Restaurant in London, United Kingdom
Solid mid-range Japanese, easy to book.
Chisou is a consistent, OAD-recognised casual Japanese restaurant in Mayfair, well-suited to diners who want quality Japanese cooking without the price tag or booking difficulty of London's high-end Japanese rooms. Rated 4.5 across 1,259 Google reviews, it is easy to book and well-positioned for weekday lunch or a relaxed dinner. For kaiseki or omakase, look elsewhere; for reliable Japanese in W1, Chisou delivers.
Yes — Chisou on Woodstock Street in Mayfair is a reliable, well-regarded Japanese restaurant that earns its place among London's better mid-range Japanese options. Ranked #677 in Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list in 2024 and #869 in 2025, it holds a consistent track record without the fanfare or price tag of the neighbourhood's splashier dining rooms. With a 4.5 Google rating across more than 1,250 reviews, this is a venue that performs steadily rather than occasionally brilliantly. If you want high-precision kaiseki or omakase, look to Umu instead. If you want quality, accessible Japanese food in Mayfair without booking weeks ahead, Chisou is worth your time.
Chisou operates as a casual Japanese restaurant in Mayfair, a neighbourhood more associated with white-tablecloth dining rooms like Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library. The atmosphere here is a different register entirely: lower-key, neighbourhood-friendly energy rather than occasion-dining formality. Expect a room that hums at lunch and fills up properly at dinner, without the wall of noise you get at more fashionable Japanese spots. It is the kind of place where conversation is possible and the food is the point, not the setting.
Chef Waldemar Kocjan leads the kitchen. The cuisine type is Japanese, and given Chisou's OAD recognition specifically in the casual category, the focus is on quality execution rather than theatrical presentation. For food and wine explorers, what matters here is whether the kitchen delivers consistent, well-sourced Japanese cooking — and the evidence from its ratings and review volume suggests it does, reliably.
The wine angle at a London Japanese restaurant in this tier is worth considering directly. Japanese food in the casual mid-range sits naturally with sake, Japanese whisky, and a wine list built around high-acid whites and lighter reds that can handle umami-driven cooking. A Mayfair address tends to demand a more considered drinks program than you would find in, say, a Soho ramen spot , and Chisou's positioning within the OAD Casual Europe ranking suggests the overall offer, drinks included, holds up. If the wine list matters to you, arrive with a willingness to follow the staff's lead on pairings; that approach works better here than insisting on a familiar Burgundy or Bordeaux. For a more formal sake and wine pairing experience within London's Japanese dining scene, Akira and Ginza St James's are worth comparing.
Lunch is the smarter booking for first-timers. Chisou runs lunch service Monday through Friday from 12 to 3pm and Saturday from 12:30pm, giving you unhurried access to the full menu at what is typically a lower price point than dinner , standard practice for London Japanese restaurants in this tier. Sunday lunch opens at 1pm and runs through to 9:15pm, making it a viable option for a longer, relaxed afternoon meal. Dinner service runs until 10:30pm on weekdays and Saturday, which means you can book late without rushing. The practical advice: a weekday lunch is the lowest-friction entry point. Saturday dinner is the most likely time to find the room at full energy.
Booking difficulty at Chisou is rated Easy. You should not need to plan weeks in advance for most slots, though Saturday dinner and prime Friday evening times may require a few days' notice. The address is 22-23 Woodstock Street, London W1C 2AR, a short walk from Bond Street station. For comparison venues in London's Japanese category, Humble Chicken and Hannah both require more forward planning. Chisou's relative accessibility is a practical advantage.
If you are building a serious London dining itinerary, Chisou works well as an anchoring mid-range Japanese dinner or lunch rather than a destination meal. Pair it with a higher-end Japanese experience , Umu for Kyoto-style kaiseki, or look internationally to Myojaku in Tokyo or Azabu Kadowaki in Tokyo if you are comparing London's Japanese offer to the source. For UK destination dining at the opposite end of the formality scale, Waterside Inn in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, or Moor Hall in Aughton represent the other end of the spectrum. Browse our full London restaurants guide for context across price tiers and cuisines, or check our full London bars guide and our full London hotels guide to plan the full trip. Wine-focused visitors may also find our London wineries guide and London experiences guide useful alongside this. For countryside alternatives, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Hand and Flowers in Marlow, and hide and fox in Saltwood offer different but compelling cases for leaving the city.
Lunch is the better entry point for most diners. Service runs Monday to Friday from 12 to 3pm and Saturday from 12:30pm, typically at a lower price point than dinner. The room is quieter, the pace is more relaxed, and you get the same kitchen without the evening crowd. If atmosphere and energy matter more to you, Saturday dinner is when Chisou operates at full capacity.
Chisou is a casual Japanese restaurant , not an omakase counter or a high-ceremony kaiseki room. It is OAD-recognised in the casual category, which means the value is in consistent, well-executed Japanese cooking at a Mayfair address without the occasion-dining price tag. Book a weekday lunch first to get the measure of the kitchen, then return for dinner if it suits your pace.
Smart casual is the appropriate register. Chisou is in Mayfair but operates as a casual restaurant , the OAD Casual Europe ranking signals the room's actual dress expectation. You would not be out of place in jeans and a jacket, and there is no suggestion of a formal dress code. Avoid over-dressing for a venue at this level; that energy belongs at Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library or CORE by Clare Smyth.
No specific group capacity data is available for Chisou. Given its Mayfair address and casual format, it is likely suitable for small groups of four to six; larger parties should contact the restaurant directly before booking to confirm table configuration. For groups requiring a private dining room or guaranteed large-table seating, venues with confirmed private dining infrastructure are a safer bet.
For a step up in formality and price within London's Japanese scene, Umu delivers Kyoto-style kaiseki with a serious sake list but requires more lead time and budget. Humble Chicken is worth considering if yakitori is your focus. Ginza St James's and Akira offer different takes on Japanese dining in central London. If you want to stay in Mayfair but switch cuisines entirely, The Ledbury and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal represent the higher-spend, Modern British alternative.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Chisou | — | |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | ££££ | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | ££££ | — |
| The Ledbury | ££££ | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | ££££ | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | ££££ | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Chisou is a casual Japanese restaurant in Mayfair, so it can handle small groups reasonably well. Parties of 4 to 6 should be fine with advance booking; larger groups should check the venue's official channels to confirm capacity. For a Japanese group dinner in London, Chisou is more flexible than counter-format omakase venues, where group size is typically restricted.
If you want a step up in formality and budget, Umu in Mayfair offers Kyoto-style kaiseki at a significantly higher price point. For comparable casual Japanese dining, Dinings SW3 in Chelsea covers similar ground with a stronger small-plates focus. Chisou's OAD Casual in Europe ranking (No. 677 in 2024, No. 869 in 2025) places it as a credible but not destination-level option, useful for a reliable neighbourhood-style Japanese meal without the premium reservation difficulty.
Chisou sits in Mayfair but operates as a casual Japanese restaurant, so the dress code follows accordingly. Clean, relaxed daywear works at lunch; slightly tidier clothing is appropriate for dinner without any formal requirement. There is no need for a jacket or tie.
Chisou on Woodstock Street has earned OAD Casual in Europe recognition in both 2024 and 2025, which signals consistent quality at a mid-range casual level rather than a destination-dining experience. Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so you do not need to plan weeks ahead for most slots. Go at lunch on a weekday if you want the lowest friction visit; Saturday dinner is the one slot that fills faster.
Lunch is the smarter choice for a first visit. Weekday lunch runs 12 to 3pm Monday through Friday and from 12:30pm on Saturday, giving you a quieter room and easier availability. Dinner runs until 10:30pm Monday through Saturday, which suits a longer evening, but Saturday dinner is the hardest slot to walk into. Sunday service ends at 9:15pm and offers a practical middle-ground option.
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