Koya Bar
Mellow Japanese, starring English breakfast udon
Photo by Per-Anders Jorgensen
GO HERE: For killer rustic Japanese food at a Soho counter. London’s foodiscenti come here for breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner—any time of day the craving for udon and donburi (rice bowls) strikes.
ORDER THE: Udon. Try new combos like smoked mackerel and green leaves, or mushrooms with walnut miso. Add a tamago egg. At breakfast, it’s all about the udon with egg and soy, or the English breakfast udon: bacon, fried egg, and shiitake. The hot ginger and iced barley teas are lovely, too.
THE VIBE IS: Insider foodies, curators, hungover musicians. The kind of place you leave smelling like tempura—and you don’t mind.
PRACTICAL STUFF: No reservations. Open Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 10:30 or 11 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 10 p.m or 11 p.m.