Man visits ‘British pub’ in Japan and menu items will leave you floored

When a British man stumbled across a UK-inspired restaurant in Japan, curiosity got the better of him. He decided to walk into the pub and quickly checked out the menu

07:40, 14 Dec 2025Updated 08:11, 14 Dec 2025

Tokyo is home to plenty of British-style pubs and restaurants(Image: Getty Images)

The UK has long been rinsed for its food. People seem to take issue with our love for beans on toast, pies and toad in the hole. However, there are some nationalities that actually appreciate British grub.

One of the best countries for food – Japan – seems to have a love for our beautiful nation. Not only are the Japanese keen on Harry Potter and Paddington, they’ve also got loads of UK-themed restaurants and pubs dotted around Tokyo.

British influencer James Edwards couldn’t resist visiting one recently to see if it was actually authentic. And luckily for us, he filmed the whole experience to share with his 567,000 followers on Instagram.

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With a menu boasting fish and chips, shepherd’s pie and haggis, the Japanese had clearly done their homework.

There were even nods to different culinary influences in the UK, including jerk chicken that was brought over by the Windrush generation in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

However, there were some menu items that would leave real British people floored. The presence of carbonara and seafood ceviche suggested there may have been some wires crossed at some point.

For those assuming that these restaurants are simply for UK tourists, James was surprised when he took a look around at the diners.

He realised he was the only Brit there – and the pub was packed to the rafters with locals desperate for a taste of British food.

James settled on an order of fish and chips and it even came with vinegar and tartare sauce. The foodie rated the dish a 10/10, so it got a big thumbs up!

Would you try fish and chips from Japan? (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Interestingly, the comments were flooded with Japanese nationals as well as British expats, most of whom agreed that British food in Japan is a really big deal.

One wrote: “If there’s one thing that always seems to slap in Japan, it’s tartar sauce.” Meanwhile, another mentioned that all they ever want in Japan is “a spud and a full English”.

Interestingly, one user pointed out that English food did potentially have some influence on one very popular Japanese dish.

They wrote: “Britain’s greatest food export to Japan was curry rice which was introduced to Japanese soldiers by the British navy, then adapted and popularised at canteens and Western style restaurants.”

So there you have it, who said British food was bad anyway?!