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Sushi Show.

Sushi · Islington · $$ · Go-to · verified

28 Camden Passage, Islington, London N1 8ED

walk-in

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Sushi Show

The shop is run by a fish wholesaler with thirty years in the trade, which is why a piece of fatty tuna over the counter here costs what it costs (Sushi Show, The Infatuation).

Why go

Kaz Tateishi opened this in October 2014 and the shop marked its tenth anniversary in a post of its own (Sushi Show). It calls itself the most authentic sushi shop in London run by a professional fish supplier, and that is the argument: the buying happens inside the business rather than through it. Jake Missing scored it 8.1 for The Infatuation and reached the same conclusion from the other end, that such is the quality of this tiny Japanese shop and sushi bar's fish that a solo lunch or an early dinner here is never anything but excellent (The Infatuation). Harden's survey diners mark the food Good, price a meal at twenty-two pounds, and note that it always feels like money well spent (Harden's). There are ten seats inside and a few tables out on the passage. A second shop trades on Bethnal Green Road.

Order this / avoid

  • Order: sushi cut to order, not the ready-made boxes. Fatty tuna first, then scallop, then the natto hosomaki if you know what natto is and are not scared of it. A hot donburi turns a snack into lunch, and the chicken teriyaki is tender and satisfyingly sticky (The Infatuation).
  • Avoid: treating it as a restaurant. It is a shop with stools, and a group of four will struggle.

What locals & experts say

  • Jake Missing, The Infatuation, updated 7 May 2024, scored 8.1: You should order your sushi fresh. The place is run by a fish supplier, after all. A piece of fatty tuna nigiri isn't going to set you back like a Mayfair restaurant and it tastes just as good.1
  • Harden's survey diners: Kaz Tateishi's 'conscientious and consistent' (and therefore very Japanese) sushi shop with eat-in seats is tucked away in Islington's cute Camden Passage. A meal here (or taken away in a box) 'always feels like money well spent'. Component marks: Food 3, Ambience 2.2
  • The shop's own claim, which the two above independently support: it is run by a professional fish supplier with thirty years behind the fish.3

Good to know

  • Which site: 28 Camden Passage N1 8ED, the Angel shop. The Shoreditch sibling is at 136 Bethnal Green Road E2 6DG and is a separate premises with its own record.
  • Size: ten seats inside and eight outside, with stools facing the passage. It works best for one or two people.
  • Booking: none. Walk in, order at the counter.
  • Money: Harden's prices a meal at about twenty-two pounds, which is the cheapest band that guide publishes.
  • Hygiene: the FSA register holds this premises as Sushi Show Take Away with a rating of 3, generally satisfactory, inspected 24 September 2025. The Bethnal Green Road shop holds a 5 from January 2026. Ratings attach to their own address.4
  • Hours: not published on any page reached on 30 July 2026, so check before a special trip.

Verdict

should-visit — A fish wholesaler with thirty years in the trade cuts his own stock at a ten-seat counter in Camden Passage, and that single fact explains the whole proposition. The Infatuation scored it 8.1 and put it plainly: a piece of fatty tuna nigiri here 'isn't going to set you back like a Mayfair restaurant and it tastes just as good'. Harden's diners price a meal at about twenty-two pounds and say it 'always feels like money well spent'. Order the sushi cut fresh rather than the fridge boxes, take the scallop and the natto hosomaki, and eat it on a stool facing the passage or standing up outside. London's sushi field is deep and contested, which is what makes a score like that at this price worth crossing town for. Two things to know before you go: the room is a shop rather than a restaurant, and the food-hygiene rating at this door was a 3 when it was last inspected in September 2025, while the Shoreditch sibling holds a 5.

Order

  • Fatty tuna nigiri, cut to order, at a fraction of what the same fish costs in Mayfair
  • Scallop nigiri, which comes out soft enough to fall apart
  • Natto hosomaki, an acquired taste and worth acquiring
  • A hot donburi if you want a meal rather than a snack, the chicken teriyaki sticky and tender

At a glance

  • Booking: walk-in
  • Timing: lunch, closes early, no bookings
  • Best for: lunch, quick, solo
  • Verified 2026-07-30

Who vouches

Jake Missing wrote about it

  • “A piece of fatty tuna nigiri isn't going to set you back like a Mayfair restaurant and it tastes just as good. Scallop is similarly melt-in-your-mouth and look out for the natto hosomaki too.”

    Jake Missing, critic · The Infatuation · 2024-05-07

Where

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28 Camden Passage, Islington, London N1 8ED

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Key: what the badges mean

★ Michelin star · Bib Bib Gourmand · Green ★ Michelin Green Star · Michelin in the Michelin guide, no distinction · J Jeff's own note · Jeff ★★★★☆ 2019 his own rating out of five, and the year he gave it · new the venue itself opened recently · just added recently added to Jeff's list, whatever its age · 2◆ independent chef/industry recommendations · ! hygiene caution in force · ? no current public hygiene record, not a caution · keep walking Jeff has been and would walk past it · the line under a name says when to go: Destination (plan around it) / Solid (the dependable send) / Listed (on the radar). Under it, where the entry states one: how the room takes bookings, and the date I last checked the entry.

Record

page id
sushi-show
city
London
group
Restaurants
category
Restaurant
cuisine
Sushi
area
Islington
price
$$
editorial class
Go-to
verdict
Should visit
how I know
verified
confidence
high
status
Open
address
28 Camden Passage, Islington, London N1 8ED
coordinates
51.535351, -0.103338
last verified
2026-07-30