Join the rewards club for food lovers and unlock rewards

Cocoro

Japanese, Sushi·
££££
·
Bronze Award
·

SquareMeal Review of Cocoro

Bronze Award

“Really takes me back to life in Japan”, mused one well-travelled reader after visiting this bubbly oriental bolthole. Inside, Cocoro has a pleasingly offbeat, independent feel, whether you’re surrounded by Japanese students in the neutral ground-floor dining room or chilling in the sedate basement with its shoe-free tatami mats. Either way, expect a big menu with lots of pictures to help the uninitiated. Browse the list of nigiri, maki rolls and sashimi, try pork shabu-shabu salad with sesame dressing or go for some gyoza dumplings; otherwise opt for a bowl of udon noodle soup or a plate of sushi rice topped with breaded tonkatsu. Set menus proliferate at lunchtime, while dinner heralds some Euro/Asian crossovers in the guise of Camembert tempura or deep-fried chicken nanban with tartare sauce. The drinks list includes plenty of saké and shochu.

Good to know

Average Price
££££ - £30 - £49
Cuisines
Japanese, Sushi
Ambience
Quiet conversation, Traditional
Food Hygiene Rating

Cocoro is featured in

Location

31 Marylebone Lane, London, W1U 2NH

020 7935 2931 020 7935 2931

Website

Opening Times

Mon-Fri 12N-2.30pm Mon-Sun 6-10.30pm (Sun -10pm)

Reviews

Share your thoughts with other diners

Write a review


10 Reviews 
Food/Drink
Service
Atmosphere
Value

Emily P

07 May 2015  
Food & Drink 4
Service 3.5
Atmosphere 3
Value 3.5
Good simple Japanese food
This is a great restaurant for a simple, but quality, Japanese food. Good value for money in comparison to other Japanese restaurants in the area and the sushi was fresh and delicious!

Josh M

10 November 2014  
Food & Drink 4
Service 3.5
Atmosphere 4
Value 4.5
Real Japanese
I have been to Japan several times so far and love the food. I can experience Japanese pub experience here! It really brings me back to life in Japan. Hot dishes here are all nice and worth to try!

29 January 2014  
Food & Drink 3
Service 3
Atmosphere 3
Value 1.5
portion is too small
Each portion is too small and overpriced. Sushi is authentic style, but their special meal are not.

Daniel E

06 July 2011  
Food & Drink 4
Service 3.5
Atmosphere 3
Value 3.5
A quality Japanese restaurant which is reflected by the comparatively high prices but also by the taste and presentation of the food. We ordered Sushi/Ramen/Teriyaki and some further hot dishes non which disappointed (would particularly recommend the Ramen and O-toro which also come at a reasonable price). The service was at par with peer restaurants and the waitresses were pretty and helpful. It is recommendable to order a table downstairs which is more popular compared to upstairs and has a more authentic Japanese feel. Left the restaurant without feeling any wow factor effect but more importantly feeling very happy with the food. I would happily recommend the restaurant to anyone who wants to have a change from going to Kikuchi/So etc.

taro T

18 April 2011  
Food & Drink 4.5
Service 4
Atmosphere 5
Value 4.5
For Japanese , COCORO is the best top 3 Japanese restaurant in London. Our Japanese company use this for business meeting dinner , so I go there very often during weekday , and weekend with my family. Always we book at basement , they have very nice table there , take shoes off and sitting at Japanese style bench seat . I fell I am in Japan. waitress are pretty and good services. Foods is very nice Specially RAMEN noodle is the best in UK , out colleague says so , I recommend cocoro and book at least 1 week before. Always the basement is full of Japanese people .

Tracey R

29 November 2009  
Food & Drink 1.5
Service 0.5
Atmosphere 2
Value 1
Dreadful service and extremely disappointing food. The waitress looked blank and confused throughout our order and our food took ages to arrive. Then it all came at once except for the fridge cold “pre-starter” which arrived long after everything else. The hot dishes were tepid and unappetising and the cold dishes had a “here's one I made much much earlier” feel about them. If you like flaccid tempura, icy tofu, oily soft shell crab and unloved sashimi then this is the place for you. I did complain, but got the same uncomprehending stare with which we had started the evening.

John S

28 November 2009  
Food & Drink 3
Service 1.5
Atmosphere 2.5
Value 2.5
Rubbish service. The food was okay, but just barely. We ordered appetisers, sushi platter and black cod. It all came at once. The pressure was such that we abandoned the appetissers. The sushi was good enough, but not spectacular. The cod was not black and the miso was a gummy paste. The service overall was appaling. I was with friends looking for a really good sushi choice. This rated as a neighbourhood sushi place. Nothing more. Skip it. Really. Do yourself a favour and go to Tsunami.

Rick K

24 October 2009  
Food & Drink 4
Service 1.5
Atmosphere 4
Value 2.5
I booked this restaurant without any real recommendation and so was pleased not only to find it full, but also with a fair sprinkling of Japanese diners. Good start. My partner was delayed, so it gave me the chance to sample the Iki beer (very good) and to see the speed of service (not very good). I was then stunned when three dishes were served to us within five minutes of our order – unfortunately only one of them was what we ordered. We didn't touch them, as we were waiting for a fork (more of that later). The other two were then whisked away after awhile with no explanation. Eventually our food did arrive – as did a knife after asking for a fork three times! Net, net: nice atmosphere, good food, but awful service. Pricey too (£72 no wine)

Lare M

17 June 2009  
Food & Drink 0.5
Service 3
Atmosphere 3
Value 0.5
I ordered take-away from Cocoro yesterday evening and it was the worst sushi/sashimi I have had in a long time. The greasy, fatty skin was left on the salmon sashimi, the sea bass sashimi was dry and had an awful smell. The shell crab sushi was too dry and look to have been leftovers from weeks ago. Needless to say, I did not eat the meal. Maybe the experience is better when you sit in, but I would think about it twice before ordering take-out.

vanessa D

07 June 2009  
Food & Drink 4.5
Service 3.5
Atmosphere 3
Value 4
Fantastic Japenese restaurant! I recommend the chirashi. The fish was just super fresh and the rice was just perfect. It is rare to find such good sushi rice in London. The tuna (grade 2) was melting in the mouth, it was pure pleasure. The salmon terriyaki was quite copious and vey tasty. The service can be a bit slow but they made up for it by offering us some tuna sashimi while we were waiting for the baked aubergine. I will definitely go back in order to explore the menu further.
Book a table

Call Cocoro to make a booking on:

020 7935 2931 020 7935 2931

Visit their website

Sorry, you cannot spend SquareMeal vouchers here yet.

Other restaurants we like near Cocoro

Check availability