Restaurants

There appears to be a myth in the UK that the traditional Japanese dining experience involves sitting on a wooden bench, eating off of paper place mats and sharing your table with a load of strangers. This may be the case in the cheapest of Japanese noodle bars, but this is far from the truth in the vast majority of restaurants in Japan - the Japanese simply wouldn't put up with it. Unfortunately, the very best Japanese cuisine appears only to have made it to some of the UK's more exclusive restaurants in the major cities. However, there is some Japanese food to be found in Cambridge if you know where to look and if you're unsure which ones to try, a quick read of the descriptions below and the reviews at Local Secrets could help you decide.

Green Box Sushi (139 Mill Road, Cambridge CB1) is, unfortunately for Cambridge, the only place currently dedicating itself to serving sushi. Situated just over the railway bridge on Mill Road, you certainly can't miss the place as although it's small, the Chinese owners have taken the somewhat unorthodox approach of painting the outside of the cafe luminous green. Whilst this is essentially a take-away establishment, there are a few seats inside, but the layout and furnishings are clumsy and uninviting, and the cafe has a cluttered and disorganised feel to it. The sushi itself is passable, though far from great, and the side-dishes are pretty poor. The tako-yaki was particularly disappointing. If you're desparate for some sushi, Green Box is probably your best take-away option in Cambridge, but primarily because its only immediate competition is the Tesco further along Mill Road.

Teri Aki and Aki Teri  (Quayside, Cambridge CB5 8AB) are perhaps the best known Japanese restaurants in Cambridge, and certainly come the closest to serving traditional Japanese food. Situated on the river in the heart of the city, they can get very busy and reservations are only accepted for large groups. In Teri Aki, there are the inevitable long wooden benches to sit at, though smaller tables are also available and the staff appear to try their best not to ruin romantic meals by dumping couples down with girls on hen nights. The more recently opened sister restaurant, Aki Teri, is considerably more stylish and caters for those who prefer not to share their table with random strangers. The food is possibly the closest to a true Japanese experience than you will find anywhere else in Cambridge. The noodles can be a little uninspiring and bland, but the sushi is always fresh, the side dishes are generally quite authentic and the bento is a great lunchtime option. It is perhaps better to order a number of smaller dishes and share, as the Japanese tend to do, than to plump for one big dish per person. There's also Japanese beer on tap, which is certainly preferable to the over-priced and very average sake. All in all, a bit of a mixed bag, but definitely worth a go.

Little Seoul (The Basement, 108 Regent Street CB2 1DP), as the name suggests, specialises in Korean food rather than Japanese, but is a wonderful place to sample some bibimbab and kimchi. With Chinese and 'Asisan fusion' resturants popping up all over Cambridge, and on Regent St in particular, Little Seoul has stuck with what it knows best and serves good quality traditional Korean food in a friendly restaurant with very reasonable prices. As well as a good selection of Korean dishes, there are Asian beers on offer, including Asahi and Kirin from Japan, Hite from Korea and Tsing Tao from China. The drinks menu also includes plum wine and sake, popular in both Korea and Japan, and Korean green tea to warm you up on those cold winter nights.

Yippee Noodle Bar (7-9 King Street CB1 1LH) is not strictly a Japanese restaurant, but serves what could be described as Asian-fusion, with dishes inspired or ruined (depending on your point of view) by a variety of different Asian cuisines. Here you have no choice but to share a table with other diners, which is not to everyone's liking, though the layout does give diners a great view of the chefs at work in the kitchen. The food is a bit of an odd mix, mostly consisiting of big bowls of noodles, and this more a place to fill your stomach before going out drinking than anything else.

Wagamama (36a St Andrews Street CB2 3AR) has a Japanese name which translates as 'selfish' or 'spoiled', but you are unlikely to feel spoiled after a trip to one of these chain restaurants. Like Dojo and Yippees, the food is a confused mix of different Asian cuisines, none of it done very well, and even the pure Japanese dishes are a long way from authentic. Add to that the fact that most things on the menu are overpriced, and you'll be sharing a wooden bench with other diners, and this really is a place to be avoided. Has all the atmosphere of a school canteen with food that Jamie Oliver's dinner ladies would be embarrassed to serve.

CB2 (5-7 Norfolk Street CB1 2LD) offers a good selection of imported beers, including some from Japan, and serves European food.

Pubs and Bars

If you're in need of Asahi or Kirin, the following pubs and bars have just what you're looking for:

The Salisbury Arms (76 Tenison Road CB1 2DW) is a great backstreet boozer, just off Mill Road, with Kirin Ichiban on tap.

La Raza (4-6 The Basement, Rose Crescent CB2 3LL) is not the cheapest place to drink in the city, but does have bottles of Asahi.

The Junction (Cambridge Leisure Park CB1 7GX), as well as hosting some great live music, also has a bar with Kirin Ichiban on tap, as long as you don't mind drinking it out of a plastic glass.