OJU Mumbai: A Japanese Dining Space With Global Intent

OJU Mumbai is a Japanese dining room above Neuma, where bar craft, intimate design, and thoughtful cooking create one of Colaba’s most compelling new openings.

There are restaurants that announce their arrival, and then there are those that glide in like they have always belonged. OJU Mumbai does the latter. You climb the stairs inside Neuma’s familiar Colaba bungalow, expecting continuity, and instead walk into a space that feels like an entirely new chapter. The air shifts. The lighting lowers. Conversations soften. You realise you are stepping into a room designed for evenings that unfold slowly.

OJU began its story in Gurgaon, but Mumbai gets a version that feels more assured and more intimate. Less flash, more quiet confidence. And that confidence sits at the heart of the experience.

Inside OJU Mumbai: Where the Room Sets the Rhythm

The first thing you notice is the bar. It glows, but gently. Burl veneer catches the light at soft angles, the antique brass behind it adds warmth, and the suspended O light hangs like a punctuation mark in the room. Nothing is loud. Everything is intentional. Aayushi Malik has created a bar that feels both familiar and new, the kind of room where strangers naturally lean in a little closer.

You take your seat, and the pace of the city slips off you. The room has that rare ability to make people speak in lower registers; the lighting coaxes you into comfort, and the music nudges the evening along without demanding attention. Through the windows, the outline of Neuma’s greens blur into a shadowed glow.

Past the bar, the glasshouse opens up like a breath of fresh air. Lush potted greens, hand-painted dome lights that glow like tiny moons, and a live sushi and robata counter that adds a subtle hum of activity. It feels like stepping into an urban garden designed for whispered gossip and clinking glasses. The Food: Craft That Doesn’t Show Off, But Shows Up

OJU’s menu reads Japanese, but it moves globally. Chefs Moh and Nitin cook with an instinct for balance. Their food doesn’t shout, but it lingers.

You begin with the Grilled Edamame, brushed with just enough sea salt to warm up the palate, and the Mushroom Miso Soup, deep, savoury, almost restorative. The Seaweed Salad surprises you; it is refreshing without trying too hard, the yuzu goma lifting it in one clean stroke.

Then come the cold plates, and this is where OJU’s personality starts to reveal itself. The Tofu Carpaccio arrives like a quiet statement of intent. Soft, delicate, touched with yuzu kosho vinaigrette that gives it a whisper of heat. The Hamachi Ponzu is clean and sharp, the Tuna Tataki sits somewhere between restraint and confidence, brightened with lime wafu.

The sushi bar is unmistakably the heart of the kitchen. Every piece feels composed, not styled. The Otoro is a melt that needs no explanation. The Hotate has the sweetness of good scallops. The maki rolls carry the global thread lightly, especially the Prawn Tempura Maki with its spicy red yuzu kosho mayo that feels like a little wink from the chefs.

From the robata, the Miso Black Cod is exactly what you want it to be: silky, caramelised, miso-rich without overpowering. The Hokkaido Scallops with lime soy butter carry that signature sweetness and a warm char. And the Mushroom Donabe arrives like a bowl you will remember on nights you want comfort without compromise.

Desserts here do not behave like afterthoughts. The Matcha Tiramisu is a soft, earthy finish, the Milk Cake with Mango Compote is nostalgic without leaning into nostalgia, and the OJU Molten Cake is the kind of dessert that makes you slow down even if you had no intention of it.

The Bar: A Lesson in Restraint and Intention

Mukesh, winner of Best Bartender of the Year 2025, runs this bar with a style that is almost meditative. He comes from years spent behind some of India’s top counters, but at OJU he works with calm precision. His cocktails feel like edited versions of themselves. Nothing unnecessary. Everything considered.

The highballs are the anchor. Clean spirits, a touch of citrus, bubbles that lift without overtaking. They are designed to be sipped over stories, not studied.

The signature cocktails carry Japan and Peru in the same breath. Beet and Miso feels like a slow conversation. Genmaicha is textured and comforting. Lima is bright. Piccolo is the one you return to because it tastes like someone planned it for your palate specifically.

Even the non alcoholic options have personality. Brewno, Shibuya Sun, Island, Spice Route. All layered, all expressive without being sugary.

There is a sense of care behind every drink. And you feel it.

What Stays With You

OJU Mumbai is not interested in theatrics. It is interested in staying power. The kind that comes from quiet detail, sharp technique, and rooms that let the night unfold without rushing it along.

Above all, it feels like a restaurant that understands atmosphere. A Japanese dining space with global intent, shaped by people who know how to build rooms that become memories.

Fact Sheet: OJU Mumbai

Location: Above Neuma, Mandlik Road, Colaba Reservations: 8450928143 Timings: 7 pm to 12 pm Capacity: 60 seater Average cost for 2: INR 4000 Instagram: @oju.india

People Also Ask

Is OJU Mumbai a Japanese restaurant?

Yes, but with a global approach rooted in technique rather than theatrics.

Where is OJU located in Mumbai?

On the upper level of Neuma, Mandlik Road, Colaba.

Does OJU offer sushi and robata?

Yes, with a strong sushi bar and a compelling robata selection.

Are reservations needed?

Highly recommended. Call 8450928143.

What is the average meal cost?

Around INR 4000 for two. OJU Mumbai feels like a room built for evenings you want to prolong. A place where Japanese craft is softened by global fluency, where cocktails tell their own stories, and where Colaba gets a dining space worthy of its history.

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