Saki Bar & Food Emporium

Without a doubt, Saki in Smithfield is my favourite Japanese restaurant in London. It may not be the cheapest place, but, in my humble opinion, Saki has a great balance of wonderful food and reasonable pricing.

Dishes prepared by experienced Japanese chefs are original without being over-the-top or pretentious. (Too many Japanese restaurants in London are excessively expensive and unnecessarily pretentious.) Sushi is with very fresh and tender raw fish. Even the washroom is rather charming – with a warm seat and a ‘washlet’ that cleans your backside with a shower-like flow of water.

I would have hoped that the competitive restaurant market in London would create a few more Japanese restaurants with a similar level of quality to Saki. But, sadly, none is anywhere close to Saki at the moment.
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9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, March 31, 2011

Saki is easily my favourite Japanese restaurant in London, and I have eaten in quite a few! The menu is innovative. Sushi and sashimi is so fresh and it taste sweet! I have tried many of the hot dishes, and my favourites are aubergine, the tempura and truffle miso black cod. I highly recommend this restaurant!
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SC
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Great food, cocktails and services.

I had lunch there and it was delicious and value for money.

They've got really nice authentic Omakase course which I should try next time!
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Tokumei
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Friday, March 18, 2011

I discovered Saki restaurant in 2008. I consider it the best Japanese restaurant in London for the amazing cuisine perfectly paired with the rich sake list.

Staff extremely gentle, prepared and attentive. Ambiance genuine and particular

A joy in London
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WEB2MILAN
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Good authentic Japanese food and excellent value for money! Their omakase menus change every months and they also offer wine or sake pairing at a very reasonable price. The dining room is quite spacious and modern.
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Jennifer - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, February 22, 2011

This Japanese restaurant is decent. I'd definitely recommend the omakase course as the chef knows what's the best. Though it's not on par with Michelin dining but there is some proper Japanese cooking you don't find in many Japanese restaurants in west end trying to be too posh! Good take-away lunch deals -- their Pork Katsu or Beef Yakiniku Don for £5.50 takeaway is as good as they make it in Japan!
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finediningexplorer.com - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 9
Thursday, February 10, 2011

Saki is a wonderful restaurant I have ever found in London. As a Japanese, Saki is my favourite Japanese restaurant. The location is not as nice as others, but there will be much higher rewards than all the costs involved. Food quality is superb, while some of the wine and sake served there could not be found anywhere in London. Very recommended!
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Toshi Sakatsume
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Thursday, February 10, 2011

Lovely atmosphere, creative dishes, great service and a real treat but the price is a bit on the dear side. I suppose it is meant to cater for all those horrid bankers in the city. Once they did this sushi buffet for £17 a head and that was one of the best experiences I ever had of sushi but maybe because we ate so much - as much as you can they said and we cleared the entire amount and no one else came for the buffet - they never did it again. They also sponsored a dinner for a famous actor and decorated his plate with a unique design that was nostalgic for him so have to rate this place.
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Ash - View all reviews by this user
8 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 5
Sunday, November 14, 2010

I went to the Saki Bar Food Emporium for a birthday of my friend. The table was booked for around 20 people in advance. The overall experience was dissappointing to the point i just wanted to leave the place after the starter. The majority of people chose the 5 course meal, and took more then 1 hour for any food to appear. When the main course arrived it was not hot and somewhat coldish/warm. The portions were extremely small and tastes average, definitely not worth the wait. We all were hungry after the main course, sushi was meant to be served but took another hour after the main course. We actually complained before the sushi came. Again the sushi were dissapointing and not worth waiting for.. also service was extremely poor.

In conclusion, its a over priced and over rated restaurant, i am confused on how there are so many 9* ratings.
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Ben King
2 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Thursday, September 23, 2010

I visited Saki last night and really enjoyed the dinner. The food is very authentic and reminds me of what I had in Japan. The sashimi here is among the best and freshest I had in London (imo, on par with Umu). The white asparagus starter is divine, and the toro roll doesn't disappoint either. They also have an extensive sake list at a reasonable price.

I found the staff very helpful and friendly. The meal came to about 40 quids per head.

It's rather unfortunate that their meat dishes are quite average -- tasted as if they are pre-cooked and reheated by microwave. This being said, I'd still wholeheartedly recommend coming here for their sushi and sake alone.
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9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Sunday, April 18, 2010