Photo: Tripadvisor

Kamakura Japanese Cuisine

Name: Kamakura Japanese Cuisine
Address: Unit 2 Grand Ocean Plaza Ocean Village, Gibraltar GX11 1AA, Ocean Village, GI
Telephone: +350 225 00838
Price range: ££–£££

Japanese · SushiOcean Village££–£££

A Japanese and Sushi restaurant in Ocean Village that rates better than most of Gibraltar, on 19 Tripadvisor reviews.

Gibraltar Index

4.3 / 5

Tripadvisor4.419

Google4.386

A weighted blend of both, not an average. How this works

Ratings read 6 September 2026.

Our review

Kamakura is a Japanese restaurant at Grand Ocean Plaza in Ocean Village, doing sushi and sashimi, ramen, teriyaki and a teppanyaki table for groups. It holds 4.4 on Tripadvisor from 19 reviews and 4.3 on Google from 86, an Index of 4.30. The reviews were re-read on 6 September 2026, with the newest from July; the Tripadvisor side has had just one review since 2022, and it was a one-star.

The sushi is the safe ground, praised on both sources and across six years: sashimi, ebi tempura and rolls in July 2026, 'very very good' sushi in April, the Atlantis roll, butterfish with truffle, eel, fresh fish well presented. A Tai Chi group held its Christmas party here in January 2026 and thanks Yoko and the team for the organisation, the service and 'remarkable' food, and another group books the teppanyaki table every Christmas. Older Tripadvisor reviews describe an owner passionate about sushi-grade fish and name the pork gyoza with sesame dressing.

The cooked dishes are where doubt lies, and price sharpens it. A June 2026 Tripadvisor diner who booked on the strength of the five-stars found the teriyaki to be coarsely chopped vegetables and thick, unmarinated meat under a supermarket-tasting sauce, with noodles they judged Chinese or Korean, spent close to £100 for two and left hungry. A beef ramen at £28 was 'standard', a royal bento box was mostly vegetables with tough meat and soggy prawns, a homesick reviewer loved the dumplings and karaage but flinched at the price, and one Google review sums it up as average food at absurdly high prices.

Service is described as pleasant, attentive and efficient by almost everyone, including the unhappy diners. The place is small and gets busy, so booking is advised. A 2020 complaint about a three-hour takeaway during a delivery-app launch is too old to weigh.

Come for sushi and sashimi, or for a group booking at the teppanyaki table, in what remains Gibraltar's main Japanese option. Go in knowing that the cooked mains have disappointed more than one reviewer, that prices run high, and that the Tripadvisor sample is small and stale. Nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here; this write-up is drawn from the reviews.

Written from the Tripadvisor reviews and both platforms' scores on 6 September 2026, not from a meal we ate — nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here. We show the Google rating but have not yet read Google's reviews for the write-up. The recurring themes it draws on are below.

What reviewers consistently say

Our summary of recurring themes across the 31 most recent reviews, written in our own words and read on 6 September 2026. Recent reviews from both platforms are quoted, with attribution, further down.

Sushi and sashimi are praised consistently across six years; the Atlantis roll and butterfish with truffle are named.
Cooked mains draw the doubt: a teriyaki called Spanish cooking with a Japanese sauce, a £28 ramen, a poor bento.
Price runs high: close to £100 for two, and 'absurdly high' in one review.
Groups book the teppanyaki table, and a January 2026 party thanks Yoko and the team.
Tripadvisor has had one review since 2022, so the 4.4 there is old.

What it gets right

Fresh, well-presented sushi
Good for group bookings and the teppanyaki table
Pleasant, attentive service, even by the unhappy diners' account

What it gets wrong

Cooked dishes disappoint more than one reviewer
Expensive for what arrives
A small, stale Tripadvisor sample

How it compares

It holds 4.4 out of 5 on Tripadvisor from 19 reviews — above the Gibraltar median of 4.1 across 106 restaurants with enough reviews to rank, and on only a handful of reviews, so treat it as indicative.

It is priced in the middle of Gibraltar's range.

How the Gibraltar Index Score is built

It is not an average of the two. Each source is weighted by how many reviews it carries, then pulled toward the Gibraltar average so a high score from a handful of reviews cannot outrank a strong score from thousands. Kamakura Japanese Cuisine scores 4.4 from 19 on Tripadvisor and 4.3 from 86 on Google, which the model blends to 4.3.

We read the 31 most recent Tripadvisor reviews and summarised what recurs, in our own words; the reviews we drew on are quoted below, attributed to their authors. The Tripadvisor and Google scores are each shown 1:1 as those platforms publish them; the Index Score is ours and the formula is above. Nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here, so nothing is a first-hand verdict.

Recent reviews

Shown from each platform, attributed to the reviewer. We don't edit them — read the full set at source.

Tripadvisor★★★★☆4.4· 19

All on Tripadvisor →

2026-06-06
We did not experience genuine Japanese cuisine; rather, mediocre Spanish cooking with a Japanese sauce drizzled over it
A terrible disappointment. Having read all the five star reviews, I thought this was a genuine Japanese restaurant and booked accordingly. Unfortunately, this turned out not to be the case. The teriyaki dishes had nothing Japanese about them, except for what appeared to be a bog standard supermarket teriyaki sauce drizzled over huge piecemore →
jazzys72 · via Tripadvisor
2022-10-12
Exceptional
Service was incredible from beginning to end, great food too and for the quality priced well,,, I went to test this place and will definitely be going back again soon... if you've not been, go ASAP and you'll see what I mean... carlos my waiter was excellentmore →
oliverbA482IE · via Tripadvisor
2022-06-09
Excellent food
Great restaurant who cater to individuals wishes/requirements well. Great quality food and selection. Presented well and authentic Japanese food and drink - would highly recommend!more →
920libbyw · via Tripadvisor
2022-05-21
Truly superb Japanese restaurant
Wonderful restaurant with a very passionate owner who knows his stuff regarding fresh sushi grade fish. Great menu choice of authentic cuisine served by very friendly chefs and waiters -they were all so engaging and obviously enjoyed working there. I visited twice during my stay and enjoyed the experience so much-highly recommendedmore →
BurySt_EdmundsTrevor · via Tripadvisor
2022-05-14
Fantastic meal and service. Really special birthday celebration, we were looked after really well - every dish amazing
Fantastic meal and service! We were really looked after well for a birthday celebration - every dish was truly amazing!!more →
chrisdV9547VF · via Tripadvisor

Google★★★★☆4.3· 86

All on Google →

2026-07-30
Great food - we loved the sashimi, ebi tempura and sushi rolls.more →
Lucy Moore · via Google
2026-04-05
Sushi was very very good. However beef ramen was standard for £28. Wasnt bad, just wasnt great.more →
Joseph Lathey · via Google
2026-04-23
BEST SUSHI in Gibraltar! The food is delicious and fresh. There are different varieties of meals, not only sushi but also Ramen Soup in every form and full meals, e.g. Teriyaki Salmon. I can surely recommend this place!more →
Emil Kielemoniuk · via Google
2026-01-22
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We held our Tai Chi Chen style Gibraltar Christmas party at Kamakura Restaurant, and it was the best Christmas party I have ever experienced. From start to finish, everything was exceptional. The atmosphere, the music, the organisation, and above all the service were outstanding. A huge thank you to Yoko and her entire team. The chemore →
Nigel Palao · via Google
2025-12-24
We do our Christmas do here every year at the teppanyaki table. Always a success, highly recommended for the experience. All staff very nice. A++more →
JA B · via Google

Reviews are the opinions of their authors, reproduced from Tripadvisor and Google with attribution and a link to the original. Kamakura Japanese Cuisine did not provide them and Gibraltar Index did not solicit or edit them.