Hidden above Los Mochis near Liverpool Street, LUNA Omakase is easy to miss. With just 12 seats around a counter, the restaurant invites diners to embrace the philosophy of omakase, ‘I’ll leave it up to you’, placing complete trust in the chef. At LUNA, that trust is not misplaced.
Opened in 2025, LUNA’s menu draws heavily on its namesake, the moon, and evolves with its phases and the seasons. Head chef Leonard Tanyag has over 20 years of experience at some of Japan’s most coveted food establishments and brings his technical precision to London, drawing on his personal experiences and memories in the curation of the courses, including onirigi inspired by his mother.
[See also: The best restaurants in Mayfair]
Interiors
Food is the spectacle at LUNA, so the interiors are minimal with hues of brown, bronze and black; sake bottles, spices and herbs climb up a central column while all eyes are, naturally, drawn to the great stone counter where the food is prepared. The earthy tones are only further heightened as the sun sets through a breathtaking floor-to-ceiling window which looks out over the City, bathing the room in a warm amber light.
Related
LUNA’s experience room is intimate, to say the least. Sliding doors open to reveal a crescent-shaped bar and softly lit rings line the wood-panelled walls, a small nod to the phases of the moon.
[See also: Stylish Japanese cuisine in the heart of London]
Dining
LUNA’s menu contains many surprises and much to be discovered throughout the evening.
The experience menu is 12 courses long, with optional wine or sake pairings every few courses. Fish dominate the first half of the menu, with king crab from Finnmark, served nigiri style with bright yuzu fruit; otoro (bluefin tuna belly) is prepared as a creamy and zingy tartare, while Cornish sea trout belly containing the silky fats is torched to bring out its mild, smoky flavour. Soft scallops from Hokkaido, Japan, are seared and served with miso powder and a smooth, nutty tahini truffle drizzle.
Content from our partners
More impressive is LUNA’s commitment to being entirely gluten free and nut free, a restriction which never feels like a compromise, and in fact, several of our fellow diners had booked for this reason. Unagi, fresh water eels, were hand rolled in seaweed and accompanied by fresh cucumber and the cutting taste of baby Thai asparagus; crunchy rice puffs, meanwhile, added a new texture dimension.
Two Spear’s favourites were the sweet potato ‘taco’ – a playful nod to Los Mochis downstairs – filled with aromatic and smoky caviar, and the A5 wagyu beef, served on a bed of Japanese wholegrain mustard and homemade barbecue sauce, was sandwiched between slabs of melty gluten-free bread made with tapioca starch and potato flower. The result felt intentionally subtle so as not to detract from the meats, but also light and airy as we entered the final dishes.
The dessert courses are similarly experimental. A refreshing blood orange and yuzu granita cleanses the palette before coffee and blood orange, peach and mezcal petit fours provide a fun penultimate course. The final course, the soufflé served with Japanese wasabi ice cream, succeeds because of its improbability, the smooth bitterness of the wasabi cutting through the sweetness rather than overpowering it.
[See also: Land of the rising ash: A journey through Japan’s volcanoes]
Service
Service is warm, patient and confident in their suggestions of drinks pairings with an impressive knowledge of ingredient origins. Staff guide guests through each course without rehearsed theatrics, contributing to a calm and reverent atmosphere – if sometimes a bit too hushed.
Verdict
LUNA Omakase is a welcome addition to the City dining set. LUNA leaves the theatrics behind, showing confidence in its ability to serve truly outstanding food, with success measured in clean plates all round. So, in true omakase fashion, leave it up to them. You’ll be handsomely rewarded.
More information
- Address: 9th Floor, 100 Liverpool St, London EC2M 2AT
- Reservations: +44 (0) 20 7225 2502
- Website: luna-omakase.com/
