TAKU

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Sushi Master Arrives in Mayfair

Sushi Amamoto occupies a 16-seat counter at 36 Albemarle Street, bringing to London the precise, restrained philosophy that made Chef Shogo Amamoto one of Asia's most sought-after sushi masters. This is his first restaurant outside Taiwan — a considered move rather than an expansion — and it carries the full weight of a practice built over decades.

The Chef Behind the Counter

Amamoto's story begins in Fukuoka, where he started his apprenticeship at 15. By 23 he was in Taiwan, eventually opening a 12-seat cypress counter in Taipei's Da'an District in 2015. That restaurant earned two Michelin stars in 2019 on its debut and developed year-long waiting lists. His brother Masamichi runs the two-Michelin-starred Higashiazabu Amamoto in Tokyo. The London counter opened in 2026, in partnership with the Leong brothers, with Head Chef Jongho Park — who trained under Amamoto in Taiwan and spent three and a half years at one-Michelin-starred TAKU — leading the day-to-day service alongside Co-Head Chef Jason Lam.

The Edomae fundamentals remain intact: fish sourced from Kyushu and Tokyo, rice prepared with Nagano spring water, and a discipline in which each piece of nigiri is treated as a complete dish. In London, that approach is thoughtfully adapted to European fish and the rhythms of the city's seasons.

The Omakase Experience

The menu changes daily according to what is seasonal and available. At lunch, a 17-course tasting omakase is offered; in the evening, a prestige omakase runs to around 22 courses with ultra-premium ingredients. The format is communal and punctual — all guests are seated and served simultaneously, in keeping with the intimate, controlled atmosphere of the counter.

The wine and sake list, a 400-reference selection curated by Head Sommelier Bowie Tsang, leans heavily toward French wines as a nod to Amamoto's broader culinary path, alongside a considered sake programme. It is this list that earned Sushi Amamoto the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2025 — recognition that the beverage programme matches the seriousness of the food. An optional alcohol pairing, selected by the sommelier, is available alongside both menus.

What to Expect

The setting is deliberately intimate. Smart-casual dress is expected, mobiles go on silent, and the pace belongs to the kitchen. It is the kind of room where restraint is the point — where Japanese cuisine, executed at this level, asks for and rewards full attention.