Moto, Covent Garden
Small and sleek, this Covent Garden bar specialises in Japanese artisan drinks — including craft beer, vodka, absinthe, and tea — but there's a focus on sake. For many of the bottles on the menu they're the first UK importer, and they offer takeaway and delivery, but we'd recommend grabbing a counter seat in the bar for a sake flight — comes with a lot of backstory and education from the very expert bar staff — and Japanese snacks. The fried chicken tempura has sake mixed into the batter, if you want to keep it on theme. Read more about our visit to Moto.
Moto, Covent Garden
Apothecary, Shoreditch
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A Shoreditch take on an izakaya, Apothecary takes in delicate tiraditos and ceviche; sticky, smoky teriyaki skewers; loud DJ sets; mood lighting and big curved booths. There's a plentitude of good carbs, too — fluffy hirata buns, kimchi rice, spicy salmon sushi rolls — ideal for soaking up some of the short, carefully-judged sake list. Prices run from £24-£32 for a carafe.
Apothecary, Shoreditch
Nobu, Shoreditch
If you want to dabble in the higher reaches of the Nobu sake list (and it's an alluring one; the drinks list's been created with the same balance of precision and indulgence that the Nobu food menu is known for), you'll be paying a chunky price for the privilege. But the sake selection spans a breadth that'll also let you have the Nobu experience at a less triple-figured price: several sakes — including the sharp, peppery Hokusetsu Onigoroshi 'Devil Killer' — are at £10-£15 a glass, £38 a carafe. Our recommendation? Share a carafe and some popcorn shrimp sitting at the NAMI bar counter (attached to the main restaurant, with a little secluded terrace for warmer evenings) for a date night or catch-up-drink that feels both high-luxe and low-formality.
Nobu, Shoreditch
Kanpai, London Bridge
They don't just serve sake at Kanpai, they make it here. London's first sake brewery is flagged by an incandescent geisha mural slathered on the side of a warehouse, in the increasingly-trendy Copeland Park (home also to the famed Bussey Building). Up a flight of industrial stairs, you're greeted by a library of sake bottles, plus taps of draught sake, which, if you didn't know where you were, you'd assume was craft beer. Sip your way through small, seasonal batches brewed on site (absolutely adored a sparkling cherry number we had here lately), as well as the core range. There's plenty to keep your taste buds busy for the evening. The small Kanpai Kitchen across the way makes gorgeous okonomiyaki savoury pancakes to go with.
Back in 2017 we went to visit Kanpai, at their original Peckham industrial unit — read about our visit here.
Kanpai, London Bridge
Matilda's, Hackney
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The Madam Butterfly's a spicy love letter to lychee, made with sake, vodka, lychee liqueur, and chilli syrup — it's not going to replace the lychee martini in your affections, but it's complex, punchy, and lovely. And just one of the sake cocktails that My neighbours the dumplings is serving out of their neon lit underground bar at their Clapton restaurant. There's also a good list of sake by the glass, for the purists — and be certain to order their roasted peanut potstickers to soak it up.
Matilda's at My neighbours the dumplings, Hackney.
