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Maki Bar — a single piece of nigiri
Soho · London · Est. 2019

Eight seats.
Fifteen courses.
Edomae tradition.

A small counter on Brewer Street. Omakase by Chef Hiroshi Tanaka, trained in Ginza, working with fish lifted out of Billingsgate before dawn.

お任せOmakase

The chef decides.
You sit and trust.

There is no menu at Maki Bar. You take a seat at the eight-seat counter, we pour you something cold, and the meal begins. Fifteen small courses, built around whatever Hiroshi found at Billingsgate that morning.

The form is Edomae — the Tokyo-school of sushi that ages, cures and brushes each piece before it reaches the rice. Some things are quick. Most things are not. You will be here for two hours, and we ask only that you don't rush.

今夜の品書き

Omakase, tonight.

Eight of fifteen · £145 per person · Sake pairing £35

I

Sakizuke

Seasonal opener. Tonight: chawanmushi with dashi and white asparagus.

II

Tsukuri

A small plate of sashimi, cut to order. Today's tuna from Cornwall, hirame from Mevagissey.

III

Otsumami

Grilled aori-ika, brushed with soy and yuzu kosho. One bite, two flavours.

IV

Nigiri — First Flight

Kohada, shima-aji, akami. Edomae-cured, rice still warm from the bowl.

V

Nigiri — Second Flight

Chu-toro, kinmedai, hotate. The middle of the meal where the rice quietly carries everything.

VI

Wan-mono

A small bowl of clear broth — turbot bones, kombu, a single shiso leaf.

VII

Anago

Slow-simmered sea eel from Billingsgate, brushed with tsume.

VIII

Tamago & Mizugashi

Hand-rolled tamago. Seasonal fruit. A small cup of hojicha to finish.

Courses change daily with the catch. Please tell us about allergies or restrictions when you book — the kitchen will quietly work around them.

Chef Hiroshi Tanaka at the counter
Chef Hiroshi Tanaka · Itamae
板前The Chef

Ginza-trained.
Soho-rooted.

Hiroshi trained for eleven years in Ginza, the last five at a small two-Michelin counter where he was finally allowed to touch the rice. He moved to London in 2018 with the simple ambition of opening somewhere small enough to do this properly.

Maki Bar opened on Brewer Street in 2019. Eight seats, a single counter of hinoki, and a fish list that changes every morning. The kitchen runs with two people — Hiroshi and one apprentice — and each piece of nigiri is shaped in front of you.

The room earned a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand in 2024. Hiroshi shrugs about it and starts the next service.

Trained
Tokyo
Ginza · 11 yrs
Opened
2019
Soho · W1
Guide
Bib
MICHELIN · 2024
A single piece of nigiri, just placed
江戸前Edomae

“The rice is the thing. The fish is the guest.”

— Chef Tanaka
What we do

Five things, done with care.

01

Omakase only

Eight seats at the counter. One sitting at six, one at eight thirty. No menus — you eat what the chef serves.

02

Billingsgate at dawn

Chef is at the market before five, four mornings a week. The fish list is written when he gets back.

03

Sake pairings

A short, considered flight of three sakes chosen for the meal. £35 per person.

04

Lunch nigiri set

Tuesday to Friday lunch only. Ten pieces of nigiri, miso, tea. £45.

05

Six-week bookings

The diary opens on the first of each month for the month after next. Worth setting a reminder.

店内The Room

Hinoki counter.
Eight seats. No more.

The room is small on purpose. A single counter of unfinished hinoki (Japanese cypress), pale paper walls, one piece of seasonal calligraphy. There is no music, no menu cards, and very little decoration. The food does the talking.

The counter, before service
An omakase plate, mid-service
The sake list
御客様の声From a regular
“Eight seats, no menu, and a chef who barely looks up. By the third course you stop noticing the room — it's just you, him, and whatever he's about to place in front of you. The best meal I've had in London.”
MICHELIN Guide · Bib Gourmand 2024
御予約Reservations

Two sittings.
Six weeks ahead.

The diary opens on the first of each month for the month after next. Bookings tend to go within the first week — set a reminder, or join the waitlist if a sitting is full.

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AvailableFull
Call to Reserve · 020 7405 8855
御案内Find Us
Address
Maki Bar
42 Brewer Street
Soho, London W1F 9TR
Telephone
020 7405 8855
Opening Hours
MondayClosed
TuesdayLunch 12:30 — 14:00 · Dinner 18:00 / 20:30
WednesdayLunch 12:30 — 14:00 · Dinner 18:00 / 20:30
ThursdayLunch 12:30 — 14:00 · Dinner 18:00 / 20:30
FridayLunch 12:30 — 14:00 · Dinner 18:00 / 20:30
SaturdayDinner 18:00 / 20:30
SundayClosed
Lunch nigiri set
Tuesday to Friday · 12:30 — 14:00
Ten pieces of nigiri, miso, tea. £45 per person.