The story
Sumi is a Japanese restaurant at 157 Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill, London, and the Good Food Guide rated it Very Good in its 2026 edition. It is the sister restaurant to Endo at the Rotunda, the White City sushi counter run by Endo Kazutoshi, and it takes its name from his mother.
Christian Onia leads the kitchen, bringing Endo's signature style to a menu split into starters, sashimi, nigiri, temaki, robata grills and gohan rice bowls. Raw fish is the foundation. The Good Food Guide singled out rich chutoro nigiri, silky sea bass, and temaki hand-rolls filled with soft, creamy diced scallop, shiso flowers and soy. From the robata, an Ibérico secreto cut of pork comes with a gentle yuzu kosho dressing.
The dining room is bright and convivial, with pale wood, grey banquettes and an open kitchen to one side. Tables outside under parasols suit sunny days. A terrace menu of temakis and nibbles, made to order, is served on weekday afternoons and at weekends.
The drinks list covers sake, Japanese whisky, cocktails and around 18 wines, with bottles from £35 and glasses from £9. Staff are enthusiastic, according to the Good Food Guide.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
If you hanker after top-quality sushi while waiting to secure a reservation at the ever-so-hard-to-book Endo at the Rotunda, a worthy alternative is Sumi in Notting Hill – less choreographed than its more illustrious sibling but serving dishes that are much more than outtakes. Housed in a bright, convivial space in an affluent neighbourhood, the dining room has been reconfigured since our last visit – the seating has been increased and the room unfussily decorated with pale wood and grey banquettes, while cooking takes place in an open kitchen to one side. Outdoor tables under parasols are also worth knowing about when the sun shines. Instead of Endo's highly personalised omakase, Sumi's diners get to choose from a carte, which is neatly divided into starters, sashimi, nigiri, temaki rolls, robata grills and gohan rice bowls. On the evidence of our latest visit, new head chef Christian Onia seems to be getting most things right: a garden salad (10 different vegetables brought to life by a wasabi wafu dressing) had a perfect balance of crunch and sweetness, while the robata grill helped to magnify the delicate nutty flavour of an Ibérico 'secreto' cut of pork, invigorated by the gentle heat of a yuzu kosho dressing. However, top-quality raw fish is the lynchpin here, from nigiri of rich chutoro (medium fatty tuna) or silky sea bass to fabulous temaki hand-rolls – say soft, creamy diced scallop with shiso flowers and soy. Staff are enthusiastic, and the drinks list runs from exotic cocktails and sake to some 18 wines (from £35), all of which are available by the glass (from £9).
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