Roku: Japanese eatery is Sheffield’s best rated restaurant in 2024 according to Google reviews

Roku, a Japanese restaurant in the trendy Kelham Island district, is 2024’s top-rated restaurant, according to Google reviews.

At the time of writing, this eatery, which serves the likes of sushi, ramen, and sashimi, had an outstanding rating of 4.9 out of 5, with more than 620 reviews by users on Google.

Diners have praised the venue, describing it as having the “best sushi in South Yorkshire”, that is “super fresh”, and “beautifully presented”.

Located in Kelham Arcade, on Burton Road, Roku was opened in April 2022 by childhood friends Tomo Hasegawa and Michael Simpson. The same duo also opened Edo Sushi 14 years ago, another sushi restaurant which can be found at Kommune food hall.

Over the last two and a half years, Roku has earned a number of regular customers, as well as attracted diners from across the country thanks to its high ratings and specialist ingredients.

Tomo said: “We find that many people visit us from all over the UK, which is really nice to see.

“Roku is something that I think we wanted to achieve with Edo when we first opened it, but it wasn't quite the time. But now, a lot of people who live in Sheffield have tried a lot of Japanese food, and they appreciate the variety of really high quality ingredients that Roku has to offer.

“I hope that we can be here for a long time, and we can continue to keep the innovation of the ingredients that we use, and continue improving. Hopefully that will keep making customers from all over the UK visit us.”

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Listed under menu highlights are a range of hot and cold dishes, from sirloin katsu cutty, salmon teriyaki rice, seafood cha-han, grilled eel rice, crunchy spicy tuna roll, and softshell crab tempura roll.

There is also a specials board that changes two to three times a week, which Tomo said is something repeat customers really look forward to trying.

One review on Google from Harris & Samah Ali reads: “Sushi was absolutely delicious, super fresh and beautiful presentation. Loved the specials. Staff and chefs were very accommodating of our dietary requirements and went the extra mile which made us feel very well looked after and reassured. The ambience of the restaurant was perfect for our two year anniversary date night.”

Another review, by Stephen Wan, said: “We were most impressed with the quality of the sushi. The tuna and salmon were top notch and was on par with some of the sushi we had in Japan. The service was very friendly and the food came quickly without any fuss.”

A third review, written by Sarah Davis, reads: “The chef is lovely and prepares the food in front of you if you are sitting around the counter area. He is very friendly and obviously passionate about what he does. It really was a wonderful meal. I can't wait to go back.”

As well as seating within the restaurant, Roku is also available for collection and delivery via Uber Eats, Deliveroo and HungryPanda.

A few top-rated runners up include pizzeria Napoli Centro on Glossop Road, wok restaurant Wokie Box on Furnival Gate, and fine-dining restaurant Rafters on Oakbrook Road.