Gaijin Sushi, a highly-rated Birmingham restaurant that was once named among the best dining spots in Britain, has suddenly closed on Bristol Street. The closure comes weeks after the restaurant was fined for mice activity and dirty conditions.
Sudden Closure Disappoints Customers
The restaurant shut earlier this month, leaving customers who had booked for Father's Day celebrations disappointed. Navjeet Mangat wrote on Google Reviews: "We turned up on Sunday June 21 for a Father's Day meal. And it was closed! My kids had been looking forward to coming for ages. My wife had booked it as a surprise, as I said I loved this place. The booking was all correct and through Open Table. The date and time were correct. We even had an email asking us to confirm. No information as to why. Really poor!"
Matthew Hopwood also commented: "Booked for dinner, was sent an email asking to confirm the booking, restaurant closed." The restaurant is still showing as open online with no updates to its social media pages.
Restaurant's Response
Gaijin Sushi told BirminghamLive that it was temporarily shut while considering its future, adding that it was now under new management. The restaurant did not respond to further requests for comment.
Fines for Hygiene Violations
In April, Gaijin Sushi was fined by Birmingham and Solihull Magistrates' Court for failing to comply with Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations. Evidence of mouse activity was discovered on the premises during a visit in February 2025. Court documents showed five charges were brought against the company.
The first charge stated: "You failed to ensure that adequate procedures were in place to control pests, in that there was evidence of mouse activity throughout the premises." The second noted "gaps in the premises which could permit the ingress of mice." The third charge read: "You failed to ensure that the food premises was kept clean and maintained in good repair and condition, in that there was a leak to the kitchen sink; floors, walls, a freezer, shelving in the front sushi kitchen and the basement staircase were dirty."
A fourth charge indicated: "You failed to provide materials for cleaning hands and for hygienic drying to the kitchen wash hand basin." The fifth charge read: "You failed to ensure that equipment with which food comes into contact was kept in such good order, repair and condition as to enable it to be kept clean and disinfected, in that there was a heavily scored green chopping board in the kitchen."
Gaijin Sushi pleaded guilty to all five charges and was fined £940, ordered to pay costs of £1,000, and a surcharge of £376.
Recent Hygiene Rating
Following an inspection on September 5, 2025, Gaijin Sushi was given a Food Hygiene Rating of 3 (generally satisfactory) by the Food Standards Agency.
