Uchi Bake

Excellent cafe. I got the matcha cookie, teriyaki chicken and egg sandwich, and a flat white. Everything tasted good. The bread from the sandwich was very soft and fluffy compared to typical sandwiches. The food wasn’t overly expensive, and the staff were attentive and helpful. The interior was very pleasant, with traditional Japanese recessed seating with tatami mats on one half of the cafe that you have to take off your shoes to sit at. For the other half of the cafe, there was standard seating, shoelessness not required. Since we were only there for a short while, we stayed on that half. The tatami mat area looked like an excellent place to sit comfortably at to work or study for hours. The whole cafe was very clean, not so much as a single plant pot out of place. Music was soft and matched the ambience of the cafe, not too loud and easy to speak over. If you’re considering going here, do it. It’s great.

A hidden Japanese gem. The place is beautifully decorated, with every detail carefully thought out—it truly feels like a trip to Japan. From the moment you arrive, it’s a unique experience: they give you traditional shoes to wear before seating, which adds a lovely authentic touch. The sushi is incredibly fresh and served quickly, with great attention to presentation. But the real surprise was the chocolate and matcha pudding—absolutely delicious and a must-try. Highly recommended for both the atmosphere and the food.

Really wanted to visit this place for a very long time. I even dragged my friends to come check it out. However, it was bit of a let down. Once we got to the cafe, there were no clear directions of seating. We waited for a bit to be seated and no one came to greet or tell us what to do. We ended up sitting down by ourselves and one of the staff told us to move elsewhere. Then again, another staff told us to move to another location. Really wanted to love this place and wanted my friends to have fun. It was a bittersweet moment. Hopefully next time I go there will be better service.

We love Uchi bakes. It’s a popular little place, so go early and be prepared to queue too. If you go later in the day you risk some menu items selling out. It’s a great little Japanese vibe. Only recommendation is to assign table numbers when ordering as we had three different orders (not ours) presented to us.

A Japanese cafe in Hackney, East London. There is plenty of indoor seating, but there are also a few tables outside. I had the salmon teriyaki sando and a coffee. WiFi available. I only wish it was in West London, closer to London’s Japanese community!

Had dinner at UCHI Clapton last night and honestly, it was amazing. The space is super calm and minimal – really cosy and intimate. Felt like a little hidden gem. The seared beef was melt-in-your-mouth good, the prawn tempura was perfectly crispy, and the soft shell crab was a fave. Also loved the tuna crunch and salmon avocado rolls. Service was relaxed but really friendly, and the whole evening just felt super easy and enjoyable. Highly recommend if you’re into Japanese food in a chilled setting.

Very cute Japanese bakery / cafe! There is a display of their sandwiches at the front so you can see what they each look like before ordering. I ordered the teriyaki salmon which was delicious but the salmon to sandwich ratio was lacking. The tuna prawn sandwich was light and refreshing. Highly recommend the beef curry pan - the bun was light, airy and crisp and the filling was delicious. The iced matcha latte was ok and the hojicha cheesecake tasted like a normal basque cheesecake. It was good but there was no hojicha flavour at all

I was really looking forward to trying this spot after seeing it on TikTok, but I left a bit disappointed. The décor is lovely and feels really authentic, but the matcha was grainy and watery, even after adding extra matcha, it still tasted weak. That put me off ordering food, and to top it off, they didn’t have any sweetener or honey available.