Just your average Tuesday night at Roka. After 20 years, it's still very, very popular.
Hasn't Roka been around for ages? Why are you going now?
In London restaurant terms, it really has been around for a long time. This year Roka is celebrating its 20th anniversary which in restaurant years makes it something of a senior citizen on the London dining scene.
Who's behind it?
The duo behind what's now a stupidly successful international restaurant group are chef Rainer Becker and his business partner Arjun Waney, who also run Zuma. But it was London's Charlotte Street where it all began back in 2004. Roka was the pair's ever so slightly more affordable version of Zuma, which is to say the bill will hurt, but not quite as much as it would have if you'd dined at Zuma.
Where is it?
If you haven't been before, the OG Roka is on the lower section of Charlotte Street, wrapped around the corner leading into Rathbone Street. The nearest tube would be Goodge Street, but it's also pretty handy for Tottenham Court Road and the connection with the Elizabeth Line there.
Where should we meet friends for a drink first?
The closest and handiest spot is probably the nearby Oscar Bar at the Charlotte Street hotel. But we ended up afterwards at the Coral Bar at the Bloomsbury Hotel which is a favourite haunt of ours. There's also a hidden-away bar underneath Roka called The Shochu Lounge that you might want to try too.
Are they doing anything special for their anniversary?
Yes, they're bringing back some of their guests' favourite dishes from over the years as part of a seasonal birthday section on the menu throughout 2024. So if you haven't been back in a while, this may be the time to go, for dishes like this:
A birthday special of scallop sashimi with tapioca pearl, yuzu and truffle sauce (£19)
And what's on the rest of the menu?
When it launched, the sheer range of dishes on Roka's menu was something of a novelty. Now, any seasoned London diner wouldn't be at all surprised to find a mix of sushi, sashimi and dumplings along with the robata grill specials that Roka's best known for. That grill takes up pride of place in the dining room and you can either perch at a counter alongside that and watch the chefs at work, or take your pick of tables elsewhere - it's a large restaurant.
Here's a selection of what we went for, to give you a flavour. And while writing this, we've only just noticed how oddly specific some of that pricing is...
Otoro nigiri (£21.60)
Yellowtail sashimi, yuzu-truffle dressing (£19.30) - a Roka classic
Wagyu tempura maki (£20) - the kind of dish that would give sushi purists palpitations, but we loved it.
Yaki asparagus with sweet soy and sesame (£9.30) - a dish that's been on the menu for years
Room for dessert?
There was and we decided to go for the sharing dessert of sticky toffee pudding which comes with a portion of miso caramel sweet potato ice cream that alone makes this dish worth ordering.
Sticky toffee pudding - (£17.40) and more than enough for two to share.
What's on the drinks list?
As you'd imagine there's an extensive sake list (in addition to wine) which includes one they've had made specially for Roka. Cocktails are also on point too.
Left to right: Hiros Club (£12.40) and the very drinkable Sakura 75 (£14.10) made with Roku gin, cherry blossom, koji yuzu sake and Champagne.
Overall thoughts:
Twenty years after opening, we arrived at Roka on a wet and cold Tuesday evening to find it absolutely packed out. Business colleagues, families, and even the premiership footballer with his girlfriend who were sat next to us were all enjoying themselves enormously. Roka serves the kind of food that Londoners clearly love to eat and the fact that it's so popular should be no surprise to anyone.
We can easily see them hitting their 30th anniversary at this rate.
More about Roka
Where is it? 37 Charlotte St., London W1T 1RR
How to book: Book online
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @rokarestaurant.uk
Hot Dinners dined as guests of Roka. Prices are correct at the time of publication.
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