The best Japanese Restaurants in Madrid
Japanese restaurants in Madrid are our second vital food after pizza, every season, no stop, winter, summer, we don’t care. Pretending to be more soupy in winter and more freshy in summer, but we can’t live with our dose of avocado and salmon combo, in a maki, uramaki, temaki or on a well done nigiri.
Every restaurant has it’s differences and characteristic features. Read your “The 10 best japanese restaurants in Madrid” to discover which are our favourite and share yours with us, we would love to know more and more restaurants in town.
[Note: this is not a chart but a list, we love them all equally.]
1) Not an ordinary Japanese Restaurant: Sr. Ito
We already wrote about Sr. Ito in the best restaurants of Chueca, because we really love this place. Here we are in Calle Pelayo, it’s such a nice street that it is good to have a pleasant excuse like dining in Sr. Ito for walking almost until Alonso Martinez. This is not the typical japanese restaurant, if you are a all you can eat sushi consumer, this is not your place. Sr. Ito in Chueca is the place for beauty lovers and slow life living. The decoration is incredible, we talk a lot about this place in dedicated article where you can see all the dishes, especially the cake, impressive.
Update, they have opened a second restaurant in Chamberi!
Sr. Ito – Calle Pelayo, 60, 28004 Madrid – Tel. 910 81 66 15
2) The Japanese guru: Janatomo
I guess you already know how much we love Calle Reina, and don’t really understand why it’s not mentioned as other really hype calle like Ponzano for example. If you have ever stepped into calle Reina we are quite sure you have seen the red windows of Janatomo and felt in Tokyo for a few seconds. Janatomo means “friends of the flowers” and really represent with strong feature the true japanese culture. It’s Japanese barbecue is an exclusivity in Madrid, it’s called yakiniku and it’s even a European exclusive, because Janatomo is the only one with the bbq included in the table.
Restaurante Janatomo – Calle Reina, 27, 28004 Madrid – Tel. 915 21 55 66
3) Taberna Japonesa: A japanese Kirikata
When you are a great fun of the Arzabal boys, Álvaro Castellanos and Iván Morales, you can’t mention they’re japanese in the list of the best nipponic restaurants in the city, especially because it’s an innovative concept. The quality of food and the freshness of the ingredients it’s a religion for this restaurant, that takes its name from a japanese technique of cutting the sashimi. The cocktails are as well protagonist of the meal with a special menu and a complete selection of the best spirits.
A Japanese Kirikata – Calle de Antonio Acuña, 19, 28009 Madrid – Tel. 914 35 88 29
4) When marketing matters: Yakuza
The Goiko Marketing team is the benchmark in food marketing in Madrid with their no stop contest and pop contents. Yakuza is the japanese restaurant of the Goiko team. Another time Venezuelan in Madrid knows how launch successful restaurants. Their sushi is outstanding, with a touch of creative madness, like for the sushi pizza, or the “El Malandro”. The menu is super cool as the restaurant and the whole concept.
Yazuka – Calle de María de Molina, 16, 28006 Madrid – Tel. 910 60 94 58
5) Sushi bites: Riko
If you love mexican food why of handling a burrito, and the freshness of a temaki, you can find the fusion of this two cultures at Riko, with the giant sushi tacos. The crabs one are massive and super crunchy with an incredible texture. I really loved them, and the bowls are incredible too, a sort of japanese cirashi but with more ingredients. I haven’t been to restaurant so far, but ordered for delivery but I guess the atmosphere will be as cool as their innovative giant rolls.
Riko Fancy Bites – Calle Fernando VI, 21, 28004 Madrid – Tel. 910 80 28 48
6) Zapan de verdad: Yankepon
Great sushi and onigiri, the typical triangles of rice filled especially with fish that you can always find in the Japanese manga. Together with one of the best ramen soup in town, you should try Yankenpon authentic Japanese cuisine.
They have two different restaurants, on inside the San Fernando market, and the other one in plaza de Cascorro. Both places are full of original Japanese books, special design that will bring you to the Nippon country bite by bite and sight by sight.
7) The supermarket of sushi: Nigiri
We all have stopped in calle fuencarral to see the sushiman preparing sushi in the shop window of Nigiri. In many other countries you can find a lot of takeaway food offered already prepared in fridges like in supermarket. Nigiri does this in the very center of Madrid, with different restaurants in high street location. You choose, pick the box, pay and then take away or eat there, because there are also spacious tables. I am in love with the ceviche and the matcha green tea.
Nigiri – Calle de Fuencarral, 91, 28004 Madrid – Tel. 910 29 67 95
8) Learn how to make sushi: Kappo
The best restaurants are the one selling not only a menu but most of all an experience, something unique.
Probably there is nothing more interesting that learning how to make food, and japanese food has always been a mystery, so that the Kappo courses with chef Mario Payán are perfect for principiants.
Restaurante Kappo – Calle de Breton de los Herreros, 54, 28003 Madrid – Tel. 910 42 00 66
9) Korea has never been so close: Maru Korean Food
Korean restaurant Maru is an exception in this post, but just because mixing japanese and korean cuisine is a genius idea. Kimchi and sushi are best friends when you reserve a table in calle Reina at Maru.
For sure their maki won’t make you regret a classic japanese restaurant, and the bim bim bap. Not to mention their business lunch, really convenient and complete, because you can even get the dessert included and their mango mousse it’s something legendary.
Maru – Calle Reina, 37, 28004 Madrid – 915 23 95 31
10) おやすみ なさい means Konnichiwa
One of our latest discovery is Konnichiwa, which sound like a shortened version of a full and meaningful greeting, a “Good Day” in Japanese.
We have passed through Calle Fuencarral hundreds of time without giving the right attention to this hidden gems, where you should sit and totally forget you are in Madrid, thanks to the typical design of a street food Asian stall. You should try their wok for sure, portions are huge, and go for the most unusual food like the super tasty tiny purple octopus (tonkatzu) or the very typical Japanese Takoyaki, the ball-shaped Japanese snack or appetizer made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan.
Calle de Fuencarral, 98 – Tel. +34 912 30 30 05
