We went here for old times sake. 20 years ago they were in a different nearby location and Pablo's expense account new no limits. Tonight we had all vegetarian apps and some cold noodles. It was nice but nothing outstanding, price points were good for all items, drink prices were good. Service was A-OK, young formal Japanese chaps read more

The best way to get over jet lag is a deep tissue massage. Defune Restaurant is located right next door to where our massage appointment was. How convenient. With no reservation made, getting a table for 5 people at 7pm was not a problem. We were led below street level, to a spacious and inviting table. All our usual fav dishes from miso soup, to gyoza, to tempura, soba, tonkatsu, and teri chicken were excellently prepared. The ingredients were fresh and tasty. It's worth the price we paid. read more

One of the best within the Marylebone area! Authentic Japanese food from sashimi to noodles to dessert! Everyone was from Japan originally and gives it much credibility! Chawanmushi was exquisite! Sashimi was extremely fresh and oishii! Just reminded me of the restaurants in Tokyo! Udon was gooey as expected, the only thing was soup base was a bit salty, whether this was msg, i have yet to tell! Dessert variety was nice but when i asked for ice cream mochi, it was brought to me that were iced and not slightly defrosted. Would have been nice if... Two thumbs up and will definitely recommend and return! read more

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When my dinner plans were suddenly canceled and I found myself with a rare evening alone, I set off into the mild Marylebone night with no particular destination in mind. Like a mirage, Defune quickly appeared in view. I figured it too good to be true and passed it by. A short time later, and a quick consultation with its reviews on Yelp via my iPhone, I returned and a took a seat at the counter. Defune serves the kind of sashimi dreams are made of; that is if your dreams, like mine, include exalted mastication of jewel-like slices of raw fish. The deft skills of the Japanese chefs here are immediately apparent. While you could take your dinner at a table, I'm not sure why you would. If you're about the fish, you wanna be near it and the action is certainly at the counter. In the same vein, you could also order a California roll or take a dining companion who doesn't enjoy his or her fish raw, I'd urge against both. Defune's price tag is really only digestible to someone with a passionate enthusiasm for sushi and especially, sashimi. Without a doubt, the most satisfying epicurean experience I've had in London thus far. read more

Defune is in my humble opinion one of the finest sushi bars outside of Japan and rivals, perhaps slightly edges, the greats in Los Angeles and New York. The sushi and shashimi are exquisite as to ingredients and plating by a very, very talented crew of itamai-san. If you're attempting to run a sushi bar in San Francisco and can't go to Japan, L.A. or NY but by some strange coincidence find yourself in London, please go to Defune, learn and attempt to bring back something that might raise the sushi game in my beloved, new hometown. Go. Enjoy. Bravo! read more

Definitely the best authentic Sushi restaurant in London. This place opened more than 40 years ago, although now it is moved to a different place from where it used to be at the initial period. I heard that the main chef is now the son of the first one, but the quality has been kept at the highest level. If you want to enjoy Sushi, take the counter seats. The best way is to ask the chef what are their best offer of the day. I had more than 10 nigiri and all of them were too good so I even thought that I would be able to have more and more. My Japanese friends who saw my photos of sushi here were all amazed by the quality of nigiri. We also had ohitashi (boiled spinach with soy sauce), nasu dengaku (grilled aubergine with sweetened soy paste/miso), grilled sanma (Brevoort?). All of them were nicely seasoned, and I was truly happy after missing my home country meals for 2 months! It is not a cheap place, but I'm sure that it is worth more than the price. If I had to take my non-Japanese friends, I would take them here. read more

Defune - Prawn nigiri - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Traveling in London from San Francisco, and spotted this well rated place near my hotel. Full disclosure, this place is alright (better than your average sushi roll joint), but given its price and ratings, does not deserve more than 2 stars in my opinion. I was enticed by the "meal", thinking it would be omakase. It wasn't -- just a set meal, mostly meat. I'm a pescatarian, and it didn't seem like they could sub things, so I ordered a la carte. The service was.. strange. I was seated at the corner of the sushi bar with no one else around, and one sushi chef working at the opposite corner. As soon as I sat down he asked if I was ready to order. I asked for a moment or two, and then could not get his attention from that point on and had to order through the waitress. The waitresses were friendly, but a bit slow given hardly any one else was there, and when I left, no one even noticed nor said goodbye (strange for a sushi restaurant). The fish was fresh, albeit limited. There was really nothing beyond your run of the mill pieces, and they were out of most of my favorites (amaebi, uni, etc.). I did get two pieces of otoro, which were fairly poor cuts, with lots of tough fatty pieces (not marbled fat). Admittedly, I'm being a bit critical for what is really a neighborhood sushi joint. But, the price (I spent £115 to be full) and the ratings are not on par with reality. read more

One of the best Japanese Cuisines I have ever had for a while. I was starving when I walked in the room, left mentally and physically satisfied. The chef at the counter is extremely skillful, go Omakase and you will not be disappointed. The unagi sushi is absolutely stunning, warm eel peeled, easily please any picky foodie. Highly recommend to anyone who is into Japanese food. read more

What a gem. When I called to make a reservation, and had mentioned time and number of diners, the lady said fine and then, wanting my contact details, she went "my name is ..., what is your name, please?", with a little giggle, courtesy and hospitality literally oozing through the phone. The place is a bit like a den, with alleys and cellars, but all very simple and bright; somewhat plain, but just like the cooking (more below), this place is about quality and authenticity, not flashiness. You want flashy? Roka does that brilliantly. But you get something altogether different here. Sushi platter: delightfully fresh. Steamed egg with prawns, chicken, and mushrooms: my new favourite simple but delicious dish. Any folks know how this is prepared? I'm a fan. Grilled beef superb. Scallop tempura (on the specials) very oceany. Grilled aubergine: what savoury, smooth, lip-smacking beauty; all umami and looks combined. The only, tiny little less-than-perfect dish was the black cod; very good still, but not quite up there with Nobu's, for example. What a tiny price to pay (I don't mean the bill), though, when you're stepping into the best of hospitable Japan just moments off Marylebone High St. Save the flight to Kyoto (and the airmiles); rather splash it here. read more

So, I'm a sushi snob. There it is, fully disclosed. I am very picky about fresh, quality fish, carefully selected and prepared, presented with crisp seaweed or properly made rice. I don't need unneccessary accompaniments like jalapeno or avocado. With this in mind, I was very excited at the sound of Defune. I heard about fantastically fresh fish, prepared by a talented chef, in traditional methods and setting. Sadly, not true. On the positive, the setting is tranquil and the service traditional attentive. I was pleased to be able to use my Japanese. The wine list was very reasonably priced. This is, sadly, where my positives end. The fish was mediocre, to be honest. Poorly set upon the rice, which in itself was less than ideal (hard and lacking the delicate sushi rice essence), the rice easily separated from the fish when touching the fish to soy, and overall mouthfeel was simply not satisfying (a jolting juxtaposition of textures). All of this accompanied by a price tag of generally four to five pounds per piece makes the entire experience very unfortunate. The tonkatsu was nicely done, although I found the breading a bit flat. At just under 20 pounds for a single piece, though, just unreasonable and inappropriate. Bottom line is that you can get better quality, better prepared, with service just as good and a wider variety of specialty fish for a fraction of the price. The tonkatsu is good, but also not worth the price tag. Overall, just not something I would want to experience again at half the price, let alone where it comes in. read more

I have no idea what these other people are talking about. My experience at this place was abysmal. The sushi was fresh enough, I guess, but served in ridiculously tiny portions at exorbitant prices... and the service was completely ridiculous. Our order consisted of some hot starters, sashimi and four rolls. In Japan or the states, that would be enough to feed three people comfortably. Not with this miniature food! And once it was delivered, one of the rolls was missing. I immediately asked the waitress about it and was informed "maybe you did not order it". I replied "I most certainly did order it. Maybe you didn't hear me." at which point she conferred with her counterpart in Japanese and turned back to me to say "No. You did not order it." Unbelievable! Easily the most disappointing dining experience I've had in quite a while. Avoid this place at all costs. read more

I'll say first that the sushi and sashimi served here is very fine. I would add, however, that I expect more for the price. My mum and I have been here on two different occasions, and both times a simple dinner of tea, soup and sushi has cost over £40. For instance, miso soup--essentially a broth--is £4.80 at Defune. It's usually free. On our most recent visit we ordered salmon sashimi, a spicy tuna roll, a california roll and a salmon-avocado roll. We also got some really nice matcha green tea (which was, fortunately, free). Our meal was very good, and it was obvious that the fish was very fresh. Perhaps this is what I should expect for London prices, but I've been to equally good places in several cities for half as much. read more

Excellent Japanese restaurant a few blocks off Oxford Street. It's actually one of the best Japanese restaurants I've ever been to. Yes, it's pricey and high end but it's not pretentious or overcomplicated. A California Roll comes just as you would expect it to, the standards are on the menu mixed in with some very traditional and exotic items. The green tea was world class and the service was unassuming but efficient. The salmon teriyaki was served beautifully and was delicious to boot, and the California rolls were crunchy and fresh. The miso soup was tasty and hot. A really great experience, the best Japanese I've had in London so far. read more

Defune is one of the best sushi bars in London, but it's certainly not perfect. I use to go there for many years when they were in their former premises in Blandford St when I lived nearby, and frequently took a box of their best sushi assortment home for the delectation of my wife, who is Japanese. The 'new' premises is light and spacious restaurant (at least upstairs) is ideal for lunch and is capable of serving with the freshest ingredients, expertly put together. Today I had tai (sea bream), akagi (a shellfish) and ika (squid) that was delicious - but I had them sashimi - ie without rice. Imagine my surprise when I ordered the uni (sea urchin) as sushi and found the rice soggy. it hadn't been sufficiently well blown dry during mixing. A terrible mistake for a top sushi restaurant! And I also ordered a mixed 'maki' box to take home to my wife an she was bitterly disappointed. Not only was the rice soggy, but the maki weren't seaweed wrapped and they mostly contained avocado! Avocado is a heresy that is only just tolerable here and is almost never served in Japan. This made the rice even soggier and the taste bland and uninteresting. There was no cucumber or daikon pickle at all! A travesty of a maki box and completely unworthy of Defune. read more

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All I can say I wish I could visit this place more often, but it is so expensive! Nevertheless it worth it. The fusion between French and Japanese is the best possible food. I've been going to Defune for over 7 years now and always the experience was pleasant. read more

Great food! Terrible service! Love this place but the service is really dreadful. It took 45 mins for the edamame to arrive and another hour before the rest of our food arrived. There were 3 other people in the restaurant when we arrived so it wasn't busy. Love the food here so I'd be so happy if they could sort out the service. read more

I have been going to Defune for over 30 years.I even visited their restaurant in Sydney Australia when they had one there. I have never had a bad meal or a complaint. The staff are ever so friendly and helpful. The fish is always fresh and delicious. I cannot recommend Defune more highly. read more

I came here on a date, and the food was delicious. The fish was fresh and presented beautifully, although to be honest I have had better. (Oh sushi bars in LA, how I miss you) I had the uni here, and it melted in my mouth unlike many other sushi bars I've been to in London. However, it is true that Defune is pricy especially in comparison to other sushi bars in terms of portions. However, the wine list is very decently priced. I would recommend the Mersault. Service is great. I came on a raining night and the host ran around Marylebone in the rain just to hail a cab for my partner and me. Atmosphere is nice, it's very brightly lit. Definitely a bit quiet, but perhaps it's because I came on a Sunday night... read more

The best Sushi I have ever had....anywhere in the world. Quite pricey though. Reserve for special occasions.

Grew up in Japan, worked in Tokyo for 20+ years. Amazing and worth the trip as the sushi is better than most places I've been to in Japan. The team at Defune is top notch and customer focused. read more

This restaurant has good lunch box and it tastes good. however, Tonkatsu which is a fried pork is expensive and is not worth 26 pounds compare for the quantity and quality. It would be better order only lunch special, I believe. read more

Ok place - nothing special. Nigiri was a good size and fresh. Maki was small and plain - and really a bit below average. Service was good, but food was not a good value. I usually take price complaints with a grain of salt when it comes to sushi. But here its not just the portion size of the rolls, its the sheer blandness of it all. read more

By far the best sushi in London! Close your eyes and one is transported from marlyborne to tokyo

This is by far the best Japanese Restaurant in London. The sushi/sashimi is of the highest quality and is absolutely delicious. My husband and I have been to many Japanese restaurants but nothing ever compares to Defune. I would highly recommend it! read more

I came here on a date, and the food was delicious. The fish was fresh and presented beautifully, although to be honest I have had better. (Oh sushi bars in LA, how I miss you) I had the uni here, and it melted in my mouth unlike many other sushi bars I've been to in London. However, it is true that Defune is pricy especially in comparison to other sushi bars in terms of portions. I had an avocado and crab starter and a special scallop dish along with a selection of sashimi. The quality of fish here is superb. I also ordered uni here which was perfect. The rice was not overcooked nor undercooked. The food is a bit expensive. However, the wine list is very decently priced. I would recommend the Mersault. Service is great. I came on a raining night and the host ran around Marylebone in the rain just to hail a cab for my partner and me. Atmosphere is nice, it's very brightly lit. Definitely a bit quiet, but perhaps it's because I came on a Sunday night read more