Restaurant of the Month: UBA at Hart Shoreditch.
There’s something deliciously disorienting about UBA at Hart Shoreditch. One minute you’re trudging down Great Eastern Street, dodging cyclists and vape clouds, and the next you’re inside what feels like a fever dream of Tokyo nightlife, remixed through the Shoreditch algorithm.
Located within the sleek Hart Shoreditch hotel, UBA opened its doors in 2024 and has quickly become one of those restaurants that hums with the confident energy of a place that knows it looks good - and tastes better.
The space itself is a masterclass in controlled excess. A glowing, elliptical cocktail bar commands the room like a stage, surrounded by plush scarlet seating, lava-stone tables, and enough soft lighting to make even a bad date look promising. There’s an industrial backbone under all that glamour—a nod to the building’s East London heritage—but it’s softened by Japanese flourishes and an aesthetic that whispers “late-night izakaya” in your ear. The soundtrack floats somewhere between lo-fi beats and curated chaos, the kind that lures you into staying far longer than you meant to.
And stay we did. UBA’s menu is made for sharing, though in truth you’ll want to keep most of it to yourself. The small plates set the tone: edamame with spicy chilli-garlic or yuzu-sesame smoked salt that make your fingers glisten and your taste buds sing; rock shrimp tempura that lands light as air, the kimchi mayo delivering a tangy slap of heat and swagger; and Korean crispy fried chicken so good it should come with a warning label—shattering crunch, a lick of lime, sesame sprinkled like confetti. It’s fried joy, Shoreditch-style.
Dim sum arrives next, and the spicy aubergine with water chestnuts manages that rare trick of being both fiery and delicate - silky veg wrapped around crisp little bursts of crunch. It’s a reminder that this kitchen knows balance as well as bravado. Then the robata grill takes over, perfuming the air with yuzu and smoke. The lamb rump, marinated in yuzu shiso and paired with pear-tomato miso and kimchi, is the kind of dish that makes conversation grind to a halt. The flavours collide - sweet, sour, umami, heat - and somehow all land perfectly on their feet. The black cod, glazed in imperial miso and kissed with chilli-lime yuzu, is the restaurant’s quiet showstopper: buttery flesh that flakes at the faintest prod of your chopsticks, sweet and savoury in hypnotic rhythm.
Even the sides have personality. Robata-grilled Tenderstem broccoli with satsuma miso and crispy shallots is all crunch and citrusy smoke, while silken truffle mashed potato is as smooth and indecently rich as a whispered secret. Dessert keeps the energy high - the passion fruit and lychee crème brûlée cracks open with a satisfying snap to reveal tropical silk beneath, and the omakase mochi selection is a serene finale, soft, chewy, and quietly addictive.
The drinks list reads like a love letter to East Asian mixology filtered through East London mischief. The Blushing Geisha flirts with vodka, umeshu, lychee, and vanilla - pretty, perfumed, and stronger than it looks. The Minto Matcha is a creamy collision of Baileys, Branca Menta, and matcha - think after-dinner mint meets Kyoto teahouse. And the Shiso Spritz, with its shochu, gin, and yuzushu, is a botanical daydream that refreshes like an icy Kyoto breeze.
UBA isn’t the place for restraint. It’s a sensory playground- part neon fantasy, part grill-house fever dream - where East meets East London and both walk away grinning. You don’t dine here so much as participate. Every dish, every cocktail, feels like an act in a beautifully choreographed show of smoke, spice, and seduction. It’s loud, it’s lush, and it’s absolutely brilliant.
Reservations here: https://www.ubarestaurant.com