The restaurant, which is best known for its freshly made udon noodles served in broth and its sides of tempura, will be based at St Pancras International and will open on 14 December
The group has been brought to the UK by Dong Hyun Kim, founder of restaurant brands Wasabi and Kimchee, and has already announced plans for expansion across the UK, with a second location set to open in Cambridge in spring 2021.
Noodles will be made fresh every day at the London restaurant, which will have a menu that will feature plenty of options for vegans.
Sustainability is also a major focus of the restaurant. All chicken and egg products will be free-range and from UK suppliers, all beef will be from grass-fed animals and all pork will be from higher-welfare farms.
The opening of Kineya Mugimaru follows the arrival of Chinese restaurant group Din Tai Fung in the capital in 2018, with it choosing Covent Garden for its first European location. It also coincides with a growth in casual dining noodle restaurants in London. Tonkotsu, London’s largest ramen restaurant chain, launched its 13th site, in Walthamstow, last month.
“Kineya has a huge following in Japan as the original udon restaurant concept and I believe the time is right to bring the concept to the UK,” says Kim.
Kineya Mugimaru will have 43 covers and is considered ‘outdoor’, meaning groups of six can meet under current government regulations, with food available for takeaway or dine-in.