Hotori

Overall on the expensive side given small portions. Tempura set you’re having to cut vegetables in half if you want to share. We get two shrimp, why not two of each vegetable? There needs to be some more filling options (I was unlucky the ochazuke was unavailable on the day). I ordered the onigiri instead but it came unassembled. I think it should be assembled for the customer. Nobody explained how to do it either. The chicken skewers are good. The bonjiri cut was soo good. No issue here. If you want to try some yakitori prepared with a lot of skill it might be worth to visit. The whisky highball was disappointing. You can see it in my last picture but it comes in a room temperature water glass so the ice melts quickly diluting the drink. With a paper straw so it feels like i’m drinking a whisky flavoured glass of water. The restaurant has a really nice interior and I appreciate craftsmen spots but a lot of things around the yakitori itself could be improved.

Me and my girlfriend had such a great experience at hotori! The food was fantastic, from the small plates( scallops and wagyu were our favourites) to the yakitori( which was the star of the night) and the fried goods( the seabass and the oysters were specially good). The service was amazing! We were served by Gio witch recommended us some of the best sakes in house, and explained all the dishes to detail. Highly recommend this restaurant

Visited with a few friends on a Monday. We wanted to try as many Yakitori dishes as possible on their menu and weren't aware that the Beak-to-Tail Set with 17 skewers needs to be ordered 48 hours in advance. We ordered basically whatever were available. They used Bincho Charcoal for grilling and the Asian chef (nit sure if he was Japanese or not) prepared the skewer dishes reasonably well. The standard of their Yakitori dishes was amongst the top Yakitori restaurants I had tried in London. The final skewer came unexpectedly late for some reason and the manager apologised to us and explained that they were under staff both on the service front and the back kitchen. The decor of the restaurant was clean and modern. Somehow after two hours of dining, the smoke smell from the charcoal filled the room inevitably and it made my breath a bit uncomfortable. They may need to turn the smoke extraction higher. The whole meal with a bottle of sake coated £90 per person.

I visited Hotori for a solo dinner on a Wednesday. I hadn’t booked ahead but arriving at their 6pm opening time they were able to offer me a space at the 8-seater counter, albeit only for 1h15m as they were quite booked up. I always enjoy a good counter, but seating here was at a lower height versus the kitchen so it was a rather obstructed view (see attached pic). I ordered the 4 piece set yakitori (4 cuts of chicken), the miso aubergine, black cod and some rice. All the food was enjoyable but the yakitori chicken was definitely the highlight, these were excellent and reminded me a bit of the original version of Humble Chicken. The black cod and aubergine were on a par with various other decent Japanese restaurants in town, yes they were good but also quite familiar - in hindsight I wished I focused more on the yakitori. I did try to order a few more items towards the end but was told they needed the table back. On that note service was a bit slow, considering I was the first order of the evening. Communication was a challenge at times as a few of the serving staff didn’t speak much English, which did feel a bit odd in central London! As the kitchen got busier it also became apparent that their extraction system was woefully inadequate, as the whole restaurant became quite smoky (the counter area even more so), this was despite both the front and back doors being purposefully kept open. The bill for my solo meal came to £99, of which £18 was spent on drinks. This did feel quite pricey given I was still a bit hungry at the end of it. Right, that’s enough with the negatives! Clearly a few things they need to work on in this newly opened venue, but of most importance the food was very good, and I could see myself returning in future by which time some of these teething issues are hopefully resolved.

Very nice Japanese food. Good portion, if you take the multi services offer. Calm and refreshing. Perfect if you want a break from the overcrowded London pubs.

Came for a quick lunch before a matinee show in the West End, and everything was perfect here. The service was polite and quick, and the food was absolutely delicious. We ordered chicken karage to share, and the lunch bento boxes - salmon teriyaki, and chicken teriyaki. I was impressed by the generous portion of my salmon, and for central London, the prices are great. I was very glad we booked as every table was taken. We were seated at the counter and were able to watch the chefs prepare the meals. The clientele were mostly business people rather than tourists. I can't wait to come back again and try more of the menu.

Came here this evening for my partners birthday, absolute best choice we could’ve made! Food was absolutely amazing and served very timely. All of the staff were so lovely and catering, I cannot wait to come back and visit again!

I really loved the atmosphere in this restaurant. Felt like a genuine Japanese Izikaya experience where you could relax and enjoy small plates of food with friends. The food was expertly prepared and you could watch the beautiful artistry in the open kitchen. The skewers selection was just the right amount for a casual evening meal that will please everyone. I really loved the inner thigh. The crispy, smoky, juicy combo was mind blowing. The only point I would add is the option to have a selection with more offal included for those who are a bit more adventurous. The only option for this is the large selection that is ordered 48 hours in advance at present. I highly recommend this place and I’m sure I will be returning to try the wider selection in future.