Wow Simply Japanese

We were eager to try this place as it's not too far from where we live and there aren't too many Japanese restaurants in North London. We're glad we did as the food was really very good. We ordered a mixture of sushi & tempura plus one person had a bento box. The bento looked good, the sushi was fresh and well made and the tempura was crisp and tasty. What's not to like? Well, the drinks we ordered when we arrived must have taken 15-20 minutes to come; the food arrived one person at a time (which isn't all that unusual for Japanese but one person had to wait maybe 10 minutes longer than everyone else which starts to become a bit annoying). My second beer never arrived at all. I don't think the restaurant has been around all that long so we're going to assume these are teething problems and that they read the reviews and get better… so we will probably go back.

Best Japanese in North London and probably our favourite restaurant in Crouch End/Muswell Hill. I used to have dinner there with my wife at least once a week. A full meal with couple of Japanese beer ended up around £25 per head with Black Cod ! You do not come to WoW Simply Japanese for the comfort or decor which is adequate but not great nor for the service which is efficient but not very friendly but for the food which is as good as any top notch Japanese in London and would compare favourably with Hakkassan and Nobu for a fraction of the price.. Of course if you want the full experience or bring a girlfriend or clients go to those posh expensive places (I also love Hakkassan not keen on Nobu) but if you want a great local Japanese with top notch food for less than £30, this is the place. Favourite of mines are: fried squids, soft shell crab tempura, king prawn tempura, sea bass tempura (their batter is so light it is amazing) for starters and spicy black cod (amazing for £14!) or the marinated steack. We usually skip dessert as I am not a big fan of Japanese desserts. Have a look at the board they have lots of specials and we had once some special rolls which were great (WoW rolls ring a bell for about 14£ again). You have to book in the evening and it can get very crammed in. Very noisy when busy and chilly if you are next to the door in Winter but it is all worth it for the food. One of the few places in Crouch End which is full on a mid week evening so clearly they are doing something right.

We have been going to this great local Japanese restaurant ever since it first opened and it continues to impress. Although the tables and chairs are a little spartan, the welcome is very warm and the quality of the food is outstanding. Our most successful meals here have been when we have simply asked to be brought whatever the staff suggest (although we now have a list of favourite dishes which we make sure they include!). We can highly recommend the crispy squid with chilli, the dragon rolls, the Wow salad, all the tempura dishes, the black cod, the sea bass sashimi, the grilled aubergine and the various grilled steaks…we haven't had a disappointing dish here. It is also a great place to go for a quick meal on the spur of the moment – there is a good selection of bento boxes for those who haven't the energy to choose anything themselves. The wine list is unexciting but then Japanese food does not really lend itself to accompanying wine and you are better off sticking to other drinks anyway. We have never had any trouble at all getting a table and the bill is always a very pleasant surprise – highly recommended.

Booked a table for two giving my name and contact number. Arrived only to be told my booking had not been written down and that they were now fully booked. No effort to sort out the problem and no appology. Disgrace.