Roka

37 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, London, W1T 1RR - View on a map
Telephone: 020 7580 6464

Roka Restaurant In London
Details Image
Overall 7.0
Food 8.8
Service 7.8
Atmosphere 6.5
Value 5.0
Based on 6 reviews

your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne

Had my birthday at Shochu Lounge this weekend. As usual the food was good. Although I was pretty disappointed with the size of the platters. The service was ok but i would have preferred to have my own waitress with a table of 10. She was pleasant enough but seemed to be serving a few others.

My bill came to £500 so I was rather disappointed that I did not get a complimentary dessert, a mint with my bill or even a happy birthday from the staff - who knew very well I was there to celebrate my birthday. Not good enough for me or my friends (who thought they should have done a little something special) - I like to be treated like a princess on my birthday.
View/Add comments (1)

Princess
Overall rating 6 stars
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Monday, October 24, 2011

I went here last night with some friends.

Good points: - delicious food, and you can give them a budget per head to work from. We gave them £35-40, and it was WAY too much food, so even £30 per head would get something good.

Less good points: - The alcohol is extra expensive, so 2 bottles of wine came to £90. So in the end, the bill was £80 per head. Bit too much.

- Bad acoustics, so that if you have 6 or more in your group and the restaurant is full, you cannot hear a thing. I could not hear anyone except my direct neighbours. If you don't mind this, no problems, but I find it stressful.

- They should have adjusted our menu and price when they realised they were bringing too much food.

Although good, I wouldn't go there again as the bill was just too high for what we actually ate and drank.
Comment on this reader review

LJ
Overall rating 5 stars
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Sunday, September 11, 2011

I usually test sushi restaurants in very city I travel to. Out of 10 I rate it 8.

Things I look for in a restaurant is not limited to the food. The food at Roka was great, presentation of the dishes and the taste. But it lost some points for me on the following:

1. We ordered a menu listed on the card and it was not available. This is unacceptable in any restaurants you go to. If you list it you must have it.

2. The restaurant also has a long wait for large reservations. Althought the restaurant was nearly empty when we got there.

Anyway I really liked the new types of sushi they have on their menu. Well guys enjoy your sushi.
Comment on this reader review

Sophia Carballo
Overall rating 7 stars
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Thursday, August 18, 2011

We went to Roka on a whim last night deciding to celebrate some good news. We arrived at 10pm and were lucky enough to get a table. We chose the premium set menu and our waiter chose the wine for us. The food was staggeringly good ad I still can not work out how lamb can be so juicy. The black cod dumplings were probably the highlight but the underlying quality was impressive. Our service was wonderful and it is refreshing to have people enjoy describing the food enthusiastically who clearly enjoy their job. I would recommend eating here to anybody who enjoys modern Japanese food.
Comment on this reader review

SB
Overall rating 7 stars
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, July 13, 2011

I went on Saturday to Roka and have to say that it was one of the best evenings I have ever spent in a restaurant.

The food can work out to be expensive as the number of dishes you order increases but the food is fantastic and takes away the pain when the final bill comes.

Great service and cant wait to go back again.
Comment on this reader review

Sean Flaherty
Overall rating 9 stars
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Monday, June 06, 2011

i went there few day ago and all i can say , food was amazing , very fresh and served on nice plates , our waiter was great , with excelent food and wine knowledge...Atmosphere good. Yes, will come back .
Comment on this reader review

Vince Taylor
Overall rating 9 stars
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, April 26, 2011

I found this restaurant very disappointing. Service was poor, despite there being more than a dozen staff standing around idle. Our food arrived one plate at a time and extremely slowly, the last person in our party had to wait until everyone else had finished before their food arrived.

The food can only be described as average, for the price they charge I was expecting something special but I've had more generous portions and tastier food in much cheaper places in chinatown.

Also, I'm not sure why but there were stacks of Super Tenants lager visible in the kitchen, I don't know if it was being used to cook with or if it was just for the staff but either way it's not something I'd expect to see in an expensive restaurant.

All in all it was extremely poor value for money and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
View/Add comments (1)


Overall rating 2 stars
Food 4 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, January 13, 2011

Yes it's expensive, but wow what a wonderful dining experience! I'd eat here every week if I could afford to.

I've dined here a few times now and put simply it's my favourite restaurant in London.

The scallops, beef fillet, baby back ribs and lamb cutlets from the robata grill are all superb, with wonderful marinades, spices and dressings. The sushi and sashimi are top notch.

There's plenty of food theatre on show also - especially if you get a seat around the robata grill - as the chefs prepare, baste and cook the grill dishes over hot coals. This can though cause a lot of salivation whilst waiting for your dishes to be served!

Sake-wise there is a huge choice and all I've tried are good. They do a great mojito too.

Roka has a great location on Charlotte St and is therefore handy for pre and post meal drinks nearby. The staff (of which there seem to be millions) are very friendly and helpful - nothing is too much trouble.

Last time I was there, Jamie Oliver was dining with friends also and he seemed to be having a bloody good time there too.

See you soon Roka (when I've got a bit of extra cash spare).
Comment on this reader review

Hopey
Overall rating 9 stars
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Monday, November 29, 2010

we went for lunch yesterday and we were bowled over.

the food was incredible. tempura was fresh, the sticky ribs were succulent and the sea bream was breathtaking. a really refreshingly different menu and fantastic quanlity and attention to detail.

the service was equally as good - just the right level of attention and speed.

i'd eat here every day if i could afford it.

definitely one of my best ever meals.
Comment on this reader review

fiona lopez
Overall rating 9 stars
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Had dinner at Roka last night for the third or fourth time. It didn't get off to a good start - the front of house staff were the rudest I have ever come across. Our table was not ready which was fine but no-one offered the slightest apology, it was almost as though we were in the wrong for expecting our table to be ready on time. As we stood and waited with all our coats the girl just stood there staring at us until I asked if she could perhaps take our coats to which she huffed and puffed as though I had really put her out. I have heard about this surly attitude at Roka before and we really did experience it first hand. We were not the only people to suffer this as we heard someone else complaining about their attitude on the way out.

The restaurant was packed and there were clearly not enough staff to cope. Our waiter was great but he had far too many tables to look after and whenever we needed anything we had to wait far too long to grab someone's attention. No-one came to fill up the wine or water, there was no soy sauce on the table which surely is a given at a Japanese restaurant.

The food was ok. I think the tempura is always a good way to judge a restaurant like this and it was soggy and tasted deep fat fried. Other dishes were ok but it really was nothing special.

At £100 a head, no-one in my party of 7 was overly impressed. I have eaten far better sushi in London and will continue to do so, not at Roka.
Comment on this reader review

AAB
Overall rating 4 stars
Food 5 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, November 23, 2010


what the bloggers say

London Eater

London Eater

Monday, March 15, 2010 - I actually really love this place. I love the concept of it and I think the food is lip smackingly brilliant. Aside from a few duds on the menu, I think Roka is a prime example of an exceptional highly evolved, highly produced and eerily pretentious restaurant that so epitomises modern metropolitan classiness. It is a tad cheaper than the other stripped down elegant Japanese inspired brand with a gimmicky roasting machine - a wood-fire oven at Nobu Berkeley in place of a robata. If I had to choose, I would choose Roka over and over again. I highly recommend it if you have money to throw around.

A Girl Has To Eat

A Girl Has To Eat - 7/10

Friday, March 12, 2010 - The food menu is full of choices, but it's always hard to pass up on a black cod marinated in yuzu (a citrus fruit) miso and homemade hajikami (ginger pickled in vinegar). This was a lovely rendition of the classic Nobu dish, with the cod being succulent and flaky. It oozed with lots of sweet, slightly sticky yuzu miso sauce...We also had a quail marinated in plum wine and red miso where the slight tartness of the plum flavour worked well with the miso to give the quail a lovely finish. However the quail was slightly dry and a touch less time on the grill would have left it moister.

Gourmet Chick

Gourmet Chick - 8/10

Thursday, July 16, 2009 - I could sit for hours and watch the Robata grill chefs at work. There are at least six of them hovering around the grill which operates as a sophisticated multi level barbeque...The food looks stunning, like its sister restaurant Zuma, presentation is everything and each dish is served on beautiful stoneware and artistically arranged. Finally, a bit of fried food heaven. The soft shell crab's spindly legs are delicate and crunchy while the meat inside is tender. The crab is served in a pool of smoky tasting mayonnaise adds moisture to balance the dry, crispy crab.

+ Show more bloggers
You may also like these restaurants:
quick search
user tools
latest blog entry

Roti Chai

Spice And Style At This West End Newcomer
london tweeting

@roblcollins Just a few recs I'm afraid - Le Timbre, Le Petit Zinc, Le Grand Colbert, Au Vieux Comptoir & Brasserie Stella.

save this page
special offers
best for...
special offers
cuisine
our sites
city eating