Was craving sushi and Tombo hit the spot! I ordered the Tokyo Classic bowl and the fish was very fresh! Inside was very clean and cute. You order and pay with QR which was very convenient. read more

Tombo - Tokyo Classic - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

I LOVE udon so I HAD to get their Kitsune udon. (With an egg- highly recommend). We also ordered a sushi roll plus matcha ice cream (not pictured). They weren't busy when we visited which was around 5:30 on a Tuesday. The sushi was good and I would absolutely get this udon again. The broth was AMAZING. The matcha ice cream was just ok to me- maybe it's my American taste buds but it wasn't very sweet so it was almost bitter and I didn't like that very much. But overall a great spot and I'd definitely go back. read more

Tombo - Kitsune Udon - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

This meal was the best value we've had since landing in London. We were seated by the front window on a round table with a "tree" in the middle. The decor was soft florals. The highlight were the matcha lattes - we ordered 3 and adjusted to desired sweetness - made smooth with high quality matcha The pumpkin katsu and chicken katsu curry were both crisp and light. The curry was tasty but could have benefited from more spice. I enjoyed the black/white rice. The portions were a bit small compared to US-portions (you can't beat $11-15£) We were impressed with their matcha so we ordered matcha pancake and vegan matcha cheesecake for dessert. Cheesecake was not our first choice but they were out of the Matcha Gateau. Seems to be the popular choice. read more

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Great japanese cafe and atmosphere! A little pricey (it is located in South Kensington), but the menu is very diverse - you can get anything from poke to donburi to cakes/desserts. We tried their seared aburi salmon poke, pumpkin croquette katsu curry, tokio sundae, and hojicha burnt cheesecake. All were very delicious - the seared salmon was extremely well done, and the rice was well seasoned. The pumpkin used was japanese pumpkin and I liked the sweetness that balanced with the curry. The highlight was the tokio sundae, - it came with a very distinct and high quality red bean paste and mochi, rivals that of tsuijiri! The hojicha cheesecake was great as well, but we were feeling a bit full by then so the first two bites were great but it was read more

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It had been years since I was last in the UK and whilst there, one of the first restaurants I decided to try was Tombo. Along with sushi and some hot meals, they have a great range of pastries that will make you salivate. There is a variety of various Japanese green teas, as well as some Chinese, English, and regular coffee varieties. Their other beverages, such a matcha frappuccino or a hot or cold matcha latte, are more intriguing. The Dorayaki miniature pancakes are really tasty. Good service and good food. read more

Nice Japanese Café. I had a Seared Aburi Salmon Poke which was an interesting take on more classic pokes since the pieces of raw salmon were seared on one side. Service is good and efficient and prices are a fair considering the area. read more

Tombo - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

I ordered no carb bento w Salmon, the veggies sides( hijiki n cucumber spiral was wonderful and refreshing), shrimp wonton is medocre. Chicken teriyaki is a bit off( wouldnot order). Matcha latte is a must to try Sevices is abit confusing if u need to seat by yourself or wait to be seat it as no body greets you upon arrival. read more

Tombo - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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The location is great; just on the way to the museums. I ordered a bowl of ramen. I think the ramen is a little overbooked & I felt it's a little too gummy. However service was good & the place very clean. There are some more worthy ramen place in London than Tombo. read more

I had their salmon sushi rice bowl and loved it. The fish was fresh. Their avocado wasn't ripe enough but can't compare avocados with Texan ones! The rice was purplish and vinegarish and interesting. read more

Excellent causal Japanese eatery. My teenage daughter (bit of a Japanese food connaisseuse) approved.

Busy cafe near Exhibition Rd in South Kensington. Delicious rice bowl and rolls. My daughter liked her iced matcha latte. We shared a half and half soft serve ice cream of matcha and sakura, and we both liked it, too. Service was good and organized. read more

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Came here for lunch and were seated after a short wait! Seating and space was limited, but we got a nice seat by the window with a street view and service was quite fast considering how busy it was. We got the Chunky Veggie Curry, Tokyo Classic poké bowl, Yuzu Salmon sushi sliders, two matcha lattes, AND two matcha soft serves for dessert. The food was delicious and really stayed true to Japanese cuisine. The curry was so flavorful and the vegetables were very generously portioned - not overrun with rice as some curries can be. The lack of meat was not missed, and that's coming from a big meat-lover like myself. The sushi sliders were also great and an interesting twist on traditional rolls. Last but not least - the matcha latte and soft serve were AMAZING. In fact, many people were coming to the cafe solely for takeout of the latte and/or soft serve. The latte had the perfect balance of matcha and milk, which in my opinion is very rare to achieve. The same could be said of the soft serve, which we decided to order at the last minute after seeing a little boy through the window thoroughly enjoying his cone. If you're in the area I would suggest at least stopping by for one of their matcha treats, but their lunch definitely didn't disappoint. Prices were very reasonable too. Would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Japanese flavors! read more

Tombo - Chunky veggie curry and Tokyo classic poké with sushi sliders and matcha latte - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

The food is decent, The ambiance is nice, but the service is awful. I had to flag down somebody to take my order, fill the water, for the check, etc. The fish is just simply fish nothing to call back home about. I ordered the new dish "warm waffle & matcha ice cream" and received a big cup of matcha ice cream, sure that's fine. Then I got another huge scoop of matcha on top of the waffle and when I asked why I got a random cup of matcha ice cream to go with it the waitress rudely said "that's how it comes" and threw the spoon on the table and left. I don't feel like I asked anything wrong..? For the amount of money I spent here I suggest you go to the nice Italian place across the street to get your moneys worth. read more

Having viewed the menu before arriving, I was really anticipating my meal. However the food taste lacked what I was expecting even though the presentation was done well. Starting with a tempura prawn roll that surprisingly was made with red beans rice, therefore the sweet flavour didn't compliment the prawn. I could not find enough wasabi and soy sauce to temper the flavour. Then came the mains of the kaisen poke bowl and tantanmen ramen. The ramen broth was plain and clear, save for the spice of the minced meat. With just a few pickles mixed in, I was hoping for more in terms of toppings. The poke bowl had a nice ratio of salmon, tuna, edamame and avocado with crunchy onions. Again served on sweet rice it faired better than the prawn roll. However it lacked a real soy sauce or something to give it a flavour boost. The matcha frappe was a refreshing drink. It was not entirely original or presented well, so one could have easily mistaken it for the Starbucks version. However it still went down easy! This is a decent place for lunch and I do want to try their matcha latte. They obviously have a large matcha dessert menu and sell the powder so that may be where their specialty lies. I think my cooking fairs better in terms of oishi Japanese cuisine so don't come here expecting more than what you might find at a chain. read more

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This was my second time here and the food has always been good. This time I ordered the Sushi Slider set and it was a great portion for an appetizer. The fish was fresh and cut well. Wasn't a big fan of the seaweed placement cause it was sticking to the sushi and it was tricky trying to pull it off before eating it. But taste was great and I was just looking for a quick bite! read more

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They have a short menu, but quick service with fresh fish. Don't be put off by the apparent lack of space when you first look in, they have more seating at the back. The staff was super nice and very helpful. I heard them patiently & elaborately explain their matcha menu to a couple on the next table who were visiting from Australia. The couple also must have been impressed. They bought lots of tea to carry home with them. For myself, I ordered a salmon maki sushi and and a pork Katy's bento. But my server came back to tell me that the katsu was fried in the same oil as the shrimp (which I had mentioned I was allergic to), so I switched to a healthier miso salmon. The fish was perfectly cooked and I loved all 3 vegetable sides that they served with it. The rice was a whole bowl. The next time I'm here, I'll probably order one plate of sushi and a bento box without the rice. I'm not a big fan of matcha (I don't like its powdery mouth feel), and I told my server that. She recommended that I try their latte and she was right, I loved it! It didn't leave that powdery grainy texture on my tongue. The foam on top had a bit of it, but my latte was perfect! Will definitely go back when I'm in the area. The food was super fresh, healthy and tasty. Service was lovely and fast - a great place to grab a bite before or after a museum visit read more

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My partner and I came here for our first ever meal in London on our holiday trip and I really liked it! I think it's just slightly not worthy for a 4-star review as even though my partner absolutely adored his dish, I thought mine was just OK - decently tasty but nothing out of this world. ~ Atmosphere: It's a cute little place, tightly cramped and you might have trouble getting a seat but it's clean and has a very stylish atmosphere. ~ Customer Service: I see other people here complaining about the service but I honestly didn't experience anything negative. The food came out at a decent time even though the place was packed and everything was done and dusted quickly. ~ Food: We ordered the Temari Sushi Set to start for £9.95 and it didn't entirely feel worth it and the use of non-traditional sushi rice (they use multigrain) did not really work in my honest opinion. That might just be down to personal preference though but I'm a huge fan of sushi and approached it with an open mind. I think the rice just had too much flavour in itself and overwhelmed all of the selection where aside from the unagi, I couldn't taste the seafood at all. The taste of prawn especially disappeared off the face of the Earth compared to the flavoured rice. For my main I got Tan Tan Noodles for £9.85 - this was yummy and had good flavour, but nothing out of this world. --- Overall, I wouldn't be opposed to coming back. However, I feel like London has a lot more to offer in terms of delicious Japanese cuisine. Tombo is OK - but that's about it. read more

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Sushi was alright. I definitely wouldn't come back for that. Ice cream was pretty good.

Service by server Roha, was amazing! Very sweet & quick service. Their matcha soft serve & sushi are good!

There's always a huge queue to get anywhere for dinner when the Lates are happening around the museums in South Kensington. We walked around a few areas where the wait was ~45 minutes to an hour on a Friday night. With no reservations, Tombo were able to accommodate us after 15 minutes of waiting inside. This place is fairly discrete and you might walk past it a few times without even noticing. However, once you realise that it has just about matcha everything, you can't help but wonder if it knows what to do with all the green tea inside! We ordered a few dishes from a very reasonably priced menu (you'll expect to have a decent sized meal for about ~9-11 GBP, then add drinks and desert, and you'll only be paying less than 20 GBP - in a pretty touristy spot of South Kensington, this one is going to be a hit amongst the students, i'd imagine). The food came quite quickly. The salmon bowl is amazing - it has salmon prepared in three different ways (from tartare to miso cooked) and a bed of rice that is cooked just perfectly. The matcha latte is made just right too - you can't go wrong with this as a drink. Save room for desert because the matcha menu is just as well prepared as the mains and drinks. I would recommend this place if you're after something that's quick, light on the wallet and tastes as if it came straight from the walls of Tokyo. Also, the service is top notch and the interior is designed so you can catch up with friends very easily over a meal or drink, and linger around until late in the evening. read more

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I absolutely love Japanese food (one of my favourite cuisines in the world) so I was very excited to find this cute little place for lunch. I had the Unagi Don (eel) for my main which was delicious and then I got the matcha strawberry cake and shared two of the matcha beverages with my friend (I can't remember their names). I have to say the cake was amazing and I could have loads of it if I could. It's light and fluffy and the tea and strawberry flavours are brought together with the cream. You have to have it! The Sakura macaroons were really nice as well, it's like childhood dreams in food form. I definitely recommend this place and I definitely want to go back for more cakes and drinks. I might be developing a matcha tea dessert obsession but it's too good to resist. read more

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Heard about a Matcha Café in South Kensington, so I added it to my list of go-to places to try, and a few weeks later here I am! I didn't make a reservation and also didn't have to queue to be seated. Me and my friend went for Matcha Iced Frappe and Matcha Lemonade, both which were very yummy. I ate a Matcha Monaka, which looked good but was quite small. The service was okay considering the place was very busy. There are loads of Matcha places popping up all over London now-a-days, but nothing made this one stand out to the others. So I'm just giving it 3/5 stars. Next time I want something Matcha I'll probably choose Tsujiri in Soho. More reviews on my instagram: mattzard read more

Tombo - Matcha Frappe and Matcha Lemonade - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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I love the interior design which is simple, clean, and modern. The foods are delicious and the service was very nice! They propose a japanese cuisine, with Temaki, Onigiri, Bento, and KatsuCarry! Good place to have a quick meal !! and the desserts are great! read more

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After a long time looking for a place to enjoy a good Japanese dessert in London, I found Tombo. So last Sunday, we woke up early to go to the Natural History Museum and took the opportunity to finish the afternoon visiting this matcha bar and cafe. From outside looks very nice, as we walked-in upon a queque, we realized it was full and although was very little, it has different divided environments, even a tiny terrace with a couple of tables. While we're waiting in line for a table (5 minutes), we could delight ourselves watching the variety of desserts on the display and the sushi chef making some dishes as well. The truth is that all looked spectacular, I did not know which to choose, one that most caught my attention was the matcha tiramisu and macaroons, I took note to order them later at the table. It is noteworthy that the atmosphere is very cozy with traditional Japanese simply decorative details and symbols that were combined with London's style. The noise was considerable, although no longer upset you when the desserts arrives to the table. Once we seated, I realized that we arrived late for a desserts tasting, they offered it till 5pm. A pity, but it's an excuse to come back, we should always see the positive side of everything, don't you think? We missed a waiter suggestion, recommendation an a little smile too. They looked like humanoids, but then I though, hold on, we are not in Tokyo. So we ordered following our instinct and of course the entrance's display. We went with the intention of eating desserts, not sushi or hot dishes, which impressed me, I thought it was Japanese sweets place, but I was wrong... I'll have to go there again to try their knife's skills. Anyway, we went for the Matcha Sunday, a green tea ice cream with granola, azuki or red bean paste and date syrop with matcha brownie topping, was great, one of the best I've eaten, the touch of matcha powder as topping and its combination with the granola was a totally success, not instead the green tea tiramisu, for me, that dessert is not even close to a real tiramisu at all, it can not be called like that, this GT buttery cream is an offense to traditional Italian dessert, but I must say that my daughter liked the Oreo's base. We also enjoyed the Matcha Strawberry short cake, very well done and it has a real good balance, very fresh, lovely spongy and with nice proportion of each element, finally we loved the Matcha frappe iced milk shake, it's good quality matcha presence is questionless. As I said before, the service was very poor, the staff limited only to take the order. Although I have to say that when we were about to leave, the kitchen team thanked us in a very Japanese and pleasantly way. read more

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Tombo is London's first authentic Japanese Café & Matcha Bar located in the heart of the South Kensington museum district. I got the chicken udon (£9.95 / $17 CAD), which was quite tasty. The udon had a nice chewy texture, and the chicken wasn't dry. Of course, it wasn't the cheapest bowl of udon (compared to North America), but it's a decent price for a meal in London, UK. The atmosphere and service was good though! read more

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Tumbled on that tiny sushis place after a long day at the Museum with my BoyFriend. This place got a really friendly staff, welcoming environment and some great food at great value. £30 for two juices, a almost-too-big-for-one Curry Katsu Rice Bowl & a good portion size very tasty Chicken box. I will definitely got back to that tiny place when in the area and obviously I highly recommend it to anyone. My only down point, not enough sushis choices. Kinda disappointed on that. read more

Tombo - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

I stopped by on a Sunday evening after an exhibition at the museum. It wasn't too busy, and unfortunately the service was quite poor and the food was mediocre. I ordered the salmon chirashi bowl, came out really quick and it was OK. My friend ordered the eel don and unfortunately her eel was still cold. They remade it which is fine, but it was clear its not something freshly made, but rather just heated up really quickly to serve over rice. As for the dessert, which was what we were most excited for. We placed our orders and considering how quickly our food came, it was odd how long our dessert was taking. So we inquired, and my friend's dessert finally came and they noted mines will take a little bit longer. Fine, a few more moments past and still nothing. Then they came by for last call, and we reminded them again. Another few moments has past and my friend flagged them with a very annoyed - what's taking so long for matcha ice cream and then they finally put it together and brought it to the table. No apologies. To be honest, when service is poor, I usually give the place another try before leaving a mediocre review. However all things considered, the food and dessert was just meh - I've had better Salmon chirashi bowl and matcha ice cream around London, so I really don't want to come back. read more

Maaaaatchhhaaaa Came here for my weekly matcha and sashimi fix in a two birds one stone kind of thing. I went for the usual chirashi donburi which was amazing but faaar too small to fill me up. Disappointing when you're paying premium prices. My matcha frappe was ok.. Nothing to rave about. Probably should have gone for my preferred milky matcha instead. Would I come back? Yeahhh probably but I won't be excited about it. read more

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Rating this relatively high for the service as everyone was incredibly nice and attentive. My bento box was half alright - the salmon was cooked very well and the accompanying salads were good. However, I'd appreciated more of the salad for the price I paid given that the additional costs to the restaurant is likely very marginal. read more

Tombo - Bento box with salmon - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Close by the museums without being outrageously expensive? Count me in. It's a small place to grab a quick meal in between visiting the Natural History Museum, Science Museum or V&A Museum. It's just a 5 minute walk literally across the street. My parents had the Chicken Katsu Curry and it was good. It was what you would expect of a typical Japanese curry. I tried the Non Carb Bento (which is just the Bento without rice - although the vegetables and salmon also contain carbs so it's more like low carb bento.. ). It came with a variety of sides and a perfectly baked salmon. read more

Tombo - Katsu - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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This is one of my favourite spot in South Kensington. If you work or study at Imperial, this place is very convenient for getting lunch or dinner. Their food tastes very nice - sometimes I just order and take it back to uni to eat. Recommendations: Beef don rice bowl Katsu curry Matcha latte Matcha short cake Matcha ice cream Etc read more

Food was amazing and service was great. I fell in love with their ice creams, Matcha Monaka and London Sundae. So creamy and silky! read more

Tombo - London Sundae - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Decent salmon sashimi. A pleasant surprise ! I believe this place is also known for green tea/matcha stuff. Price is reasonable for London standard. Service was good! read more

Loved this place for its ambience, food, and matcha desserts! I didn't get to try the desserts but they were very pleasing to the eyes and would love to try in the future. Their salmon don and poke were lovely, one of the best ones I've had in London. read more

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This place is lovely! The cafe itself has a really chill atmosphere and is stylish and pretty. I'm a huge fan of all things Japanese but I wanted to try the salmon and tuna kaisen poké, which although it has Japanese influence (it's a raw fish salad), originates in Hawaii I think. It was fun to try something new, but I'm not sure I would get it again as the fish in it was just ok. The black and white rice was interestingly flavoured but next time I would probably go for something more traditionally Japanese. I must confess, I am not the biggest fan of matcha so I wasn't sure how I would manage dessert here. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the marble cheesecake which only had a little matcha on the top and a small layer on the bottom, and it actually went really well with the rich and delicious cheesecake layer. I truly enjoyed my dessert as well as the best-selling Bonsai genmaicha with matcha tea, which was my favourite thing. I also tried the sakura stem tea, but it didn't really taste like cherry blossoms to me and it was just okay. The staff didn't mind us having a leisurely meal on a Saturday afternoon and the atmosphere was really nice just to relax without being rushed. I really enjoyed it! read more

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Pretty decent Japanese comfort food place by V&A Museum. My friend and I stopped here to have a bite before going to the museum just before noon. We were fortunate to just beat the lunch crowd. I ordered the miso salmon bento and she ordered the pork katsu bento. The side dishes with the bento were nicely flavored. The main protein was bit dry though. The salmon doesn't really taste like it had been marinated in miso. Perhaps it was just used as a glaze? The katsu was nicely fried with the panko being crispy but the pork was also a little tough and on the dry side. I also ordered a match latte and it was really nice. I thought the matcha flavor was nicely balanced, much better than what you would get from a coffee chain in the States. Overall, a reasonably priced eatery with decent food. read more

Tombo, Japanese for dragonfly, is a very nice little cafe near South Kensington station. They have a lovely selection of pastries that will make you salivate like Pavlov's dogs at the sight of them, in addition to sushi and some hot food. There is a selection of different Japanese green teas, some Chinese teas, a few English ones and the usual kinds of coffee. More interesting is their other drinks such as hot or cold matcha latte or a matcha frappuccino. If you have tried the matcha frappuccino in other places such as Eat you will find this one much different and much more like what you would expect a Japanese version to be like. The pastries include dorayaki (the little pancakes, filled with green tea paste rather than the usual red bean paste), green tea roll cake filled with different kinds of fruit, green tea ganache cake and many more. Great place to sit down a while and have some very nice pastries and tea. The coffee could be improved upon though. read more

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I recently found my way to Tombo in search of pastries from Japanese chef Masayuki Hara of Lanka. (Along with savory dishes, Tombo carries pastries and cakes from Lanka in North London and A Taste of Dreams in Sussex.) There weren't many pastry choices available the day I stopped by (thus, only 3 stars), but the lemon cake I got was absolutely delicious. read more

Tombo - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Th place is good and good place to take a break, a bit disappointed on the food. Not japanese rice :( Curry taste ok, quite japanese style but the pork is dry, Miso salmon rice is so-so. read more

Tombo - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Curry is nice but the taste of chicken is a bit too old. Miso soup is delicious but be aware that a regular size might be too much for u. Matcha dessert is awesome. Highly recommend sundae London! :) read more