Atari-Ya Sushi Bar

A fine facsimile of a low key Tokyo sushi bar — expect reliably good, clean sushi without the show, pizzazz, and price of central London (it is better for it). The J-​Pop soundtrack can be a bit intense though!

This is a quiet stretch of Ealing just before the Broadway and where I found myself meeting friends for dinner.
It’s a light and bright restaurant with a sushi bar and then bar and table seating. The main kitchen is situated on another floor. Not a very beautiful place. But I already felt like it would be an authentic experience.
The menu is quite big with specials and a separate specials board. We tried a lot of things. Of my items, I really enjoyed the salmon sashimi, yellowtail sashimi, chicken karaage and the salmon sushi plate. The fried oysters were good, if smaller than I expected and the tuna sashimi and seafood dumplings were not enjoyed.
My friends enjoyed their soba noodles, chicken teriyaki, sushi, mackerel sashimi (particularly good) and tempura.
Desserts were moochi and ice-​cream. This was particularly good, especially the sesame. I pounced on the green tea mousse as I was told it was the last one.
This was a joy, huge portion and more a dense set mousse. It was silky smooth, rich, bitter from matcha, absolutely delicious and so incredibly rich. So rich, I couldn’t finish it and they kindly gave me a take-​away container (who takes away dessert??? :))
This was the general vibe of the service, sweet, friendly, accommodating, speedy and able. Even the sushi chefs smiled over at us!
The restaurant itself was quite busy for a Wednesday night, takeaway and eat-​in customers alike. Including Japanese and regulars. The service didn’t dwindle at any point.
The bill came to £128 for 3 hungry girls so it’s too expensive for an every day dinner but a great place nevertheless. 4.5 stars

This place offers fresh, good quality sushi with friendly service. When it comes to taste, I think it beats every other sushi restaurant in the area. The wasabi and the roasted green tea are both more authentic than at other nearby places. The tempura seemed light and fresh, and the nigiri/​sashimi was cut pretty well (just a bit thick). There’s a full selection of maki, nigiri/​sashimi, chirashi, tempura, and other specials.
Prices are about average for the area, and the space isn’t terribly large. However, the non-​fancy ambiance is actually more authentic and certainly more welcoming than the trendy and loud Hare and Tortoise sushi place (10 minutes away), for example. The music we heard was a bit kitschy, but it was pretty quiet, so it didn’t bother us in the least.

Overall this place offers very good sushi. The fish is fresh and cold, the rice is sticky and warm. Medium fatty tuna nigiri was incredible, though variable in size: everything is clearly handmade to order, but not the flawless work of a master. Tofu agedashi was surprisingly, impressively, crispy and rich.
The décor leaves much to be desired, which is more kebab shop than sushi bar. The furniture feels cheap, the lighting is harsh, and our meal was accompanied by Heart FM’s club classics.

Loved having dinner there — the sushi was the most fresh, the most delicious sushi ever, and this is from someone who’s eaten a LOT of sushi. They even had uni (sea urchin) which is a rarity. The only thing which was missing was hot food, but I know it is not normal in Japan to have hot food with sushi. Will need to go back during a lunchtime to sample their meal deal (sushi with a bowl of noodles).

I have to say I’m almost completely in agreeance with Tom E; although in my opinion, the lack of Hiro-​san brings things down a bit. The nigiri and hand roll preparation isn’t quite as amazing as it was before. Where I would journey forty-​five minutes for this sushi before, now that it’s an Atari-​ya, I think I’ll probably just head to my much more easily reached sushi haven in Marylebone. In my book, Atari-​ya is still the best sushi in London for the money. However, Sushi Hiro’s dirt-​cheap, beautifully prepared nigiri will always hold a special place in my heart.

Atari-​Ya Ealing used to be the much adored and awarded Sushi Hiro, and then Hiro-​san apparently packed it all in and headed back to the land of the rising sun.
So what next? A few months later the Atari-​Ya sushi fish sellers decided to take over the spot, rename it and get it back going again. How has it changed? The name and the crush to get a reservation. That’s it. The menu, the staff, the décor and feel are all identical to the Sushi Hiro days. In fact the fish is the same too, as Hiro-​San probably got his from the Atari-​Ya sellers anyway.
So this is just the old and much loved Sushi Hiro without Hiro-​San and without waiting 2 weeks for a friday night table. It’s classic sushi only, with amazingly fresh cuts of the best fish. It’s lo-​key, affordable sushi that you’d get in the best suburbs of Tokyo, except here you’re getting it in one of London’s suburbs. Well worth the trip on the District Line.

Ah my little slice of Japan in Ealing. How i love this neighborhood! I’m so lucky to have my little corner of asia and this little shop is a lovely addition. It’s been open for about a year now and replaced another sushi shop that that was hard to gain entry. On a wednesday night, they had tables and seats at bars with reserved signs but luckily we got a table after 1 couple to leave.
This establishment really only does sushi and sashimi related items. So don’t come here looking for something cooked. No teriyaki anything. No colourful maki rolls. It’s plainly Sushi type, maybe a little seaweed salad and edamame but honestly not too much else.
So for those serious sushi lovers, this is your place. I love this korean dish called Hwe dup bap and the closest equivalent is Chirashi. The only difference is that it’s with vinegar rice and no korean hot sauce. Their chirashi was excellent. Sweet scallops, octopus, tuna, salmon, the temperature for the rice was just rice and excellently made.
In each bowl of their miso soup, comes 2 little neck clams that aren’t overcooked. I love places that pay attention small details. I would have given this place 4 except that i didn’t care for the stale smell of fish. I know what you’re thinking but no, it’s not ok to have that in a sushi establishment. I know plenty of sushi bars without it. Unless I’m at fish market, I find it offensive. I will do carry out! =)