TEMAKI

We went for a spontaneous dinner after work, lucky us we could be able to walk-in as it is usually fully booked! Ingredients very fresh and they are made right in front of you for the temaki/sashimi/nigiri. I saw chef preparing the uni and how he treated his ingredients with care and also how he explained to us the origin and his knowledge about the food he’s preparing. Anyways we got the tasting menu, salmon roe nigiri and yellowtail sashimi (I think) and the seasonal sake, all very good

+3

incredible experience today at the restaurant, went for my boyfriends birthday as we love Japanese cuisine and have been to many restaurants before but this by far was the best one we have visited. it’s a small intimate setting where the chef makes the food in front of you, the service is fast and staff are welcoming. all the food was incredible and flavourful, and the menu was perfect with enough choices. the lovely lady that served us all night brought out a little birthday treat in the end for my boyfriend which was amazing too. would definitely recommend for a date night thank you again!

We had a fantastic date night here yesterday! Service was great and the chefs were amazing. The food was so delicious and everything gets handed to you as its ready. Will definitely come back and highly recommend. 10/10

Great food! They chefs were friendly and they handed you the hand rolls right away so the nori is still warm and crisp when you bite into the roll. Each one was filling and paired well with sake. It's a bit on the pricier side but you get what you pay for! Lovely atmosphere. Try to sit by the bar to complete the experience.

Absolutely amazing! This place was made for foodies. Small and accurate menu. Where everything you order (and we’ve ordered everything) is simply made to perfection. You’d think that eating hand rolls would stuff you, but this place just makes you wanna order more and more with light and fresh seasoning and best produce without a doubt I could eat there everyday. I would say, if you’re in the area - go in! If you’re not - drive specially!

+6

A small restaurant specialising (as the name suggests) in hand rolls. I loved the minimalist environment and enjoyed the food and the cocktails. I shared two small plates (a soft shell crab sando and a monkfish karaage) with my friend, and also had the 5-item set menu and 2 cocktails (a highball and a negroni) all to myself. Rather pricey (approx. £75 per person) but well-worth it.

+4

ΑTTENTION: Will start with the negative, but will not affect my rating… when we got the bill, there was the usual 10% service charge added on the bill( not stated as optional), but on the pay machine they asked as for extra tip!!!!! This is unacceptable. Otherwise, nice minimal atmosphere and hand roll sushi. We chose the 5 pieces set menu, Sando and karaage, all delicious! They serve premade cocktails. Mochi for desert. A bit overpriced.

+6

Well it was certainly a night to remember. It was my first experience sitting at the counter of a Handroll restaurant and it did not disappoint. The staff was very attentive and kind and took care of us very well, they have some real good people there. The food was all incredible it’s hard to pick favorites as each dish was flavorful, carefully put together, and presented well. The Otoro handroll, Crispy rice with spicy trout, and Soft shell crab tempura were some of my top choices though. My wife isn’t a big sushi fan and the staff offered great suggestions and even gave her a chicken tempura type dish offered on the lunch menu, which was amazing and she loved it. The Apple gyoza with miso glaze was a great ending to the night. 10/10!

+3

An absolute 10/10 experience at Temaki and definitely the best hand rolls in London! We ate here on a Saturday night and the service was so friendly, attentive and helpful - the waitress talked us through the menu, gave us suggestions (all of which were incredible) and you were free to order more whenever you wanted. The food is nicely spaced out and the freshness of the ingredients was incredible. Honestly a total gem, and we can’t wait to come back. P.s get the Pandan Rum Punch cocktail… you won’t regret it!

Our second visit on NYE having visited a few years ago. They offered a special NYE menu. Outstanding food and experience. We had a lovely time. Can’t wait to be back!

+1

This has rapidly become one of our favourite restaurants in London! The food is excellent and the service is just as good. Pantelis is a wonderful host and his friendly demeanour and affinity for conversation are very suited to the comptoir seating in the restaurant. The chefs are very lovely too, and are happy to interact with guests over the counter. The whole setup lends the restaurant a nice intimate and personal atmosphere. The food itself is excellent. The handrolls are obviously the main event, but they also serve a selection of supplementary side plates and there's a rotating board of specials. By now we've sampled a significant portion of their menu and we can say with certainty that the best dishes are the miso aubergine, the fatty tuna, and the BBQ eel handrolls, as well as the crispy rice with trout tartare. But everything was delicious. The brown rice is an especially nice touch; it gives the sushi a lovely toasty cereal note. I highly recommend getting one of the set menus as the best way to sample a selection of handrolls, as it's more economical than ordering them individually. The only criticisms I can possibly think of were that the wagyu tataki could do with a touch more salt for my taste, and that occasionally the aubergine handrolls were served without the spring onion mentioned on the menu. But honestly the fact that this is the best criticism I can muster is testament to just how good this place is! I seriously cannot recommend Temaki enough. If you're only a couple people then you should have no problem finding a space at the bar, but this place would also be a great venue for larger groups if you can book it out in advance. I encourage you to interact with the staff as they're very nice and it'll make your dining experience that much better.

Some of the best Japanese food I’ve ever had. A really interesting menu with incredible flavours and food made right in front of you. 1000% recommend, especially for date night/with a friend, as seating is around a bar

+3

Wow - I enjoyed an absolutely fantastic lunch here at TEMAKI after seeing it featured on YouTube by the TOPJAW legends Jessie and Will. Located in Brixton's cool "Market Row", TEMAKI serves super-fresh, delicious, well-sourced and cleverly-designed Japanese small-plates in a stylish open-plan counter-top setting. You absolutely have to come here to try their amazing miso soup, moreish soft-shell crab and whole jumbo prawn tempura, freshly made Temaki hand-rolls and phenomenal selection of drinks (especially their addictive Plum Saké). Special thanks to the incredibly friendly and welcoming manager Panzeli and to the fab waitress Paulina for the 5* service. 10/10 highly recommended - so good I'm already planning my next visit!

+6

Excellent food and, for the quality, good value. Hand rolls are like big bits of sushi, made as you eat by the chefs in front of you, with fresh fish and other seafood (crab, prawn tempura, etc). These are excellent and fairly filling - I have a big appetite and was satisfied. The deep fried monkfish karaage is also superb - incredibly light and crispy. All fish is very fresh and high quality. A great experience.

+2

I am so happy to find an authentic sushi place locally! The quality of the food is on par of what I've had in Japan. The sushi rice was cooked to perfection, fresh fish, great cocktails and the service was 10/10!!

+1

Spontaneously booked here for a light dinner without expecting much and was very surprised at how high quality and well thought out the restaurant is! It’s a very intimate dining experience with only one ‘chefs table’ so you can see everything being prepared in front of you. Probably only seats 12 max, it does make you feel special! Would definitely recommend

This is hands down the greatest place to eat in London. The attention to detail from the chef and the freshness of the fish and the quality of the flavors is off the charts and unmatched. This will most definitely be my go to London sushi spot. 😍

This place is amazing ! The food is very delicious . I have never eaten anything so delicious in my life like this !!! The best place in london if u want japanese food.

We had an incredible experience at Temaki!! Wonderful service and food. All the dishes are so well thought out and executed. Perfect for any special occasion!

A hidden gem. Fine dining quality food in a beautifully elegant yet casual setting. Hand prepared in front of you, Temaki's temaki was second to none and the chef will happily talk you through the process. The set menu is a steal at £24 as you cannot go wrong with anything on the menu. Highlights from the order: spicy tuna on the crispy rice, "The Temaki", Monkfish karaage and the apple gyoza for dessert.

Such a beautiful hidden gem in Brixton village. Great vibes, casual counter sitting and friendly chatty staff. Good selection of cocktails and sake. Freshly made delicious temaki rolls. Highly recommend the prawn tempura temaki and monkfish karaage. Must visit if you are in the area

Still thinking about the otoro hand rolls here... Every thing we ate was splendid. The casual atmosphere, friendly chefs, intimate dining experience, quality of food and flavours, well-timed course and the plum wine!! It really checks all the boxes for an evening meal and a wonderful experience. Will return without hesitation -- thank you!

Sophistcated Japanese fusion restaurant and all the plates were fantastic! I hadn't had such nice pieces of sashimi for a long time! A portion probably feels a bit too small for a big eater. Other than that, I love the place will go back again!

Can’t recommend this place enough! The food was incredible, very fresh, tasted amazing and staff were super nice. We sat on the counter which was a really good experience. Can’t wait to go back! A local gem

Loved this place, pandan rum punch was incredible, everything we ate was incredible, so fresh, so much flavour ! Watching them make the food right Infront of you was great. 100% worth it

Hand rolls are soo soo good - as you can clearly tell from the pictures! Definitely give the sake flights a try... so nice to sample multiple sakes.

Amazing food and service. Will definitely be returning.

Went to Temaki for a sushi masterclass. Would highly recommend!! Was such a fun experience. Got to get hands on with prepping and learning about the ingredients and trying our hand and making some of their signature rolls. All of rolls were great. My favourite being the scallop and eel but all were top tier. Staff were so kind and friendly and overall was such a great experience. Definitely check them out for a meal or their next masterclass

Nice restaurant. Feels like a little bit of Japan in the midst of Brixton. We had the fixed menu with tuna, trout, aubergine, and eel which was delicious. We also ordered their soft shell crab which was definitely one of the best we've had. The prawn toast and tempura also need a mention. Their house sake was nice and crisp. The service was very good. They were very attentive. I also love their minimal aesthetic. Will definitely be back and highly recommend.

This small spot is excellent. The serving staff and chef were friendly and warm. The food was wonderful and the sake pairings were great. I think the set menus offer a good selection of flavours and are worth trying.

Had a wonderful meal here for our anniversary. I'd been once before but had to come back with my fiancé. Food was amazing and the service was really attentive without being overbearing. Highly recommend and will definitely be back!

Absolutely amazing. Mai was so helpful and kind. Chris made some of the best sushi I’ve ever had. Very fair prices for the quality and ambiance. I recommend the crispy rice, scallop hand roll, and salmon avocado hand roll. To find it you have to walk pretty far into Market Row. It’s across from Black Bear Burger.

The ingredients that Temaki use is obviously good quality. I tried the lobster , akami tuna otoro tuna and the temaki and each roll was incredibly fresh and delicious . The wagyu and monkfish karage were great too. However , If you are someone who can eat a lot, this restaurant will not fill you up unless you’re willing to spend a lot of money. I suggest coming here when you’re only slightly hungry because although everything is nice , it won’t fill you up. The cocktails are also not worth trying either. Other than that, the food itself is great.

We really enjoyed our lunch here. The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars was the rather limited wine list and their very small pouring (£9 for 100 ml of genetic Pinot).

Strange there were not many people there but WOW delicious food. Not as polished service as I would have hoped , the owner chatted to people outside and they weren't super obvious about what they wanted us to do ... Could be unbelievable if they just take more care with the professionalism of service.

The food was tasty and interesting - no doubt. However the portions are so small, it's kind of a joke. Each temaki costs roughly £6 and it's eaten in two or three mouthfuls. The monkfish karaage tasted good - but each piece of monkfish was sliced so thinly that it wasn't satisfying. The tempura is good - but again, it was two or three pieces of vegetables, cut in half and deep fried. Compared to tempura in other places, the cost feels difficult to justify. We ordered two of the set menus, plus two sides and we left the restaurant hungry and had to eat when we got home. The service was good; attentive and moderately friendly but my main feeling was that there was a very weird atmosphere inside the restaurant; it felt like all of the staff disliked each other. One of the chefs was loudly chatting up two customers and giving them free dishes but at the same time, berating the other staff members. The chef who made the temaki clearly knows what they're doing, but they seemed annoyed to be working. Usually, this sort of thing wouldn't matter - but it is a very intimate restaurant and the customers sit facing the staff. There's no way to ignore the vibe in the room. It was quite difficult to get a booking; I had to choose an evening that was not the ideal time. However, when we arrived the restaurant was half empty and later it emptied out until we were almost the last customers in the room. For much of the time, there were more staff in the room than customers and they were complaining about how busy it will be on the following day (Valentine's Day). Overall, I recognise that the food we ate was good; interesting ingredients and professionally made but considering the price, there just wasn't enough to satisfy. The atmosphere in the room was palpably uncomfortable.

If you never had a handroll before, then I recommend going for the experience. As I've been to quite a lot of Japanese restaurants that serve handroll, Temaki was really average. The sauce was really overpowering, and to be honest, the quality was average for that price. For example, on the menu, the trout temaki should come with ikura, but there wasn't any! I get some of the fish seasonal, so at least highlight what was missing or replace it with other ingredients. Usually, at a temaki place, the chef will at least wear a face covering, but the chefs were just talking over each other while handing out the food to the customers. The prawn tempura was the best out of what I ordered, and I wouldn't go for the tuna temaki because it tasted like soy sauce.

It is great for finger food. No plates are offered unless you asked or give strong singal to the waitor while the chef hand you the temaki directly and expecting you to take it and eat it right away as the nori goes soft quickly which i understand as being Asian and eat japanese cusine everyday. maybe offer wet hand towel before serving? The rice is prepped with soy, when asked for extra soy and wasabi, chef replied that it is in the rice and resistant to offer more, have to really insist, chef does not like alternation of original reciepie which I get, totally respect that. The 'surprise me' photo was on the official IG account, no change for a few months. No hot drinks on the menu, it's a japanese bar/restaurant, would be nice if Japanese tea is on menu. It is a nice one off experience. For people who has big appetite, maybe need to order 2 rounds of the set menu to fill your stomach.

Whilst the setting of the steadily gentrifying, 'buzzing' market row does help somewhat redeem this places lack of character, authenticity and quality - I can't help but wonder how it has so many good reviews? This is by far the lowest quality to cost 'Japanese' food I've ever had. It's feels like a themed restaurant... the chicken katsu (our mistake in ordering) dippers felt like school dinner food. The sashimi was swimming around in a ponzu-ey ocean of blandness. the hand roll (£10 each) was just so uninspiring and expensive, every bite astonishingly less decadent as I realised the mistake we'd made in coming here. I can't offer any other productive criticism other than to say that for £88 (for two) there are a multitude of establishments that would leave you satiated by actually good sushi if you don't mind jumping on the Victoria line and heading into town. I can't believe this place exists sorry y'all. :/

The concept is great, but portions are really small and expensive. Taste is ok. Chef’s sashimi was quite nice. It’s a nice place to get a cocktail and nibbles but not a proper meal.