Kinjo

Kinjo is designed as a flexible night out. The room is clean-lined and softly lit, with the bar and grill giving the restaurant enough movement to avoid feeling like a formal dining room. Tables are comfortable, the atmosphere is lively without being loud and the menu invites the kind of indecision that works well in a group. It feels equally suited to a quick drink and a longer meal, which is a useful quality in London. There is polish, but not an intimidating amount of it.

The menu draws on familiar Japanese formats, moving between small plates, sushi-style dishes and food from the grill. The kitchen’s strongest work is direct: clean flavours, pleasing texture and enough seasoning to keep the plates from feeling austere. A good piece of fish needs little dressing, while grilled dishes bring the savoury depth that makes the wider menu feel complete. There are moments when the breadth becomes a little generic, but the better dishes show care and the portions encourage sharing. It is a restaurant that understands the usefulness of variety without chasing novelty for its own sake.

Service is friendly and efficient, with staff happy to help a table navigate the menu and the drinks list. The pace can be uneven when the room is full, particularly if a group orders across several sections, but the atmosphere remains easy and the team keeps its composure. Kinjo is not a specialist counter or a hushed omakase experience. Its appeal is broader: a handsome room, a capable kitchen and enough choice to bring people with different appetites together. For a casual London dinner, that is a sensible and enjoyable proposition.