Koya Japanese Restaurant Hackney

You'll find yourself on Broadway Market Mews, that proper neighbourhood corner of Hackney where locals actually live rather than just Instagram. Koya does one thing and does it properly: udon noodles, the thick chewy kind that demand respect. The menu isn't pretentious—it's honest Japanese home cooking translated to an open kitchen you can actually watch. The room itself is pared back, no fussy décor, just good sightlines to the counter and enough warmth from the kitchen energy to make it feel lived-in rather than sterile. Come hungry, come ready to slurp without shame.