I have to say, the plain decor/ambience here really belied how delicious the food was. I ordered the large pork katsu curry rice, which similarly looks plain but was unexpectedly good. The katsu itself had really tender meat with a nicely crispy exterior without being too oily. The curry had a lovely, rich flavour that complemented the katsu and rice well. Price point was fantastic -- I'd love to come again to try some of their yummy curry and noodle options. read more

Misato - Pork katsu curry with rice - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Misato is a Japanese restaurant located in London's Chinatown. Most of the reviews made Misato seem to be a pretty promising place to dine for sushi. We decided to hop over there to try a few of their rolls. Unfortunately we were in a bit of a time crunch and would have appreciated if they offered takeout/ take-away, however, they do not. Only dine in is available here... which is kind of out the norm coming from the US. This restaurant is quite authentic though, owned by Japanese! We were hoping to find Caterpillar roll or some roll with avocado and protein; they do not have a wide selection. We ended up just getting an avocado roll, which was simply sushi rice, seaweed, and avocado. read more

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The food was decent. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but I appreciated how quick they were to sit us down and take our order. The food came out fast too. I gave this a 4 star because compared to other Japanese restaurants or restaurants in Chinatown, it was okay. read more

Misato - Karage - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

The food was delicious, the service was prompt, I would only comment about the restaurant been so hot inside, no A/C. read more

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This eatery is located in Chinatown and very crowded. There always seem to be lines right out the door and very popular with the younger crowd, especially with the reasonably priced food. We ordered the tempura, chicken karage, teriyaki chicken and chicken Katsu. All were delicious and tasty. Can be noisy and crowded inside. Japanese tea does not come with meal and parking is difficult. Best use public transport. read more

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Service was exceptional, but the food was bland. I got the deep fried chicken rice bowl, which came with popcorn chicken-like pieces on top of a huge portion of rice. While I appreciate how much rice they gave, it was unseasoned and the chicken did not do much to help the flavor. I had to ask for soy sauce to put all over my bowl because it was so hard to eat. That being said, my friend who got teriyaki katsu rice enjoyed it, so I would suggest staying away from dishes without sauce if you were to go. read more

Misato - Chicken katsu teriyaki rice bowl Deep Fried Chicken Rice Bowl - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Day Visited: Sunday evening around 6:30 PM Price Range: £11-22 Ordered: Salmon Don and Chicken Katsu Teriyaki Don When visiting a city like London, you'd expect the food places near major attractions to be less than good. However, visiting Misato will not only prove you wrong, it will also exceed your expectations. Walking to the restaurant takes you through a pretty hectic, noisy area near Chinatown. There's plenty of choices around, but Misato itself is a solid choice. We ordered the Sake Don(Salmon Donburi) and the Chicken Katsu Teriyaki Don. The chicken was crispy, even with the delicious teriyaki sauce on top, flavorful, and paired well with the mixed greens and white rice underneath. The salmon donburi was beyond divine, with the sushi rice having the perfect level of seasoning. There were two thicknesses of the salmon on the bowl, giving a variety to the texture and mouthfeel as you ate, with both complementing perfectly the sushi rice underneath. You leave the meal feeling satisfied, comfortably with room for dessert if you'd like! read more

Misato - Salmon Don - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Really enjoyed the food I got, really hit the spot. The service was ok and the ambiance was also ok! I would go back. read more

Misato - Beef Udon - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Had a lovely lunch here and found both the food and service very good. We ordered the salmon sashimi & cooked salmon bowl and the gyu-don bowl. The salmon bowl was super hearty - the pieces of sashimi were really thick. The gyu-don bowl was flavorful and filling. This place is a tight squeeze, but we got a table immediately, but did see a lunch crowd lining up soon after. Service was very very nice and friendly. Absolutely recommend if you're looking for a quick Japanese meal in the area! read more

Misato - Gyu Don bowl - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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We have salmon don and chirashi don. Salmon very fresh grade of fish good. Nice thick cuts and the aburi process was excellent and new to me. Large portion fresh and tasty edamame. Seaweed cucumber dish was meh Tempura Udon was very good. Service was good water filled many time. Ambiance casual. This is a less expensive sushi and udon restaurant. Quality of food very good. I would go again read more

Wasn't too busy for a Tuesday lunch - nice location and great pricing for sushi rolls. However I felt like some of the other items were not priced accordingly so I did not try them out. The fish was nice quality but their menu could do with some more speciality rolls that are more extravagant (more than just fish inside). Will keep this place in mind next time I want cheaper sushi! read more

Misato - Salmon and Avocado - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Quick, no-frills type of place to grab a bite. The food is good, and service is relatively fast. It's one of those places where you come for comfort food to warm your soul. I wish this location was closer to where I live! I would frequent more often. :') read more

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We had salmon bento, curry fried pork cutlet, chirashi sushi and fox udon. Everything tasted delicious and fresh. Abeno has vegan okonomiyaki. There is also an option to make it gluten-free. I ordered the vegetarian and gluten-free okonomiyaki set menu, £22. I shared it with my partner and they were very hungry after dinner and I was very hungry a few hours later. no problem, no problem...... read more

Great spot for quick and affordable Japanese food. We had a salmon bento, tonkatsu curry, chirashi, and kitsune udon. Everything tasted delicious and fresh. The place is small and gets full quickly. Family friendly menu. read more

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Gah I'm torn about this place. After a long day at the office and travelling I felt ravenous. Seeking out what was hot in the area I came across this place in Chinatown where it was a highly rated cheap eat. Narrowly missing the rain I dived in to join the small queue. As I neared the counter I then saw the sign CASH OnLY! Cursing I backed out to the nearest atm machine which was out of order...then cursed again because it started to rain..I almost gave up. But no I returned. By then the queue had cleared and I was seated. I opened the menu to pleasantly find it was dirt cheap. £2.50 for x6 salmon maki and £3 for sake..yes please.. I ordered this along with a pork udon curry ramen for £7.50 and tuna nigiri. The salmon and sake arrived first both being of great quantity and tastyness.. devouring this I was presented with the broth. This was tasty with the perfect texture of noodles but there wasn't a lot of meat and the egg was over cooked. I gave up waiting for my tuna..but considered ordering more however the decision was made for me. The bill was slammed down in front of me including a service charge Wounded..I called the waitress over to state I needed to leave feedback..one ..at no point did anyone ask how my food was..two..My order was incomplete..and three how assumptive to think me finished? For those reasons I wanted the service charge withdrawn..a couple mocked me my complaint but I didn't care. Overall sushi was excellent for the price but the service was rude..just because its cheap give no excuse for a horrible service. read more

Misato - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Misato is easy to miss from the street, but it'd be a shame if you did! In a city where large, comforting portions in a thoroughly unpretentious setting can be hard to find, Misato is a breath of fresh soup. They have a large menu with udons, curries, katsus, tempuras, udons with katsu and curry in it, you get the idea. Here's what you should do. Come hungry, with cash, and be prepared to wait for just a short while, maybe 15 minutes. There are many tables and they move quickly but it is very popular, for good reason! Order some tempura for the table and crack open an Asahi Super Dry, or a ramune for the kids. Then enjoy your plate of crispy katsu drowned in curry, or your hearty bowl of udon or soba. Leave with a full belly and satisfied grin. read more

Came here for dinner with my family. Very impressed at our first Japanese dinner while visiting London. The food came out so fast and it was still delicious. Service was good. I ordered the sashimi appetizer and tempura maki roll. I think the tempura maki roll is the best tempura maki roll i've tried and it's always a roll I would get when i'm eating sushi. The tempura maki roll was crispier and tastier than almost all sushi places i've been to. The sashimi appetizer was also really fresh and good. I tried the fried chicken that came with the udon and it was decent. Everybody else loved their food. read more

Misato - Sashimi appetizer and tempura maki roll - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Awesome food and even more awesome a price! Is it the most authentic? Well not really but hey you won't find authentic at that price point and certainly not in china town. I cannot recommend this place more! The curry beef udon, pure yumness! read more

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We waited about 15-20 minutes for a table at 6pm on a Saturday night. The line just got longer and longer as the night went on. I had high hopes for this place but was sorely disappointed. We three dishes and two of the dishes included extremely cold food. The Karaage Chicken was unbelievably cold. It was as if they made it hours ago and then let it just sit there collecting dust waiting for a customer that ordered it. The batter was soggy and it was just disgusting! The Sashimi Bento came with a couple of fried shrimp dumplings that were also cold and soggy. This place is pretty cheap but.you get what you pay for! When the waitress took our food away she asked if we wanted to pack the chicken and I almost told her no your chicken is disgusting! Katsu CurryKaraage ChickenSashimi Bento read more

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So that's what the line was for! Everything is dirt cheap. Don't recommend the fried chicken but the chicken Katsu was decent. The tea was excellent as they gave us a pot so we got our fill. Service was incredibly fast and polite. read more

My favorite Sushi in London. You get solid sushi for the £, but don't expect extra-fantastic creations. Expect long waiting lines and don't pull you card - cash only! Enjoy! read more

It's always busy, but no matter how busy or how long the queue is they're always very FRIENDLY and their food has always remain a top quality and big portions for a little price. Compared to Eat Tokyo this is so much friendlier and staying small has really pay off. read more

Misato - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

This place is my family go-to restaurant for kinda-quick, delicious and filling lunch/ dinner. If you go at lunch, probably 2:00 for less queuing, and if you decide to go for dinner, go at 5pm or 7pm to avoid that traffic of people all wanting a piece of that cheap but delicious food. Donburis (less of a rice bowl, more of a rice plate because it's too much to fit in a bowl with the salad, meat and rice). The bento boxes are good but if you go to Misato and want to get your money's worth and feel full and satisfied go with donburis. Bentos are like £11(?) Donburi's like Gyudons cost £6.50 and go up from that. Ramen is alright, nothing really that authentic IMO, broth is clear but meat is lacking when it comes to the ramens, and I wouldn't recommend getting udons as your noodles. Staff is an it overworked (dropped a piece of tonkatsu as they brought out my dish) but they're still polite if you're not a total poo towards them. The place is quite small and so you'll share tables unless you're lucky. And the place is cash-only as I recall. Drinks are a bit overpriced, ramune drinks (carbonated soda that tastes like lemonade but with a marble inside that reminds me and every east-Asian whether Chinese/Japanese/Koreans of their childhood). read more

Misato - Curry Tonkatsu donburi (fried pork fillet, like a German schnitzel drenched in Japanese curry w/ rice) - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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The food is remarkable with low price. They only accept cash, which is annoying The service and surroundings are OK. Don't forget to bring cash， and you usually have to wait because it is not big enough read more

Misato - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Fast service and great food I have been to Misato couple of time and the food is always excellent. Sometimes, you have to queue for half an hour to have a table, but the foods are served very fast. The noodles and rice dishes in here are so good. If you come before 4.30pm, you may be able to avoid the queue. read more

Misato - Chicken karaage and nigiri sushi - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Exactly as advertised: cheap and cheerful. These kind of restos just have a special place in my heart. I just love the hole-in-the-wall-ness and the fact that everyone piling in is there for the good eats. I find that in these cases, everyone queues nicely, politely. You sit, order, eat, pay, and clear out because you know there are people waiting for your seats. There's no pretence, it is exactly what you see, and the event of sit-order-eat-pay repeats itself hundreds of times a night. The servers know their roles inside out, and everything runs like clockwork. I had katsu curry and rice, although their bentos looked good too. Food was hearty and tasty. I was perfectly happy and full by the time I left. read more

Misato - Queue out the door, but moves quite fast. - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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This place is incredibly cheap. I ordered the beef curry rice and the chicken katsu rice. The bill came out to be roughly 15. Food quality is warm and comforting. The curry and katsu sauce were super flavorful and paired perfectly with rice. You get a huge portion for the price you pay for! The line stretches out the door, but moves incredibly fast. This is a cash only place, but totally worth if you have even 10 pounds on you. My only complaint is that service is ok. Some of the waitresses are a bit rude. I sat in the table near the kitchen, so a waitress almost bumped into me with a bowl of hot food in her hand. No apologies whatsoever. When I asked for the bill, another waitress just looked at us and said "Wait!" abruptly. When my boyfriend and I got up to leave, only the elderly men working behind the counter said bye or thank you. The waitresses merely looked at us. Regardless, the service charge is already included in the bill. read more

Misato was a total discovery. I was stumbling around Soho, checking the same restaurants, high prices and wondering, where can I get some decent Asian food? Misato is everything you can ask for. Japanese inspired cuisine, with HUGE portions and really low prices. The menu is quite wide, rice based dishes, sushi, sashimi, rolls, curries... There are vegetarian/vegan options. Just so you have an idea of how big the portions are, please check the photos. The tofu balls filled with rice, are absolutely spectacular, sweet tofu and well cooked rice on the inside (but really filling beware), and the tofu steak rice is also amazing, it comes with a generous amount of white rice, an amazing sauce in the middle and grilled tofu with a big side salad. The dressing is mayonnaise based, so if you are vegan please ask for this to be aside. My friends have ordered Katsu Curry more than once and the amount of chicken is ridiculous, I will say this again, I hope you are hungry when you get there! Cheap, good, filling. My favourite 3 words when it comes to a restaurant :) read more

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What an affordable price!!! walked in for dinner at around 7:30 on Monday. There was a queue 8 to 10 people were already waiting. But we waited only 15min. The rotation of the customers must be quick since many of them come alone. Went for pork ginger which was quite nice. A little bit sweat taste.I liked it!! And only 6£. The stuff were no Japanese though...by the way. It's bustling with people, cramped and not really comfortable. So suitable for quick dinner ,dinning alone or when you are budget-conscious. I'll come back soon!!! It has a wide range of menu so I have many of them to try ; ) read more

Misato - Pork ginger - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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I was with a friend attempting to try Shake Shack. Put off by the horrendous airport check-in queue, we decided to head to Chinatown at her request to try a small Japanese place she'd heard good things about. Thus we found ourselves at Misato, a tiny Japanese cafe looking place with nary any indication it was a shop, apart from the A4 piece of paper in the window showing the name of the place. This in no way hinted how amazing the food would be once inside. There was a small queue when we arrived, around 8-10 people and seeing the size of the place, we expected to have to wait ages. Luckily!, as we arrived, a table opened up for 2 people and we were shooed right in. So get this, if you want a table quickly, go in small groups of 2. Otherwise like the unfortunate people with 3 or more in their party, there is a long wait due to the limited number of group tables. As we ate during that 45 mins, the queue only got LONGER. The food itself is brilliant on two levels. First, the value for money is astounding. The Unagi Nigiri (That's the Sushi wraped in Eel) which is normally a little pricy in other places was £2 for 2 pieces of reasonable size. 6 pieces of sushi ranges from £3-6 from California rolls to salmon. My jaw dropped. Not to mention the main dishes were served in giant portions for £4-9. Katsu curry, Bento boxes...I cannot fault the value here. So a place that does cheap sushi probably tastes cheap too right? Wrong. I've eaten in quite a few sushi places of varying quality and I can honestly say this place serves the most tasty sushi in the whole of london. It wasn't bland, dry, nor too cold, plus had the right amount of vinegar in the rice, good amounts of filling and the Unagi Nigiri was so succulent...and the california rolls to die for. I just don't know how they do it. My main arrived, the Chicken Teriyaki and again, lettuce smothered in delicious mayonaise (I think Kewpie) a mass of real breaded chicken, big rice portion and again, delcious Teriyaki sauce. I'm just salivating thinking about this meal. For sure I'll be back, and will be in a group smaller that too. I mean the important thing is that I get in. And once in, I shall feast like a king on a budget. Seriously, if you're in Chinatown and in a small group. At the risk of making this place even more popular that it already is, consider Japanese. Consider Misato. Just look out for the A4 piece of paper in the Window and no actual name where you'd expect a shop name to be :) read more

Misato - Selection of Sushi - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Once upon a time there was a student studying for hours in Senate House Library. It became very late and she became very hungry, suddenly craving Japanese food for dinner. Using her trusty Yelp app she found a place called "Misato" that was not very far so she walked to Chinatown to go eat there. And the rest is history. Seriously tasty food and shockingly inexpensive! The katsu curry is absolutely perfect in portion and flavour, very authentic (even the little salad that comes with it!). I could literally rave about the breading on the pork cutlet for days. I was so hungry when I got here but I left extremely full and satisfied. I also ordered cucumber maki sushi as a side and that was also wonderful. 6 pieces for only £2.50! I would come back here just for the sushi alone. Came here after the dinner rush so there was no queue and got a seat immediately. Despite the dinner rush being over all the tables were full so it took a little bit of time for the food to finally arrive. Also, I'm pretty sure I saw a sign that said cash only so bare that in mind! This is now my "go-to" place in London for Japanese food. Especially considering the hit or miss of the surrounding places in Chinatown, you can't beat the prices or the quality of Misato. read more

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For only £6, the chicken katsu curry really hit the spot. It was a cold rainy day and a plate (the size of my face!) of warm curry was perfection. They gave a very generous portion which I feel could easily be split into two meals. But I ate the entire plate in one sitting because I simply could not stop eating - it was that good! The chicken katsu was perfectly crunchy and there was a lot of it too. The side salad was good. The rice was good. Damn, everything was great. I will definitely be visiting again! read more

Misato - Chicken Katsu Curry - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Oh, I can't believe I have not done a review of Misato yet. Let's start! This is how I imagine my grandma would cook if I was Japanese. Massive portions, fresh and tasty food enjoyed equally by Asians and Europeans. There is always a long queue in the street, that says it all. Although you do not usually have to wait more than 15/20 minutes. Do not expect the nicest place ever, though, this is not about style, this is about real food and the restaurant could have easily gotten a new look one decade ago. The toilets are clean, but damn, I guess you better wait a bit and use the loo somewhere else where you do not get oil de parfum just by going downstairs. The main dishes are great, but I would recommend you a bento box with a bit of sushi and a bit of rice with meat or fish, they are just delicious (and the best option if you can't decide!). read more

Had high hopes for this place as it always seems to have queues outside all the time, so finally decided to try it but went a bit earlier to avoid the queues, and it worked and got a table straight away. We decided to try a sushi platter to share to start off with and followed by the beef udon, and my companion the Pork Katsu Curry Udon. The drinks came pretty quickly, a beer and a aloe vera. Then my companion was served his dish and he had almost finished his meal before I was able to get the attention of any of the waiters who were busy running around at the back of the restaurant or sorting out payments at the front of the restaurant, and at no time look over to where I was sitting and waving for their attention. Finally, caught an eye of one waitress who said she would check. Then a long wait before my meal came. And what a disappointment. The beef was so shredded that it looked like it was the left over bits. The texture was really weird and tasted strange. I did not enjoy it at all. Also the soup was much too salty. I then had to ask several times for the bill. After the third time, it finally came. When I went to pay, I gave them enough to pay for the meal without the service charge and the girl who had just returned from her break, asked if everything was ok, and I said not really, although the sushi was good. I have never had a bad Japanese meal, even very cheap ones, so the experience here was very disappointing. A pity. read more

Misato - Good sushi platter - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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The prices are cheap. I had the chicken katsu curry and it was so good. The portion was decent. I must also add, the service was quick. There can be queues at times, especially during peak hours. This is quite understandable as their food is really legit. I love their home made salad dressing. The only thing is, they do not accept cards. read more

Misato - Chicken katsu curry - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

I actually kinda like this. The udon I ordered (beef) was a good portion, and i was stuffed at the end. It was like 5.50 or 6 pounds, can't quite remember, so it was a bargin. There was actually a line to get in...and i came for lunch on saturday. So i'm guessing the other stuff is good? Though my friend said her fried pork rice plate was a bit bland. The tea they have is real nice. My udon was quite soft, just the way i like it :) The sushi was okay, nothing special. read more

Good simple food, I ordered udon beef and was a good portion the broth was yummy but the beef was ok read more

Misato - Beef Udon, nice broth no sure any the beef :/ - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Ordered the beef soba noodles and also tried some of the tofu udon, both of which were no good. Beef soba was too salty, too sugary, and the beef had a tough texture...all in all just was not very good. Would not come back and would not recommend. read more

Simple. Inexpensive. Delicious. Come here to get your fix for Japanese comfort food. This small joint in the heart of London offers big portions of quality food for more than affordable pricing. It was my GO TO when I lived here and now that I am a cross the world I come here every time that I am in town. I had the chicken teriyaki ~$7. Salad, chicken with homemade teriyaki sauce and white rice. Salmon and Tuna roll ~$4 for 8 -10 pieces of delicious fresh fish! The restaurant is very small, around 11 tables, expect a 30 minute line at all times. The bathroom isn't the cleanest but good enough. I will keep coming back! Cheers!! read more

The stand-alone feature of Misato is that it offers mighty portions of Japanese food at budget prices despite its location in the centre of London. It's also nice that it provides salad with all its meals. The set-up is very basic with simple furniture and amateur-like employees. The china or bento box is also plain white and the cutlery or chopsticks without any design and actually reminds me of aeroplane quality. Everything is fine but lacking personality and a touch of class. read more

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