Roka

While Roka is a beautifully executed restaurant with a staff second to none, the food is rather obvious and uninspired. Incredibly salty. It’s a reliable place to take people who aren’t hugely experienced with Japanese food, but want to experience really excellent service.

Even as a New Yorker who is used to rushed service this place takes the prize. I literally sat down and was asked for my order. Even in NY a drink order is taken first. Secondly the food was ok, but not at all in line with the 100 GBP ~($ 150 US) tab for one. I was seated at 730 and dismissed by 830. I tried both the robata and maki. Neither were even remotely as flavorful as a mediocre restaurant n NYC or other parts of London like Spicy Fish

I don’t know. I love the buzzy vibe, drinks, the room and the staff. But the food… it’s just ok. The grilled stuff is excellent. Same with Gyoza. Love the broccoli, beef and others. If you’re from North America or Australia (or Japan) you’ll be disappointed with the sushi. It’s just not that good for the price. Go for the vibe and company. If you want solid sushi look elsewhere.

Excellent Japanese Food, Great Service. Everything Terrific!

Horrible, incredibly rude experience!
I’ve eaten here many times, and have enjoyed it until recently. Unfortunately, my last two experiences were sub-​par, and the most recent so bad I cannot imagine returning. They’ve lost their edge, and are no longer worth it.
Actively avoid this place.
We made dinner reservations in advance. Within minutes of sitting, we ordered the tasting menu, at their suggestion. I’ve had it in the past; it’s a large tasting menu, with many courses (twelve?). The food was generally good, but it took them a long time (30 – 45 minutes?) to start serving us, and once they did, it was very, very rushed. We were eating very quickly – even by American standards, and by European standards it was a flat-​out race to finish.
Toward the end, they were bringing us multiple courses simultaneously, and taking away dishes before we could finish them. Finally, they brought the desert – which looked pretty. I wish I could report on how it tasted.
Unfortunately, as they brought the desert, they also informed us that they had people waiting for our table, and they needed us to leave. They acted as though we had done something wrong. This before we’d even had a chance to eat our dessert! We pointed out to the manager that we had been eating as quickly as they served us, and that we wanted to finish the meal.
Now, here’s the crazy part – the manager actually came and took our desert away while we were eating it, informing us that it was time to leave!
So here’s my response:
We did not design their tasting menu. We ordered the most expensive item on their menu, and ate it as fast as they delivered it. It is not our fault they took a long time to get started, nor that they are booking tables too closely together given the menu they have designed, and their ability to serve it.
We didn’t expect them to take as long to serve the meal as they did (2.5 hours total). And I hate feeling rushed by a restaurant who clearly cannot get their own act together. But to actually come to the table and remove food, which they’ve charged us for, and tell us (in front of our guests) that we had to leave because they had booked the table, is simply inexcusable.
Hey Roka: if you want your tables turned more frequently, don’t take so long to start serving, and don’t design and recommend a menu that you cannot serve in the time allotted!
The food is okay.
The price is very high (£120 per person, without alcohol).
The service sucks.
Avoid.

So my wife tells me «Five, it was an excellent meal.» And it was. But it was so rich that, being used to very low fat food, I would have liked to have had a little rice to serve as ballast. But most people would not have that problem. I enjoyed the meal a great deal, each of 8 courses surprising and delighting the palate. And this was only the ordinary tasting menu. Service was unimpeachable, the décor was terrific, and, of course, my company was unparalleled. We had to rush. We did not have a booking ahead of time and even though we arrived early, to finish all of our courses by 8 when they had bookings that were going to be filling all of their tables, we had to keep eating. This was not a problem, as the wait staff brought courses 2 and 3 at a time, only waiting for us to finish devouring each in a fit of gustatory delight.
Yet I will still fault them for having an insufficient amount of starch and vegetables to go with the fried courses, each resplendent in the glisten of delectable oils. Sometimes too much of a good thing is unbalanced. And I’m afraid I would conclude that you should come prepared to have an unbalanced meal. Unless you request rice. And, if you can make it stretch over a little longer than 2 hours.

Excellent food! Obviously quite pricey but you get what you pay for! Sensational beef filet and very good sushi! I only gave four out of five stars as the service unfortunately didn’t live up to the standard.

Very disappointing meal at Roka. Quite simply not up to scratch across a range of factors, but mainly the service, quality of food and value for money.
Let’s start on service: I cannot stand when waiters continuously try to up sell more dishes and ‘recommend’ the most expensive items on the menu. Ours did this on at least three occasions, grating on us more and more each time and generally just spoiling our mood.
On quality of food, the sushi was really poor. Nizuni across the street serves better at about 2/​3rds of the price.
On the dishes that did deliver, the price left a sour taste. Their black cod is undoubtedly amazing, but should be about £10 cheaper. Again you can get great alternatives elsewhere in this area for much more reasonable prices. Willing to overlook price if the restaurant delivers on amazing overall experience, but the poor service just compounded my negative feeling towards this place.
I’ve been told the new Aldwych branch is a much better operation, so given the strong reputation of the chain, I may give them a 2^nd chance via a visit to that location.

NB: I was lucky enough to attend a complimentary pre-​launch sitting at Roka so cannot comment on value for money, and am unlucky enough to be a vegetarian so cannot comment on the meat and fish!
However, the food we ate here was absolutely delicious, from the glazed tofu (which was cooked to perfection, neither too soggy nor too greasy), to the granola dessert. The atmosphere is fantastic — if there are only two of you, I would highly recommend reserving seats on the bench-​style tables, which face directly onto the grill — it’s fantastic to see the cooking up close, and to hear the «OI!» shouted every few minutes.

Following Unilocal in the UK has not stirred me wrong thus far! Roka is amazing! My husband and I tried the premium set course since we wanted great food with not much effort and it did not disappoint. We also added the Japanese Wagu so it averaged to about $ 97 € a persons which was well worth it. We had no reservations, just walked in to the bar area. The restaurant was booked but we got lucky. The service was great, they even made me a Special Michelada once they caught wind of me trying to make my own! Turns out the head bartender is from South America and knows all about making good Michelada’s in London! Afterwards we walked downstairs to the bar, which was equally awesome. Great music, great drinks and great service. Vibe was very hip and trendy but not too pretentious. I think we found a gem!

All of the Izakaya restaurants I’ve been to in Japan (which you can read more about here) are very reasonably priced and are the kinds of places you could happily afford to go to every week. Roka is several levels of expense above that.
All the food was beautifully balanced as had all the delicate flavouring you expect from good Japanese food. Gorgeous presentation and a menu you want to order everything from. The Baby back ribs were a particular highlight for me as was the Black cod marinated in yuzu miso and homemade hajikami.

My FAVOURITE restaurant in London by far! The whole experience is such a treat — from cocktails in the downstairs Shocu lounge to the experience in the open plan kitchen restaurant. The sushi is top notch! Do not leave without trying the gyu no tataki to truffle (seared beef with truffle — one of the nicest dishes I’ve ever tasted) and the black cod. For dessert, the almond cake is a must.
Ideal for a splash out birthday meal!

Been waiting ages to come here as heard great things and did exceed my expectations. Great service and our waiter even choose some of our dishes. Being first time visitors they talked us through the menu and told us sizes etc. food was the best japanese I have ever had and the wine was perfect. This place is on the pricy side but was worth it each dish had amazing flavours and was really tasty. Very accommodating to us having babies and we even fit the buggy in with us!

Great quality and nice place for dining with friend. Tempura, sushi (try toro) and the grill (Tofu, fish & meat) are simply perfect. Strongly recommended. Only minus: a bit noisy!

Best meal ive ever had in my life.
the sake is smooth, the martinis are banging.
we ordered fillet, salmon, sushi, rock shrimp tempura, salads, and dessert.
service is impeccable.

Four of us had two premium tasting menus (£79 each) and two seasonal tasting menus (£55 each).
The quantity of food seemed to be the same but the premium tasting menu came with «better» cuts of meat. For example the black cod vs. the sea bream. Or yellowtail sashimi vs tuna ceviche. Both menus provided tons of food, you will definitely be full afterwards.
My favourites were the yellowtail sashimi and the black cod. I think the rest of the menu was just ok and the sushi definitely was not the best I’ve had.
Service was attentive but some servers delivering the food had no idea what it was or which menu it came from which was a bit annoying.
Overall thought it was expensive for what it was but if you want to try something there, just go for the black cod and maybe a couple of other dishes to share. The cod and overall atmosphere was enough for me to bump it to 4 stars instead of 3.

Roka c’est mon nouveau restaurant préféré au monde, mon futur cadeau d’anniversaire pour les 15 ans à venir, mon escapade chic, rock, japonaise fusion londonienne comme nulle part ailleurs (et pourtant, rien qu’à Londres, il y en a déjà plusieurs).
Roka c’était tellement extraordinaire que ça me donne envie d’en faire un poème. Par exemple, en acrostiche, Roka ça donnerait :
R comme Rock n’ roll, le piment dans les côtelettes et les tatouages du chef!
O comme oh que c’est bon, que c’est chic que c’est goûtu! Le menu dégustation Premium m’en a mis plein la vue avec ses successions de plats, de découvertes, de fraîcheur, de splendeur, de chaleur, et de douceur! Une balade culinaire toute en minimalisme (dans la présentation et dans la quantité) et en perfection (dans la présentation et dans la quantité).
K comme qu’est ce que c’est que ça? Des goûts improbables et si biens mariés, des saveurs inconnues au bataillons mais bientôt dévorées, et des noms que je n’arrive pas à prononcer ! Une expérience à déguster les yeux fermés!
Ah comme ah quand même l’addition est salée. Mais pour la fraîcheur des produits, la justesse des goûts et la sobriété de l’ambiance, moi je suis prête à y mettre le prix!

Omg! Most amazing meal ever! My husband and I loved every bit of it. Tokujo Premium tasting menu, we can’t move but soooo worth it! We also had the wagyu instead of the duck, amazing. My husband especially loved the fruit dessert!

Roka is an Asian fusion style restaurant on busy Charlotte street in Soho London.
It’s a busy fast moving place that offers a wide and not inexpensive variety of Japanese and vaguely chinese themed items. Expect to order Shared/​group Tapas style. It’s loud, and it’s fun.
They have an extensive drinks menu, and one that I found particularly tasty was their Bentai-​san, basically a Manhattan made with Tequila. Quite good.
The Grilled lamb chops (called cutlets) here are an excellent starter. The duck is fantastic too. Sushi is high quality, but don’t some here just for that.
They have a tremendous selection of Sake and also Shochu (basically Korean vodka).
If you are looking for a fun meal, get a reservation and someone else’s wallet!

Roka is a good japanese restaurant when you needed to feel pampered. This is the perfect kind of «Girls night out» restaurants I like to go with my girlfriends so we can put on some cute dresses & heels and chat about our boyfriends or husbands over wonderful champagne and sake. It’s like an ultimate pedicure for your belly.
Food at Roka is wonderful, we loved the sashimi platter, posu yellow tail sashimi, black cod on hobo leave, and many other dishes. The portions are rather small but very delightful. Expect a rather pricey bill at approx 100 pounds /​person, a bit more if you drink a lot… but it’s worth it.

90% style, 10% substance.
Quality fish Roka does deliver, albeit just tiny slivers.
It’s a place one would take to impress a lady friend. See the onsite sommelier for something cheerful to go with the maguro.
Dropping £200 on sush did nothing to satisfy, and that’s just my share. Still ended up at London Bridge Gaucho for dinner round 2.
Don’t come hungry. You’ve been warned.

Pour moi c est un des meilleurs resto de Londres, pas loin du top 10 mondial dans sa categorie. Je vous conseille le black cod: extraordinaire filet de cabillaud qui fond dans la bouche avec une sauce miso divine.
Le risotto au crabe: une explosion de saveur et de textures. Les desserts sont tous exceptionnels. C est un peu cher mais ça les vaut amplement (compter au moins 60 livres par personne avec le vin)

Sentarse en la alargada e irregular barra de madera (es una pieza entera) frente a la parrilla Robata, que preside el centro del local donde se asan al carbón de encina pescados y carnes deliciosos y jugosos en su punto exacto de cocción, es una experiencia visual y olfativa que te ilumina en el proceloso mundo de platos japoneses ininteligible y enigmáticos en una parte importante de cartas de restaurantes nipones. La primera vez que visité este restaurante hace 4 años ya me enseñó que hay vida más allá de los makis, el sushi, y los california roll y que se podía esperar mucho más. En esta segunda visita me ha emocionado platos como el tuna tartar, spicy beef, seabream, o el chicken skewers. Para repetir. Precio medio 60 libras esterlinas.

Ich kann mich nur den begeisterten Kommentaren anschließen,
In allen Bereichen volle Punkte:
Service, Küche, Ambiente, usw.
Ist kaum zu toppen und jeden Penny wert!!!
es macht einfach Spaß das Roka

War der Hammer!
Eigentlich müsste es noch extra Sterne geben.
Ohne Reservierung mit etwas glueck gab es noch einen Tisch am Samstagabend
Der Service war sensationell. Mit Abstand der beste, freundlichste und aufmerksamste
Die Küche ist mitten im Restaurant, mit einer leisen Turbo-​Abzugshaube, so dass man von dem Grill gar nichts mitbekommt.
Auf dem Grill wird Gemüse, Fisch und Fleisch zubereitet.
Aber auch das Sushi kann im internationalen Vergleich mithalten.
Sehr lecker
Es war ein rundrum gelungender Abend.
Wie gerne kommen wir bald wieder
Übrigens waren die Toiletten die saubersten, die ich seit langem in der Londoner gastro gesehen habe

Ich war vorher nur im Zuma und war gespannt, der Abend vor meinem Geburtstag. Schon das reservieren war schwierig, wie im Zuma, nicht via Email nötig. Es gibt eine Reservierungs-​Hotline. Ein paar Tage vorher werden wir noch einmal angerufen, um die Reservierung zu bestätigen und mitgeteilt zu bekommen, dass wir den Tisch zwischen 20.00 Uhr und 22.00 Uhr zu Verfügung haben.
Wir bestellen zweimal das Tasting Menü, 50 Pfund pro Person, das Voss Wasser mit 3,90 Pfund ein Schnäppchen, Bier 4,30 Pfund. Im Roka gibt es eine «normale» Küche, eine Sushi-​Bar und ein Holzkohlegrill.
Das Roka ist voll, nachdem unser Nebentisch nach dem Dessert keinen Wunsch mehr hat, kommt direkt die Rechnung, die zwei sind wenig begeistert.
Kurz nachdem wir unser Menü bestellt haben, geht es auch schon los, neun Speisen in drei Gängen, so steht es in der Karte.
Das Essen ist sensationell, bis auf das erste, was auf unserem Tisch landet, Kim Chi. Ich habe alles fotografiert.
Im Minutentakt landen Speisen auf unserem Tisch, mit kurzer Erklärung von immer anderen Servicekräften. Schwupp die Wupp ist es auch schon wieder vorbei, alles lecker, alles optisch super, aber wir sind nicht auf der Flucht.
Schon bei unserem kommen hatten wir gebeten, uns einen Platz in der Shochu Lounge darunter zu reservieren, dies ist aber nicht möglich.
20.00 Uhr gekommen, 21.30 Uhr die Rechnung auf dem Tisch. Wenn wir etwas Zeit bekommen hätten, wäre es ein perfekter Abend im Restaurant geworden.

Roka is probably the best japanese restaurant in London with a very freindly service. The food is absoludly amazing and special.
It is a lovely atmosphere were feel very welcome as a customer. However it is a bit loud in there.
Please try the different flavour schnaps they have (in jars!) where honey was my personal favorite!