chop sticks down, literally. Our meal was served with speed you would expect at McDonald's. First three courses arrived within 2 mins from each other making the whole experience very rushed. Once mentioned to the waiter we would like slower service unpleasant look was given. It's a shame as food was very tasty but too "attentive" service ruined the evening. It may be because that menu is very popular but regardless if the table allocation is for 2 hours they should serve food more spaced apart.

Isobel

29 September 2015  
Food & Drink 5
Service 5
Atmosphere 4
Value 3
A great alternative to Nobu
I have only been here or booked this restaurant for others for lunches but it's a great choice for a smart Japanese restaurant in Mayfair. The food is delicious and exquisitely presented and I have always had 5 star feedback when I have sent anyone here. It's not the cheapest venue, but that's not what you want from a Japanese place and I would say it's definitely on a par with Nobu for quality. The service is impeccable and although it's not the cosiest restaurant, it's perfect for a business lunch where you need to have a more private conversation. I highly recommend it.

Alex G

16 July 2015  
Food & Drink 3.5
Service 2.5
Atmosphere 3.5
Value 2.5
Just because it looks good, doesn’t mean that it is good
If someone said ‘here is a fat dollop of cash, now go and design a restaurant’, what you may get is Sake No Hana. Of course, just because it looks good, doesn’t mean that it is good. This was our impression anyway, after a recent weekday lunchtime visit. You also can’t get away from the fact that however swanky the interior may be and however enjoyable the views over sedate St James’ are, the restaurant is still located in the ugly monstrosity that is The Economist building. On entering and having been greeted by the default smiling pretty front-of-house, diners are expected to mount an escalator to enter the main dining room. I guess this is to heighten the sense of anticipation. Unfortunately, as my host pointed out, the said escalator was out of service (as was the lift), perhaps creating something of an anti-climax, at least for me. After this futuristic commencement of events, one cannot help but be wowed by the dining room, a beautiful space of light, curves and bamboo. Even if not quite the ‘futuristic forest’ promised by the website, the room still impressed. It was a pity that the food and service did notably less so. We opted for the set lunch menu, arguably the best (relative) value item, at a mere £29/head. Beyond the excellent presentation of all dishes, there were certainly some flashes of culinary brilliance such as the white noodles accompanying the prawn tempura and also the spicy salmon sushi, but there were too dishes of a decidedly average nature (such as the Miso soup). Meanwhile portion sizes were stingy across the board. The promised pickled courgette that was allegedly supposed to accompany my main comprised but two slithers, just to cite one example. Moreover, when it came to service, it varied between being rushed – with plates cleared almost before we had put down our chopsticks – to enduring lengthy and tedious pauses with no explanation between dishes. We were also brought (and charged for) a second bottle of water despite not having requested it. The place seemed busy and my comrade informed me it gets even busier in the evenings so clearly Sake No Hana must be doing something right. Maybe people just come for the atmosphere; certainly there are many other places to get better (and cheaper) Japanese food in London

rachel M

21 December 2014  
Food & Drink 1.5
Service 4
Atmosphere 3
Value 2
No Sake No Hana
Maybe it's because we just moved back to England from California and have been used to excellent Sushi and Sashimi or maybe it's just because Sake No Hana isn't that great at all. The room was pleasant the the service good but we could easily have eaten fresher and more imaginative food at any sushi joint in any US strip mall so we were massively disappointed with the offering at a restaurant which is part of such a reputable group such as Hakkasan. Difficult to pinpoint particular flaws since the whole meal was disappointing and definitely impossible to pick a highlight. Just fell way way below expectations especially for the price - £350 for 2 adults and 2 children (and that only included three alcoholic drinks WOW??).

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