We offer the best of Japanese food with a modern twist to enjoy in our cosy restaurant just five minutes from the Angel. Or you can pick-up one of our tasty Bento boxes to eat at home or in the office. We can also tailor a meal just for you, and of course, we cater for events large and small. To provide a comfortable and relaxing environment in which to enjoy our modern Japanese cuisine.
Really excellent new sushi place. Fresh food, friendly service and interesting dishes. Truly one of the best dinning experiences of the year. Delicate, refined but completely unpretentious food combined with fantastic service at reasonable prices. Just like to say when I visited your restaurant yesterday evening with my partner I could not have been more happy with either the food or the level of service.
Really excellent new sushi place. Fresh food, friendly service and interesting dishes. Truly one of the best dinning experiences of the year. Delicate, refined but completely unpretentious food combined with fantastic service at reasonable prices. Just like to say when I visited your restaurant yesterday evening with my partner I could not have been more happy with either the food or the level of service.
Reviews (21)
Yasmin El-Mallah
Jan 07, 2022
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Neta Oren
Sep 30, 2021
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Merna Rezk
Aug 15, 2021
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Virginie Quach
Jul 15, 2021
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Sanskriti Naik
Apr 09, 2021
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Great tempura! This place offers a quiet relaxing ambience with soothing music. Simple but tasty udon with great service.
Edit post owner’s reply: Really striking the owner feels the need to rubbish the review considering I gave this place 4 stars, regardless of when I visited. I have been eating here for 3 years - your treatment of customers is rubbish. Do you feel the need to rubbish because you are not confident about your cooking or just frustrated because of the pandemic? Don’t get angry at your customers - I will not be eating here anymore. Good luck with your business, don’t be rubbish
Edit post owner’s reply: Really striking the owner feels the need to rubbish the review considering I gave this place 4 stars, regardless of when I visited. I have been eating here for 3 years - your treatment of customers is rubbish. Do you feel the need to rubbish because you are not confident about your cooking or just frustrated because of the pandemic? Don’t get angry at your customers - I will not be eating here anymore. Good luck with your business, don’t be rubbish
ElliotNYC
Oct 22, 2019
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We had a deliveroo order. The 1 star is because the chicken gyoza was raw, which is a big no-no. Not just undercooked, but raw (see photos). We did eat the rest. The rolls (shrimp tempura roll and soft shell crab roll and yellowtail roll) were ok, but not especially notable. Chirashi bowl is ok as well, but I feel somewhat uninspired, with 1 strip each of 6 types of seafood. I suspect the deliveroo presentation may not be fully representative of the fine-dining experience but I'm not that interested in returning to find out. Going for a balanced review here and unfortunately negatively skewed to
Tanya Lake
Oct 13, 2019
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What a lovely restaurant this is. It is small but cute inside. They play relaxing music so you can enjoy talking to the people you are dining with. The food is excellent. I tried the vegetable tempura which was first class. The vegetarian selection isn't very large and is mostly tofu which I don't like. But i did enjoy what I ate. This is a great place for a romantic date.
Zoe Bom
Aug 20, 2019
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The service was a little bit slow but worth the wait.
We ordered 2 different sushi and nigiri platters, miso soup and udon soup and everything was just amazing. The fish was very fresh and tasty and the miso soup was perfect.
They spoiled us with some little mushroom starters witch was also very good, interesting taste.
We ordered 2 different sushi and nigiri platters, miso soup and udon soup and everything was just amazing. The fish was very fresh and tasty and the miso soup was perfect.
They spoiled us with some little mushroom starters witch was also very good, interesting taste.
Martina Lattanzi
Sep 11, 2018
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Amanda M.
May 04, 2017
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This was a bit of a mixed bag. The location is great and there are a lot of lovely options to choose from. Our service was on top of things and we were seated downstairs which almost seems like a secret room. We ordered salmon dumplings, orange blossom, soft shell crab roll, spicy salmon roll, and a hot pot. The hot pot was nothing special and the orange blossom a bit too... orange-y for me. Yes that's an actual criticism. But the soft shell crab and spicy salmon and dumplings were delightful! There were many options so I would certainly come back and try again!
Morenita C.
Nov 03, 2016
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Small and cozy with a staff of only two - this lovely restaurant delighted us on a crisp afternoon.
We ordered an Udon lunch, which is a soup combo: udon in simple dish soup (doesn't taste like fish), a small hand roll, and tempura veggies.
Everything was served nicely and with appetizing appearance. The tempura was ever so light and tasty, the handroll was yummy too. The soup was boring for me, but otherwise everything here was good.
Other tables ordered sushi and every plate looked excellent and was eaten up quickly.
I think this place is lovely and I recommend it for a quick lunch
We ordered an Udon lunch, which is a soup combo: udon in simple dish soup (doesn't taste like fish), a small hand roll, and tempura veggies.
Everything was served nicely and with appetizing appearance. The tempura was ever so light and tasty, the handroll was yummy too. The soup was boring for me, but otherwise everything here was good.
Other tables ordered sushi and every plate looked excellent and was eaten up quickly.
I think this place is lovely and I recommend it for a quick lunch
Vanessa H.
Oct 21, 2016
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I like this place. The food isn't mind-blowing but it's solid, sushi has always been fresh and tasty so no reason to complain. Service / time until food is served can be a little slow at times but always friendly.
All in all, it's a good place to go when you're craving Sushi but don't want to spend £10 on two pieces of nigiri - they also have a few lunch deals so worth checking out.
All in all, it's a good place to go when you're craving Sushi but don't want to spend £10 on two pieces of nigiri - they also have a few lunch deals so worth checking out.
Ada C.
Jun 19, 2016
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I am one of those ex-New Yorkers who is constantly complaining about the lack of good sushi in London. Zen Mondo might be changing my opinion ever so slightly on this.
I had the chirashi which was topped to sashimi, slivered egg and avocado. Lovely slices and creamy textured fish atop rice that reminded me ever so slightly of Chinese nuo mi fan given the tiny diced rice and black mushrooms. Really delicious.
Also had a bit of salmon roll which was also decent although I would suggest sticking with the sashimi.
Friendly service!
I had the chirashi which was topped to sashimi, slivered egg and avocado. Lovely slices and creamy textured fish atop rice that reminded me ever so slightly of Chinese nuo mi fan given the tiny diced rice and black mushrooms. Really delicious.
Also had a bit of salmon roll which was also decent although I would suggest sticking with the sashimi.
Friendly service!
Meike B.
May 09, 2016
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Hmmm, must have caught them on an off day. Or they were tired serving a packed out restaurant - we arrived for the second round after nine ...
Having been advised to wait for a few minutes while tables were becoming available, we were surprised to have the couple behind us shown to the first available spot. OK, they may have been regulars, but this didn't exactly make us feel valued ...
The menu provides a good mixture of hot dishes and sushi. We aimed for a selection of the latter, some dumplings (which turned out to be deep fried chicken pieces drenched in oil - should have gone for
Having been advised to wait for a few minutes while tables were becoming available, we were surprised to have the couple behind us shown to the first available spot. OK, they may have been regulars, but this didn't exactly make us feel valued ...
The menu provides a good mixture of hot dishes and sushi. We aimed for a selection of the latter, some dumplings (which turned out to be deep fried chicken pieces drenched in oil - should have gone for
Simon L.
Jan 18, 2016
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Sammijo S.
Nov 18, 2015
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Sushi is something I crave in waves. I can go months, even years without and then out of the blue, if I am near the right place I will jump right in.
My all time favourite is Bento Cafe in Camden, but now being an East London gal, it can be a bit of trek heading over there when I get the craving, hence me seeking other world cuisines to demolish.
Picture a weekday, grim, cold and a huge come down after holidays, Summer months etc etc and you have your cosy "date night" with one of your besties. Her company certainly brightens the mood and this partnered with some surprisingly good
My all time favourite is Bento Cafe in Camden, but now being an East London gal, it can be a bit of trek heading over there when I get the craving, hence me seeking other world cuisines to demolish.
Picture a weekday, grim, cold and a huge come down after holidays, Summer months etc etc and you have your cosy "date night" with one of your besties. Her company certainly brightens the mood and this partnered with some surprisingly good
Jaime T.
Apr 13, 2015
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I'm not sure I could put it any better than Freya below: in my 8 years of living in London, this is the best Japanese food that I've found. And that's coming from an American, Pacific Northwest native, who's used to the freshest sashimi that the Pacific can bring.
From the personal service to the outstanding, home-cooked and authentic (which is key!) menu, Zen Mondo is definitely a hidden gem in the middle of Islington's hectic and bustling Upper Street. The small, quiet interiors lends the restaurant a tranquil atmosphere, and the chef and owner of the restaurant recognizes
From the personal service to the outstanding, home-cooked and authentic (which is key!) menu, Zen Mondo is definitely a hidden gem in the middle of Islington's hectic and bustling Upper Street. The small, quiet interiors lends the restaurant a tranquil atmosphere, and the chef and owner of the restaurant recognizes
Linzi M.
Dec 15, 2014
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Baby loves a Japanese restaurant! This was my first visit to Zen Mondo and it was pretty decent, despite my raging hangover.
I was expecting a sushi selection but their lunch menus is more geared toward large bowl dishes like tempura, udon and hot dishes. The only sushi they have are hand rolls, which are not my favourite, so I went for a tempura bowl with rice, miso and pickles.
My friend made an epic choice of an udon bowl which comes with a handroll and a side of tempura. This is a pretty good deal at 9.95! I'd love to come back and try some of the other dishes. The sticky chicken looked
I was expecting a sushi selection but their lunch menus is more geared toward large bowl dishes like tempura, udon and hot dishes. The only sushi they have are hand rolls, which are not my favourite, so I went for a tempura bowl with rice, miso and pickles.
My friend made an epic choice of an udon bowl which comes with a handroll and a side of tempura. This is a pretty good deal at 9.95! I'd love to come back and try some of the other dishes. The sticky chicken looked
Freya C.
Oct 12, 2013
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People don't know that this is one of the best Japanese restaurants in London.
The food is exquisite and extremely flavourful with all the subtleties of authentic Japanese cuisine. MY, you will never want a hand roll from anywhere else after you've tucked into the most divine selection they have here. Unbelievable, I don't know what they put in them, the wasabi mayo is melt-in-the-mouth heaven.
I can recommend anything here, the udon/soba dishes, the meat or fish hots pots, the tempura... the miso is delectable, BUT you must have the sushi. If you are a sushi or sashimi fanatic
The food is exquisite and extremely flavourful with all the subtleties of authentic Japanese cuisine. MY, you will never want a hand roll from anywhere else after you've tucked into the most divine selection they have here. Unbelievable, I don't know what they put in them, the wasabi mayo is melt-in-the-mouth heaven.
I can recommend anything here, the udon/soba dishes, the meat or fish hots pots, the tempura... the miso is delectable, BUT you must have the sushi. If you are a sushi or sashimi fanatic
Koktebel W.
Oct 10, 2013
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Erin H.
Oct 20, 2012
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Solid three stars, which to me means, "If I'm in the area and craving Japanese food, I'll go back."
I headed to Zen Mondo for lunch after trying to think of an interesting lunch place that wouldn't make me feel bad about myself afterward. I thoroughly enjoyed the "butakaku." The tender pieces of braised pork belly had a layer of fat that I would have avoided if I was truly trying to be healthy, but it melted in the mouth so wonderfully that I couldn't resist. The sweet teriyaki sauce was worlds apart from the thick cloying gloop that is often served
I headed to Zen Mondo for lunch after trying to think of an interesting lunch place that wouldn't make me feel bad about myself afterward. I thoroughly enjoyed the "butakaku." The tender pieces of braised pork belly had a layer of fat that I would have avoided if I was truly trying to be healthy, but it melted in the mouth so wonderfully that I couldn't resist. The sweet teriyaki sauce was worlds apart from the thick cloying gloop that is often served
