Japanese restaurants can feel a little mysterious the first time. The menus often have unfamiliar words. There are rituals around chopsticks and ordering that nobody explained to you. You are not quite sure if you are supposed to pour your own drink or wait.
Here is the good news: Japanese dining culture is genuinely welcoming, and the staff at most London restaurants are used to helping newcomers. The etiquette, once you know it, is simple and makes the meal better. This guide covers everything you need to walk in with confidence and come out wanting to go back.
What to Expect When You Walk In
The first thing you will often hear is "irasshaimase" (pronounced ee-rah-shy-mah-seh). It means welcome. You do not need to respond to it; it is a greeting called out to every arriving guest. Just smile, follow the host, and you are off to a great start.
At many Japanese restaurants, you will be offered a hot towel (oshibori) to clean your hands before eating. Use it on your hands, then fold it neatly and set it aside. This is a small ritual that signals the meal is beginning properly.
Water is almost always provided without asking. At many places, green tea is also complimentary. If you want sake or beer, it will be on the menu.
The Menu: What Everything Means
Japanese menus can look daunting but they follow a consistent logic once you know the categories. Here is a quick orientation:
Types of Restaurant
Before you sit down, it helps to know what kind of place you are in. The main categories in London:
- Ramen shop: Focused on noodle bowls. Order one thing, eat it, leave. That is the rhythm.
- Sushi bar / omakase: Counter seating, chef-led. Omakase means "I leave it up to you" and refers to a chef's tasting menu.
- Izakaya: Japanese pub. Order lots of small dishes and share them. The drinks are as important as the food.
- Udon or soba specialist: Like a ramen shop, but for thick wheat noodles (udon) or buckwheat noodles (soba).
- Yakitori bar: Chicken skewers grilled over charcoal. Often a counter with a menu of different cuts.
- Kaiseki / fine dining: Multi-course tasting menus. Formal, ceremonial, extraordinary.
Common Menu Terms
- Donburi (don): A bowl of rice topped with something. Katsudon is pork cutlet, gyudon is beef, tendon is tempura.
- Nigiri: A piece of fish pressed onto a small mound of rice. The building block of sushi.
- Sashimi: Just the fish, no rice. Best for tasting the ingredient itself.
- Maki: Rolled sushi wrapped in nori (seaweed). The cylindrical kind.
- Tempura: Light battered and deep-fried seafood or vegetables.
- Tonkatsu / Katsu: Breaded and fried pork cutlet. Chicken katsu is also common.
- Edamame: Steamed salted soybeans. Order them while you decide everything else.
- Gyoza: Pan-fried dumplings. Always a good order at an izakaya.
- Miso soup: Almost always served alongside a set meal. Drink it directly from the bowl.
Chopsticks: A Practical Guide
Chopsticks are easier than they look, and nobody will judge you for struggling. Here is what matters most:
The Basic Hold
Hold the bottom chopstick like a pencil, resting in the crook of your thumb and forefinger, supported on your ring finger. Keep it still. The top chopstick moves against it using your index and middle fingers. That is it. Practice before you leave home with a pair you can find in most supermarkets.
What Not to Do
There are a few chopstick behaviours that carry meaning in Japanese culture and are worth avoiding:
- Do not stick them upright into a bowl of rice. This is associated with funeral offerings.
- Do not pass food directly from your chopsticks to someone else's chopsticks. This also echoes a funeral ritual.
- Do not use them to point at people or things.
- When you are not eating, rest them on the small chopstick rest provided, or across your bowl.
If you struggle, fork-and-knife is absolutely fine to ask for. No one will think less of you, and a great meal matters more than perfect technique.
Ordering: The Right Sequence
At a ramen shop or udon specialist, you are typically ordering one main bowl and possibly a small side. That is the whole meal.
At an izakaya, ordering works more like tapas: place several small orders, eat them as they arrive, and keep ordering as you go. Share everything. There is no fixed sequence. Order more when the table empties.
At a sushi bar, if you are not doing omakase, order a mix of nigiri and maki to start. Eat the nigiri with your fingers if you like; it is perfectly traditional. Dip lightly in soy sauce, fish-side down so the rice does not absorb too much. The pickled ginger (gari) between pieces cleanses your palate; it is not a topping.
Etiquette: The Essentials
Japanese dining etiquette is worth knowing not because you will be judged for getting it wrong, but because following it makes the meal better. These customs exist for good reasons.
What Not to Worry About
The etiquette above is worth knowing, but here is an equally important list: things you absolutely do not need to worry about.
Do not worry about: Knowing every Japanese term on the menu. Eating nigiri with chopsticks vs fingers (both are fine). Finishing your soup if it is not to your taste. Asking for soy sauce for your ramen (it already has it). Pronouncing things wrong. Asking the staff to explain a dish. Requesting a fork. Taking photos of your food.
The real etiquette is simpler than you think: be present, be appreciative, and engage with what you are eating. The rest is detail.
5 Brilliant Places to Start
These five restaurants are all welcoming to first-timers, have helpful staff, and represent different corners of Japanese cuisine in London. Each one is an excellent introduction.
Hakata tonkotsu specialists with multiple central locations. Consistent, excellent, always welcoming. The staff will happily talk you through the menu. The broth is rich and creamy and very hard to dislike.
Start with: Ganso Tonkotsu. Customise the firmness of your noodles when asked.
Watching the noodles being made in front of you is genuinely fascinating and makes the whole thing feel less mysterious. Cafeteria-style ordering means you can see what you are getting before you commit. Extremely approachable.
Start with: Beef nikutama udon and a piece of freshly fried prawn tempura.
Rock-and-roll ramen with Western twists. Loud, energetic, and very forgiving of first-timers. The menu has a sense of humour and the staff are friendly. A great choice if you want the experience without the formality.
Start with: Tonkotsu ramen and the fried chicken bao alongside.
An underground izakaya in Covent Garden that is perfect for groups and couples alike. Sharing plates means you can try several things, and the format is relaxed enough that nothing feels precious. An excellent first introduction to the izakaya style.
Start with: The bao buns, edamame, and the robata pork belly to share.
An intimate Soho sushi bar where authenticity beats flash. The quality is excellent for the price, the atmosphere is warm rather than intimidating, and it is small enough that you will feel the chef's attention. The right place to try proper nigiri for the first time.
Start with: A sashimi selection to taste the fish first, then a few pieces of nigiri.
One Final Note
Japanese cuisine is one of the world's great culinary traditions. It spans centuries of craft, regional variation, and a philosophy of respect for ingredients that runs all the way through from the humblest bowl of ramen to a twelve-course kaiseki. Your first meal is just the beginning of a very long and satisfying journey.
London happens to be one of the best cities outside Japan to explore it. The range here is extraordinary, across every price point and every style. Start where you are comfortable, then keep going. There is no wrong direction.
Ready to choose your first restaurant? Browse all 84 Japanese restaurants on Oishii London and filter by vibe, area and cuisine type to find your perfect starting point.