Niko Niko

Definitely the most awful "Japanese restaurant" that I've been to. I'm Japanese and have been to many Japanese restaurants in London and Niko Niko is by far the worst.

The interior of the restaurant is old and shabby- something I didn't mind too much about, but thought I'd point that out.

The staff are not Japanese, if you care about that kind of thing (I don't). One thing that did bother me was that they can't even pronounce some of the food on the menu! They also took a very long time to give us our bill once we asked for it.

I ordered a tonkatsu lunch set. It was the worst "tonkatsu" I've ever tasted. The meat inside was very thin, like they'd just flattened a very small bit of pork to make it look bigger, and the katsu tasted burnt and nasty. The sauce was too salty- after my meal my tongue was hurting! Surely they can just use the regular Bulldog sauce...? It's not that hard making tonkatsu either, I really regretted eating at Niko Niko, I'd much prefer my own cooking.

On our table there were also orders for the tempura (didn't taste authentic) and the chicken teriyaki. Again the sauce was much too salty. I know the Japanese like salt in food but we don't like it THAT much!

Oh also, the bowls for our miso soup was old and the paint inside it was peeling off. Not nice.

Anyway, go to Niko Niko if you're feeling brave but it's overpriced and not authentic. I'd be too scared to order the sushi from here- not that I'll ever be going again!
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disappointed japanese girl
1 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Saturday, March 31, 2012

The food here is horrendous and massively overpriced. I went with a group of 10 people and nobody enjoyed their food. The size of the sushi rolls were absolutely tiny as well. I can't recommend this place at all. The staff are very friendly, thats about the only plus.
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3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Friday, November 18, 2011

I was eating here this week and thought it was great. Sushi set D was simply awesome - fresh and tasty - and the gyoza were cooked to perfection. The staff were friendly and I helpfuly, can't wait to go back there.
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Harry
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Friday, September 23, 2011

We dined here on a Saturday night and this place was empty at 8pm, being in the centre of town and on the edge of charlotte st, this should have sent alarm bells ringing. The place smelt of old oil, the decor was dated, the menu was grubby. The rice was crusty and not proper japanese rice. The sushi was not fresh at all. On top of it all, it was expensive, we ordered the specials starter, tariyaki chicken, eel with rice and two cokes which cost near £60. Was so disappointed especially as there's so many great places to eat in London. I will definitely be well avoiding this place in the future.
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2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Sunday, September 18, 2011

An awful place. Overly priced, Koreans trying to make a name out of a Japanese restaurant and then doing poorly. No customer service. They brought out the miso soup for a starter which is just the ultimate no no in japan. The rice was awful and yet you were asked to pay extortionate prices. No free tea as a service either which is a must in Japanese restaurants. A dreadful rip-off.
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Ash - View all reviews by this user
3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Sunday, November 14, 2010

This place is just awful! I am still having regrets going to this restaurant. I go to a lot of Japanese restaurants and so i know what things should taste like or have a rough idea of what each dish should taste like. I usually go to new Japanese restaurants to test the Katsu curry's and compare.

First the interior: Shabby and to be honest had an off odour. The toilets were not very nice and i was very hesitant using them and this doesn't usually happen to me in restaurants.

Staff: Not very responsive. They are not Japanese. I am Chinese and they were Chinese too. The cooks i don't know however. The moment i knew they were not Japanese. I knew that the food was not going to be authentic.

Food: Terrible. I ordered a croquette, okonomiyaki and katsu curry. The croquette was okay but tbh, i might as well have brought it from Sainsburys and added Japanese sauce myself. The okonomiyaki was not at all authentic, it was a cross between a very bland Korean pancake and an English omellete The Katsu curry was too sweet. The pork cutlet was made up of 70% fat and the rice was stale and hard. I ordered a pot of green tea which was £5! I know restaurants where they charge a pot of tea for £2.

For 2 small starters, main dish and pot of tea came to £25 which i thought was expensive. I have to say the menu looks good, but pictures are deceiving. I rate this 2/10. A very bad experience and looking from the other reviews below, i am not the only one.
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Susan Ng
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, July 08, 2010