Tokyo Diner

Simply astonishing! Authentic dishes, might the most delicious food I have ever eaten. The food is just amazing, portions are as big as they come and on top of that there's green tea for free. There is a wide variety of food to chose from for some reasonable prices. Recommended!

Absolutely love this restaurant, I have brought several friends to Tokyo diner numerous times, and no one, at anytime was left unsatisfied. I've always ordered the mini salmon don set lunch, it is fantastic in value and ridiculously consistent and great in quality. I cannot recommend it enough for a hungry londoner out grabbing a quick lunch but craving delicious Japanese food. Also, the drinks are extremely reasonably priced and very under priced consider it's in London in my opinion. Moreover, the staff are very nice and helpful as well as great service it is a shame they do not accept tips.(but this has certainly make me love this place even more and keep returning every time I'm in London.) Overall no complains whatsoever, and I'll truly recommend anyone who likes traditional, simple and quality Japanese food to go and have a taste.

Fantastic. Friendly and informal but not in the least bit scruffy- as soon as we sat down we were given a complimentary cup of green tea and rice crackers and our food arrived very quickly. My udon curry was delectable, I've eaten plenty of East Asian food in my time but this was something else: flavoursome and spicy without being too hot and a generous portion to boot. Excellent value for money given the location and drinks are VERY well priced.

These guys are saints. Quite amazing that they manage to keep up standards and politeness in the heart of the west end. Reminds me a little of a single trip to Tokyo a decade ago.

Perhaps the most authentic Japanese restaurant in London. I do not find the food as cheap as some reviewers implied, unless you are ordering from the off-peak deal. Misato, another Japanese cheap eat not too far from Tokyo Diner does cheaper food at larger portions.

Tokyo Diner serves decent Japanese food but unfortunately not memorable. However, I do like their no-tips policy. Coming from Asia, I don’t particularly agree with tipping, especially under pressure.

Will I be back? Probably.

Really love this place. best japanese restaurant in london so far. will definitely return when visiting the city again

This restaurant is great it looks so japanese! The sushi was soo good I really love it. The green tea was for free. I cant wait to visit London again and have dinner at Tokyo Diner?

Great cheap meals always to be had here! Their portions are very generous and for 10 squid you’d get a full meal. I love their salmon donburi, the freshest salmon sashimi over a bed of rice. You can also ask for more rice free of charge, but the restaurant asks to make sure you are able to finish your meal as to prevent food wastage.

Very nice place for an authentic sushi dinner.

Was there in line with a vacation in London. I already made the place out via the internet from Germany and specifically went there one evening.
Nice area for nightlife around it.
Two stories, ground floor and cellar. I got a table in the cellar, where it was a bit crowded but the atmosphere was nice. While I waited for my order I was served a pot of jasmine tea and some japanese crisps. Nice gesture.
Sushi was quite tasty and the price was alright.
The restaurant made the decision, that they do not serve tuna due to the catching conditions. They state that nice sushi is also possible without tuna. They shall be assuered. Respect for that.

Next time in London, next time at Tokyo Diner!

Small location, but good food. Fast service. Good food quality. Perfect place for a quick lunch.

The food here is really good. Traditional Japanese. Really good katsu curry. The only reason it doesn’t get a 5 star is the price, though the serving size almost makes up for it.

Very good japanese diner. The place is china town in London Soho. The dishes are cheap and cheerful. The servants speaking japanese and english. Awesome ambient. All in all my favorite japanese restaurant in Soho! A good space for discussions of japanese studies.

Tokyo Diner is everything you could wish for if you're looking for a no-nonsense delicious Japanese eatery, and comes with an elaborate menu and background information on all the (authentic) dishes.

The vegetable curry udon were juicy and aromatic, the Tofu Katsu Ju, apparently one of the chef's own creations, brings a smile to my face with its crispy breadcumbed tofu and flavoursome miso based sauce and the edamame are nice and fresh. As a vegetarian, or even vegan, you're more than welcome and they mark vegan dishes especially.

Then there's the free green tea that the friendly staff top up without needing a prod, free large rice portions (ask for an oumori portion), and the refreshing 'no tips' policy, and I'd say it's a winner. Sugoi!

(PS: Wouldn't necessarily recommend it for a fancy dining experience, but at the prices offered, it's definitely fantastic value for money)

I used to come here a lot, but have mostly stopped going since finding out that there is meat stock in all the katsu curries, including the vegetable one which leaves only maki and other cold dishes for vegetarians :(

It is otherwise a fun, if slightly cramped, experience. This is great value food for central London, and it's a good relaxed place for a quick meal if you're catching a movie in Leicester Square. I just wish they did more I could eat!

I used to go here all the time; went back recently and not much has changed, which is a good thing! It used to be extremely cheap but now it's a bit more. Still very cheap for Soho without being as dodgy as those Chinese buffet places all around the area. Bonuses include complimentary tea, free extra large portions if you want them, and strictly no tipping (which keeps prices even lower in real terms). The food is not extraordinary but there's plenty of seats and it's quick. Lots of people people have a katsu dish of some description because it's reliable, but the bento boxes are also good.

One minor gripe: they missed one of the dishes from our group and we had to wait quite a long time for it. But they responded well: since it was so late in the end, we asked not to pay for it. They agreed without being stroppy, and it was struck off the bill.

One of my all-time favourite places to eat!
No nonsense, pleasant and great, great food. And a spot of peace and quiet from the hurly-burly.
And it's great for those with challenging diets.

The best Japanese food I've ever tasted.
The bento box set meals and katsu curry are not to be missed, and try the eda mame if you want to try something new and tasty.
Can get quite busy, but the prices are very good, especially for central London.
If you're ever in the area, and are feeling peckish, be sure to drop in.

Great food, great atmosphere, great service... if you can get a table! :)

One of the best Japanese restaurants in the area, and a huge cut above the likes of Wagamama.

I love this place. You sit down to crackers and unlimited green tea and read through the menu which tells you that large portions are free, tips are discouraged (or donated to charity) and that until tuna isn't being fished to extinction they will not be serving it. The restaurant serves a delicious range of food at some very reasonable prices. If you can get there during the week at lunchtimes it's even better value.

Try it out!

For photos please refer to
http://hungryinlondon.com/2010/10/tokyo-diner-chinatown/

Ironically in the middle of Chinatown there is Tokyo Diner, a cheap but decent Japanese restaurant. Even though the owner appears to be English (if you agree with me that Richard Hills does not sound terribly Japanese) the place has a distinct Japanese atmosphere to it. I have just been to Japan couple of months ago and Tokyo Diner feels very much like one of the Izakayas I went to in Kobe. I am talking not only about the furnishing and (as far as I can judge it) Japanese waiters but also the fact that, just like in Japan, tips are not taken, that you pay on the counter when you leave and that green tea (I think it was Hojicha) is served free of charge.

The menu is really weird but at the same time rather entertaining: you can spend ages reading the detailed description about every dish as well as some trivia about Japan and Japanese food. In addition the menu contains 5 whole pages with allergy information regarding the nuts/seeds and gluten content for each individual dish.

The food only partly lived up to my expectations. I was a bit disappointed actually by the Hoso-MakiI Set (6.20). The rice was too sticky and the salmon didn’t taste that fresh. The vegetarian cucumber and pickled radish maki were much better actually but also they did not quite satisfy my palate which has become used to the outstanding quality of sushi in Japan.

I love all kinds of Japanese noodles and particularly when I am hungover, as I happened to be at this particular occasion, nothing is comparable to the healing powers of a Japanese noodle soup. I chose the Curry Udon with Chicken (8.20) which was a very decent bowl of soup drenched with the rather mild but strangely addictive flavour of Japanese curry. The udon were not quite Koya quality but really not bad at all.

It is not the best Japanese restaurant I have ever been to but considering how cheap, friendly and uncomplicated it is, it is well worth a visit for a quick pre-theatre bite or for a hangover cure.