Good place for a quick, decently priced bite of sushi. Great atmosphere and mostly friendly staff. Only real downside to be found here is the sometimes limiting menu. read more

I love the food here, but they denied me using the toilets. I wanted to dine there but there was a 2 hour wait time for a table, so I asked to use the toilet while waiting for a friend. They said it was for costumers only. I can understand that, but I wanted to dine there, they just had a 2 hour wait time... not the best way to keep their costumers, tbh read more

Searched "vegan food" while in Leeds on vacation with my parents and brother and this is one of the places that came up. Seeing as my family is mostly not vegan, wanted somewhere everyone could enjoy. I ordered the tofu ramen and it was DELICIOUS. Such a wonderful, warm flavor in the broth. Rest of the family got variations of stir fried noodles. We also got some bomb spring rolls and dim sum. Everybody liked their food. Mine was so big I was able to even do a second meal of it later on! The inside is neat with a koi pond and wall separators between tables. It was funny seeing the white wait staff in haoris, but I appreciated the immersion. Ha! This is located in a geeky alley in Leeds, so a lot of the other patrons were nerds (which I loved, as I am a nerd). read more

Here we are, once again. Seems like I've a pattern of going to Little Tokyo once a year! It's still good, solid, tasty, well-prepared food. The gyoza are gargantuan and delectable; the chicken skewers are so tasty I'd advise sharing, as one portion for one can be too much; and the veggie sushi really hits the spot. Somehow, though, it's just not as exciting as that first visit. I know exactly what to expect of the evening, and that's going to be tasty dim sum, friendly service, and an all-round reliably decent dinner. Perhaps I've come to expect too much of the occasion of eating out?! I'm still very much a fan of LT -- I hope it continues on for another several years yet -- and would absolutely still recommend it to others. But I'm ready for a little space between us, is all! Oh -- totally hit the margaritas. It was made beautifully, even if it seems odd drinking tequila with sushi. read more

Little Tokyo is my best. I am going to elaborate after getting sent grumpy messages about not writing enough. Silly me, I thought everyone knew that 'my best' means that it is simply the best place in the world ever. Ahem. Little Tokyo is a haven. It is the kind of place you take someone for the first time and they love you forever because it's so quirky and ace and bizarre and tasty and inexpensive all rolled into one. A friend recommended Little Tokyo to me about 6 years ago for a party, and we hired out one of the downstairs rooms to ourselves. It was perfect. My friend had recommended the Bento Box meals from the menu, as they're a bit different, and come in a shiny laquered black box, with a delicious salad in one compartment, some sticky rice in another, some tempura vegetables, and your choice of main - I usually have the chicken terryaki, although there's a few to choose from, from eel terriyaki, to chicken katsu, and I can't remember the rest. All very tasty, and reasonably priced, from £10-£14ish if I remember (I haven't been for a few months). The drinks and desert menus are great too. There's a white wine spritzer that comes with some sort of lemongrass infusion that is absolutely gorgeous, and the japanese profiteroles are mouth-wateringly sweet and savoury all at the same time. I've been here after going to dinner somewhere else (which turned out to be a bad decision on a friend's part) just to have dessert. The staff are all immensely friendly, wearing traditional kimonos, and the interior is amazing. On the ground floor level there's a bridge over a little fishpond, and on the lower floor there's a huge fish tank that occupies a whole wall. Many of the tables are made out of huge slices of varnished tree trunk, with the bark still around the edges. This place has to be visited to be believed. Like I said, it's my best. NB I just read the review below. I don't know the difference between chinese and japanese tempure, I am a heathen, clearly, but I've never had soggy vegetables when I've been here and had a Bento Box so I'd suggest that it was a dud batch? read more

Using the iphone app I found this hidden gem whilst in the city wanting sushi but keen to avoid the traps of Yo Sushi which is nice but so expensive. I had the Nigiri set which consisted of 12 pieces of raw salmon,tuna and other white fish along with some delightful caviare. My partner had Udon noodles with chicken. Very tasty food, pleasant surroundings and not too busy when we ate. Definitely come again read more

Little Tokyo - Japanese Near Me - Leeds, XWY

I'm a bit of a Japan obsessive. Oft to be found squeaking in delight at the fashions and gadgetry, inside this already moderately over the top exterior is a glitter and neon coated Decora-Kigurumin hybrid fizzling like a nervous Pikachu to get out. Normally I try to control my urges by buying little plastic bunny shaped cases to cook boiled eggs in. Yes you heard correctly, soft boiled bunny eggs. But animal shaped eggs can only sate me so much, thank god in heaven then for sushi and being one waving kittycat away from regaining my sanity. Little Tokyo is well established on the Leeds scene as a homely alternative to other Japanese restaurants. It's cosy, friendly and has admirable food sourcing/no MSG policies. There's a lovely Koi pond with little bridge, a gentle atmosphere with sweet fairy lights and a fair stab at the garden inside philosophy of Japanese culture. Little touches everywhere to help you Zen up. I love their Ben-to boxes and they are sizeable meals in themselves. The eel is a particular favourite dish of mine and at our last visit I was delighted at the depth of flavour in everything we ordered. The sauces are deep and rich, the rice just the right degree of sticky and the crisp freshness of the rice vinegar-based salad dressing is divine, helping to cut through the density of the other dishes. I was amused to read a review stating that the hot sake was being served wrongly as it is served in classic Japanese style- being warmed by placing the sake-filled tokkuri in a container of hot water. A large mug or straight sided bowl is a perfect vessel for this as it ensures even heating, you NEVER heat the sake itself directly as this ruins the flavour. So rest assured, the sake is being served completely authentically. It is easy to overeat at Little Tokyo and be aware that genuine Japanese sauces are heavy on both salt and sugar, so anyone not liking these flavours together is going to have an uncomfortable time with traditional cooking....a better choice there would be the more commercial Yo! Sushi who adjust their recipes to a more western palate. I love this style of cooking but I suffer for it with raging thirst and hours of bloating! Personally for me it's worth it, itadakimasu and fill up my plate dōmo arigatō! read more

Fantastic Japanese cuisine, right in the centre of Leeds. The tofu bento boxes are to die for! Great atmosphere too... My fave place in Leeds. read more

So, birthdays are a tricky one. Go for the old reliable favourite or push the boat out, go wild & try somewhere new??!! To try somewhere new won this argument! Saturday lunch @ Little Tokyo. We were seated quite quickly and an attentive enough waitress came and took a drinks order. Then......a little wait........for another waitress to order the food. The place wasn't overly busy and people were coming and going as we waited ......and got our drinks. And then waited.............a bit longer.............for our sushi starter! Surely with it being cold food 20 mins wait was a bit excessive?! The food was nice- very fresh tasting ingredients and presented well and it didn't take long to eat! A mother & daughter sat down next to us just as we got the Sushi brought to us and a group of 6 other people also got seated outside. This I'm commenting on as we still had not received our main course when both these parties got their food before us- a 35 min wait between the starter and main course is just not acceptable! our main courses were the Bento Box style and were very filling. Despite the food being very tasty and satisfying the service is shocking and despite me commenting on this and requesting a discount (we got 20%) I wouldn't be in a rush to head back which is a shame as we had high expectations here from what we'd heard. The menu is very accommodating, the food we had was very tasty and the food being consumed around us also looked good. Poor service is not an option! read more

I've been eating at Little Tokyo since it pened more than 10 years ago. It is a gem of a place. If you eat downstairs it is just like going to Japan. Even the bathrooms are Japanesy. We come here to celebrate. Now, the food is absolutley sublime. I usually have a Bento box, which has the dish of your choice in one part and some salad. rice with sesame seeds, and tempura of vegetables. It's a really good meal and does warrant the price tag. The starters and the rest of the menu is equally mouth watering. I am vegetarian and their veggie options are wonderful, including " I can't believe its not Chicken Terriyaki" or vegan duck. Ok they also do Japanese profiteroles which are solid ice cream in deep fried batter served with honey and sesame seeds. If you go on a Saturday night, when all the tables are served, you may witness a very strange sight. Simon, who owns the place is very theatrical and he may put on a very random and even more Japanese show involving light sabers, Neo from the Matrix, Yoda and Ray Gun from Mortal Kombat. It's is a sight to be seen !!! Especially watching the open mouthed diners, who are more than a little surprised. Enjoy, its a treat !! read more

I went here with high hopes and maybe that is reflected in my rating as i was a bit disappointed. I have numerous friends who have been there and said it was really good, however i felt it was all a bit basic and not what my conception of Japanese cuisine is. Alot of the food was deep fried and i felt it was over Westernised. The atmosphere is really nice and so are the staff though, maybe ill give it another go and try more of the menu. read more

Top drawer. Organised a surprise birthday meal here, despite a few hiccups with miscommunication between staff, they pulled it together and it went really well. For a group of nine, food came quickly and was hot, delicious and fresh. For me - Starter of vegetarian spring rolls, followed by yaki udon - solid choices, tasty and lighter than main competitors (ie wagamama) read more

We stumbled across this restaurant having intended to eat within the Trinity shopping Centre but everywhere had at least a 20 min queue!! No queues here but consistently busy. We sat downstairs which had a very nice ambience although so dimly lit our 40 year old plus eyes struggled to read the menu. The decor is a polar opposite to Yo Sushi and I was surprised to find a pool of huge Koi in the restaurant. We crossed the bridge over the river Koi to reach our table!!! We had a variety different dishes, fantastic noodles, the "special Ramen" Wasn't,, but the vegetable tempura,and spring rolls were delicious. It was snowing outside so to warm up we had hot ginger drinks which did the trick nicely. Good value for money and would return to try other things. read more

I'd been to little Tokyo once or twice when I was a bit younger and was always a little put off. I loved the interior and how it seemed a little bit plonked together but I wasn't a massive fan of the food. But now I'm a bit older and my taste has changed, little Tokyo has really grown on me. little Tokyo seems to have had a few changes too. When I went before you would often have to wait up to 15 mins for the bill at the end. The service has improved by a lot and there was never a long wait. My favorite there is the bento boxes. I love the idea of bento boxes and little tokyo's are great. You get 4 main section for your food - one with rice, one with salad (I never eat this because I always forget to ask for no dressing), one with veg tempura (broccoli, green beans, carrot, aubergine, parsnip and sweet potato) and one with the main part (I always have chicken teriyaki). On my recent visit my other half decided not to get his usual chicken ramen since its sometimes a bit hit and miss for his taste. So he got yaki soba (fried noodles, chicken, mushroom and some other stuff). He was really impressed. It tasted fresh and clean even for a fried dish. Then it came to dessert and we wanted a sharer. The one that sounded the best was given the name 'Japanese style profiteroles' which actually turned out to be bite sized balls of ice cream covered in tempura batter and deep fried with crispy seaweed, sesame seeds and the most wonderfully unusual seaweed syrup. It was such a nice mix of sweet and savory and I really wish I didn't have to share it with my boyfriend. I would also recommend getting the ebi katsu and a side of curry sauce to go with your meal as a sharer (or on your own if you fancy a treat). One of my favorites. The whole experience has improved and I hope to go more often. Try some of the unusual stuff! It pays off! :D read more

It's the first time I've been to Little Tokyo and I've gotta admit I was pleasantly surprised. The ambience was lovely with the koi pond in the middle and a lovely bridge built over it, I went at a quiet time which I prefer to it being a busy period. I ordered the bean curd rolls for starter and they were to die for so blooming tasty then for main I got the tofu bento box which was a huge serving and everything on it was absolutely delicious. The waiting staff were very polite and professional all in all it was an awesome dining experience and I for one will be going back time and time again. The price was very reasonable especially considering the very generous servings you get. read more

Leeds folk, ditch your pasties, pies, knives and forks!!! Little Tokyo is the new hot-spot in Leeds and is worth every penny. I've never been to Tokyo or Japan for that matter but I'm pretty sure Little Tokyo is just that, a mini, fun-sized piece of Tokyo for us Northerners to eat right up. Little Tokyo's decadent Japanese decor and atmosphere are something to be desired. The layout of the restaurant is very authentic and is perfectly in tone with Japanese culture and way of life. Service is top-standard and authentic with most waiters wearing Kimonos and traditional Japanese attire. The menu offers a tasty mix of fresh sushi, rice dishes, noodle dishes and Bento boxes. The food is excellent, high quality and very reasonably priced. A Bento box is around £12 which may seem a little steep however after ordering one of these bad boys you wont be able to stuff one more salmon skin roll or Dim Sum down you. Advise - BOOK! The restaurant gets very busy and i have seen people turned away. Must have: They make the meanest Mojitos! One word to describe Little Tokyo: KAWAII (that's Japanese for cute.). read more

Little Tokyo - The view from outside. - Japanese Near Me - Leeds, XWY

Once a week I pull up a pew and have my lunch here, that's how much I love the place. Although the menu hasn't been changed in years, it's so expansive and multi seasonal that it isn't really necessary to have your typical twice-a-year change. The service is very attentive and polite, and it's recently had a lick of paint on the inside too, which has brightened it up a treat. I couldn't possibly pick a favourite main dish, though the Seafood Udon is the first thing that comes in to my head when I think of the place. As for starters, the avocado tempura and the crispy bean curd roll (you'll never eat a spring roll again) are my preferred choices. Big credit to Little Tokyo for serving Green Tea for free too, adding to the experience. A short and sweet review, nothing more really needs to be said. read more

Amazing restaurant. Tardis-like with lots of nooks and crannies to cram in the hungry customers. I confess I've only been twice and I haven't varied my choice as the tofu bento box is just so tasty. It's a variety of mixed veg tempura and dipping sauce. The fluffiest tofu you'll ever eat with rice and a mixed dalad in a fab dressing. My only negative, and this is linked to me not giving the restaurant full marks, is down to lychee icecream! I hate lychees and unfortunately the chocolate brownie is served with it. I asked the first time for them to swap lychee with ginger icecream they said they would, but when it came it was lychee. I put up with it and put it down to an oversight. The brownie was gorgeous though! Next time I went we asked if we could have a different icecream with the brownie but was told this wasn't possible. Such a shame. We ended up having the ginger cheesecake which was ok but needed to have more ginger in it. We think it was served with a blood orange sorbet which was amazing. Sorry to witter on about icecream, but it is such a shame that they can't be flexible on this. The customer service is fantastic and the staff really efficient, polite and super quick. read more

Maybe this is just a lesson never to go back to a restaurant because you know it is great, you expect it to be great, you expectations are right up there, and you are willing to pay 15 quid for your meal not because it's a friend's birthday, but because the all-round experience last time was so good. Okay, so after two years' absence, my return trip to Little Tokyo wasn't disastrous. The food was excellent as ever. Bento boxes all round: the perfect choice for a slow, sociable meal, and also great for the more chopstick-incompetent among us, because everything can either be picked up in lumps or speared. The batter on the veggies is everything you would expect from a top-end chippie (not greasy, crisp, and deceptively but pleasantly tastes like it's more than just fat and flour), the tofu avoids the chewiness trap, and the salad is actually worth eating, if only for the delicious ginger dressing. So if you're going just for the food, highly recommended. However, if you rate your restaurants by the "feel at home" factor, be warned: the experience can be somewhat be spoiled when they begin hoovering up around you an hour before closing, tell you that eating your friend's birthday cake in-situ will cost you all 10% on the bill (you're allowed to just light it and look at it), when you give way over that in tips anyway). Perhaps over two years, my priorities have changed, but we wouldn't have eaten that cake there even for free, given the feeling we were being rushed away. read more

I am pleased to say I have been once again and can considerably upgrade my rating) Was reluctant to step in but am so glad i did so. Went for the bento box meal and it was simply scrumptuous, this option gives you bits of everything in a delicate box. Really tasty and healthy too. Maybe quite expensive, but a really nice treat. read more

Still one of the best bites in leeds. Cheaper than Trinity Kitchen. More ornate than Fuji Hiro and all together more brilliant than most of the high street dross that surrounds it (i'm looking at your Maccers and you Nandos). Little Tokyo is just a brilliant experience. The Bento boxes are stuffed full of delicious and the starters are all worth experiencing. If you can get to the downstairs section or across the bridge (well you need to get past the coy carp pond somehow). These seats, separated from the main, go even further into the fake (but glorious) Japanese look. Set into the floor they give the impression of traditional Japanese dining (whilst giving your feet somewhere to go). Little Tokyo is letting yourself in gently and i think it does it perfectly. Plus any place that does Gyoza that well is basically fine by me. Love ya, always have. read more

We had a fantastic evening in Little Tokyo. The environment gives an authentic feeling with waiters dressed in kimonos, Asian decoration and large sitting areas with cushions where you can sit on floor level while still having a place where to put your feet. We had the crystal prawn dumplings and dim sum for starters, both tasting delicious and perfectly cooked. Our mains were the BBQ spare ribs bento box and the seafood udon noodles, the portions are very big and I struggled to get through my bento box. For deserts we had the chocolate brownie and lychee ice cream and the coconut ice cream with mango sauce, they were lovely, very flavourful as ice cream should be and the coconut one had a nice presentation on a bowl made of ice and fruits. I will definitely come back for more and to try their sushis! read more

Little Tokyo - Homemade lemonade - Japanese Near Me - Leeds, XWY

So this was my second in The Year of Firsts and I can honestly say that Little Tokyo didn't disappoint. The restaurant looked great on the inside and I thought the carp pond and the little wooden bridge over it were a great touch. We were initially asked to sit down in a waiting area while our table was being set. There we were given our menus. After a very short wait we were shown to our table. When the waiter came to take our order we asked if we could have an extra couple of minutes as we all hadn't worked out what we wanted. Now this seemed to be the only glitch of the evening as after about 10 minutes we had to call to a waiter to take our order. I think this was the only point that cost them Brownie Points. The staff were not very attentive and if you wanted anything you literally had to call to one of them or go and find someone. After we ordered our drinks came very quickly and our starters came soon after that. I had ordered the Sushi-Duo. It turned out to be a slice of tuna and a slice of salmon on 2 smallish rolls of rice. I came to know that sushi means served with rice, while sashimi means just raw fish. I will say that it was ok but not very tasty. By that I mean there was not a lot of taste to it. It was served with fresh salad leaves and a side of wasabi & soy sauce. For my main I had ordered the chicken teriyaki bento box and it was great. Everything in it's own little compartment and it was very filling indeed. All this was washed down with a pint of very nice lager. All in all my meal came to £25 exactly which I don't think was at all bad as I was stuffed when we walked out of the restaurant. Although I can't say if my mind is made up about sushi. I can definitely say I will be coming back to Little Tokyo. read more

A really excellent little place in a side street in central Leeds. It's nicely done up inside with attractive decor and plenty of space so the tables aren't up against each other. The staff are full of smiles and most attentive. The food we had was delicious. Some really tasty dumplings to start with and some wonderful soup. Next came a mixed plate of different types of Japanese food that hit the spot in every area - the fish used for the sashimi was so fresh it was a real melt in the mouth experience. There's something for everyone here with lots of vegetarian options and a drinks list filled with excellenr organic wine. Highly recommended. read more

This is a moderately priced Japanese restaurant. I went with some friends who had told me it was one of their favourite places to eat in Leeds. I think I expected too much Our group of five were seated at 20.25 in the upstairs part over the bridge. I was impressed with the decor, v. nice. We'd already decided what we wanted after waiting twenty minutes in the bar/waiting area. We had to wait another twenty minutes for our order to be taken. The seating was uncomformtable to say the least: the cushions were thin and there were three of us sitting on one side so our elbows kept banging into each other when we ate, but that was only after waiting 50 minutes and two dishes we ordered were sushi so didn't even need cooking! At 21.35 my friend complained. Apparently they were waiting for all our dishes to be ready before bringing them out. I don't think they had thought about this v. well. The table was small and already had five soft drink glasses and four cups of Japanese tea on it. Now they were going to have to bring out a bento box, two sushi plates, two noodle dishes and the ebi curry dish (Yes that's six but the plan was for the sushi to be eaten as a starter). If we hadn't told them to bring food out as and when they were ready at least one of us was going to be eating from our laps. So the two sushi dishes came out. Really lovely fish. Didn't like the dollop of wasabi in the soya sauce already but at least I wasn't going to collapse from starvation anymore. The seafood udon was nice (7/10). Chicken udon average (6/10). Mixed fry (7/10), would've scored higher but the meat was quite salty (even without dipping in any sauces), also the veggie tempura was quite greasy and the batter was heavy. Ebi curry was perhaps the better dish - five big prawns in batter with curry sauce and rice (7.5/10). Bill came to just over £77 without service. Overall not a terrible experience. Little Tokyo is reasonably priced with good sized portions and is probably one of the best Japanese restaurants in Leeds. If you've travelled further afield to London for example you'll find betterand worse. For a city like Leeds however this place works and should be your first stop if you have a craving for Japanese. read more

(Edited 8 April 2008 because deserves fours stars not the measly three originally given) Tucked away behind Debenhams', Little Tokyo tries exceedingly hard to recreate the feeling of being in Japan and they deserve applause for their efforts for making such a concerted effort at enhancing the entire dining experience. The ornamental bridge you must cross to avoid becoming Koi dinner adds an exuberant touch, as do the shoji sliding doors to the toilets but the real star attraction was the fish tanks filled with rays, eels, various fish and other aquatic life that may or may not be destined for the pot. A word of warning though; sit beneath one of the tanks, as our party did, and you will feel that everyone's eyes are on you at some point and you may even have to put up with a few diners wandering over for a closer look. A little off-putting as you try and slurp your noodles whilst trying to stay in control of your chopsticks. My partner has an aversion to lemon in her drinks, a slice of which appears to be a non-negotiable additive in every city centre eatery or wine bar nowadays. So after asking for 'no lemon' she was understandably a little bemused to find they had replaced one citrus with another and a slice of lime was submerged instead. Her next drink was ordered with the words 'no lemon, no lime, no fruit' and despite what appeared to be a heated exchange between the barman and the waiter, thankfully no organic matter was forthcoming. Plenty to choose from on the menu with vegetarians and vegans in particular extensively catered for. It took one Google search some days later though for me to establish that vegan chicken and vegan duck were just flavoured soya. The waiters note down your order on hand-held electronic notebooks (ipaq's) which are then wi-fi'd to the kitchen and work starts immediately - so you are never waiting long to eat. For starters I ordered vegetable tempura and, pushing the boat out, was intrigued by the onion lollypops on the menu. The lollies was described as thus: 'Can't believe simple Onion could look so funky and taste so sweet!'. A more accurate description would have been: 'Big white onion sliced and grilled for a nano-second, raw.' It was neither funky nor sweet. Still, at least the vegetable tempura proved a much better choice. A very light and delicious batter disguised some a lovingly cooked mix of sweet potato, eggplant, broccoli, carrots and others. The Gyozo (dumplings with a minced pork filling and a crispy pastry bottom) were similarly well prepared and the Ebi Katsu (King prawn deep fried in Japanese breadcrumbs with sweet chilli sauce) all hit the spot for my friends. Although tempted by the Bento boxes, I chose to follow the advice of my acquaintances and went with a shallow fried noodle dish, the Yaki Bucksoba, a mix of thin, brown buckwheat noodles with shredded chicken, leek and Japanese mushrooms in a smooth vegetarian oyster sauce. This was, I was assured, one of the healthiest meals to have, and it certainly was a hearty helping of 5-a-day but I managed to finish and most importantly, declared myself satisfied with both the quality and quantity I had eaten. It wasn't out of this world but it was delicious and filling. I then shared a portion of crispy parcels, marshmallow wrapped in a thin paper pastry and deep fried to produce a crispy outside and a rich molten mass of lovely white goo on the inside. Strangely, I was the only one who found these delicious, maybe the rest had left their inner child at home. Also impressive was the way they handled a birthday party of 40 or so diners. Delivering their food all together was nothing short of an operation mounted with military precision but isn't that what you expect from the Japanese? The bill, just over £15 a head with drinks (no wine), made for a good value meal, and whilst I won't rush back immediately, it's certainly a strong contender next time I fancy a bite to eat in town. read more

This restaurant is a little over hyped, if you opt for the bento box, the tempura vegetables are fried in a Chinese batter rather than a Japanese batter which is much thicker (a cheaper alternative). However, if you order the tempura as a side dish, then it is the proper Japanese batter, light and crispy. Bentos start from 12 pounds per head and contain a main of your choice, rice, salad in a vinegarette dressing. The sushi are smaller than you would expect and quite expensive. It is a nice little restaurant with a bridge dividing the diners on the ground floor which is a nice focal point but other than that, a tad expensive. read more

Little Tokyo - Japanese Near Me - Leeds, XWY

The second star is for service. The staff are hard working and very pleasant. However for food, this place gets just one star. Perhaps it's a challenge for them to source Japanese ingredients in Leeds, I'm not sure, but it seems like it's more of a Chinese take on Japanese cuisine. I ordered the katsu curry lunch and it was terrible. First the chicken katsu is battered, and does not use panko, which is an essential element of anything prepared as a "katsu". Second, the curry is not Japanese curry. It tastes a lot like the gravy that is poured over egg foo young, a Chinese dish. I think they will do better if they experiment more with fusion asian dishes than try to serve up really bad rendition of Japanese ones read more

Hugely underwhelming across the board. The ONLY thing a Sushi/sashimi restaurant needs to worry about is to be obsessed with FRESH. little Tokyo exudes stale. But then again, citizens of Leeds seem to tolerate mediocrity in their dining out, so what do I know eh? Better to pop across to Wasabi to be honest. read more

This has become one of my favourite restaurants in Leeds. Excellent and authentic Japanese food in an interesting environment (there's even a bridge and fish pond inside!) If its your first visit and you're not familiar with japanese food, i can recommend the Bento box, which is essentially a meal in a porcelain box. it's open for most of the day and evening read more

Little Tokyo is one of my favourite restaurants in Leeds - and one of the few Japanese options. It's consistently great. I haven't had a single dish that I could say a bad word about. And the bento boxes are good value. A word of advice: Try the tempura avocado - and be prepared to get addicted. It's to die for. And it's what brings me back time and time again. YUM! read more

Little Tokyo has declined over the years. I'm not sure it was ever great, but as a vegetarian it's always been nice to have some mock meat options. I recently found a piece of broken plastic halfway through eating my fourth veggie gyoza, which I had brought home on takeout. I almost swallowed it. I called the restaurant straight away and was told the manager would call me back. They never did. This isn't an isolated incident as a friend of mine ate there recently with her boyfriend and also found a shard of plastic in her food, as well as a long black hair in the rice. When she complained the waitress looked at my friend's hair colour accusingly - the rice was my friend's boyfriend's order! In the past when I've made a complaint inside the restaurant, I've always been met with aggression from the argumentative staff. For example, when telling the staff that my VEGAN 'chicken chunks' bento had real chicken in, they swore blind it was fake and I was imagining it. How they knew that without even looking at or tasting the chicken, I don't know. I've also been told that friends of mine were threatened with having the police called on them after they complained about their food and refused to pay after the way in which the staff handled to the complaint - probably the usual argumentative response and refusal to take any responsibility for the mediocre food they've served. Another friend had food poisoning after eating the "gristly" sushi, which was also covered in fish scales. The fact there is broken plastic in the food only suggests to me that the (tiny) kitchen is using broken equipment and Tupperware. Plastic breeds germs and I dread to think what is lurking in the food. It's only a matter of time before somebody complains to Environmental Health. In addition, I find the seating system in the restaurant bizarre - everybody is seated in a waiting area even when the place is empty. We are always seated wedged between other tables where our elbows are touching. If we ask to be reseated the staff are, surprise surprise, argumentative. The service is cold and lacklustre. I wasn't able to have a gin and tonic on two occasions now because they didn't have bar staff available and it "counted as a cocktail". Okay then. Also, if you've never questioned how fast the food comes out - maybe now's the time to start. When I realised I was paying £15 for a microwaved bento box, the place lost it's, already dull, shine. We won't be eating at Little Tokyo again. Stick to Fuji Hiro on Wade Lane for authentic and fresh Japanese food, impeccable service and clean premises. read more

Little Tokyo - Shard of plastic I bit down on when chewing my fourth vegetarian gyoza. Dread to think what else I may have chewed/swallowed. - Japanese Near Me - Leeds, XWY

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I visited this establishment two nights ago and have no idea what anyone on this site is on about. Where to start.... I will give Little Tokyo credit for its impressive decor and ambience. The interior is cozy and the service is pretty decent. The menu also looked appetizing. Emphasis on "looked." In terms of flavour and authenticity this is a failed attempt at Japanese cuisine. While the sashimi was pretty fresh and generally tasty, the presence of smoked fish was a little harrowing. The avocado "tempura" was more like overly battered fish and chips in both taste and appearance. It was actually pretty gross. The gyoza resembled a British meat pie more than any Japanese dumpling I have ever encountered. The pork was fatty, and there was a complete lack of both ginger and garlic, or really anything resembling Asian flavouring or flavouring at all. Perhaps this caliber of "Japanese" food is passable in Leeds, but then at least call it what it is. An overpriced parody of Japanese food. Also Yo! Sushi in the Harvey Nichols is way better, imo. read more

so good! i had the seafood udon, and it was great - fresh, flavourful and ample amount of seafood, and delicious thick noodles. i wish i was a bit more adventurous and tried out the sashimi set, but the "salted jelly fish" tacked on at the end put me off :( my veggie friend had the vegetable yakisoba and loved it. it came with tofy which i don't think was mentioned on the menu. my boyfriend had a bento box with ribs (he loves eating pig, this upsets me!), and my other friend had some sort of chicken and seafood udon, i think. everyone was thoroughly satisfied with their meal, and if we lived in leeds i'm sure this would be a regular haunt for us. read more

This is a lovely restaurant and the prices are great too, you can nip in for a cheap bowl of noodles but on the other hand the atmosphere is so great that I love to go there for a special night out too. The star of the menu has to be the bento boxes, where you get an entire meal (main dish, rice, salad, veg tempura) in a nifty sectioned box. There's a good selection of sushi and a big choice for vegetarians. It's especially nice for a birthday treat as the staff make a special 'happy birthday' effort! read more

It you like decor you'll love sitting in this quaint little restaurant in Northern England. If you like food, you're a far cry from taste let alone nourishment. The food is disappointing to say the least. It's an impressing spoof at Japanese food and caters to a large batch patrons who have never been to Japan or tried Japanese cuisine. If you like bland food, terribly cut pieces of sashimi from a mystery freezer or at your local Morrison's fishmonger, look no further. The selection is large for the city is set in but none of the foods are remotely close to perfection to become presentable at a restaurant. The smoked fish thing is true, as a friend and I have both ordered the sashimi platter and the other food lacks the most integral part of Japanese cuisine- effort. Terrible. Shame that the service is so good and the ambiance is quite nice..or else I would have been happy to tear this place to pieces. read more

I stay just about a 2 minute walk from this place and since it has gotten such good reviews decided to give it a try. This is the worst so called "Japanese" restaurant I've ever eaten at. We ordered Sake mussels taste more like microwave mussels with hot sauce thrown on top. So sloppy. We also ordered eel bento box please lay off the msg. It was horrible!! They brought us "hot sake" in a cup filled with hot water..wtf is this? LOL are you kidding me?! We should have just walked out at the very moment as it did get a lot worst. -_- Come here if you want to eat over priced microwavable fake Japanese food. I'm a bit curious about how this place is able to stay afloat. The food is so awful. Service was mediocre. Waitress needs to smile a little more. Ever seen the commercial "clear eyes dry eyes" yup. Spent about 50 pounds. This place will not see me again. read more

Amazing food, reasonably priced, waiting time is a little lengthy at peak times but definatley worth it. The Yaki Udon are particularly good yum yum xx If its a birthday party they can dim the lights and play happy birthday with sparkler candles at your request its awesome. Koi pond is beautiful. read more

Went here a little while back with the girlfriend, been once before and thought it was ok so thought we'd try it again. I phoned up before a Saturday night and was told come down for about 7pm to avoid the rush. Arrived almost on time and didn't have long to wait before a table came free on street level. The one thing I didn't like too much about my last visit was the downstairs area because I found it quite claustrophobic, especially being next to a big party. But the ground floor is spacious and the pond in the middle breaks up the big rooms. Anyway, back to the night in question, can't really fault it as the service was good and food was delicious, Go for the steak in wasabi sauce, I loved it. Top notch but can get expensive I'll be back read more

I've been going to Little Tokyo for nearly ten years, but I think it has gone really downhill in recent years, in terms of both the quality of the food, hygiene, and the service. Seeing a rat-trap outside the kitchen is not a good sign, and while they make a big deal of their vegan and vegetarian options, after being served meat (something that has also happened to vegetarian friends of mine) I really don't trust them. My last visit to Little Tokyo (and I do mean 'last visit')was with a friend, who like myself is not only vegan, but a longsstanding Little Tokyo customer. The restaurant was very quiet, and in fact we were the only diners seated downstairs when our order was taken. My friend ordered a bento box set with tofu steak and I ordered a vegetarian ramen dish. While ordering asked the waiter if the noodle dish came with tofu and he said that it did. I also said that I was vegan. When the dish came the waiter said that he hoped there was enough tofu in it for me. In fact it had meat in it, and because it was dark in the restaurant I put some in my mouth. For someone who is a strict vegan of many years this was a disgusting experience and I had to go to the toilet to be sick. I wasn't even offered a glass of water, and when I asked to speak to the manager I was told there was no manager there. I then had to pay for this awful experience. A written complaint did not even receive an acknowledgement. I would never set foot in Little Tokyo again. read more