The Hare & Tortoise name conjures up images of a quaint English pub but this place is actually a pan-Asian eatery. This was confirmed when I rung to book a table and got a typically surly reply (for an Asian eatery) that if I don't turn up within 15 minutes of the booking, I'd lose my table Andrew M and I arranged to eat here before we went to listen to Hannah W play in the Wandsworth Symphony Orchestra. The place was pretty empty when we arrived, hence my puzzlement about the surliness on booking the table The Hare and Tortoise had been recommended to me by fellow Yelper Christie K, who said that Malaysian friends of hers had called the char koay teow here the most authentic they had tasted in the UK So, char koay teow went on the waitress's order pad along with laksa to counteract the cold weather billowing outside. I couldn't resist an order of avocado and unagi (eel) roll as well as some chicken karaage The sushi was great - generous amount of sweet, rich eel sitting atop a tightly packed roll. The chicken karaage was crispy and the batter well seasoned The laksa was warm and comforting - exactly what was needed on that cold day. The flavoursome coconut broth contained a nice assortment of seafood and beancurd pieces to accompany the egg noodles As for the char koay teow, which are broad rice sticks fried in a fiery wok to char the edges is hard to cook well. The version here was yummy. Not quite the best in the UK but not bad at all Thanks to Christie for a good recommendation! read more

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I would agree with Ninawriter that the service can be a little slow, but I've never found them to be rude. I'm a regular here, probably visiting every couple of weeks, and I've noticed that it has got busier over the last couple of years. So if you visit at peak times expect to wait for table and have to catch the attention of the waiting staff if you want something. But this is really the style of place this is, i.e. not a restaurant for a long sit down meal but rather something quick, tasty and good value for money. The food really is excellent quality for what you pay. I much prefer it to Wagamamas which I sometimes find a bit bland, and it also serves a good selection of sushi in addition to noodle dishes, ramens, and curries. At a guess I'd say that H&T is about 20% cheaper as well. The food is prepared in an open-plan style kitchen so if you sit at the bar area you'll be able to see your dish being prepared in front of you. My personal favorite dishes would include the Tori Gyoza as a starter (£2.80) and the Curry Laksa as a main course (£5.95). There is a takeaway service too, but beware that there is a £10 minimum charge on cards, so bring cash if your order is less than this. read more

Hare & Tortoise - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

This place is great. You walk in and it almost looks like a school canteen, nothing fancy, all fairly basic décor...then you order your food. The menu has pictures which in this case I found really useful as it's hard to quite picture what you'll be getting with a lot of the dishes. There are loads of fresh juices if you're wanting something sans-alcool (I went on a Monday and was trying to be vaguely healthy) and the food is incredible. Amazing variety and such good flavours. I had an octopus starter which wasn't quite what I expected but was so much better, tasted fab, followed by a tuna main with seaweed side. All really good. The girls with me both had a seafood broth thing which was full of seafood and tasted great. Good prices too...a must visit! read more

After living in Japan for 4 years, I was in desperate need of finding a good & reasonably priced Japanese restaurant. My mother-in-law boasted about the Hare & Tortoise, so my husband & I decided to give it a try. We ordered a salmon sushi & sashimi plate, duck & rice, ramen, edamame, & green tea. The food came extremely fast & the quality of the food, although obviously not as good as the stuff we got in Japan, was really good. We also didn't have to spend an arm & a leg! We will definitely be back when we crave Japanese food again soon! read more

Goodness it's been a little over 3 years since I wrote the review and definitely think this place deserves an extra star... esp seeing I go pretty regularly. H&T has a pan asian menu where you have a mix of Thai, Japanese, Chinese dishes. I really do enjoy coming here often because the food is always consistent. I usually get the Char Kuey Tiew, Singapore Laksa or sushi. Also, it's really good value.. and good! read more

Great yakitori skewers! The sushi is good, but the rice still doesn't have the right consistency and taste for me. Not enough flavour, not enough sticky! That said, it's a solid option if you are looking to please a group of people. It has enough sashimi on the menu to keep the sushi-purists happy, and plenty of cooked dishes for anyone fussy about raw fish. It's reasonably close to work, so I'll be back for another lunch or two. read more

The main attraction here are the noodle and curry dishes. The fried noodles have a delicious smokey flavor and the noodles have a pleasant springy texture. The SE Asian curries are phenomenal, especially the laksa noodle soup and Malaysian chicken curry. One star is deducted because they do not have the best quality of sashimi. read more

Not so sure this is primarily a Japanese restaurant (although the sushi selection is extensive) but we had some outstanding Laksa and Char Kuay Teow which were very generous portions. Highly recommended. read more

If you're looking food good and affordable sushi this is the place to go! The sushi is just amazing and I find it hard to find sushi at a reasonable price so this made it even better. It can get very busy so at busy times you may need to line up for a table. There is not much else around it but is nice to be off the high street. Overall highly recommend it to sushi lovers. read more

We have been to the Hare & Tortoise in Euston but was in the Putney area so decided to drop by to this one on a weekday. Place was busy for a weekday with quite a few families having dinner. Service was quick and we ordered the maaysian chicken curry and curry laksa. We also had the veg spring rolls which were good. The only complaint was that the chicken curry only had 3-4 pieces of chicken when I expected a bit more. Overall it was a satisfying dinner, similar to a Wagamama. read more

This restaurant serve mainly Japanese food and some Chinese cuisine, I guess some people would disagree with me. Their menu contains some Chinese chowmein and peking cuisine. The quality Hare and tortoise restaurant is most famous for is its good value for money food and nice décor. It is however not a good place to take guest to and expect to have a good conversation, the reasons for that is as follows. The place is often so noisy and if you are lucky, you will be able to hear yourself think. Secondly, you get a rushed feeling with the waiters hurrying about trying to create room for people queuing. The unforgivable quality of this restaurant is the attitude of the staff, very rude and unhelpful. If the service is not your cup of tea, then you might just be fine. Some of the main meal is within the fiver zone and a starting price of about £2.50 for the starter. This is good food and good value for money. Verdict: Poor service, needs improvement read more

I'm on a extended vacation in London and have fallen in love with these restaurants. I was at this location with my girlfriend on Dec 6 and the food was amazing as usual. The Malaysian Chicken Curry and Curry Laksa are great dishes if you love a bit of spice. Can't wait to go back! read more

Please, before you commit yourself to a mediocre interpretation of Japanese cuisine - take a look next door to Hare & Tortoise. Literally, right next door, is a genuine Japanese restaurant called Tomoe which has exceptional sushi and traditional dishes. Take a leap and experience authentic Japanese cuisine! read more

Accomodating staff. Comforting food. This our go to place for a nice laksa and any rice bowls...please bring back the Malaysian curry chicken read more

Rated three and half Walked down to Putney's Hare & Tortoise on Upper Richmond Road - one of my son's favourite neighbourhood restaurants - for a leisurely yet quick and easy Saturday lunch; warranted by half the family away at a children's birthday party. Japanese restaurant with oriental and south-east Asian cuisine, nice and neat with warm and welcoming ambience. Child friendly. We got the table of our choice as we were nice and early. But could see the place fill up even as we were there, with customers having to crowd round the bar waiting their turn for a table. Service quite courteous and helpful but staff kept busy on their feet - perhaps it's asking too much for a smile on their face which might help and be good for business and the customers. Good choice of dishes, tastefully served - my choice for lunch, Char Kway Teow ( ...stir-fried rice noodles with egg, prawns, bean sprouts etc) was just excellent. The shared plate of mixed sushi was good but not the best I've had. Wished the green tea glasses were refilled without waiting to be asked. Prices appeared very reasonable. Maxwell Pereira/ New Delhi/ India read more

I really enjoy this place. The curry chicken cutlet is so tasty as it is just spicy enough. The sushi is quite fresh. I love the eel role and the rainbow role. It is my go to place. I used to go to Wagamama once in awhile. But, now I go here at least once a week. It gets a bit crowded and I have yet to reserve a seat but I may need to in the future. It is well worth the wait. read more

If you like sushi and fancy something new then try the spider crab! Whilst a little scary with little legs poking out of one of the rolls (or artistic depending on your point of view), this soft shell crab is completely edible and scrumptious. So feel free to dare it and eat the whole thing. Although we did get a giggle from the waitress when we asked, which was worth it! All the food we tried was fantastic, fresh and tasty food. With a large selection of different dishes from sushi to ramen, there is something for everyone here Well that is if you like Asian themed food. We details decided on a selection of sushi, noodles and some smaller plates. We had ordered something else, but the waiter recommended that we may have ordered too much! I really appreciated the honesty and advise as what we received was far more than expected without surplus dishes. It also just goes to show the value for money. We had ordered relative to our conception of how much a decent meal might cost, and the bill was far cheaper than we expected. Although I wouldn't suggest this place is cheap it's reasonable, however if you order simple rather than the more complicated plates, it can be a bargain This place would have got a higher rating from me, but I found the decor very mundane and boring. read more

SUPER love this restaurant! Inexpensive for the quality of the food. Sushi is amazing, service superb, lovely friendly staff. Really could not recommend more. Always delivers. read more

This place has amazing food very clean and well priced, only tiny problem is sometimes they make mistakes in take away otherwise excellent and fast service. read more