Junsei launches late-night menu and DJ nights to bring izakaya spirit to Marylebone

Japanese yakitori restaurant Junsei has introduced a series of changes this month, including interior refurbishments, a new late-night menu, and weekly DJ nights. Opened in 2021 and led by Chef Aman Lakhiani, Junsei now hosts these events every Thursday and Friday evening, aiming to recreate the atmosphere of a traditional Japanese Izakaya – casual establishments known for their food, drink, and after-work socialising.

On these evenings, the restaurant serves a dedicated late-night menu alongside its regular dinner options. The core of Junsei’s culinary offering remains its yakitori kushiyaki omakase — a selection of more than 20 skewers, comprising also nose-to-tail chicken cuts, seasonal vegetables, and specialty items. The small sharing plates selection presents dishes such as Wagyu Beef Rib Cap, Crab Korokke with Caviar, and Diver Scallops with Shoyu Butter. Claypot donabe rice, cooked to order, features as a staple of the dining experience.

The team has also recently introduced some new dessert options: from seasonal granita with fruit and citrus, milk purin with kokuto sugar, to delicious grilled fruit served with brown sugar ice cream. This latter is the perfect ending of the chef’s selection menu, where diners are treated to around seven skewers – a mix picked from the Yakitori and the Kushitayaki options -, a starter and a main. This experience, “leave it up to Junsei”, proves to be the best introduction to the restaurant’s varied menu, everything passed through the flame of the grill using white-hot Binchōtan charcoal.

For the late-night menu, exclusive to DJ nights, there will be dishes such as Chicken Nanban with Tartare Mayonnaise, Crispy Chicken Skin Chips, and Soboro Don — a bowl of minced chicken and egg yolk seasoned with shichimi. These items are designed to pair with the restaurant’s drink selection, which highlights Japanese spirits as sake and shochu, as well as Japanese wines. The result is a drinks list that champions authenticity and invites guests to experience the richness of Japan’s drinking culture.

With the addition of the DJ sets, the venue, located in Marylebone at 132 Seymour Place, intends to mirror the communal energy of Japanese nightlife, with music selections ranging from Japanese City Pop to soul and groove. 

Food Desk

For further information and reservations, visit Junsei’s website here.