Japan Centre, Panton Street
A dedicated fishmonger, separate sake, tea and miso rooms, and a hundred-cover dining area ringed by open kitchens.1
Why go
The flagship is a food hall with a Japanese supermarket attached, and the specialist counters are the reason to come rather than the shelves: a fishmonger, chiller counters for sushi and salads, a hot deli, a bakery and a demonstration kitchen.1
The group opened a Showaken ramen bar inside the flagship in January 2020. Nothing published since then confirms it is still running.2
Order this / avoid
- Order: off the hot deli, and eat in the dining area rather than carrying it out.1
- Order: fish from the fishmonger's counter if you are cooking. That is the errand this branch is best at.1
- Avoid: the Saturday lunch hour off Leicester Square.
What locals & experts say
- Nobody has written about the food here.
- Hot Dinners, January 2020, reported the Showaken ramen bar opening at the flagship. That is an opening report, not a review.2
Good to know
- Where: 35B Panton Street SW1Y 4EA, between Leicester Square and Haymarket.
- Sites: several across London. This is the flagship.3
- What is separate: the sake, tea and miso rooms are their own spaces rather than aisles.1
Verdict
could-visit — The flagship is a food hall with a supermarket in it, and the parts worth walking to Panton Street for are the specialist ones: a dedicated fishmonger, separate rooms for sake, tea and miso, a demonstration kitchen, and a hundred-cover dining area ringed by open kitchens. That is a different errand from picking up noodles. A Showaken ramen bar opened inside it in January 2020, though nothing confirms it still runs. It sits mid-ladder because nobody has written about anything served here, and because the fullest description of the hall came from an indexed listing rather than a page read end to end.