Ichibuns — London, UK

Entering Ichibuns – a pun on the Japanese term for ‘number one’ – is a little like stumbling into a hallucinogenic Japanese version of Alice in Wonderland.
The brainchild of Robin Leigh (New York’s Bondst and Nobu Tribeca), the restaurant in London’s Soho quarter confounds on several fronts. The first is its eye-popping interiors, which Tokyo-based Studio Glitt has conceived on paper as a genuinely Japanese mash-up of American diner, and the 50s and 60s by way of Tokyo’s genre-bending subcultures. Fully realised, this translates into three floors of theatrical drama – practically every surface, including the ceilings, is festooned with an energetic magpie collection of memorabilia, manga comics, cushion covers made of kimonos, period film posters, old coal stoves repurposed as washroom sinks, and a montage of origami paper magnified as wall panels.
As it turns out, the theatricality is almost a diversion, because in the kitchen, executive chef Brendan Fong executes an equally eclectic spread that takes in burgers of Australian wagyu and British grass-fed beef – paired with sautéed shitake mushrooms, white truffle oil and blue cheese fondue, or encrusted with panko flakes – alongside steaming bowls of ramen with king crab, snow crab maki, and milkshakes spiked with sesame ice-cream, maple syrup and peanut butter.
INFORMATION
Website
ADDRESS
22 Wardour Street
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.
-
Milan Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026: live updates from the Wallpaper* team
From 20-23 June, Milan Fashion Week Men’s arrives in the Italian fashion capital. Follow along for a first look at the shows, presentations and other fashion happenings, as seen by the Wallpaper* editors
-
China’s latest city car is firefly, a compact EV with a youthful identity and bright design
When it came to illuminate their new firefly brand, Chinese manufacturer NIO turned to London-based creative studio forpeople
-
The owner of this restored Spanish Colonial home turned it into a gallery – with no social media allowed
Casa Francis in LA is a private residence, but recently opened its doors to one member of the public at a time for an exhibition centred around domesticity
-
NoMad London’s new restaurant fast-tracks you to New York’s jazz age
Martin Brudnizki Design Studio conjures up old-world glamour at Twenty8 NoMad, where the menu features nearly as many martini variations as main courses
-
Italian-Japanese fusion’s a joy at east London’s Osteria Angelina
A Victorian warehouse in Spitalfields has been given a slick modern makeover to house a unique Italian-Japanese restaurant
-
This Hackney bar is reviving London’s legacy of lesbian spaces
Designed by Studio Popelo and Wet Studio, La Camionera emerges as a vital sanctuary for London’s FLINTA* community, honouring it right down to the details
-
Time-travel to the golden age of the cruise ship at Sea Containers London
The South Bank hotel celebrates its tenth anniversary with four new suites inspired by period cabin design, from Edwardian elegance to 1980s glamour
-
Twin Peaks’ Double R Diner is coming to London (for a day)
Mubi marks Twin Peaks’ 35th anniversary with pop-up diner and streaming release
-
Ukrainian restaurant Sino adds to London's diverse food culture with warming traditions that feel familiar yet new
Pronounced see-no, the new Ukrainian restaurant in Notting Hill, by Polina Sychova and chef Eugene Korolev, is built on the intimate relationship between people and nature – offering beauty in simplicity
-
Art, pasta and maritozzi: this is Locatelli at the National Gallery
Chef Giorgio Locatelli is the National Gallery’s new Italian master with the latest chapter of his beloved London restaurant
-
A local’s guide to London – Climax Books founder Isabella Burley’s favourite haunts
Creative consultant Isabella Burley credits growing up in the English capital with shaping who she is today. She takes us on a tour of some significant spots