Sushi Atelier.

Sushi Atelier

The chefs work with blowtorches, and the clearest use of one is the butterfish carpaccio: foie gras in morsels the size of corn kernels laid over thick slices of the fish, seasoned, then given a flash of flame-grilling (Time Out).

Why go

This is a Chisou-group room on Great Portland Street, and its argument is that you should not have to pick between good sushi and affordable sushi in London (Harden's; The Infatuation). The kitchen makes its case with finishing technique rather than luxury sourcing. Razor clam ceviche arrives under a dome full of smoke that is released at the table, sitting in a whisky jelly. Barbecued tuna comes under parmesan. A tuna carpaccio is dotted with ponzu set as jelly and cut with coriander. The omakase itself carries whiskey jelly or truffle, and Eileen Twum's verdict on all of it is that usually these would sound poncey, but the additions manage to accent the fish instead of overpowering it (The Infatuation). The foundations hold up underneath: Time Out singled out the sweet shrimp and magnificently silky ōtoro. Layout is a long counter on the ground floor under a geisha mural, with banquettes in the basement for groups.

Order this / avoid

• Order: the omakase, six or twelve pieces, which was GBP 20 and GBP 38 in January 2022 and which The Infatuation called some of the most reasonably-priced omakase we can think of2. Add the butterfish carpaccio and the razor clam ceviche for the dome. If you want the one vegetable dish reviewers rate, Time Out's pick is a two-piece of braised burdock root with salt, sesame and soy alongside shiitake, which it called equally brilliant1. At lunch there are sets with miso soup.
• Avoid: the wrong address and the basement. Two Sushi Ateliers appear on the food-hygiene register, and the second is a counter inside Panzer Delicatessen on Circus Road in St John's Wood, about 4km northwest. At the restaurant, sit at the ground-floor counter, since the single criticism its own supporters make is that the interior is "somewhat drab" (Harden's).

What locals & experts say

• The Infatuation, Eileen Twum (Jan 2022), 8.4: her framing of the problem and the fix is the sharpest thing written about the place. There are like 3.2 decent sushi places in the whole of London and they're bloody expensive... But Sushi Atelier has finally changed all that, and hit on the holy grail of sushi in London: it's high quality, affordable, and even interesting.2
• Time Out London, Tania Ballantine (Mar 2023), 4 out of 5: she went in expecting a cliché and came out sold on the foie gras, which she admits she wanted to hate: Because serving foie gras as sushi usually means a restaurant is pitching at the worst kind of crowd... But here, for once, I'll let it go, because it actually works.1
• Harden's survey, the dissenting line: The interior, dominated by a long sushi counter, is 'somewhat drab' for those with more exuberant tastes. Its own hedge on the enthusiasts is equally useful: Not everyone would go quite as far, but all reports rate the food here as good or better.3
• Harden's, on how to use the place: Sit at the counter, preferably with a lychee martini, and watch the delicious sushi being made, and from another respondent, the head chef gave us personal advice and even created tailor-made sushi for us.3
• Even the theater gets a fair hearing: on the smoke dome, The Infatuation asks "Did it need all the theatrics? Probably not, but it's fun, and tastes good." No source pretends the theatrics carry the meal.
• Local rec: Jeff has it in two words, "Good sushi." Three reviewers agree. REAL.

Good to know

• Timing: closed Sunday and Monday. Tuesday to Friday, midday to 3pm and 6pm to 10pm; Saturday midday straight through to 10pm (Harden's hours table).
• Booking: worth it, on 020 7636 4455 or the online route Time Out and Harden's both link. Ask for the counter.
• What it costs: GBP 20 for six pieces of omakase and GBP 38 for twelve as of January 2022; around GBP 105 for two with drinks and service as of March 2023; Harden's puts a head at about GBP 78, with wine from GBP 30 a bottle and 15% service.
• Groups: the basement has banquettes and takes private parties, which is the trade-off against sitting where the cooking happens.
• Dietary: nothing published, and there is no venue website to publish it. sushiatelier.co.uk does not resolve. Time Out names one vegetarian two-piece, so vegetarians are not stranded, but call ahead for anything else.
• Where: 112-114 Great Portland Street, W1W 6PH, a couple of minutes from Great Portland Street station and a short walk from Oxford Circus. The register files the restaurant across both numbers.
• Hygiene: FSA rating 4 at the Fitzrovia restaurant, inspected 21 October 2025. The St John's Wood concession separately holds a 5.
• Drinks: wine, sake, shochu, Japanese draught beer and tea (Harden's), plus the lychee martini its regulars order at the counter.

Jeff's take (his words)

• Note: "Good sushi" REAL.

Verdict

should-visit — A Chisou-group sushi counter doing finishing work you normally pay Mayfair prices for: a torch flashed across foie gras laid in corn-kernel morsels over butterfish, razor clam ceviche released from a smoke-filled dome into whisky jelly, ponzu set as jelly, parmesan on barbecued tuna. The Infatuation's argument is that it solved a real London problem by being high quality, affordable and interesting at once, and it scored it 8.4 while Time Out gave four stars. Twelve pieces of omakase were GBP 38 in 2022. It is a detour rather than a pilgrimage because it holds no award, its own supporters call the room drab, and the kitchen's most interesting reported technique could not be sourced.