The thread that unites the best Japanese restaurants in Madrid is the respect for one of the most globalized gastronomies that often comes to us with a previous American filter that is not easy to get rid of. Something similar to what happens to Italian and Chinese gastronomy, among others.
While the art of making sushi -whether in the most purist way or with various influences- has had worthy representatives in the capital for decades, soups, meats and other typical Japanese dishes have taken a little longer to arrive, but they are carving out their own niche.
1. Ikigai
Ikiagai is one of the most promising Japanese restaurants in the capital. Yong Wu Nagahira bases his cuisine, in addition to his roots, on what he learned under Ginza chef Masaya Ohama. At Ikigai they serve nigiris and gunkans of fish you never knew you could eat raw (sea bream, horse mackerel or sea urchin). Reasonable prices for the quality of the product and the certainty that every step you take is in the right direction.
💶 €€€€€
📍Location: Calle de la Flor Baja, 5 (Downtown)
Yugo The Bunker
Yugo the Bunker’s letter of introduction is its raw material, of extraordinary quality. It is impossible to find many of its products in a conventional (or specialized) supermarket. For this reason alone it is worth it. For that, of course, and for the Michelin Star, which is a guarantor of its quality and which it has held since 2019.
Julián Mármol is the chef at the helm of this restaurant that is divided into two areas: one inspired by the traditional Izakaya tavern at the top and the perfect recreation of a WWII Japanese bunker, downstairs.
💶 €€€€€
📍Location: Calle de San Blas, 4 (Las Letras)
3. Yakiniku
As we said above, Japanese cuisine is making its way in its many forms and Yakiniku is one of them. The central and differential axis of this Japanese restaurant is in its own grill of the Asian country and the meat they use. They are one of the three restaurants that belong to the Kobe Distributors Association -the beef raised according to the tradition of Hyōgo (Japan).
All this could be summed up by explaining their name: yaki means grill and niuk means meat. The grill is distributed around the tables so that you prepare your own food, it is a concept that was imported from Korea, where it is also very typical.
💶 €€€€€
📍Location: Malaga street, 3 (Chamberí)
4. Yokaloka
Yokaloka’s ramen inspired Isabel Coixet in her series Foodie Love, in which the protagonist claims it is the best ramen in the world. Yoka Kamada is the Japanese woman who has been installed in the Mercado de Antón Martín for more than 15 years with her Yokaloka.
It is the perfect place to enjoy a menu consisting of tonkotsu ramen , cooked for 12 hours over low heat, chicken gyozas and yokaloka (sushi set), accompanied by a good sake. And now it can also be done at the new location that has opened just minutes away from his market stall.
💶 €€€€€
📍Location: Calle de Santa Isabel, 5 (Lavapiés) and Plaza de Matute, 7 (Centro).
5. Ugo Chan
Ugo Chan was one of the great openings of 2021 for gastronomic expert Eric Vernacci in his interview with Madrid Secreto, and the Michelin guide, which gave it a star, agrees with his criteria. Two reasons that indisputably make it one of the best Japanese restaurants in the city.
Chef Hugo Muñoz seeks constant change in his cuisine with a Japanese soul, and it is the season that governs his menu. So much so that its Omakase menu is prepared at the time taking into account the tastes of the customer, as if made to measure.
💶 €€€€€
📍Location: Calle de Félix Boix, 6 (Chamartín)
6. Chuka Ramen
Chuka, as they define it themselves, is the Japanese idea of Chinese gastronomy. But beyond the concept, and although they are not a strict Japanese restaurant, the broth of the soups they serve has few comparisons. The consistency of this ramen is due to the fact that it is simmered for 24 hours.
Although the menu changes seasonally, they usually serve three types of ramen: two hot, one generally more consistent than the other, and a third that is served cold and without broth.
💶 €€€€€
📍Location: Calle de Echegaray, 9 (Downtown)
7. Kappo
In Kappo, as in traditional Japanese restaurants, you don’t choose what you want to eat. The power of decision is reduced to the chair in which you want to sit (and not always). The chef serves the customer between 15 and 20 dishes that he prepares live. It is only open in the evenings and with a capacity for very few people. It is one of the most careful proposals of the city within the most conservative line of Japanese cuisine.
💶 €€€€€
📍Location: Calle de Bretón de los Herreros, 54 (Chamberí)
8. Umiko
Umiko serves Japanese cuisine with Chinese, Spanish and French influences, among others. It has the recognition of the Repsol guide with two suns and of all the palates that have had the opportunity to try it. And it is not surprising that having chefs Juan Alcaide (formerly at DiverXO and Kabuki) and Pablo Álvarez heading the project, eating here is an experience. The classics on the menu are the paella nigiri (pictured above), the guo rong porra, the tuna curry and the shrimp ramen. A few meters away is their award-winning patisserie, one of the most interesting in the city.
💶 €€€€€
📍Location: Calle de los Madrazo, 6 (Centro)
9. Hattori Hanzo
Hattori Hanzo honors with its name to a legendary samurai through its philosophy of izakaya, a kind of Japanese tavern, in which some principles are respected such as homemade and daily elaboration, authenticity and respect for Japanese gastronomy or seasonality and the kitchen of use.
This is one of the first Japanese restaurants in Madrid that moved away from sushi to bring dishes like okonomiyaki, ramen or Japanese grill and is still known for it. Do not miss their desserts, especially the Fuji, inspired by the mythical mountain. Within the same premises you will also find Panda Patisserie, where they make traditional desserts such as kakigori.
💶 €€€€€
📍Location: xalleMesonero Romanos, 1 (Downtown)
10. Zuara sushi
Zuara carries the weight of being in the place where DiverXO was previously, but this does not discourage them and in 2022 they premiered their first Michelin star. David Arauz, who already earned a star in 2020 at 99 KO Sushi Bar (currently closed), seeks to transfer the simplicity, quality and elegance of sushi to the whole experience of this Japanese restaurant.
💶 €€€€€
📍Location: Calle Pensamiento, 28 (Tetuán)
11. Saku Izakaya
It is easy to relate everything that has to do with Japanese with sophistication, thanks to Japanese perfectionism itself, and although sometimes finding the middle ground -between the good and the very expensive- is complicated, Saku Izakaya achieves it.
It has a varied menu that includes the big hits of Japanese cuisine: sushi and ramen in its different forms. But its starters and desserts bring something more: fried tofu and katsu sando -a pork sandwich- to start and sesame panacotta to finish.
💶 €€€€€
📍Location: Calle de Olid, 15 (Chamberí)
12. Mr. Ito
To finish the list of Japanese restaurants in Madrid that you must try in Madrid we could not leave Sr. Ito: one of the best places not only to eat sushi, but also other dishes such as its oxtail gyoza, the mojama nigiri with olive roe, the Japo Taco (one of its star dishes) or the Obama Roll, one of the dishes that María José Llergo always asks for when she goes, according to what she told us in an interview.
In addition to its culinary goodness, there is another detail to be added: it is a pet friendly restaurant.
€€€€€
📍Location: Calle de Pelayo, 60 (Downtown)
13. Santoku
Santoku, located near El Retiro Park, is the smallest Japanese restaurant in Madrid, with a single table for eight diners. Its six-course omakase tasting menu, which includes dishes such as cocido madrileño gyozas and kabayaki eel, offers an intimate and surprising experience for only 35 euros. The proposal changes every three months, adapting to trends and guaranteeing a unique evening.
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📍Location: calle de Lope de Rueda, 16 (El Retiro)