Sake and sushi restaurant in Marylebone: how to choose your sake
Aki is a sake and sushi restaurant in Marylebone: a Japanese kitchen in a Grade II listed former bank on...
Aki is a sake and sushi restaurant in Marylebone: a Japanese kitchen in a Grade II listed former bank on Cavendish Square, with a selection of 25 sakes chosen to complement our sushi, nigiri and sashimi. If you are choosing between them, one rule covers most of the menu: match the weight of the sake to the weight of the fish. Delicate fish wants a light, fragrant pour; oily or glazed fish wants firmer acidity and more body.
Our Head of Wine, Sake and Tea, Antonio Palmarini, compiles the list, which runs from sparkling to cloudy to plum, and six sakes are poured by the glass. This guide shows how a few of them sit beside our nigiri, sashimi and sushi in Marylebone, as suggestions to try.
Sake with sushi · Marylebone
How to pair sake with sushi: one simple rule, and a selection to complement it
The short answer: pour a light, fragrant sake with delicate fish, and a sake with firmer acidity and more body with oily or glazed fish. Every sake is served chilled.
- In the glass: sakes by the glass, from sparkling to cloudy to plum, in 100ml pours from £12, with 300ml carafes for all but the sparkling Classic Awa
- On the plate: sushi, nigiri and sashimi
- The rule: match the weight of the sake to the weight of the fish
- By the bottle: 25 sakes on our sake and wine list
- Where: Aki, 1 Cavendish Square, Marylebone, London W1G 0LA, minutes from Oxford Circus and Bond Street
The one rule for sake with sushi: match the weight of the sake to the weight of the fish
Delicate fish such as sea bream, sea bass and lean tuna has a clean, subtle flavour that a heavy sake would smother, so pour something light and fragrant with a silky texture. Oily fish such as mackerel and salmon, and glazed or grilled pieces such as eel and wagyu, carry fat and sweetness. For these, pour a sake with firm acidity, which cuts through the fat and cleans the palate between pieces, and enough body to match the richness. Watch the sweetness: a very sweet sake can flatten the taste of raw fish. Every sake we pour is served chilled, at the temperature its maker suggests.
Why akasu rice changes the sake you pour
Our nigiri rice is seasoned with akasu, an aged red vinegar traditional to Edomae sushi, and each piece is brushed with 30-year aged soy. Together they give the rice a savoury, rounded flavour. Sakes with acidity and some rice-led body sit well with that, while very sweet sakes clash with it. You can read more about how we prepare our nigiri in our guide to sushi at Aki.
Sake pairing with sushi at Aki: Japanese sakes and what they suit
Treat these as suggestions. Each sake suits several pieces across our sushi, nigiri and sashimi, and they run from the lightest to the fruitiest, which is also a good order to drink them in. Ordering omakase? The courses move from lighter to richer, so the same order works.
Sparkling sake · Cambridge, UK
Classic Awa
100ml £16
A naturally bottle-fermented sparkling sake from The Sparkling Sake Brewery: fine bubbles, wild strawberry, white peach and green apple, finishing clean with a touch of citrus zest. Suits prawn and avocado maki, ikura nigiri or yellowtail sashimi. The bubbles and acidity refresh the palate after tamago, avocado and caramelised ebi miso, lift the salt and richness of the ikura, and cut through the natural fat of the yellowtail.
Junmai daiginjo · Yamaguchi
Dassai 23
100ml £24 · 300ml £71
Among the most polished sakes on our list: Asahi Shuzo mills the rice until only 23% of each grain remains. The result is delicate floral aromas, a silky, honeyed palate and an elegant, lingering finish. Dassai 45 Sparkling, poured at our September dinner, uses the same Yamada Nishiki rice polished to 45%, so the two can be compared in one sitting. Suits sea bream nigiri, sea bass sashimi or akami tuna nigiri. Its restrained florals leave the clean flavour of white fish and lean tuna untouched, and the clean finish keeps the akasu rice in focus.
Junmai yamahai · Ishikawa
Tengumai
100ml £12 · 300ml £34
Made by the yamahai method, a traditional fermentation that favours savoury depth, this golden junmai has generous rice-led flavour, firm acidity and a dry, persistent finish. Structured rather than showy. Suits saba nigiri, salmon nigiri or chu toro nigiri. Firm acidity cuts through the natural oil of mackerel, salmon and semi-fatty tuna, while the fuller rice umami echoes the akasu rice.
Taruzake, rested in cedar · Nara
Yoshinosugi no Taruzake
100ml £16 · 300ml £44
Taruzake is sake rested in cedar, and this one carries the fresh, woody fragrance of Yoshino cedar over a smooth, flavourful rice richness. Suits eel nigiri, wagyu nigiri or bluefin tuna maki. The cedar suits the grilled character of the eel, and the savoury weight meets the sweet glaze of the eel and the richness of the beef without turning heavy. In the tuna maki, the cedar’s fragrance echoes the smoked takuan and wasabi sesame.
Lightly cloudy junmai ginjo · Gifu
Shirakawago Sasanigori
100ml £13 · 300ml £37
Nigori means cloudy. This one has a soft, smooth texture, clear rice flavour and a dry, full-bodied finish, and is best served well chilled. Suits crispy soft-shell crab maki, Miyazaki beef maki or vegetable harumaki. The soft texture mirrors the richness of fried crab, onsen egg and avocado, while the dry finish and the chill reset the palate after crab miso, koji tare and yuzu furikake.
Plum sake · Kanagawa
Yamada Juro Plum Sake
100ml £20 · 300ml £55
Technically umeshu, a plum liqueur made on a junmai base with local Juro green plums. Plum blossom, nectarine, apricot and orange: rich but lightly sweet, with a juicy tartness and a savoury undertone. Suits seared salmon maki, yellowtail maki or prawn and avocado maki. The plum acidity lifts the salmon and avocado, its light sweetness works with the smoked ikura, the Japanese pickles and the togarashi in the yellowtail roll, and it echoes the caramelised ebi miso in the prawn roll.
Sake and sushi · Marylebone
Sake and sushi: one very good evening.
Sushi, nigiri and sashimi, and a sake list chosen to match. Ask the team what to pour with your order.
Two tips for enjoying sake with sushi
Tip one
Skip the soy dip
Our nigiri arrives brushed with 30-year aged soy, so it is seasoned already. Extra soy would drown the finer notes of the sake. With sashimi, use a light touch of soy and a little fresh wasabi.
Tip two
Sip after each piece
Finish the piece, then take a sip. The sake clears the palate, so the next piece tastes as clean as the first. Small, unhurried sips suit it best.
Our sake selection: 100ml, 300ml or by the bottle
Aki is a Japanese restaurant in London with sakes by the glass and 25 by the bottle. A 100ml pour lets you taste your way across the list, one piece at a time. A 300ml carafe suits sharing, and every glass sake except the sparkling Classic Awa comes in both. The team will recommend a pour if you ask, and the full sake and wine list runs from traditional styles to modern expressions.
Dassai x Aki: sake and sushi tasting event
In September we hosted Dassai x Aki, a one-off omakase sake pairing event. Leopoldo Puzielli of Dassai poured five sakes through the five courses: Dassai 45 Sparkling, Dassai 23, Dassai 39, Future with Farmers and Umeshu. Cheryl of The Chic Explorer, called it the “best sake tasting she has attended in London”. Our bottle list also carries Dassai 39 and Dassai Beyond alongside the Dassai 23 we pour by the glass. Upcoming events are on our What’s On page.
“… the bluefin tuna tartare with caviar served on a block of ice stole the show. Dassai 23 is still my fave… more complex aroma, floral with pear, melon and a bit of honey. Gorgeous.”
O.S. Writes – October 2026
Browse the menu, choose from the sushi, the sashimi or the omakase, and start with a 100ml glass.
Reserve your table
Sushi and sake, chosen to match.
Reserve a table at Aki in Marylebone and ask the team what to pour.
Sake with sushi at Aki: your questions answered
Everything to know about choosing sake with sushi at Aki in Marylebone.
What is the best sake to drink with sushi?
There is no single best sake, but one rule works every time: match the weight of the sake to the weight of the fish. Light, fragrant sakes such as a junmai daiginjo suit delicate fish like sea bream, sea bass and lean tuna, while sakes with firm acidity and more body suit oily or glazed pieces such as mackerel, salmon and eel. At Aki we pour sakes by the glass, each with suggested pairings.
Which sake should I start with if I am new to sake?
Start with the style of drink you already enjoy. If you like sparkling wine, try Classic Awa. If you want a benchmark, try Dassai 23, light, floral and silky. If you like soft, creamy textures, try Shirakawago Sasanigori. Ask the team to suggest a pour with your order.
Is sake served hot or cold with sushi?
Chilled. Every sake we pour at Aki is served chilled, at the temperature its maker suggests, which keeps its aromas clear beside raw fish.
What is the difference between junmai, ginjo and daiginjo?
Junmai means the sake is made from rice, water, koji and yeast only, with no added alcohol. Ginjo and daiginjo describe how far the rice is polished: both are more polished grades, and daiginjo is polished further than ginjo. On our list, Dassai 23 is a junmai daiginjo, polished until only 23% of each grain remains.
Can you drink sake with sashimi?
Yes. Choose a light, clean sake for delicate sashimi such as sea bream and sea bass, and keep fuller sakes for richer cuts such as salmon and saba.
What sake goes with tuna?
Match the cut. Lean akami tuna suits a light, fragrant sake such as Dassai 23, while semi-fatty chu toro suits a sake with firm acidity and rice-led body such as Tengumai.
What sake goes with salmon?
For salmon nigiri, try Tengumai, whose firm acidity cuts through the natural oil. For our seared salmon maki, try Yamada Juro Plum Sake, whose plum acidity lifts the salmon and avocado and whose light sweetness works with the smoked ikura.
What sake goes with unagi (eel)?
Choose something with savoury weight and a little fragrance. We suggest Yoshinosugi no Taruzake, a sake rested in cedar, from Nara: the cedar suits the grilled eel, and the savoury body meets the sweet glaze without feeling heavy.
Is sparkling sake good with sushi?
Yes, particularly with rolls and anything rich, because the bubbles and acidity refresh the palate. We suggest Classic Awa, a naturally sparkling sake from Cambridge, with prawn and avocado maki, ikura nigiri or yellowtail sashimi.
What is nigori sake?
Nigori means cloudy. The sake is coarsely strained so that some fine rice particles stay in the glass, giving a softer, creamier texture. Ours, Shirakawago Sasanigori, is a lightly cloudy junmai ginjo served well chilled, and it suits crispy soft-shell crab maki.
What is taruzake?
Taruzake is sake rested in cedar, which gives it a fresh, woody fragrance. Our Yoshinosugi no Taruzake, from Nara, carries the scent of Yoshino cedar over a smooth, savoury rice richness.
Should I dip sushi in soy sauce when drinking sake?
Not with our nigiri, which arrives brushed with 30-year aged soy, so it is seasoned already. Extra soy can drown the finer notes of a delicate sake. Sashimi comes with fresh wasabi and the same soy, so use a light touch.
Does Aki serve sake by the glass?
Yes. Sakes are poured by the glass in 100ml measures, and all but the sparkling Classic Awa come as 300ml carafes too. There are 25 sakes in all by the bottle, which you can browse on our sake and wine list.
Does Aki host sake tasting events in London?
Yes. In September we hosted Dassai x Aki, a five-course omakase sake pairing for 12 guests, with Leopoldo Puzielli of Dassai. It was a one-off ticketed evening. New events are posted on our What’s On page.
Should I choose sake or wine with sushi?
Both work, and the right choice depends on the piece. Sake’s rice-led savouriness suits akasu-seasoned nigiri especially well, while crisp whites and sparkling wine suit sashimi and lighter rolls. We pour both, and our team will happily recommend by the glass. For wine, read our guide to wine with Japanese food at Aki.
Do I need to book?
Yes, booking is recommended. Reserve through our booking page. Aki is at 1 Cavendish Square, Marylebone, London W1G 0LA, minutes from Oxford Circus and Bond Street.
