Super fast, and great service. Perfect for dinner before a movie night. On Friday night, I did a dinner-fail situation. Forgot to made reservations before my 8:30 movie. I went to a few places, and finally got seated at Atari-ya. With 45 mins left before the movie and a hungry belly, we managed to chow down some really yummy Japanese food. If we were to say purely based on food quality, I'd give it a 3.5. Food quality is very fresh, but the presentation /cut of fish is a bit "fast-food-ish", not top notch. Based on price/quality/quantity comparison, I think it's a perfect Japanese place for a hungry belly without breaking the bank. However, the most impressive thing is their fast and quality service. Water fill? no problem. more ginger? Ok coming right up. Ponzu sauce? Right away! Bomb! read more

Sushi Bar Atari-Ya - Agedashi tofu - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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A little bit of a disappointment really. Atariya had always been the go to sushi restaurant for great value good quality sushi. This seems to have really changed. We should not still be hungry after spending £30 per head on a sushi/sashimi platter each. They were described as 'large' but we both needed an extra snack on the way home! Certainly the quality and taste remain but the price has become too expensive to make it the destination restaurant it used to be. There are so many other alternatives that overshadow here in both quality and price. read more

Sushi Bar Atari-Ya - Green tea and tuna radish appetiser - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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It used to be one of my favourite sushi restaurant in London. But my recent visit was disappointed. I ordered the salmon chazake which is a bowl of rice in soup topped with salmon. When i opened the lid the salmon looked almost cooked through which suggest it has been place for a while before serving. In the past the salmon was served half raw. However it could had been they change how they serve the chazake. The sweet potatoes tempura was also disappointed. The tempura batter didnt have that light tempura texture. We did not get sushi in our recent visit but the cooked food used to be good as well as their sushi. The little restaurant was busy but we got a table at the bar. Many people around us were having sushi and they looked okay. The menu has changed slightly with new added sushi that now include some of the more modern sushi rolls. read more

Sushi Bar Atari-Ya - Salmon Chazuke - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

A friend invited me here today for a business meeting. He told me before hand that the food is great. And he was absolutely right. I ordered the deluxe Chirashi, which was one of the best I've ever had. My only complain was the tables were so close together. I know they were trying to make the best of the little space available. But for the price I paid for the food, £22 for a deluxe Chirashi. I expect to be seated comfortably and I was not comfortable here. read more

Sushi Bar Atari-Ya - So much sushi for two people - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Truly excellent sushi. If you like cream cheese in your rolls or squirt bottle mayo over your sushi, this might not be your place. If you like tasty fish, however, this is a solid choice. The negitoro hand roll is sublime. read more

I came here with family and friends for an impromptu dinner. I was brought up with Japanese cuisine since a very young age so I'd like to say I know this cuisine quite well. We ordered the 15 pc 5 different kinds assorted sashimi set which was absolutely delicious. We then also ordered the tempura udon, squid leg tempura, cold soba and eel avo roll. The tempura udon tasted cheap and instant where the tempura batter was soggy and not very crunchy. I recommend this place if you're just going for sushi and sashimi but not for any hot food. read more

Sushi Bar Atari-Ya - Cold soba noodles - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Had to review this one as I go here a lot and just noticed some of the unflattering reviews - cramped seating? Soggy tempura? No way - Seriously? The quality of this sashimi is close to the best in terms of quality versus price tag. The seafood is fresh and the sushi chefs are trained by their head sushi guy. The prawn tempura is served with the tempura prawn separately so you can make it as soggy or .. Unsoggy as you like. The flavour is delicious - think there is a hint of smoked flavour in there. Delicious. Yeah the restaurant isn't super spacious but for the price tag I think you can put up with it. read more

I stood and waited for over 5 minutes to be greeted by a waitress. It was a Tuesday evening and the restaurant was packed. I was asked to wait for about 10 minutes before I got my seat at the bar. I asked the waitress for a menu while waiting. However, she did not give me the Special menu. When I saw the Special menu, it was too late, I had already ordered. Luckily I got chatty with the girl sitting next to me and she suggested that we share a roll from the Special menu :) We shared a special roll made up of shrimp, scallop, tuna, sprinkled with deep fried onions. I forgot to take note of the name but it was £8.50 for 6 pieces. The roll was not bad but I did not like the deep fried onions. I felt that the taste of the deep fried onions did not go with the roll. It made the roll tasted heavy. I had the medium fatty tuna, 3 pieces for £6. The tuna was fatty and buttery. All the sushi and sashimi were fresh. The Assorted Sushi C for £11.00 consisted of 3 pieces of nigiri: tuna, salmon, boiled prawn and a salmon & avocado roll. Again, they were fresh but the roll was lacking in flavour. I am tempted to try all the Atariya branches in London to make comparisons. read more

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Japanese food is rare and hard to come by in London - at least, fresh Japanese food, that is. Coming from San Francisco where Japanese restaurants are at almost every block, I was a bit dubious as to how great Atari-Ya in West Hampstead could be. How wrong was I! The first time I came here was in 2010 while visiting my sister. We enjoyed the black cod miso and some rolls, as well as a wakame salad. The second time I visited her this past March, I jumped at the chance to eat here again when she suggested it. This time, we ordered a spider roll, black cod miso, and the tonkatsu don with egg. The service is attentive, the restaurant is clean, and the food fresh - unlike every other Japanese restaurant found in my locale of San Francisco. Next time I'm back in London to visit my sister, I'll find an opportunity to make my way over to Atari-Ya. It's quality, not the quantity, that matters! read more

Sushi is tasty, high grade and whilst not dirt cheap better value than many sushi bars. The hot plates are also scrummy - I loved the miso black cod, and sweet aubergine dishes. Service was mixed as one waitress was very kind and attentive, whilst the other male waiter forgot to put some our order through, leaving us desperately trying to flag their attention from our seats at the back of the bar, Atari-ya is quite small - we failed to get a table even though we booked and were seated at the bar. I enjoy looking over the sushi making action, but for parties of two plus book a table well ahead. read more

It is a sushi bar tucked away in nw corner of London. The setting is casual and although some efforts are made to make the place look nicer, it feels like a unsophisticated dinning place - this is mostly due to the smell and lighting. The lighting is very bright - almost feel like an office environment. The restaurant has this permanent fish smell. I am japanese do have been to quite a number of sushi restaurant in my life :-) one easy tell between world class sushi to average sushi is smell., the great sushi restaurants do not smell like fish. All sushi dishes as well as cooked dishes are just average... Nothing outstanding.. Greatest value is in sushi and the chain wholesales sushi fish. I go of medium fatty tune, sea bass, yellow tail, tuna roll. read more

I think this place is a nice spot for a cozy date, but expect your wallet to lose weight and your palate to plead. Yea. Enjoy my alliteration. That's what two associate degrees will get you. I was quite excited to try the Turbot and Sea Bream sashimi, along with Natto and spicy pollock roe. I will *always* spend money on new cuts of fish, no exceptions. This time, I was met with forgettable cuts that I doubt were very fresh. The turbot and bream had that "serve-able but not preferable" aura about it. This was exceptionally aggravating, as the turbot was a whopping 7+ pounds. The natto was decently stinky and odd, I can't complain or compare much about this. Finally, the spicy pollak was just "ok" and served in slices that are confusing when dealing with fish eggs. I wasn't quite done, as I was still hungrying (that's my word and don't steal it) I tried a salmon roll and wakame/cucumber salad. It was at this point I noted the insanely confusing price range of this place. A salmon roll was 2.80, and an inside out salmon and avocado roll was 5.50 or so. What? Who did the math on that? Granted, the inside out rolls were a bit bigger..but still. My wakame salad was also microscopic, and probably the size of George Bush's brain. Overall, not terrible, but I wouldn't go by yourself if you're expecting "great" food. Also, I ran into the minor peccadillo (I just learned this word) where it was mostly non-Japanese people dining inside...and the all consuming poor british service. Not worth the 25 pound bill. read more

4 stars if you know what to order. The fish is definitely the star here, so oddly, this is a sushi place where you don't want to get rolls. The rice is a touch cold, and the ratio of rice to filling is too rice-heavy. The nigiri were great, particularly the eel and snow crab. We also go the regular chirashi, which was very nice, and the rice was warm, so much better. To reiterate, the rolls were disappointing, The green tea was from a teabag. And the pancake and icecream dessert was fine, but a little underwhelming. It was surprisingly crowded on a weekday evening, but we snagged a last table. The atmosphere has a very light fishy smell, which, while not offensive, is something my mother would comment on and makes it not the fine dining experience it could otherwise aspire toward. The service was fine. It was a bit odd to have a waiter with an eastern European accent and hair from the 90's punk scene, but he was nice. read more

A reasonable Japanese restaurant but one that I don't frequent too often. This restaurant is in a nice area of town. Quietly hidden away on a wide street, delights in being rather authentic. I particularly enjoyed the fatty tuna sashimi, although the salmon was not as tasty.as I have had in the past. Although it was the end of the evening and therefore we may not have been on time for the best parts. There was great service throughout and cola from a bottle. What more could I ask for. Will I return is always the predominant question the answer is yes, although again it may be a few months down the long road. read more

Very expensive for sushi that is okay and small amounts of it. The cuts of meat are alright and the recipes unadventurous and bland. Lots of well to do locals go there, it is clean and the service is good. If you are willing to travel, can do much better and more interesting sushi for the money read more

We popped here last night for a bite to eat before the cinema. We usually head to Bento Camden for sushi and this is the first time i've been to Atari Ya and i'm seriously impressed. The nigiri was delicious, the fish was meltingly fresh and the rice was room temperature - really delicious. The salmon and tuna were fabulous quality and the black cod inside out rolls were very memorable. Less successful elements was a snow crab nigiri and an overly seasoned yakatori. BUT, and it's a fairly big but, it's really pricey, without drinks were were at £30 a head - it's a lot for a casual meal. We will be back and if they did delivery, i'd probably be living on the stuff! read more

Overall the sushi is extremely good, but the service was slow and there wasn't a lot of variety of sushi in the menu. If you wanted good sushi and had a lot of time on your hands, then I would definitely recommend this place. read more

The eel on rice (unaju) was a winner.

Atari-Ya is my new favourite sushi place in London! Lucky for me, it's right around the corner in Swiss Cottage. I have not eaten in, so can't speak to the service, each time I order take away, the staff is incredibly nice and have always had my order correct. These guys have some great sushi, all incredibly fresh and of high quality. Every roll and cut of fush was perfect and fresh. The uni was incredibly fresh and delectable. I would highly recommend. read more

First time at this little hidden gem thanks to a friend's recommendation the sushi was delicious and service was particularly nice because we went with a native Japanese speaker. Fatty tuna was heavenly in its meltiness, as was the himachil. Spent about £20 for an order of sashimi and three nigiri, which is perhaps a little steep, but well worth it. I suspect I'd be broke if I lived anywhere near this place. read more

Amazing!!!! Love! Love! Love! Probably the best sushi place in London. I went to the Mayfair branch which I found on yelp( thank you Lord for yelp!!!) and I loved it! I saw that they have a restaurant near my house, and I think I found The ONE. Honestly, so fresh, tasty and not overpriced. If you love sushi- be sure to check this place out. Be warned- the Mayfair restaurant is really for takeaways only. read more

Atari-Ya apparently supplies sushi to the finest restaurants in town. Having purchased sashimi from their retail store in Ealing, i could well believe this. Every time its fabulous. Unfortunately, the Swiss Cottage restaurant is very hit and miss. Very well prices, always nice service, but cooked food quality goes up and down like a yoyo. sashimi (especially fatty tuna) is always great. Stick to sashimi, and spider rolls and you'll leave happy. read more

The waiter and sushi chef were soo thrown by my simple substitution request: instead of prawn sushi, I would like an additional piece of tuna. They got it eventually, but they messed up my friend's order, and there was just such an air of chaos with the waitstaff crowding the bar and yelling orders at each other. And, sat at the sushi bar, we got front row seats to this. Wooo. The quality of the fish was very good, but I wish the menu had been a little more interesting. read more

I used to be a regular until one unbelievably bad incident - We waited almost an hour for our food, and during that time could see two groups come in and get served before us. When I asked why their food was being prepared before ours the head chef became annoyed and said it was because they were "important customers" ie: rich Japanese businessmen and their families( who the chef wanted to be servile towards). So our orders were pushed aside. To hell with that. read more

Very disappointed in poor customer service. Staying at Marriott .4 mood les away. Ran here to arrive at 14:45. They close at 15:00. They were already closing, saw us, but refused to acknowledge us or come to the door to let us enter or to even say sorry. Will not try again and will let Marriott know of what happened. read more

Absolutely horrible service! I've been here twice... The waiters barely acknowledged my existence after being seated at the bar. It took them 20 mins to bring me my drink (green tea!) and my appetizer arrived AFTER the main dish. The second attempt I didn't actually eat :( I didn't have a reservation but they agreed to take me as a walk-in. As the host (an older lady with short black hair) was escorting me to the bar with menu in hand, she stopped midway and turned to me and said "actually, we don't have a space for you" and then pointed toward the door to suggest I leave! Not sure how to react and quite frankly embarrassed, I asked if I could make a reservation. She looked at her chart and informed me it wouldn't be for another hour, therefore I should leave! Keep in mind the restaurant was not busy at all! The Japanese pride themselves on hospitality and this restaurant is definitely is lacking in this area. Very rude. Will never return. read more

I've had consistently delicious sushi here. It's lovely and light inside, the staff are friendly, and I could eat Atari-Ya's special rolls for days. I've been on the weekend a couple of times and not had to reserve a table but recently tried going on a Tuesday and was faced with a half-hour wait -- so despite its relatively remote location I suggest you book a table here. read more

This is a tiny restaurant on an unassuming street in Swiss Cottage. It's about a five minute walk from the Swiss Cottage tube stop or eight minutes to the Finchley Road station. This is the best sushi I have had in London for the money. I have eaten here four or five times now and every time, the fish was fresh, fresh, fresh! I am particularly fond of their Sushi B combo. The place is clean, the service a little scattered but well meaning. If you are looking for a good neighborhood sushi bar with consistently good quality food, this is your place. read more

Been thrice and each time sliding on the satisfaction scale..Pales in comparison to Sushi Say, Jinkichi and Eat Tokyo where quality, service and authenticity is key for true Japanese fare. Lacks personality and over priced for what it is. read more

Good food, AWFUL service. We had lunch here on a quiet Thursday afternoon, there were only four other people in the restaurant. My friend and I (both of us are women) asked to sit near the window, but were told it was a table for four, and we were not allowed. The very rude waitress then told us the restaurant would soon be packed and that every seat was needed. 10 minutes later two men walked in and sat at the table for four, with no complaints. The restaurant stayed empty over the next hour. When we mentioned the situation to the waitress we were told 'too bad...' read more

I had a terrible experience, but it had nothing to do with the food. When I go to restaurant is not only for the food but for the service, so imagine my surprise when after ordering starters, mains, beer and wine, the waitress comes to us while I'm in the middle of enjoying my desert with the bill and tells me we have to leave because the next customer is waiting. NO WARNING!!! First of all, if you had a reservation you should've let us know before hand, in which case we would decide if we wanted to stay or not; second, it wasn't like I was spending spare change, it was close to £60 and we were still planing to have sake, so interrupting our meal that way was just absolutely disrepectful, as if we weren't valuable customers; third, there were another 4 TABLES EMPTY when you literally kicked us out, that makes it even worse... needless to say I will never come back to this restaurant, you need to learn something about making customers feel welcomed... the worse part is that after complaining about what had just happened we barely got a weak apology from the manager, so what was supposed to be a celebratory meal turned into one of the worse hospitality experiences of my life... NEVER GOING BACK!!! read more