Zen Mondo

This place deserves all the love. We recently moved from Toronto and have very high standards for Japanese cuisine. We were blown away by the kindness, service, and quality of the food. It has been our favourite meal in London since moving here. This place feels family fun and authentic, cozy, a place I would happily bring my Japanese parents to. We shared Udon and sushi. The Udon was the best I’ve ever had and the salmon sushi was great. The quality of the fish was standout. To top it all off, the service was attentive but not overbearing, you could tell the warm people who run this place are grateful to have you there. Could not recommend enough and we are SO grateful to have found such a hidden gem in our new neighbourhood. Thank you zen modo!

Loved everything we had today!! A truly hidden gem, best Japanese food I’ve had, highly recommended 5 ⭐️

I would argue this is the absolute best sushi you’ll get in Angel (and possibly London)! I have been coming here regularly for the last few years and I have never been disappointed. The quality of food, service, and atmosphere has been consistently excellent!

Stumbled upon this lovely little restaurant and had the best curry pan in my life! I definitely recommend the beef curry and chicken teriyaki and onion one! They are so delicious I had to go back for more. The outside is so chewy and soft then the inside tastes like a warm meal!! Highly recommend

Probably the best sushi I’ve had in London. Every dish we had was extremely fresh and full of flavour. Would highly recommend! We had the prawn & veggie udon noodle, double prawn tempura & spicy salmon roll. Amazing!

What a lovely restaurant this is. It is small but cute inside. They play relaxing music so you can enjoy talking to the people you are dining with. The food is excellent. I tried the vegetable tempura which was first class. The vegetarian selection isn't very large and is mostly tofu which I don't like. But i did enjoy what I ate. This is a great place for a romantic date.

Gorgeous little restaurant with fantastic food and good sake selection at very reasonable prices for London. Authentic Japanese taste and quality ingredients! Can't wait to go back again. Felt like being back in Japan. We got the sukiyaki, sushi platter and tempura platter. All the food was delicious and portion sizes were great. The have a great little sake selection and prices per bottle are very reasonable for London. Staff couldn't be more friendly and accommodating.

Staff were kind and attentive. However I became violently sick with food poisoning from scallop sashimi that came on the signature chirashi that wasn't properly prepared. I recommend that they have the health department come in to screen for pathogens and to instruct on raw food handling. The rest of the food was pretty good, but expensive even by London standards for sushi.

Coming from California, I was tentative to find an establishment with quality Japanese cuisine in London at the level which it is served at home. Zen Mondo completely exceeded my expectations! The ambiance was extremely comfortable and inviting, with food served in beautiful hand made ceramics also available for purchase in store (which I took back home to the United States). The food was delicious and the service was perfect, I would recommend the Udon. At an extremely reasonable price, I'd be confident in saying this is my favorite Japanese restaurant in the UK.

This was a bit of a mixed bag. The location is great and there are a lot of lovely options to choose from. Our service was on top of things and we were seated downstairs which almost seems like a secret room. We ordered salmon dumplings, orange blossom, soft shell crab roll, spicy salmon roll, and a hot pot. The hot pot was nothing special and the orange blossom a bit too... orange-y for me. Yes that's an actual criticism. But the soft shell crab and spicy salmon and dumplings were delightful! There were many options so I would certainly come back and try again!

Small and cozy with a staff of only two - this lovely restaurant delighted us on a crisp afternoon. We ordered an Udon lunch, which is a soup combo: udon in simple dish soup (doesn't taste like fish), a small hand roll, and tempura veggies. Everything was served nicely and with appetizing appearance. The tempura was ever so light and tasty, the handroll was yummy too. The soup was boring for me, but otherwise everything here was good. Other tables ordered sushi and every plate looked excellent and was eaten up quickly. I think this place is lovely and I recommend it for a quick lunch if you're in the area. The lunchset price for 2 people + simple sake was £31 + £5 service.

Hmmm, must have caught them on an off day. Or they were tired serving a packed out restaurant - we arrived for the second round after nine ... Having been advised to wait for a few minutes while tables were becoming available, we were surprised to have the couple behind us shown to the first available spot. OK, they may have been regulars, but this didn't exactly make us feel valued ... The menu provides a good mixture of hot dishes and sushi. We aimed for a selection of the latter, some dumplings (which turned out to be deep fried chicken pieces drenched in oil - should have gone for the gyoza) and a seaweed salad (mainly lettuce leaf, a lot of grated radish and just a small amount of seaweed). Now, I'm not an expert on Japanese food and tend to favour Yo! for fear of being given something I don't recognise, but the sushi here really did taste good - and I suppose the temperature is more authentic than what we have become accustomed to from trendy takeaways. Presentation was an absolute highlight, and the beautiful pottery is actually on sale too. We had almost forgotten about the disappointing start when the bill arrived with 12.5% service added twice. No apology, just a shrug and the correct one produced immediately - honestly, it felt as if they had done it intentionally.

I am one of those ex-New Yorkers who is constantly complaining about the lack of good sushi in London. Zen Mondo might be changing my opinion ever so slightly on this. I had the chirashi which was topped to sashimi, slivered egg and avocado. Lovely slices and creamy textured fish atop rice that reminded me ever so slightly of Chinese nuo mi fan given the tiny diced rice and black mushrooms. Really delicious. Also had a bit of salmon roll which was also decent although I would suggest sticking with the sashimi. Friendly service!

I like this place. The food isn't mind-blowing but it's solid, sushi has always been fresh and tasty so no reason to complain. Service / time until food is served can be a little slow at times but always friendly. All in all, it's a good place to go when you're craving Sushi but don't want to spend £10 on two pieces of nigiri - they also have a few lunch deals so worth checking out.

Popped in here for a quick lunch and was pleasantly surprised! Lunch menu with noodles, a handroll and pot of tea at £10 is not cheap but good value for the quality. Everything was yummy, the soba was nice and so was the handroll. I especially enjoyed the pot of houjicha tea that had a nice toasted rice flavour. Would definitely come back to try other items on their lunch menu!

People don't know that this is one of the best Japanese restaurants in London. The food is exquisite and extremely flavourful with all the subtleties of authentic Japanese cuisine. MY, you will never want a hand roll from anywhere else after you've tucked into the most divine selection they have here. Unbelievable, I don't know what they put in them, the wasabi mayo is melt-in-the-mouth heaven. I can recommend anything here, the udon/soba dishes, the meat or fish hots pots, the tempura... the miso is delectable, BUT you must have the sushi. If you are a sushi or sashimi fanatic, you will not be disappointed. You cannot go wrong here. You will also know that good sushi doesn't come cheap, and whilst not extortionate prices here at all, it is not itsu money. On top of the taste award, Zen Mondo also wins with presentation. Every dish is so delicately crafted it is a pure art when delivered to your table. It's like ikebana has been exercised on food. Incredible. I have dined here at least 10 times (I know so tardy in my reviewing!!) and every time I have been given a complementary mini starter, each time different, but nonetheless delicious. This is a family run business and the owner works so hard, 7 days a week pouring all her love and attention into her beautiful business. She is a true artist, not only a top-notch chef but she has created all the charming art works on the walls as well which make the whole dining experience here so calming and enjoyable. They reward their regular customers generously, with vouchers for free Japanese teas, hand-made stationery, condiments etc to be redeemed on your next visit. Last week was their one year anniversary and they gave all their customers (new and regular) gratuit bottles of homemade teriyaki, garlic and lime sauces. All the staff are so polite and friendly, I cannot give the food any higher accolade, the interior is a true welcoming and relaxing haven from the Upper street bland-land of estate agents (unfortunately the strip this little oasis is embedded within which might be why so many have not discovered how good this place is...). I'm going to put it out there and say this is my favourite restaurant.

Solid three stars, which to me means, "If I'm in the area and craving Japanese food, I'll go back." I headed to Zen Mondo for lunch after trying to think of an interesting lunch place that wouldn't make me feel bad about myself afterward. I thoroughly enjoyed the "butakaku." The tender pieces of braised pork belly had a layer of fat that I would have avoided if I was truly trying to be healthy, but it melted in the mouth so wonderfully that I couldn't resist. The sweet teriyaki sauce was worlds apart from the thick cloying gloop that is often served. When paired with the karashi mustard sauce, there's a great balance of sweet and hot. All of this was served with a salad of greens, a big bowl of rice, delicious miso soup and a cup of green tea for £8.50. It's a lot of food, but you don't leave the table feeling too full. My husband had the sashimi lunch of three types of fish. I hate to use the same melt-in-your-mouth phrase again, but that's how he described the salmon...and continues to hours later. Attentive service and fresh ingredients mean we'll be back to try their dinner option. Maybe this time we'll indulge in their homemade desserts. Support our local, non-chain Islington businesses! Get yourself to Zen Mondo!

I'm not sure I could put it any better than Freya below: in my 8 years of living in London, this is the best Japanese food that I've found. And that's coming from an American, Pacific Northwest native, who's used to the freshest sashimi that the Pacific can bring. From the personal service to the outstanding, home-cooked and authentic (which is key!) menu, Zen Mondo is definitely a hidden gem in the middle of Islington's hectic and bustling Upper Street. The small, quiet interiors lends the restaurant a tranquil atmosphere, and the chef and owner of the restaurant recognizes us now and always comes over to say "hello", which is such a nice, personal touch. In fact, I love Zen Mondo so much, I shunned the usual OTT establishments I love for my birthday last year and headed here instead ... and did the same for our wedding anniversary - it's that good. The presentation of the dishes is beautiful, and I seriously think they're undercharging customers for the quality fo the food. The ingredients are fresh and the recipes are light on the palette - nothing is overseasoned or too salty. I always feel as though I'm eating heathily when I leave Zen Mondo, rather than having over-indulged. Their seafood hotpots with bubbling soup and vermicelli rice noodles are divine on a cold day ... the sushi platters are sublime whatever the season. The theatre menu is a steal: four courses for under £20 in London is just crazy! At first, I was skeptical, having stumbled upon the restaurant by accident a year ago, but now it's like a secret I'm too reluctant to share (though I'm telling you all about it here).

Sushi is something I crave in waves. I can go months, even years without and then out of the blue, if I am near the right place I will jump right in. My all time favourite is Bento Cafe in Camden, but now being an East London gal, it can be a bit of trek heading over there when I get the craving, hence me seeking other world cuisines to demolish. Picture a weekday, grim, cold and a huge come down after holidays, Summer months etc etc and you have your cosy "date night" with one of your besties. Her company certainly brightens the mood and this partnered with some surprisingly good sushi lifted both our spirits. Zen Monday is tiny, you can eat in or takeaway. Manoeuvring into your seat between the closely knit tables can be like something out of the Krypton Factor and it certainly encourages familiarity with your dining neighbours with "oops, there goes your drink on the floor", joking, but silently hoping it doesn't happen. At is an intimate and quite dark space, I didn't want to be that girl constantly taking pics with flash, so I grabbed shots of what I could. Salmon madness was on the cards for Fitore with a platter of nigiri, maki, sashimi and cod roe. I opted for the spicy tuna maki and some salmon sashimi. It was fresh with the rice served at the perfect temperature (body temp) and the fish between 4 and 6 degrees. This ensures you enjoy the taste and texture more. The salmon in particular tasted creamy to me. Zen Mondo is not cheap, because it is superior in its offering and authentic with a Japanese brigade. But as a healthy option when you searching for lunch or dinner on the upper street, this works.

Baby loves a Japanese restaurant! This was my first visit to Zen Mondo and it was pretty decent, despite my raging hangover. I was expecting a sushi selection but their lunch menus is more geared toward large bowl dishes like tempura, udon and hot dishes. The only sushi they have are hand rolls, which are not my favourite, so I went for a tempura bowl with rice, miso and pickles. My friend made an epic choice of an udon bowl which comes with a handroll and a side of tempura. This is a pretty good deal at 9.95! I'd love to come back and try some of the other dishes. The sticky chicken looked amazing! I found the staff a little slow at bringing drinks and water, but overall friendly enough.

Truly one of the best dinning experiences of the year. Delicate, refined but completely unpretentious food combined with fantastic service at reasonable prices. We took advantage of the pre-theatre deal of 4 dishes for £15.50, one of which was a house amuse bouche and were not disappointed. A return visit is definitely on the cards in the near future.

Honestly one of the best Japanese restaurants i've tried, and i've tried many all over the world (in Japan, too). The sushi and sashimi are outstanding, the Mondo sushi selection appears in my dreams at night... also they have just changed it (it is now all nigiri while it used to be nigiri + maki) and it is - if ever possible - even better than before. I never get tired of saying that here you can find excellent desserts, not belonging to the Japanese tradition but - for a European palate - so much better that way. I do love some chocolate after my sushi! If i had the money I would go there every week...okay let's be honest...every night :D

Amazing sushi and pretty quick service. Everyone quite friendly. Had a great night. Not cheap though.

Had a 4 course pre theatre meal (£15). Every course is beautifully made & taste delectable. Nice Bottle of red to wash it down. Portions weren't too much so didn't have that heavy 'gonna go home' bloated feeling. Had jazz in back ground too. Highly recommended