Zuma London

Zuma opened on Raphael Street in 2002, the founding restaurant of a group that now spans the world. Conceived by chef Rainer Becker and investor Arjun Waney, it took the informal Tokyo izakaya as its starting point and rebuilt it for Knightsbridge: a single long room of granite, raw timber and exposed steel, where guests sit around an open kitchen rather than facing a stage. Plates arrive in no fixed order, designed to be shared. More than two decades on it remains one of the most recognised Japanese restaurants in London and a fixture in the Michelin Guide.

The room is organised around three counters. The robata grill and the sushi counter put the chefs in full view, and a long sake and cocktail bar runs along one side, pouring from a list of more than forty sakes alongside Japanese spirits and the signature cocktails. A lower lounge of deep red banquettes sits behind a screen of woven wood, quieter than the main floor and well suited to a drinks-led gathering. The energy here builds through the evening, and the bar keeps its own crowd long after the kitchen has cleared.

For private events the restaurant offers two intimate private dining rooms and the semi-private Tosho Table, a single slab of white teak set between the lounge and the kitchen with a clear view of the robata grill. The whole restaurant, indoor and outdoor, can be taken exclusively for larger occasions. It is the rare Knightsbridge dining room that already carries its own late-night momentum, which is what makes it work for a hosted, music-led evening rather than a quiet supper.