The story
On Frith Street, behind an unassuming door, Humble Chicken seats just thirteen guests around a single counter. The open kitchen is the room’s centrepiece, and the chefs and service team work as one, moving with quiet precision. This is a chef’s table experience built on the belief that genuine hospitality and human connection matter as much as the food itself.
Angelo Sato spent fifteen years in kitchens that define excellence—Trinity in London, Ryugin in Tokyo, and Eleven Madison Park in New York. When he opened his own restaurant, he wanted something different. The result is a 16-course Omakase menu inspired by his Japanese and European heritage, served at lunch and dinner for a set price of £235. The menu changes with the seasons and is paired with carefully selected beverages. The kitchen’s focus on Japanese cuisine is clear, but the influences travel beyond any single tradition.
Sato describes Humble Chicken as a true 50/50 collaboration between kitchen and front-of-house. Restaurant manager Aiden Monk, known for embodying the spirit of omotenashi—selfless hospitality—has been with the team since 2023. Managing partner John Paul Sato has worked alongside Angelo since 2017, overseeing the business and the beverage programme. Sous chef John Roche, who joined in 2022, has risen quickly through the ranks, bringing relentless work ethic and passion.
The restaurant earned its first and second Michelin stars in consecutive years, making Sato the youngest chef in the UK to hold two stars. The intimacy of the space—just one sitting per service—means every guest is part of the evening’s rhythm. There are no distractions, only the counter, the kitchen, and the food. It is fine dining stripped of formality, redefined for the next generation.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Excellent cooking
Angelo Sato came to our attention in the summer of 2021, shortly after the return of normal restaurant service. In the agreeable and energetic space that was formerly Barrafina, the young chef raised yakitori to a new level with 'beak to tail' eating from a menu listing the entire anatomy of the chicken. Now Humble Chicken has changed direction. Diners still perch on counter seats and watch chefs slaving over a hot bichotan charcoal grill, but on offer is a 12-course tasting menu inspired by Sato’s Japanese and European roots – and heavily influenced by his time in high-end London restaurants such as Core by Clare Smyth and Restaurant Story. Summing up the style is a combo of grilled oyster with fermented white grape, kosho beurre blanc and burnt chicken fat, while a bread course is served with luxurious miso-sesame butter layered with intense chicken liver parfait, plus fermented red cabbage alongside to cut the richness. Ingredients are top-notch (as they should be at these prices) and the cooking is undoubtedly skilled, backed up by plenty of kitchen theatre (we came away reasonably confident about how to go about shucking an oyster). Five bite-sized morsels set a cracking opening pace, with highlights being a miso-cured foie gras tartlet with a nugget of Charentais melon buried inside and a topping of almond brittle, and ‘This Little Piggy’ (a delicious bao bun filled with pork and fried quail’s egg). Bigger plates could range from a delicate fillet of sole, overlaid with ‘scales’ of courgette and served with a gently flavoured shiitake and dashi broth, to a more powerfully flavoured riff on sukiyaki involving delicious short rib in an intense broth with Roscoff onion, asparagus spears and crispy egg. To drink, there are cocktails, a good selection of sakes and a brief list of well-chosen wines (from £53).
When it launched in early 2021, Humble Chicken was known for its yakitori, with all parts of the chicken served on skewers - neck, wing, tail, cartilage, liver, and more. In 2023, the format was dropped in favour of an eight-course tasting menu of Japanese food with a European accent, reflecting chef-patron Angelo Sato’s dual heritage. This change saw Sato rewarded with first one, then two Michelin stars, but he isn’t stopping there. In summer 2025, he relaunched his Soho restaurant once again, investing around £1m to completely transform the Frith Street site. The redesign introduced a sleeker 13-seat counter and a new bar area for pre- and post-meal drinks. The number of courses remains roughly the same, but fewer covers allow for more intricate plates and an enhanced guest experience. Self-funded through operating profits and a substantial bank loan, the revamp reflects Sato’s hunger for further acclaim. Humble Chicken 3.0 promises an even more refined take on its signature Japanese-European fusion, further solidifying its place among the capital’s very best.
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