Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Japanese
Beer/Wine

Vegetarian Japanese restaurant with many vegan sushi options, main dishes such as katsu curry, and hot small plates, including Japanese street food such as takoyaki. Open Mon-Tue 12:00-15:00, 17:00-22:00, Wed-Sat 12:00-22:30, Sun 12:00-22:00.


Venue map for Ima
© OpenStreetMap contributors

49 Reviews

First Review by jaynaaa

hasanasim

Points +30

Vegan
15 Jul 2025

Delicious crispy vegan Sushi at this lovely spot in Exmouth Market

The highlights were the sesame toast and the ‘crab’ tempura sushi roll. The texture and flavour of both dishes were excellent. The Takoyaki was fine and could have been skipped. The service was warm and friendly.

Pros: Warm service, Delicious sushi

e.percival

Points +226

Vegan
07 Jul 2025

Brilliant sushi experience

Their sushi rolls are nothing but impressive, beautifully presented and tasted amazing. We chose the mango-kissed tuna, miso black cod roll and gochujang parsnip crab tempura to share between the three of us. The mango kissed tuna and miso black cod were both refreshing, and the tempura crab was lovely and crispy.
We tried the sesame butternut squash on toast, teriyaki tofu mountains and takoyaki bombs as small plates and each was amazing! We even tried the vegan caramelised biscuit cheesecake (unfortunately the only vegan dessert) but it was one of the best cheesecakes we've ever tried and highly recommended!
We very much enjoyed our experience, with very friendly staff! It's not entirely vegan, but vegetarian dishes are clearly labelled and in the minority.

Pros: Beautiful presentation, Friendly staff, Unique vegan experience

Cons: Only one vegan dessert

VitaminG

Points +72

Vegan
05 Jul 2025

Fab

Amazing sushi, just shows you don’t need fish! Lovely staff, the restaurant decor is cool and it was busy. Me and my fiancé shared the set menu for £45 per person which came with sake, 4 starters and 4 different sushi flavours for main. Then the most amazing caramel cheesecake which I DEVOURED! And I do not have a sweet tooth normally! We also both got a £10 off voucher to use again before the end of the month so will be returning😄

Pros: Food choice , Presentation , Staff

IndoorPlant

Points +624

Vegan
03 Jul 2025

Don't recommend it!

I was really excited to try IMA Sushi. I went for a late lunch and the restaurant was completely empty inside, with just a couple of free tables outside. I asked the waitress to help identify which dishes weren’t vegan, but she couldn’t really explain what contained dairy or not.

We ordered a starter and three sushi plates. When we asked for tap water, she brought just one glass and then asked if we wanted a second, even though we’d clearly asked for two.

The food took quite a while to arrive, and oddly, two of the sushi plates came before the starter. We eventually asked about the missing starter, and moments later it showed up, clearly it had been ready but just hadn’t been brought over.

The sushi was okay overall, though it fell apart easily and I really didn’t enjoy the Beetroot-Kissed Mango Tuna, the tuna had a strange taste. When it came to paying, they didn’t bring a receipt, just the card machine with the total, which felt a bit off.

I ended up asking to remove the service charge, only the second time I’ve ever done that, and they questioned me about it, saying their service is “dynamic” and starters don’t necessarily come first. I’d suggest calling them something else, like “small plates” or “small bites”, because that’s not what a starter means.

All in all, it was a disappointing experience, and I wouldn’t go back.

tendaystogo

Points +275

Vegan
29 May 2025

Best vegan sushi in London

Really nice people, delicious food and Osaka specialities - 100% recommend!

ScottishSeitanLover67

Points +50

Vegan
28 May 2025

Unbelievable sushi!

Ima is absolutely phenomenal! I got 3 different types of sushi, the ‘crab’ tempura really blew us away! Also 2 side dishes, both very tasty! Could eat there 3 times a day, can’t wait to visit next time, will definitely be a london eat essential from now on!

Pros: Crab tempura YUM, great menu selection, quick service too, Interior of the restaurant is lovely & staff nice

Kallan

Points +90

Vegan
09 May 2025

Fantastic sushi

Great range of sushi - ‘prawn’ toast was delicious too.

Pros: Food, Staff, Location

Jlin

Points +778

Vegan
02 May 2025

Great sushi

Very good sushi and great service. Most of the menu is vegan and items that aren't are clearly marked.

aliram

Points +275

Mostly Veg
30 Apr 2025

Amazing food, amazing service

We bought so much food, all of it was amazing! And well priced cocktails. We had teriyaki tofu, karaage chickn, takoyaki, and the butternut squash sesame toast. Then we had 3 sushi platters, the sweet corn firecracker, mango tuna and the black cod.

Pros: Fresh amazing food, Lovely staff, Tasty interesting cocktails

charandjosh

Points +1695

Vegan
22 Apr 2025

Amazing sushi!

There was lots of choice on the menu. Anything not vegan was clearly labelled. We ordered the dragon roll, miso roll, kimchi gyozas and tempura vegetables. Everything was so flavoursome. Great service.

herbivoretee

Points +163

Vegan
19 Apr 2025

Great Food, Great Atmosphere

Incredible food, great value set menu, amazing service

MollyLobdell

Points +115

Vegan
18 Apr 2025

Delicious sushi!

The servers were all very kind and helpful and the sushi was amazing!

Updated from previous review on 2025-04-18

Pros: Kind staff, Delicious sushi

Cons: Only one vegan dessert option

biggayhev

Points +186

Vegan
14 Apr 2025

What a treat!

I remember Ima from many years ago. I first tried their food when they had a stall at Vegan Nights and I remember they had just stocked a few things at Sourced Market. It was delicious then and I had often thought about the food over the years. So whilst I was back in London for a few days I HAD to visit their restaurant.

I didn't think Ima could get better than what they were all those years ago. I was very wrong. I visited with a friend and we ordered a few things from the menu and the food came out quickly.

The chicken karaage was crispy, thick and juicy. I'd definitely order this again!

The dragon roll was perfect for me. The ingredients were fresh and flavoursome. The textures all worked perfectly together. I definitely could've eaten another of these. It's a classic and something I'd order again at my next visit.

The lobster was sadly sold out but our server recommended the black cod as an alternative which is served with a small portion of the black cod on the side. I did enjoy this, but I wouldn't order it again. This is simply a personal preference thing for me because it IS delicious, I just didn't enjoy the warm 'cod' with the cold ingredients. I also wasn't a fan of the fish roe but again that's a personal thing for me as I didn't enjoy the texture. My friend LOVED this sushi in its entirety and would order it again.

We also ordered dessert. There was one vegan option available so I ordered that. It is a biscoff style cheesecake. This was lovely and light, the perfect end to my meal! My friend ordered the strawberry cheesecake which she said was equally light and not too sweet so she really enjoyed it.

Something I'd like to see next on the menu would be inari. I didn't see it on the menu but I'm a sucker for those delicious little tofu pouches filled with rice.

This is an expensive place to eat, but it is absolutely worth it for a treat. The atmosphere is good, staff are friendly and the food is fresh, delicious, beautifully presented and clearly a lot of thought and care has gone into it. I left feeling very satisfied.

Pros: Fresh ingredients, tasty food, Friendly staff, nice atmosphere, Food is beautifully presented

Cons: Expensive (but worth it)

SandraUnderwood

Points +536

Vegan
09 Apr 2025

Outstanding food

The lunch special was not only filling and great value but beautifully presented. Highly recommend this restaurant for everyone not just vegans.

Pros: Sushi is delicious , Great value for lunch

electroconvulsive

Points +115

Vegetarian
06 Apr 2025

Great Japanese

Delicious sushi and gyoza! Gyoza is a must try for me

Pros: Tasty food, Nice staff

Ebsveg

Points +2984

Vegan
31 Mar 2025

Very tasty and creative sushi!

The sushi and starter were very yum and creative, it is plant forward with most of the meat replacements made from plants i.e. heart of palm, mushrooms etc. I did think it was a tad expensive for the food but good for a cute date night. Of the starters the prawn toast was great and both sushis we tried were nice: black cod and the eggplant.

We asked if we could sit inside but was told it was fully booked but found that when we sat, ordered, ate and left the same tables were still free. I would probably suggest that they work out their tables and timing but other than that lovely staff and space

RobertaCalce

Points +4413

Vegan
26 Mar 2025

Original and excellent sushi

Very good satisfying sushi, wide range, very nice staff, cute place.

emikat

Points +1063

Vegan
25 Mar 2025

My new Favourite Place

Came here on a random Sunday and they were really quiet, all the staff were smiling and happy to suggest dishes.
My only regret was not ordering more of the sushi dishes so I’ll have to come back.

Everything was fantastic and the food incredible, can’t wait to go back.

hardizzle

Points +139

Mostly Veg
23 Mar 2025

Amazing experience

They had an incredible menu with things I’ve never seen before like vegan cod! Amazing staff full of super lovely women. The yuzu sake was delicious as was the sushi, curry, and kimchi gyoza. Can’t wait to come back!

Elarm

Points +908

Vegan
16 Mar 2025

What an excellent experience!

I left feeling really satisfied! The sushi was amazing, and don’t get me started on the sesame butter squash bread! The people working there were super friendly! Highly recommend this place!

AlmaHärkönen

Points +220

Vegan
14 Mar 2025

Great place, tasty food!

Went there on my birthday and had a great time, everything we ate was so tasty!!
Service was fast too

Updated from previous review on 2025-03-14

Pros: Tasty food, Great service & waitresses

Cons: Thid place doesn’t take cash

SJS5

Points +1011

Vegan
13 Mar 2025

❤️ sushi

Loved the small plates and aubergine sushi. Great little restaurant and lovely staff. Shame not all vegan but hopefully they'll change that. Will def be back!

Updated from previous review on 2025-03-13

rayebe

Points +342

Vegan
10 Mar 2025

Delicious vegan sushi in London!

We loved the sushi! We ordered 3 different roles, and enjoyed each one.

davoine

Points +64

Vegan
09 Mar 2025

Wow

Amazing vegan sushi, with the perfect staff. Really worth heading here on an empty stomach so you can try everything. Loved the ‘prawn’ toast, and the deep fried sushi roll. We did the set menu and was more than enough sushi for the two of us.

Pros: Everything, Amazing staff, Great food

Skyzieboo

Points +3678

Vegan
03 Mar 2025

I wanted to love it - it was fine!

I went with my friend and partner so we were able to have a few different things. My partner loved her katsu curry, and we shared gyozas which were great and crispy. My friend loved her fancy roll, and my maki were pretty good. I was a bit disappointed the only vegan dessert option was mochi, and they didnt seem to have a diet soda, but it was okay. The place was small and absolutely filled up after the first hour they were opened, so around 1:30 on a sunday.

Updated from previous review on 2025-03-03

cheroyma

Points +45

Vegetarian
21 Feb 2025

Go here

It was delicious and I loved it so much and would go back to London just to go eat there, it was great because the staff were all very kind and helpful, the second thing is that the food was delicious me and my son had the tasting for 2 and it was great, also everything is served well and looks very detailed. I would recommend coming here.

Pros: The staff, The sushi, The enviorment

EarthlingBridget

Points +342

Vegan
14 Feb 2025

Amazing

Firstly, I loved the vibe. The staff are attentive and really feel like they want you to have a good experience. We had the takoyaki, sesame toast, and tofu to start. Delish! The sesame toast was my fave. For sushi, the gochujang one was my favourite. I even liked the sake and I'm not an alcohol fan. Would absolutely recommend to anyone wanting to try Japanese cuisine

Pros: Delicious food, Big portions , Staff




This page has been viewed 10093 times.