Nagomi

The restaurant is on a smaller street, tucked away from the Circus. Everything was super satisfying but didnt make me go wow. My English friend commented on the lack of pork in the ramen and the smaller proportion of all the dishes. Of all the Japanese restaurants Ive been to outside of Japan, I would actually say the atmosphere and taste of Nagomi are extremely comparable to my time in Japan. I think our expectations have obviously been altered by western standards. Even though I was not impressed, Im giving this a 4 star for those who want a more authentic dining experience.

terrible experience… I ordered 豚骨noodle…it tastes like cup noodle… actually I think it is cup noodle… I can hear the sound of microwave. Everthing is precooked… the noodle tastes like instant noodle-​demae itcho. I always eat Japanese food and love the taste. But this Japanese restaurant is the most terrible one I ever ate before！

Can’t really say much about this place, I went there for a quick lunch and that was what I got so it was perfect for me.
I had the chicken teriyaki that comes with a small salad, rice and miso the staff was very kind and you get a complimentary edamame when you order.
the ambience is nice and quiet as well

Not bad but nothing particularly good. Too expensive for this quality. I’ll try ramen next time.

Quaint, laid back atmosphere lent the feel of a small izakaya in Japan. Overall, it was satisfying, but not particularly impressive. I felt like I was trying to like it more than I did.
The fried octopus was a bit rubbery and decidedly mediocre.
The sushi (eel nigiri and uni) was inoffensive.
The crispy noodle (yaki soba fried until almost crispy) was somewhat novel, and tasty in its own right. However we found it somewhat plain, consisting only of a paltry amount of pork, along with sprouts and scallions.
Finally, the tonkotsu pork ramen was a mixed bag. I opted for the thick noodles, which came out rather soft and overdone. The broth was not quite hot enough when it came out, but it was close. Like the crispy noodle, the amount of pork served with the ramen was astonishingly lacking. Two and a half small slices was all I got. The broth itself was quite tasty, and was the highlight of the entire meal. It’s too bad everything else was only ok.
Hrmmm…3 stars.

Cozy, cute, authentic atmosphere. The Ramen is ok. Lacks a bit of taste and noodles are slightly overcooked but better than in most restaurants. The gyoza is deep fried, not grilled. The unagi sushi is yummy.

Top 10 Japanese place in London as evidenced by the number of my Japanese friends who eat there. Great courteous service.
Try the octopus balls, chicken karage, donburi and ramen soup. The natto is an acquired taste but in my opionion its great. Sushi is also quite good. Get a good mix of the tapas portion hot starters.

I’ve long searched for a good bento box in London, and I think it’s safe to say I’ve found it in this little hideaway! Complete with a calm, understated vibe, Nagomi serves up a great lunch, complete with tempura, sashimi and miso soup. They offer a variety of lunch options, all accompanied by your choice of starter for under £15. The portions are pretty substantial and the Japanese black tea is all-​you-​can-​drink!
It’s nestled in a great, central location and is worth a visit from anyone who is getting tired of the takeaway chain sushi lunch!

Nagomi must have Speedy Gonzalez working in the kitchen, and he sure can make a good cold udon with tempura!
The polite-​yet-​welcoming staff were extremely accommodating of our desire to share one main in under 40 minutes (this was around 2.15pm on a Tuesday), and even brought double settings for the complimentary edamame starter and dipping ponzu. Mom and I were time and appetite-​poor, being on a whirlwind tour of London her last day visiting from Santa Barbara (where I have yet to have udon this tender, so if you know a place, send a sister a heads-​up), so our fast and tasty dish to share was everything we wanted.
I forgot the exact name of our dish, which was the special advertised on the chalkboard outside, but it was described very literally in English – something like «shrimp vegetable tempura udon.» What can I say, it sold us. The tempura was light and crispy, with two shrimps, a sweet potato slice, and a delightfully fondanty eggplant piece. The udon was generously portioned, and had pretty much my Platonic ideal of noodle texture – al dente yet tender. Though this was sufficient for us, hungrier patrons may want to consider the desserts that I’ve seen other reviewers extol.
Well, what are you waiting for, udon nerd? ¡Andale, andale! ¡Arriba, arriba!

Good Japanese venue — it is tabby japanese people and food is quite authentic.
The only thing is menu is not very original and not too exciting. Good, cute venue though.
They have ramen during lunch — i think it is not that great. I would suggest to get more standard menu, ie something with rice.
Definitely a venue to stop by if you are in the area — pricing is very reasonable for its location.

Nice, quiet, out of the way Japanese place that’s worth a visit. The ramen is decent, but small and rather unfulfilling on the whole. Nice flavour to the broth, but short of excellent. Pork belly skewers were quite tasty but small. The story of my experience of the place is «interesting dishes, but small and expensive». 3 beers, 2 ramen and one order of skewers left us at £50, and that was the cheap stuff. Eat anything else and a meal for two will leave you at £80+ to fill up. But hey, maybe that’s just because I’m American :)

There was something about Nagomi that didn’t quite work for me. Nothing was awfully bad but there were just little faults along the way that made it less memorable than it could have been.
Hidden behind the Oxford Street it was in a very quiet location and isolated. The staff lacked that welcoming smile but more ‘straight to the point’ look and when it’s classed as a more upper market Japanese restaurant t is not what you would expect. Still they were quick and efficient.
W
e pick this restaurant for it’s traditional Japanese Tatami mat private rooms (Zashiki). For those who are not aware, Zashiki rooms are places where you require to take your shoes off and sit on the floor layered with a tatami mat. There are only a few remaining in London, Edokko used to be famous for it before it was closed down. What we did like about Nagomi was that the two rooms were private rooms and had backrest seats for better comfort. However it just lacked that extra touch needed for that warmth and comfort. The room was a low ceiling, arched and very small yet all opened out with no curtain over the door so it did feel quite uneasy staring at the legs of the waiters behind the bar. Unfortunately that was the room we were given so it wasn’t a great sight. I personally found the light a bit too dim and not warm enough. Instead it gave off a slight greyish colour making the room fuite dull. A change in light bulb could easily do the trick. And then there was the obvious car battery in the corner which just didn’t fit the scene. Maybe I’m just being fussy but they do deserve some credit for effort for the wooden clogs to go the toilet when needed.
I would say food were overall slightly above average, some better than others. It didn’t come cheap though and most were 50p+ the average prices for a Japanese prices like itself which I personally felt did not match experience we had.
We started with some green tea which was disappointing, bland and poor in quality. For a restaurant advertise as slightly more fine dining than the usual Japanese restaurant I was surprised the only option of tea were Green tea and Oolong. Luckily the food made up for that as they arrived shortly after we ordered. Our starters consisted of Japanese eel omelette aubergine with miso paste, takoyaki, yakitori set and the fried lotus root, all nicely presented.
There was nothing I can fault with the eel egg roll. The egg was cooked perfectly soft into a nice tender slice of eel, succulent and well flavoured in a sweet glaze. We devoured them well. The takoyaki came a little too fast out the grill so they lacked that slight crisp coating from browning a little bit more. This made them slightly too soft and quite doughy. Still they weren’t the worse we’ve had and they were still very enjoyable with the generous topping of bonito flakes and octopus inside. What I found is that they get all their sauces and dips right, perfect in flavour and seasoning and matching each dish well. The aubergine remained one of my favourites that night, the perfect amount of miso paste smothered on top, not too overpowering and slightly sweet to give that aubergine that kick of flavour. It was a smooth messy delight to enjoy and I could have easily just had three or four of those with plain rice.
The crispy fried lotus root from the special menu came not as expected. They were in fact sliced thinly, deep fried to create something similar to vegetable crisp. This meant they lost the lotus root taste and if eaten blindly they could have easily been passed as potato crisp from Tyrells. Last of our starters were the yakitori set. he wings were a bit small, lacking meat on the bone but were given time to brown and so had a superior finish, crispier skin to those you might find elsewhere. The chicken yakitori were better in quality, plump, firm and tender. The meatballs although slightly salty were still decent but they were all helped by that sauce they had over it, made from soy sauce and sugar so it was savoury with a sweetness to it.
We wish they had waited for us to finish the starters before the main arrived as they became luke-​warm & noodles too soft. Mine was a pork tonkotsu and sadly the broth just lacked that richness and depth as those you would find in Shoryu. The pork was leaner than usual but still tender. A more satisfying main was the soba noodles in dipping sauce. I suppose this dish did not matter if it was out too long as it was served cold. The noodles were great, springy and firm. I do love that rich savoury flavour wrapping each strand as you slurp.
In total the bill came to £66+ which was higher than expected or the overall experience we had. Nagomi definitely has potential in it’s food but there are definitely room for improvement. If you are looking for a more successful Zashiki style restaurant I would recommend Sushi Waka in Camden instead. But if you do have that extra £50 and in the area and feel like giving Nagomi a go, I wouldn’t say no.

We absolutely LOVE this place, we have never eaten anything that was ever remotely average, or ‘just ok’. Everything is fantastic. It’s the first place we think of when we think about having a meal out or if we have visitors in town, I’d eat here every day if I could afford it.
Everything is delicious but standouts are the Cold Tofu with spring onion and bonito flakes, the Deep Fried Soft Shell crab, the Tonkotsu Ramen, the Grilled Mackerel with Salt and for desert the Mochi, Daifuki and both Green Tea and Sesame Ice Creams. Looking over the menu we have tried others and this list could really go on. Ooh yes, the cucumber with miso paste was my Mom’s favorite who was visiting from home.
Do also always have a look at their specials list — we had chicked livers once that among the 4 of us we had to order a total of 3 orders after we had gobbled up the first portion that was meant to be shared in 5 seconds flat.
And they actually make a mean sushi too, we’ve had both international rolls and nigiri, and they have both been better than at many sushi restaurants that charge far higher prices.
The also have a pretty amazing list of Shochu that can be either served cold, hot, or just neat — although if you’re interested in this I would highly recommend doing a bit of research beforehand, we’ve had (very sweet and attentive!) waitresses a couple of times who’s grasp of english made recommendations a little difficult (but they did always bring good shochu nonetheless!).
Overall, possibly my favourite restaurant in London.

It’s Sunday and none of my friend wants to go out for lunch! So I just rush to Nagomi for first time. Very quite and clean, ur, just so Japanese.
I have ordered ramen and actually it’s average both the soup and noodle.
But it’s relatively cheaper and you can have a try

I’m so glad I was able to find this gem in London. I was craving Japanese food and landed upon this place. The waitress were Japanese and it seemed as though the food was cooked by Japanese people… so naturally this place had food that taste like real Japanese food… unlike some other places.

We love a good ramen when we are in town. So given we were out by Bond St on a snowy day at lunchtime, we decided to try this ramen place which I had conveniently bookmarked. It is an easy short walk from Bond St station, even better because there were less people around because of the snow. It was smaller than I expected and has an intimate feel to it.
We both got the Kyushu tonkotsu ramen (pork soup), which came as a set with edamame and dumplings. I chose the thick noodle and my wife chose thin noodle, but I didn’t notice much of a difference between them.
The food took longer to come out than other restaurants, but it was worth the extra time. The dumplings were crisp and tasty. I ate these while I was waiting for my soup to cool down. The soup was a still a bit too hot for me at first, but this forced me to take my time. It tasted fattier than others that I have been to, but in this context, fattiness is good! If etiquette had permitted, I would have picked up the bowl and drank the rest that I was unable to efficiently get out with the spoon.
We were happy with our lunch here. This will be on our shortlist of restaurants in town where we know we will get a good meal.

Nagomi, c’est un petit restaurant japonais caché derrière la grande et très busy oxford street.
Le restaurant n’est pas très grand, la décoration est simple, épurée à la japonaise.
Je conseille vivement d’aller à Nagomi un midi, après une bonne journée de shopping sur oxford street.
Un véritable havre de paix pour se reposer et manger tranquillement.
MIAM MIAM
Les sobas froides avec une sauce à tremper sont idéals s’il fait un peu chaud (£7.40)
Ils font des lunchs set très interessants (qui inclut une petite entrée, du riz et de la soupe miso): lunch box (assortiment de cuisine mixte japonaise, sashimi et tempura dans une boîte)
Les noodles sets sont aussi appétissants (accompagnés d’une entrée et de 4 raviolis). J’ai pris la soupe de nouille au porc et poulet, qui étaient un peu salé, mais très savoureuse. Les nouilles sont parfaites, des nouilles bien épaisses
MONEY MONEY MONEY
Comptez de £8 à £14 pour les lunch sets
De £12 à £19 pour les sushi sets, tout de même couteux pour 11 à 15 pièces
£10 le noodle set
De £1 à £3 le side dish (qui comme le relève Ai Linh est juste minuscule)
LES PETITS PLUS (à prendre en compte!)
— Le take away
— La décoration épurée
— La petite tasse de thé servi gratuitement au début, à la japonaise
— Le personnel très poli et efficace, à la japonaise
LES PETITS MOINS (pas si négligeable)
— Les prix un peu couteux, d’un côté, vu le quartier
— Pas assez de tables, difficile en période de rush
— La politique du tarif de consommation minimum le soir

Ramen! Where where?
It’s a small space so definitely recommend booking a table for dinner. Even though it’s fully booked, the place is still relatively quiet. I think this was the first time where I went to a japanese restaurant and almost all of the customers were japanese!
We started with the king prawn tempura, age tofu, seaweed salad (it was huge!) and fried aubergines. All very tasty. For the main course, I ordered the pork and chicken soup noodles. It was a little on the salty side but really yummy — very slurp worthy! I didn’t know you had options with the noodles because as default came with thin rice noodles and wished it was the thicker ones you typically get with ramen.
Look out for the specials on the walls — We ordered the japanese cheesecake (Yum!)

As a Japanese noodle bar, Nagomi certainly talks the talk. The staff are predominantly Japanese (and as Josy A ably demonstrated, very happy to take orders in Japanese), as are many of the customers. Kanji can be found on the menu and elsewhere, the décor is (at least to this gajin) convincingly Japanese and there is plenty of recognisably Japanese food and drink to be found on the menu (the Asahi and Kirin particularly caught my eye).
We were there however to try the Ramen. And pretty good it was too. I’m no Ramen expert, but to my palate the quality of the pork and noodles was on the high side. I’d probably even go so far as to say it trumped the side dishes we had, as tasty as they undeniably were.
There were two major problems however:
The first was the service which was slooooooooooow. It wasn’t too bad at first but when it came to ordering dessert, we waited. .and waited… and waited… and eventually decided to get the bill instead. What is it Youtubers say? Fail.
The second was the size of the portions, which wasn’t enough for me. To be fair, I had worked up quite an appetite after a particularly intense and long cycle through London beforehand, but still, I was surprised by just how short the portion sizes fell from satisfying my hunger.
So, overall, just about A-​OK. I would return here, but want to check out other Ramen-​selling venues first.

Nagomiii, I have been meaning to try your noodles for months… in the end you provided a nice setting for a meal with lovely people, but your noodles didn’t send me to tonkotsu ramen heaven as I had hoped.
Noodle Joy:
— The staff seemed really sweet… if a little snail-​paced.
— We were given a choice of noodle thinknesses! Everyone in our group opted for ‘thick’ noodles, which were just right. (I don’t think I’d fancy the skinny version.)
— The ‘yuzu’ wine was pretty good… sweet, but also citrusy. It slipped down.
Tears of Tonkotsu:
— Service was just so sloooow. If you go, practice calling ‘sumimasen’ to get the waitresses attention. Eye contact alone didn’t work very well!
— They had Takoyaki, complete with katsuo flakes (yay!) But the chunks of octopus within the balls of batter was so tiny that I couldn’t really taste it (boo!)
— The portions were a bit too small, especially as it wasn’t particularly cheap.
— I still find it strange that there is a minimum spend of £18…we spent more than that anyway… but what if you just fancied a quick noodle snack?!
All in all it was A-​OK, but improved by the lovely company. I might come back here for Ramen, but I know better, cheaper places to try the other dishes.

Real honest-​to-​goodness ramen in London? Hell to the yes. It might not be the massive bowl of fatty goodness I’m used to from my time in New York, but it sure is a welcome repast with the frigid dark times ahead.
If we’d stopped at just the drinks and starters, we would have had a full five-​star meal. As typical of Japanese cuisine, the presentation of each dish was impeccable. Plus, the flavour and texture of each dish, from croquettes to karaage, made each bite delightfully delectable.
I am, however, used to a heartier richer broth to my ramen soups, some additional ingredients (bamboo shoots, spring onions, perhaps some fish cake…), and at the immodest price, perhaps a greater portion. If you’re arriving to Nagomi hungry, I’d strongly recommend sharing some starters prior to your main. An order of ramen alone is unlikely to satisfy.
Regardless, the quality of the cuisine evokes no complaints and given the high proportion of Japanese-​speaking diners here, Nagomi strikes close to home. Just be sure to make a booking in advance, as seating is quite limited. And you know what’s sadder than imperfect ramen? No ramen at all. :’(

Pour le coup je comprends pas trop l’engouement… En plus des reviews, je me suis fait avoir par la clientèle: que des japonais. Ma logique de «clientèle locale DONC valeur sure» s’est effondrée.
Entrée
Japanese pickles a £5.50: c’était des bouts de chou et concombre meme pas «pickled». Du chou et concombre presque normal quoi. C’est mal parti.
Plat:
Vegetable noodles: avec plein de petits legumes, oignons, choux etc. Passable et assez «blend» comme dirait mon ami. Overpriced.
Rice immersed in green tea, with mackerel, £8.50: voilà un plat intéressant j’ai pensé. Les lamelles de maquereau étaient très bonnes, mi cuites, puis pour s’amuser, on verse du thé vert dans le riz. Malheureusement, ca n’apporte pas grand chose niveau gout (thé très très léger). Et petite quantité. Overpriced.
Après ca, on avait encore un peu faim et l’addition était salée (ok, on avait pris des bières en plus, pinte Asahi £4.80) donc on est allé se prendre une part de pizza au Princi’s un peu plus loin!
Apparemment il faut y aller pour les ramen (cf reviews) car nous, ca a bien loupé!
Service très gentil, très japonais.
Ah oui, ils ont une politique de £18 minimun par personne pour le diner… Bof.