At the six-seat Juno Omakase in Notting Hill, guests sit as if an intimate demi-clock around the chefs, tucked away behind a heavy curtain, far from the madding crowd. Sushi counters are usually small but Juno is particularly minute, correctly heralded as “London’s smallest restaurant”, a dainty nest of a restaurant full of excellent fish.
Size often matters in life; it doesn’t always when it comes to restaurants. Juno is charming and fun, romantically small and a place where conversation between diners is almost par for the course. And there’s much to discuss: this is a place hidden above Los Mochis, a restaurant that deals in Japanese-Mexican fusion, hardly common.
Word is, micro-restaurants are all the rage, so here are some of the best in London (we would have included the great neighbourhood Italian restaurant Da Maria here, but it closed in January after 46 years, with owners Maria and Pasquale deciding to retire; their announcement is an emotional one).
Sugo 82
It’s a wonder why this restaurant hasn’t “blown up” on social media more, actually. Just look at it: a tiny little kitchen in Hackney inspired by “eating at nonna’s house back in Italy”, and with just two tables of six. One is on a terrace above the kitchen and the other is a small room opposite. Both are decorated beautifully, in a homely fashion with posters, crockery and foliage. Food is cooked and served family-style: fritti, fresh pasta and dolci.
13, 23 Westgate Street, E8 3RL sugo82.com
Aulis
Simon Rogan’s London outpost opened as an experimental kitchen in 2017. Today, it has a Michelin star under head chef Charlie Taylor and operates out of the shadow of L’Enclume, Rogan’s three-starred flagship in Cumbria. There are just 12 seats here and the £195 tasting menu takes diners on a long and conversational journey. Those who would prefer chefs not to explain dishes, whether truffle pudding caramelised in birch or scallops with pineapple weed jelly, might consider booking somewhere else.
16 St Anne's Court, W1F 0BF, aulis.london
Casse-Croûte
This petite French bistro opened in 2013, though feels like it’s been there forever. It’s a movie set of a place, one of traditional Gallic cooking, soft service and red gingham tablecloths. Like some of the best Parisian bistros, tables are close to one another, and there aren’t many of them (around 25). Visit for Burgundy, Le Combal and Banyuls Rimage; for fine terrines, onion soup, scallop St Jacques and lapin a la moutarde (rabbit in mustard sauce).
109 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3XB, cassecroute.co.uk
Endo
Last year, a fire devastated Endo at the Rotunda in White City, a sushi restaurant of magnitude and wit, with two Michelin stars and an arduous waiting list. Tables weren’t easy to come by. It’s much the same story at sushi master Endo Kazutoshi’s residency at Annabel’s, one of Mayfair’s most exclusive members’ clubs and home until the Rotunda reopens in July. With space for just 12 diners, Endo is ceremonious but conversational — no silent sushi here. It’s a lot of fun. If you do get in, ask him about the tuna, which he sources from mysterious vessels out of Cornwall, Ireland, and Spain.
46 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, W1J 5AT, endoatrotunda.com
Paulette
Another dinky French bistro here, only this one is a little newer and found in Little Venice. At Paulette, owned by François Guerin and Jean-François Lesage, lampshades are frilly, tablecloths kitsch and candles twinkling. Everything is intimate. The Standard’s five-star review in 2024 said the menu brings “food that soothes, calms, that eases life along.” Dive into cuttlefish with tomato and olive sauce, white asparagus on sauce gribiche and onion tart, therefore.
18 Formosa Street, W9 1EE, paulettelondon.com
Sushi Kanesaka
Behind a discreet doorway is one of London’s foremost omakase counters, a 13-seat sushi experience elegantly positioned above Park Lane. This is lavish dining, traditional and sophisticated. It is also not inexpensive at £420 per head, but its popularity tells us one thing: people will pay big bucks for this sort of thing.
45 Park Lane, W1K 1PN, dorchestercollection.com
Evelyn’s Table
This cosy 12-seat counter has held a Michelin star since 2024 and is currently under the stewardship of head chef Seamus, formerly of Muse, the Clove Club and Restaurant Story. The restaurant is modern, but relaxed, with a five-course, seasonally changing menu that blends British produce with Japanese and Scandinavian techniques.
28 Rupert Street, W1D 6DJ, theblueposts.co.uk
Teal
We arrive at Teal, Sally Abé’s debut restaurant, soon to open. According to the Wildlife Trust, the teal is a “pretty, little dabbling duck, which can be easily spotted in winter on reservoirs, gravel pits, and flooded meadows”. Teal the restaurant might be harder to find for some, pocket-sized as it is at just 25 covers. Abé is launching her first solo project in what was once Pidgin (birds!), if you remember that? It brought a star to the back streets of Hackney at a time when such marvels were quite rare. Anyway, we’ve every confidence the little chef will make superb use of the site thanks to her glorious British cooking.
52 Wilton Way, Hackney, E8 1BG, tealbysallyabe.com
