Tosa

Authentic Japanese robata experience 🇯🇵We booked the best seats—right in front of the grill—and it felt like a dinner show! The chef took our order directly and cooked everything to perfection. The onigiri looked and tasted like it came straight from a Japanese grandma’s kitchen. Pure homemade vibes. One of the best dinners out in a long time—shared with my husband.

The restaurant has a simple setup, and the charcoal aroma from the robata-grilled dishes is excellent. The sauce pair really well with the food. The Whitebalt is tasty as well.

I must start by saying that Tosa’s charcoal grill is truly excellent with authentic flavours, great variety and exactly the kind of food I’d happily cross London for. Unfortunately, the service was so astonishingly poor that it very successfully ruined the entire experience. We were “greeted” by a middle-aged lady standing by the till, most likely the manager, whose facial expression never once moved away from deeply unimpressed. From the very first second to the last, her attitude was consistently cold, abrupt and frankly hostile. Quite a talent, really. Our booking was 6:00–7:30pm. Because it was our first visit and the menu had plenty of yakitori options, we needed a bit of time to choose. Starting from 6:15, we were repeatedly rushed to order, not gently reminded, but properly pressured. She even told us, in a tone that could only be described as a threat, that we were allowed to order once only and not a single item more afterwards. Naturally, if we can only order once, we’d like to choose carefully… but instead of giving us space, we were interrupted again and again with reminders about the 7:30 hand-over time. It became so uncomfortable that even our conversation was disrupted and the children with us were visibly unsettled. What an educational moment for them, a masterclass in how not to serve customers. No one asked if we wanted drinks, no water was provided not even tap water and the level of service would be considered shocking not just in Japan but frankly anywhere in the UK. We understood we had limited time, so we ate quickly. Despite this, staff still removed our dishes before we finished. Attention to detail? None whatsoever. When it came to the bill, the menu was simply dropped onto the table without a single word. The receipt was collected in the same silent, performative manner, no thank you, no goodbye, nothing at all. We did, however, manage to leave before 7:30pm, which I imagine made that manager incredibly proud. £145 for three adults and two children, a perfectly reasonable bill for good food but utterly unreasonable when paired with this level of customer service. The contrast was almost artistic. While waiting for food, I checked previous Google reviews. The same complaints have been mentioned again and again and absolutely nothing has changed. Truly impressive consistency. So here is my advice: If you plan to eat here, prepare yourself mentally. If you care about basic hospitality, I wouldn’t recommend it. And as for us, once is more than enough.

Very nice little Japanese spot. Had an open grill so the restaurant was a little Smokey, but it was great.

Overall the food and services were nice. I wish they can have more beef items. Recommend to book for the table before go

Traditionally designed Japanese restaurant on kings street near Stamford Brook station. Once walk in, the nice smell of skewers comes through. Loved their skewers but not all were available on the visit, also had sushi roll and nigiri but the seaweed sheet was very hard to bite into. Special of whitebait was surprisingly nice, fried oysters was also very unique and can’t find it in many Japanese restaurants. Would like to visit again for more skewers!

You could say the place is relatively authentic, considering the staff seem to be Japanese-speaking, but unfortunately the food and service didn’t live up to that expectation. The skewers were way too salty and overcooked. The mackerel was burnt to the point of tasting like charcoal. Tempura was okay — not great, not terrible. The udon soup arrived barely warm. Portions were small across the board and definitely not worth the price. Spending £65 per head and still leaving hungry is pretty disappointing. The biggest letdown, though, was the service. One of the staff members, especially the older female, came across as terribly unwelcoming. Having travelled to places like Tokyo and Osaka, where Japanese service standards are usually excellent, this experience was a real contrast and honestly changed my perception really. There are plenty of much better Japanese restaurants in London, even within Chiswick alone. Won’t be coming back — sayonara.

Yakitori is incredible, never imagined I can get an authentic taste of Japanese Yakitori here in London. Chicken flavours are clean and concentrated, seasoned well and grilled to perfect doneness. The chicken wings and asparagus with pork belly are so delicious I will revisit Tosa just for them. I’d recommend sticking to and trying out all the skewers as they are what Tosa is all about - charcoal and grill! (Don’t forget to get your kirin beer too.)

With the popularity of sushi there's a lot of choice out there and this is a solid choice! Don't let the name fool you, it may sound like a british insult, but it's actually named after a breed of japanese fighting dog. It's not on the menu! (that would be Korean food), but there's a large menu of deilcious dishes to choose from. Although the interior is modestly decorated and laid out in a simplistic wooden and tiled style, you're spoilt for choice with the food as you can sit at the bar and watch the chef cook the hot dishes Teppanyaki style in front of you or sit at the back at one of the small tables for a more intimate feel; perfect for date night! Special mention for the yakitori skewers which are particularly tasty and something I always have to order when coming here! The price is very reasonable and whilst the staff are mostly not Japanese, they know their stuff and everything I've tried here tastes great and full of flavour. They lose a star only for the fact that on a few occasions when I came for dinner there were a few things on the menu that I always get that were no longer available to order which shouldn't be the case with a busy restaurant. This is a time when you do want to be a Tosa and check out this great restaurant!

Came here for lunch on a Sunday and it was only moderately busy. My companion recommended the £12 lunch special so I was looking forward to the bento-style meal. (Not actually served in a bento box.) We waited a long time for our food to arrive. I am talking close to 20 minutes without explanation because we never saw wait staff. Then when it arrived there was not a complete meal. My companion's meal came several minutes before my main dish. It was very disorganized as another table's dishes were served and they arrived after us. Aside from the wait, food was good. We had the grilled spiced pork (bulgogi) and tempura. It comes with rice, salad, pickles and miso soup. There were three prawns and four vegetables in the tempura. Pork serve was a good amount. Overall a good value. They seriously need to work on customer service, not friendly at all. Otherwise you can order take away and enjoy a tasty meal.

This restaurant was recommended to our friends by their Japanese neighbour in Kent. So this is where they wanted to eat when they came up to London. So, so glad that we joined them there. We ordered so much food because there were 6 of us and 6 pieces in a plate of sushi. Perfect right? We were so busy catching up and the food kept flowing that I barely took any pictures. I couldn't try any of the prawn stuff, but they were raving about the prawn tempura. Personally I'd recommend the soft shell crab roll & the California roll. The hot buckwheat noodle soup was great if you want a more filling dish. The tori Kara age (fried chicken) and the fried oysters were very good. We tried a lot of the skewered BBQ dishes and my favourites were the quail eggs and the shiitake mushrooms. The chicken rolls & the pork rolls weren't as good as these non meaty skewers. This stretch of Kings street has a number of very good restaurants serving tasty food. It's difficult to choose where to eat.

Unpretentiously, Tosa sits next to 'The Back Store', and it may not look like much from outside but it is amazing inside. It is simply decorated in a cafe-style, inside the Japanese character above the grill makes a clear statement of where you are. Always busy, frequented by west londoners including many Japanese and even people coming from across London just to savour one of their specialties the soft shell crab. We love it here, they are friendly and it has a homely feel, however, you may experience a bit of a wait but with some sake served on the cypress tree boxes time almost disappears. I think Tosa is a clear reminder that there is more to Japanese food than sushi and sashimi, their tempura, teriyaki and skewers are all worth a wait and reasonably priced.

Absolutely lovely little Japanese restaurant, nestled on King Street somewhere between Hammersmith and Chiswick, the service is attentive, the restaurant is actually quite sizeable although it doesn't appear so from the outside. Good, reliable Japanese fayre, really great for lunch with friends or a low-key evening meal. Recommended!

Let's get the obvious out of the way... they called their restaurant Tosa - that's either a REALLY big scary dog or the Japanese spelling of "tosser", one of my favourite London words. Neither are good things, but Tosa the King Street restaurant is. I'd like to think of it as my local Tapas bar, but not being Spanish I think I can't get away with that. But it is much more than the usual sushi and sashimi, Tosa really feels like Tapas, with a HUGE selection of small plates that all sound divine and many that sound interesting too (ox tongue, livers, natto, octopus). Of course, the grill is the thrill here. BBQed swekers of mushrooms, meats and fish are laced with flavours that you'll want to keep lingering in your mouth for the rest of the night. My advice... get some makis and sashimi first, then move on to cooked appetizers and grilled skewers before ending with some udon. Invite everyone you know, and order everything you can imagine. The menu is substantial but 20 plus items between 4 or 5 people won't cost you more than £25 a head and you'll get stunning presentation and foodie-satiating diversity. ...And the best tempura in town!

This Japanese restaurant (most of the people working there do not appear to be native Japanese but the food feels fairly authentic) in Hammersmith/Chiswick is a great place to stop in for a quick bite to eat and a beer or for a full range of many small dishes. The selection of small tapas style dishes are typical for Japanese izakaya's and the food is mostly very good. All the grilled dishes come highly recommended and the gyoza was also very good. Price-wise it is pretty good value as well.

Very busy for a Sunday night in a quiet part of hammersmith. Food was great and tasted really fresh. Service was a little slow but nothing to complain about too much. I would come back but bring cash next time. They offer 12% off your bill with non card payments.

Not pronounced 'tosser'. I checked. 'Toe-sa' is a Japanese restaurant with a charcoal grill in the front part which you can sit by and watch the chef whack your food on. That's the bit I like about it. You feel the fierce heat of the grill and watch your food steadily getting its tasty burnished edges while your mouth waters. Unfortunately, bar seats were all taken so we sat 'inside' which is a far duller affair. The back is badly laid out and totally non-descript. Shame because the food is nice. Sushi (eel, turbot and salmon) was delicious as was the Californian roll, all served in a big clay bowl which looked great. Miso soup had depth, and the pickles tasted sharp and cleansing as did the spinach. Good saintly hangover fodder if you can resist the tempura which we managed to do. We only ordered one thing from the grill. Onion. £1.90 for a slice! Bit steep for something you could reasonably expect to be a garnish for another dish. But tasty nonetheless. The service is a bit glum. Not rude or inept at all. They just don't seem to be enjoying themselves much. It doesn't help alleviate that back room feeling of 'meh' though. Still, Tosa is a good stab at a local, authentic Japanese restaurant and the grill bit is a lot of fun. But Yoshisushi just five minutes down the road beats it for value and overall surroundings and if you can't get a stool next to the burning embers, I'd recommend the jog on down there instead.

I visited Tosa shortly after returning from a two week trip around Japan and so can confirm its authenticity, from the decor to the menu options, to the fact that the miso soup is not vegetarian, to the grotesque array of creatures on display at the front of the restaurant. Thankfully the vegetarian options here were more extensive than the ones I'd enjoyed in Kyoto, so I'd go so far as to say I preferred dining at Tosa than most of my Japanese meals and I'd certainly go backI'll make reservation next time though so I don't have to sit in front of the meat counter.

The staff here are not all Japanese but don't let that put you off as the food is the closest to traditional Japanese food that we've found in West London. Seemed fresh. Friendly service. Do wish we had some Japanese mayo for the karaage chicken though..

Tosa is on the corner of my road and the fact that's it's so convenient speaks volumes. I tend to dine here alone with a good book and always enjoy the food and the atomosphere which is very authentic Japanese. Fellow patrons are locals plus a large contingent of Japanese business men in suits who quietly munch their way through table fulls of food washed down with rather a lot of Sake. I tend to go for the same thing everytime which is the mixed Sashimi, Unagi Sushi (heavenly, really good rice and thick slices of buttery eel) plus grilled skewers of chicken liver, pork with a leaf who's name escapes me and shitake mushrooms all of which is prepared to a very high standard. I have tried the agadashi here but it's way better in Yoshi Sushi just down the road and also the pork belly which was undercooked and little tough. The service can be a little off hand and lacking in warmth but finding a cosy corner with a best seller and couple of Asahi's is very relaxing especially if home is just over the road. I't s not cheap, around £35 for the above but worth it. Booking always a good idea as it's get very busy.

My friend discovered this place by chance last night, and tonight she brought me here. When the staff and customers all seem to be mostly Japanese, you know you're in for a good thing. We had: sashimi moriawase (mixed sashimi), hamachi and salmon sashimi, deep fried aubergine, tuna with spring onion and ponzu sauce, 2 types of salmon & avocado rolls, fresh tofu, skewers of yakitori, pork loin, asparagus and pork, deep fried tofu, ox tongue, shitake mushroom. That's quite a lot huh? Well, we were 3 hungry girls. Sashimi was fresh and deeelicious, the skewers from the grill were also yum yum yum. Service is very polite, although as the place packed up, they weren't very quick to refill the tea (we had to wave them down and ask). That's just me nitpicking though. This is a great place for a very satisfying Japanese meal at reasonable prices away from town. Total bill was about £27.10 per person. Make a booking if you want to come on Friday night. Can't say about the other nights, but I'm sure I'll find out next time.

Sushi in London is average compared to where we used to live in Los Angeles. Being a huge sushi fan and having had the chance to travel to Japan many times, I must admit that I am a big fan of Tosa. Unlike very traditional Japanese restaurants in Tokyo specialize in only one type of food (sushi, yakitori or tempura), Tosa has it all. We went there for a family lunch on a Sunday and I was delightled with the quality of the sushi, the quality of the yakitori as well as everything else we tried. It is not the cheapest place out there and sushi price per piece is a little steep but they do offer excellent quality fish and you pay for freshness. Highly recommended. Service is attentive, the place is small and calm. I would recommend getting a reservation. Enjoy it.

Tosa Summary: + Authentic Japanese in King St., Hammersmith/ Stamford Brook + Yakitori grill is their speciality + But also have a wide range of dishes + Lunch is great value for money Overall: Tosa is an authentic Japanese restaurant on King Street located between Hammersmith and Chiswick. Their speciality is yakitori grills. You can see that by the fact that it has a separate grill counter at the front of restaurant separate from its main kitchen. So it is given that you have to try some of that. But the restaurant also has an impressive variety of other non-grill dishes including udon noodles, tempura, sushi, and other tapas dishes. As some people have mentioned, this place is really a Japanese tapas bar. Each dish is fairly small so the best strategy is to go there with a group of people and order A LOT of stuff so that you can taste many different dishes just like how it's done in Japan (and in fact, in many Asian countries). Most of the staff are non-Japanese, but not to worry. Their food is as real as it can get. Like many Asian restaurants, their lunch menu is great value for money. It happens to be located near Saigon Saigon (great Vietnamese restaurant). It's a shame that this place is not in central London. I find it hard to persuade people to come here outside of my West Londoner circle.

Love lunches (so far tried, Yakitori, sashimi, sushi, saba, salmon, tonkatsu). Healthy, yummy and varieties. I go there almost every week while I am in town.

Excellent Japanese restaurant. Owner is very nice; yakatori grill is super impressive. All the dishes are thoughtful, but not overdone. This has become our regular neighborhood place while we are stationed in London & living in Hammersmith. The dishes on the grill are my favorite - especially recommend salmon cheeks, saba shio, chicken skin - salty & delicious. Ask for recommendations - they are sure to be stellar. Highly recommend!!!!

I've dined there once with my boyfriend. Since the first time I saw it I've been courious about it. Looks so small, and the window is full of articles and awards speaking about how good the food is. So, at the first good occasion, we popped in, seated at the counter with a lot of expectation. I can't say is cheap if I compare it with the average sushi places I've eaten before, but this was absolutely the best sushi I've ever had! I was pretty surprised finding meat as well. The chiken skewer is amazing, and after came the sushi.... sooooo good. The rice, the texture and the flavour. Simply amazing! So we decided to order the sashimi too. Most of the time I keep myself away from the sashimi because it can be disappointing, small thin pieces not really tasty. But this time.... Everything was at such a high quality level! And in the end, the tempura! I can't find a spot, the food was simply perfect, surprising, we left the restaurant with a big smile. Such a good sensation. And after all this good gastro feelings doesn't really matter if we paied £ 30.00 each. It was worh every penny. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Friendly owner and good flavor balance witht their soba. They specialize in Japanese barbecue. Good stuff.

Exceptional and unique in London (I understand)