3 editor picks in Edinburgh.
3 japanese places in Edinburgh we have eaten in, sorted by editor score. All cuisines in Edinburgh | Japanese across every city.
Japanese cooking in Edinburgh is a smaller but serious field, focused on a handful of committed kitchens rather than chain sushi. Noto brings a sharp, contemporary izakaya register to the New Town, while Harajuku Kitchen works the Bruntsfield and Morningside end of the city.
Stuart Ralston's Thistle Street dining room in New Town Edinburgh, opened in 2019, a Japanese-inflected small-plates kitchen in a former townhouse basement.
OrderThe wagyu tataki with truffle and the miso-glazed octopus that anchor the menu.
TipBar seats look directly onto the sushi pass. Stuart's other rooms, Aizle and Tipo, sit within a four-minute walk.
Kaori Simpson's Bruntsfield Japanese kitchen on Gillespie Place in Edinburgh, opened in 2013, a family-run kaiseki and izakaya room cooking authentic Tokyo.
OrderBento set at lunch and the gyoza dumplings; ask whether the homemade kimchi is on the day's menu.
TipThe Bruntsfield branch is the original; the Stockbridge offshoot is brighter but the south-side room takes more walk-ins.
Stuart Ralston's Thistle Street basement in New Town Edinburgh, opened 2019, a Japanese-inflected small-plates kitchen with sashimi, rice and fermented sides.
OrderWagyu tataki with truffle, miso-glazed octopus and a glass of Aged Junmai sake.
TipCounter seats look directly onto the sushi pass. Lunchtime bento sets are £25 and the best New Town lunch deal.
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