Honest Japanese fare and some rare ingredients are Tobiko’s assets. The premises may be small but the sushi is of great quality.

The Venue
Garrick Street is quite busy with traffic but it lacks the waves of tourists that most of Covent Garden experiences. Despite being lined with small restaurants, the area is still pretty quiet and it’s no surprise that Tobiko passes by unnoticed. The smallish premises has no indoor seating, although a handful of metal tables and chairs are located outside on the pavement, under large canopies. Indoors, there is just enough space for a self-service chiller with sushi and drinks, a staffed counter with large sushi rolls and a dedicated area where you can see your sushi being made on the spot.

The Atmosphere
The vast majority of customers are office workers from the area. Tobiko has a good reputation and most customers are regulars so the venue tends to get very full at lunchtime, when you should expect to queue and struggle to find a seat. Tourists are rarely seen here, which is slightly surprising for Covent Garden.

The Food
All their sushi and hot food is handmade daily and there are a few ingredients which you won’t see elsewhere. You can choose from sushi and sashimi sets (£4.20 - £9.50), very large rolls with multiple ingredients called futomaki (£1 - £1.30 each), uramaki (the regular, small variety for 40p – 50p), gunkan (topped with roe for £1.30 - £3) and nigiri (£1 - £2.50), as well as seaweed salads (£1.50 - £4), soups (£1.50 – £3) and hot food (£5.50 - £8.50).

Try the good miso soup to start, rich in seaweed and tofu. If the day is cold, their hot food is ideal. Tobiko serves quality stews (called donburi) on Japanese rice with a side of fresh vegetables and you can pick from common chicken to exotic eel. In any other circumstance, the sushi is what you should focus on. There is a very good selection of sets, although their specialty is definitely futomaki. These very large rolls are stuffed with crayfish, spicy tuna, raw yellowtail, freshwater eel and more. Just as interesting is the coating on the rice – only a few establishments in London use purple dry Japanese mint or fish eggs marinated in wasabi to coat their rolls. The seaweed salad is another one to try. Rather sweet, slippery in consistency and intriguing to look at, this salad is delicious and refreshing.

The Drink
Tobiko has a great drink list (£1.20 – £1.80) that’s a cut above most takeaways. They stock the usual soft drinks and water as well as aloe vera juice, chilled green tea and the Mangajo range, including varieties such as goji berries and green tea or redbush and grape. Bundaberg ginger beer is also available.

The Last Word
Tobiko is a good option for a takeaway, although it’s a shame there’s not much space to sit – it would make an even better cafe.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (1) image gallery (3)