There seems to be a lot of mixed reviews of this place on Yelp, but I thought it was quite good. The sushi was slightly on the pricey side (~70 GBP in total), but good quality. Volcano roll - This was my favorite, as there was a delicious mayo sauce with eel inside. A unique and tasty creation. Spicy crunchy salmon roll - This one was just okay. The sauce on top was a bit spicy but it otherwise didn't have too much flavor to note. 12 piece sashimi set - I could taste that the sashimi was fresh and I liked that there were scallops there too. The environment has a nice intimate vibe with some unique Japanese style seats. The service was fine, although the staff could have been a bit friendlier. The service speed was quick though. Overall, I think Dozo is a very good option for high quality sushi / Japanese food in South Kensington. read more

Dozo - Spicy crunchy salmon roll (left), volcano roll (right) - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Best sushi in London and not typical London sushi prices. We've been here half a dozen times by now, always for lunch (Tip: if you're hitting up the musuems nearby, try this spot, away from the crowds.) They don't take lunch reservations and you don't need them. We always arrive right around 12pm when it opens and get a table. Speaking of tables, it's worth noting that they have embedded floor seating so the tables are low to the ground, but you still sit in a chair-like position. So you're sitting on the floor, on a cushion, and there's no back to rest against. I do not wear a dress when I come here, and it can be difficult to clamber into the "seat". They also have normal tables, too so be sure to ask for that if you want it. We always get the nigiri, which is very reasonably priced, super fresh and delicious, but they also have ramen, bento boxes, maki rolls, hot pot, donburi and noodle dishes. read more

Yummy sashimi and rolls, delish rolls, and friendly staff, but on a hot summer evening, sit outside as we did! read more

Dozo - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Amazing food, amazing service, and good prices! We ordered the dragon and volcano roll and eel nigiri. Great experience! read more

Dozo - Volcano roll - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

The menu has tons of options, so everyone can find something they like. Prices aren't super expensive either, despite the inside looking really nice! The drinks were really pretty and yummy, ramen was kinda mid, and the skewers would've been amazing if they were brought out right as they were done cooking. They still were good, but were kinda that hard, chewy texture you get when bbq starts to get cold. Service was really friendly though, the hostess helped put my umbrella in an umbrella bag for me :) read more

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Go here everyday at around 6 pm. Super busy and hard to get a nice table if you go as a one. Food is good and authentic for London Japanese food. Bit pricey and the place is too busy to get good service from the staff read more

Dozo - Mackerel and chicken thigh bento - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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It is a good restaurant. Fresh and high quality ingredients. It deserves 5 stars!! I will visit this restaurant again read more

Dozo - Highly recommend! Fresh and high quality ingredients. - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

Playing tourist does lead one into tourist traps. The area around South Kensington is tourist central with a lot of museums and accommodation in the area. I was trying to find a reasonably priced meal in the area and eventually discovered Dozo, which had a wide range of different styles of Japanese food and the prices were soothing my Chinese Thrift Gene's fevered brow! The interior was nicely done with an attempt at making the seating resemble a traditional Japanese restaurant. I got a seat at the bar and watched the sushi chefs at work - an older suitably Japanese looking gent with a younger American sounding young lady! My main reason for eating here was the sub £9 chirashi sushi, which was less than half price than the other Japanese restaurrants in the vicinity. Sadly, in this case, my CTG let me down. The presentation of the selection of sashimi on rice was quite cute - in its own box but I found the fish a bit dry and not flavoursome - perhaps cut a little too thin for this dish. My other dish of chicken thigh skewers took a long time to arrive and required a litle polite enquiry from the waitress. The meat was sweet and moist. I didn't quite feel a bozo for dining at Dozo but I hope there are better options in this restaurant-rich area read more

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More like 3.5 for the overall experience. 4 for the food. I came here the other day after visiting the nearby Victoria and Albert Museum late night event. The restaurant was full but we waited outside for about 15 minutes before being seated. The interior decor was very tasteful, quite modern and stylish with Japanese style seating. We ordered a bottle of sake and a variety of dishes. This included the sashimi assortment- 3 pieces of 4 types of fish, an order of the toro and scallop nigiri, the tuna tartare (served with a quail egg), the dragon roll and the tofu steak. All dishes were tasty; the cuts of fish were a decent size and very fresh. The roll was also very good- it was crunchy on the outside with a nice complexity of flavours. I surprisingly really enjoyed the tofu too! It was coated in a sweet and sticky flavourful sauce. For some reason the service at Dozo doesn't match the quality of the food. Our server wasn't very friendly at all- I felt as though we were irritating him when asking questions about the menu. When spending in excess of £100 for dinner, I expect to be treated a little better. read more

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Food was not memorable but the interior was nice and we discovered a yummy sparkling sake. There were a few cave/den-like tables tucked away in the back and there was good use of Japanese-y accents to make it feel more authentic. I'm not sure about the sushi and sushi chef though. I recently walked by a sushi place with the same name in Soho. It might be another branch? read more

Dozo - Our sparkling sake (and salmon) - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

This small restaurant had pretty good business when we went Wednesday evening around 8:30pm. Prices were reasonable (depending on what you order of course) but food was not that authentic. I would say it's more Chinese-Japanese fusion. If you don't mind that then it's an okay place to go. read more

Bit disappointing. We managed to order dishes that had us at under £10 a head for food but most of the menu is pretty expensive. The sushi was fine I guess - I don't have a very experienced palate. I quite liked the combination of spring onion with fatty tuna, but not so impressed with the salmon maki roll (I think I actually just don't like rolls as much as sashimi - but sashimi was twice the price). Decor is really nice - fun lowered seating around the tables (although hard to manoeuvre into wearing my suit skirt and heels!) Overall, I prefer Sushi 54 in Putney. Actually I kind of prefer Abokado. I also would second another reviewer and suggest Tombo instead if you're in South Ken & fancy Japanese - I've only had tea & cake there but it's so cute! read more

It really surprised me that this place has a 3 star rating Overall.. food was very delicious, and service was very kind , cordial and fast. Dragon roll truly amazing and the other rolls very good and fresh. Loved it, we'll be back read more

Came for lunch today just before their noon opening time. To my considerable surprise, there was already a group of people waiting outside. Since i had a few minutes, i walked around the neighborhood for 10 minutes and upon my return, there had appeared a mob of 20 some odd people waiting to get in! You'd think Beyoncé was inside. That did it, i HAD to get in to see what this was all about. I managed to secure a seat at the small sushi bar and leapfrogged everyone else in the ordering process. My food was good, what I expected actually, but not particularly outstanding. Prices were about par with what I'd pay for similar food anywhere else in the world as well. So, while this is by no means a criticism, 'Im still puzzled as to what the lineup outside was all about. It is one of the few Japanese restaurants in the area, so it must be supply and demand. read more

I HAVE TO GIVE IT 3 STARS AND HERE IS WHY. Wait honestly... I'm obsessed with this place. Truly am, BUT .. I have never had such shitty service in my life. The food I love here, but we had this one waiter who was just so nasty that it makes me not even want to return. He literally doesn't know how to change an order when needed and when I ask for a bowl of white rice don't tell me "one minute" because don't you want my money? Our waiter snapped at my friend to the point where I had to tell him to "not be disrespectful." Like who even needs to say that ????!!!!! My friend gave her credit card at the end and this waiter goes "you're rich." Actually what bye. read more

Went here 2 times on my 4 day trip to london. I didnt think i'd be eating sushi in the uk, but their presentation was awesome and their fish was great. Reasonably priced for a trendy restaurant in the area. Some cool tables with seats that are sunken into the floor, giving you that japanese feel with out the uncomfortableness of sitting on a floor knees folded read more

Dozo - Tuna salmon clam and salmon roe - Japanese Near Me - London, XGL

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Although the restaurant is quite pricey, you definitely get value for money. The portions are big and it has plenty of unique rolls and maki's. I especially recommend the otoro maki as it has delicious seared tuna and many ingredients. Overall, it is great quality and I have been there many times Just one thing:staff aren't the friendliest! read more

I'd disagree with the previous reviewer -- she should feel like a bozo for dining at Dozo. I live in South Kensington and was basically ecstatic when a Japanese restaurant which isn't a floating boat restaurant run by Indians was opening. Even more inrigued when I looked through the glass prior to opening day and the place looked like a Japanese hakkasan -- EXCITING! Anyhow, finally made my way there and ugh what a mistake. The sushi chef has had no training whatsoever -- she cut the fish into slices without considering the grain, the sinew, etc., etc., -- which left hardly fresh fish tough, and gross. Even the tamago (egg) sushi which should be impossible to ruin was gross. The cooked food wasn't any better and my fiancees beef teriyaki bowl was a putrid concoction of tough and dry beef and horrid sauce. Sad yo. read more

I'm absolutely stunned to finally find a great, reasonably priced sushi place in South Kensington. Seriously, the sashimi was fresh and served on a bed of ice... the hand rolls were tasty and well made and even the starter were spot on: fresh, salted edamame, etc.... Service was perfect, and the atmosphere was quiet but stylish and cool. I asked the owner about the place, and he said the fish is harvested locally, so you get a fresh locavore selection... best way to go in my opinion. I only wish this place had opened sooner, but I'm glad it's here. A must try! read more

Wished I read the reviews first before I come here. The servers here needs some basic training first. I came in by myself and there isn't a table yet. The server basically tells me "no table!" I wasn't sure I should get lost or what. I decided to wait. Then a table opens up, and I sat at it but a different server came to tell me that's reserved. Pretty much BS because the last table was given to a walk in party of 3. I can understand restaurants don't like to offer 4-person table to a lone diner. But there is a better way to say it than to lie. Anyway, I am really in the mood for Asian. I waited. A couple left and I found my own table. No one really wanted me as a customer I guess because no one come get me. After trying to order a few things on the menu, and they are out of all of them, I ended up getting unagi grilled and crab fried rice. Fried rice is way too salty. Unagi is standard but portion is very small. Only half or less of a typical fillet and not particularly nice. So, try something else if u find yourself at this place. read more

A really bad Japanese restaurant. The waiters are in bad service attitude. The Ramen is very very salty. If u been there u will absolutely regret. read more

Food there were not fresh, plates not clean( some chilli oil on edge....) And the service were HORRIBLE!!! They threw dishes to me without saying anything. One time my hand was hit by the coming dish....Can you imagine that.....it's not a circus it's A RESTAURANT! And right after I fished my last piece of salmon sashimi...they refused to refill my tea and asked me to pay the bill and left the table for next customers..my total dining time was 30mins, including waiting time.I've never tried such restaurant rude as this. Try this restaurant if you ever wanted to ruin your dinner;( read more

Best believe. that i went to this restaurant today. and their manager forced my friends and i to pay service charge, which is OPTIONAL in the United Kingdom. He guilt tripped us into paying and would not accept our payment until we agreed to paid the service charge. Regardless of the fact that we were forced to pay the charge, the service was not even acceptable. The waitress got three of our orders wrong and failed to mention that the order changes would cost money. The manger was insistent that we pay the service charge and asked my friend, who had been to the restaurant four times, if she usually pays service charge. This was unacceptable and unprofessional and i would advice everyone not to visit as the experts was unpleasant despite the decent food. read more

I'm actually surprised this place has such poor reviews. I was in the neighborhood the other day and craving some Japanese cuisine, so we called around 5:30 PM and were told that we couldn't get a table for 6:30 PM, but that 7 PM would work. The restaurant only opens at 6 PM, so I was a bit surprised that it was so busy right at the start. When we arrived, the upstairs tables where we were seated were all full, and my best guess was that it was a student crowd all coming after class or something. The upstairs and downstairs have completely different vibes, as upstairs is pretty casual but downstairs has a bit more mood lighting and can be considered actually fairly nice. I liked that in both areas, they have traditional Japanese seating where you sit on the floor and your legs drop into a space under the table. As for the food, I had the volcano maki roll to start, which seemed to be a very popular order, as both groups of diners around us had ordered it too. It's extremely rich and tasty, with eel sushi basically sitting in a bed of mayonnaise with fish eggs and bonito sprinkled on top. My friend had a much healthier sashimi set which he said tasted very fresh. We then shared the beef nabe, which had tofu, beef, sweet potato noodles and cabbage served in a clay pot. It was a bit too sweet for me, but otherwise I enjoyed it and we were both very full. The food service was also very quick and we finished our meal within 45 minutes. We experienced no problems with the staff, unlike the other reviewers. read more

I question if this place is authentically Japanese. I believe that if we probed deeper we'd discover that it is really owned and run by - ta ta taaaaa shock-horror- Chinese. The staff are all Chinese as are the chefs (from what I heard on the way to the loos). The food even tastes Chinese. That said, the place is not bad given the dearth of good 'Japanese' in the area. As mentioned by a previous reviewer, the dragon roll is very good. We also had a salmon starter which was three giant rice lumps each plastered with slices (plural) of raw salmon and topped with tobiko, ikura and fake-caviar, respectively. They were tasty, if a little unorthodox. We also had a crunchy spicy tuna roll, Pham-style but less delicious and a tempura ramen. This latter dish was ok but the tempura batter definitely Chinese (i.e. heavy, dense 'banana fritter-esque' rather than frilly and crispy) and the soup stock also had Chinese undertones. All said, it was a filling and fairly reasonably priced meal. I would go back because it's in the 'hood. However, three stars because it's neither amazing nor authentic. read more

3-star value. 4-star food. 3-star value. 4-star food.... hmm. Which mark to give Dozo? Being a student, it is hard to find places that aren't chains to eat in this part of town. That said, though most of the dishes here are rather expensive (a bento with teriyaki will run you around £18), I found the salmon-don to be quite good value. A box of well-seasoned sushi rice topped with plentiful salmon sashimi, shiso leaf, salmon roe, ginger, wasabi, and Japanese pickles, served with miso soup, all for under £8. That is a 4+ dish for presentation, taste, and value. The space is really pretty (though rather generic high-end Asian with fake tatami mat table areas). The service was prompt and friendly (though I was dining at a slow time). I'd come back for the salmon don, but otherwise, I doubt this place is worth the prices of most of the dishes. read more

I found a WORM in my sushi takeout last week.. I did take it back to the restaurant and was given a refund but never again will I eat here.. The sushi didn't taste fresh and again there was a WORM in my dish!! read more

Had a bad experience here on Saturday night: walked in and ordered take away- 2 ramen and sushi rolls. We waited for ages, got our Food eventually however the pots with soup were stacked on top of each other and the lid collapsed so everything spilled out in the bag! Plus, got the wrong ramen. Not great for take away, and food was OK. read more

I had dinner at Dozo in South Ken a while ago, and it really was a mixed bag. The menu is very extensive and the food is very good for the price you pay. If you used to michelin star sushi then it may disappoint but if you are an average joe like me you will really enjoy it. The service however is incredibly bad, to the point that you wonder if it's in Japanese culture to be rude to customers! You won't be let choose your own table, they will be curt and unhelpful, forget things, not care when you remind them, and then put things you didn't order on your bill. It really was so awful all we do was laugh. Would only return for take-out (which they do as well). read more

Mediocre sushi (small pieces with little flavor) and very rude service. They asked me to leave 5mins after I paid my bill because "I'd been sitting there a long time". I'd just dropped 50quid on dinner for one (which included a service charge) - I should not be forced out of my seat just a few minutes after paying. I was mid sentence with the person next to me at the sushi bar and it was mortifying. Plus, as I said, the food is nothing to write home about. Never again. read more

Liked the interior design in the restaurant. It always seem like it's always packed inside and that was exactly how it is when we visited! The food totalled up to just above £20 for two people. Had the pork nabe and it was absolutely delicious. It was served warm so it was great on a chilly night. My partner had unagi rice and fried tofu which all had fantastic flavour. Definitely one of the better restaurants in south kensington read more

Yes, Lllycat was right. Sadly t is definitely Chinese owned and not authentic Japanese restaurant. As so many are in the area apart from around the corner - Tombo cafe in Thurloe Place which is 100% authentic Japanese - delicious and healthy. Hope they will be opening late at night soon. However, Dozo is better than other so called 'Japanese' restaurants in the neighbourhood. read more

Completely average sushi joint. Nothing much to recommend either for or against, its okay to head there if you're in the neighborhood but skip the Botan Ebi (large sweet shrimp) as overpriced. read more

Perhaps best sushi in South Ken. Service and food are descent value for the area. Good lunch special.

Good and friendly service and their okonomiyaki and their takoyaki have good flavor balance.

I was surprised by the honesty of this restaurant. I went there wanted to try the wagyu. But the waiter told me that all the fresh wagyu was sold during lunch. The head chef said the rest of wagyu not fresh and insist no good to serve the customer. I give 5 star to their quality control of their food. At the end, I ordered black cod which is very good. read more

My sister and I stumbled upon this little gem when we were walking through South Kensington in London. The service was incredible and the food was fantastic. Best service we've had in the UK so far. It's a little expensive but worth it! I'd say attire is business casual read more

I ordered a sushi set and asked to replace the mackerel with anything else as I do not like mackerel and it would go to waste. The waitress came four times to my table to check what I had ordered, then to confirm that I did not want mackerel, then to tell me the chef would not replace it and finally to confirm my order at which point I added 2 pieces of sushi. After everyone at my table was served and almost finished, the waiter tells us that the kitchen is closing if we want something else. I explain that I am still waiting for my sushi set. The waitress who took my order came to the table with a very bad attitude telling me that because i didn't want mackerel she cancelled the order. No apologies made. On top of that, we wanted another glass of wine to finish the meal and we were told that they do not serve anymore. They hovered over us and brought us the bill as some were still eating. The food is good but the service is terrible. There are much better sushi restaurants in town. read more

I am not sure what you guys were on about. Their cooked food is very nice, but the sushi is just fantastic, if you come in review this place not tasting their sushi, you might as well go comment in a Chinese restaurant that their fish and chips tastes awful Perhaps a little pricey, but still its worth the experience and would definitely recommend to anyone read more

I was worried when I saw the rating. And tried here today! I did not understand why the rating for this restaurant was so bad!!!! The food here was VERY GOOD. Everyone was nice and nice atmosphere. I got Sushi and Sashimi Bento, Zaru Soba, Volcano Maki and green tea ice cream. Volcano Maki was very memorable!!!! VERY GOOD! I liked zaru soba too! Everything I ate today was very nice. And this is going to be one of my best Japanese restaurants in south kensington, read more