Nishiki: A Japandi-style Japanese Izakaya in Edinburgh

Kirsty Wilkins
Oct 4
2 min read

Updated: Oct 20

Japandi-style interior of Nishiki, Edinburgh, light wood, minimalist. balloon lights — Japandi-style interior of Nishiki Edinburgh

It’s a chilly autumn evening in October and, wandering down Morrison Street, the lights of Japanese restaurant Nishiki create a warm glow in the encroaching darkness.

The Nishiki concept is an interesting fusion: Japanese washi paper for the lighting mixed with steel and natural elements, such as long wooden tables; a simple Scandinavian aesthetic for the interior design. The style is called japandi – basically, east-meets-west – and works well as “both Japanese and Scandinavian design aesthetics are focused on simplicity, natural elements, comfort and sustainability,” interior designer Shanty Wijaya tells House & Garden.

Food-wise, Nishiki styles itself on an izakaya – a Japanese pub – and so is a not-your-typical gastropub (for Edinburgh, anyway), serving Japanese small plates, sake and whisky. In fact, the “i” in izakaya means “to stay”, while “sakaya” is a sake shop – this is one of Scotland’s first bars dedicated to sake.

Sitting at one of the communal tables, one Monday evening, Bite contributor Bron Eley* and I were keen to get stuck in. Nishiki, after all, is the new offering from chef Mark Wang, who also owns fine-dining restaurant Yamoto.

Read the Bite review of Yamato here

The lunch and dinner menu (served between 12pm and 2pm, then again from 5pm and 9pm) includes miso soup and edamame, both personal favourites, and chicken gyoza. I was pleased to see there’s also a sushi menu – chef Wang prides himself on his nigiri and sashimi – noodles and rice (the eel rice caught my eye), plus beef and seafood options. Both Bron and I agreed the yakiniku beef skewers – a type of Japanese barbeque – were particularly appetising.

Even then, the menu isn’t limited to tapas and so makes it an interesting concept. Nishiki opens at 9am and also serves breakfast, something I’d be keen to try on another visit. There’s avocado toast with nori (dried seaweed), Shokupan french toast (Japanese milk bread) and a full breakfast with grilled fish, miso soup, rice and pickles.

And, to mix it up again, Nishiki also serves afternoon tea (think, for example, Japanese teas, matcha soft serve and pastries). Essentially, this is an unusual but welcome addition to the Edinburgh scene, low on crockery (in a good way) but big on quality and flavour, with a warm welcome from staff thrown in. We’ll certainly be back.