Japanese restaurant concept debuts at Covent Garden’s The Yards

Japanese temaki and sashimi concept UKIYO has opened its debut restaurant at The Yards, Covent Garden.

The 1,636 sq ft restaurant at 8 Slingsby Place spans two floors, catering to 16 diners with a basement space set to open in September, which will feature 10-20 covers in an intimate dining space.

The concept is an interpretation of a typical Japanese eatery, featuring a minimal walk-in, sit-at-the-bar experience.

Headed up by chef Konstantin Tshkay, UKIYO will focuses on Japanese hand rolls such as King Crab California, Yellowtail, and Spicy Tuna, as well as a tasting menu, Nigiri & Sashimi, and desserts.

UKIYO becomes the latest of a number of independent restaurants to join The Yards, sitting alongside pan-Asian concept Gura Gura, Burmese restaurant Lahpet, and established names Dishoom and Le Bab.

On behalf of Longmartin Properties, a joint venture between Shaftesbury Capital and the Mercers’ Compant, Abi Labbett, asset manager at CBRE, said: “UKIYO’s selection of The Yards for its debut UK site further strengthens our position as one of the finest day-to-night F&B offerings in the capital. The brand adds another highly exciting addition to our varied selection of restaurants, celebrating an assortment of cuisines from around the globe, and we are sure shoppers, residents and workers alike will highly enjoy UKIYO’s authentic Japanese hand rolls.”

This opening follows the recent pop-up, PRELUDE at The Yards, which saw the team behind the Oriole, Nightjar, and Bar Swift cocktail bars bring a three-month restaurant, bar, and innovation space to the destination. The pop-up paved the way for the second iteration of the speakeasy, Oriole, which will reopen in a permanent location in The Yards later this summer.