Sticks'n'Sushi

Sticks'n'Sushi is a Copenhagen-based restaurant and takeaway group built around a combination of sushi, Japanese yakitori and a distinctly Danish approach to hospitality and restaurant design. The business was established by Danish-Japanese brothers Jens and Kim Rahbek Hansen, their mother Keiko and brother-in-law Thor Andersen. Its first restaurant opened at 59 Nansensgade in Copenhagen on 22 March 1994. The concept differs from a conventional sushi-only restaurant by pairing raw and cooked Japanese dishes. Its menu centers on sushi and sashimi alongside yakitori-style grilled skewers, allowing the brand to serve both lighter seafood dishes and hot, shareable food. The name refers to the two principal parts of the offering: “sticks” associated with grilled skewers and “sushi” associated with the restaurant’s Japanese seafood and rice dishes. Following its Copenhagen launch, the group expanded across the Greater Copenhagen area. It subsequently developed an international presence in the United Kingdom and Germany. The first UK restaurant opened on Wimbledon Hill Road in London in March 2012. Further London openings followed in Covent Garden, Greenwich, Canary Wharf, Chelsea, Soho, White City, Shoreditch, Kingston, Richmond and Islington, while the group also opened restaurants in Cambridge and Oxford. The UK estate therefore grew from a single London location into a multi-city restaurant network. The group raised expansion capital in May 2013 by selling a 49% share of the company to Maj Invest Equity. This investment supported the brand’s international development during a period when it was adding locations beyond Denmark. In 2017, Sticks'n'Sushi entered Germany with a restaurant on Potsdamer Straße in Berlin, later growing to three Berlin restaurants according to the cited reference material. The brand’s operating model combines dine-in restaurants with takeaway. Its restaurants generally position the offer above basic fast-casual sushi, emphasizing a broad menu, group dining and a designed physical environment. Some locations have distinctive architectural or property settings, including a listed building in Greenwich, a former police-station building in Soho and a private dining room at the Chelsea restaurant. Canary Wharf also introduced a Japanese-Danish fusion breakfast offering for the first time within the group. The cited reference describes an estate of 12 restaurants in the Greater Copenhagen area, 14 in the United Kingdom and three in Berlin. It also records further UK development, including planned or announced locations. Because restaurant counts and openings can change, the exact present estate should be verified against the company’s current location information. No reliable information was supplied for current ownership, executive leadership, revenue, public listing, or an official corporate website.

Sticks'n'Sushi began in Copenhagen in 1994 as a family-founded restaurant concept created by Danish-Japanese brothers Jens and Kim Rahbek Hansen, their mother Keiko and brother-in-law Thor Andersen. The first restaurant opened at 59 Nansensgade on 22 March 1994. From that base, the company developed a local network across the Greater Copenhagen area. The concept combined sushi with Japanese yakitori and other cooked dishes rather than presenting sushi as a standalone specialization. This pairing gave the restaurants a broader menu suitable for mixed groups and sharing occasions. The Danish connection remained part of the brand’s identity through its hospitality style and, later, selected menu development described as Japanese-Danish fusion. International expansion began in the United Kingdom. The first UK restaurant opened on Wimbledon Hill Road in London in March 2012. In May 2013, the owners sold a 49% share to Maj Invest Equity, raising capital for expansion outside Denmark. A second London restaurant opened on Henrietta Street in Covent Garden in October 2013. The group later added a Greenwich restaurant in 2015, located in a listed building near the Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark and Greenwich Park. Further UK growth included a Canary Wharf location associated with the new Crossrail station. That restaurant introduced a Japanese-Danish fusion breakfast offering described as a first for the group. Sticks'n'Sushi Cambridge opened on 7 May 2016. The brand then opened at Westgate Oxford on 24 November 2017 and in Victoria, London, on 8 December 2017. In October 2018, the company opened its largest UK restaurant at that time on King's Road in Chelsea; the location also introduced the group’s first UK private dining room. The UK estate continued to broaden geographically and within London. In autumn 2020, Sticks'n'Sushi opened in Soho at a building on Beak Street that had previously housed a police station. Later locations were reported in White City, Shoreditch, Kingston, Richmond and Islington. The cited material also mentions planned or announced future development, including Manchester and Birmingham, although those openings are time-sensitive and should be checked against current company information. The company entered Germany in 2017 with a Berlin restaurant on Potsdamer Straße. By October 2023, the reference material described three restaurants in Berlin. The same material described 12 restaurants in the Greater Copenhagen area, 14 in the United Kingdom and three in Berlin. Sticks'n'Sushi therefore evolved from a single Copenhagen restaurant into a cross-border restaurant and takeaway group while retaining its core combination of sushi, sashimi, yakitori and Japanese-influenced dining.

• 2020

  Soho opening

  [1]Sticks'n'Sushien.wikipedia.org

  The group expanded in London with a Soho restaurant on Beak Street.

• 2017

  Entry into Germany

  [1]Sticks'n'Sushien.wikipedia.org

  The group opened its first Berlin restaurant on Potsdamer Straße.

• 2013

  Expansion capital raised

  [1]Sticks'n'Sushien.wikipedia.org

  Maj Invest Equity purchased a 49% share of the company to support international expansion.

• 2012

  Entry into the United Kingdom

  [1]Sticks'n'Sushien.wikipedia.org

  The first UK restaurant opened on Wimbledon Hill Road in London in March.

• 1994

  First restaurant opens in Copenhagen

  [1]Sticks'n'Sushien.wikipedia.org

  The first Sticks'n'Sushi opened at 59 Nansensgade in Copenhagen on 22 March.

A premium-leaning Japanese restaurant and takeaway brand that combines sushi and yakitori with Danish hospitality, contemporary interiors and a social sharing-oriented dining format.

• Japanese cuisine · 1994

  Sushi and sashimi

  Sushi and sashimi form the seafood-centered core of the Sticks'n'Sushi menu. They are offered as individual dishes and selections intended for sharing or group dining. The format supports the brand’s restaurant and takeaway operations and anchors its Japanese culinary identity.

• Japanese grilled food · 1994

  Yakitori and grilled skewers

  Yakitori and other grilled skewers provide the cooked-food counterpart to the sushi menu. These dishes are central to the meaning of the brand name and broaden the offer beyond raw seafood, making the concept suitable for diners with different preferences.

• Breakfast

  Japanese-Danish fusion breakfast

  A Japanese-Danish fusion breakfast was introduced at the Canary Wharf location. The reference material describes this as the first breakfast format of its kind within the group, extending the brand beyond its customary lunch, dinner and takeaway occasions.

• 2017

  Entry into the German marketStrategy

  Background

  After developing a substantial presence in Denmark and beginning UK expansion, the group pursued a further international market.

  Action taken

  The company opened a restaurant on Potsdamer Straße in Berlin.

  Aftermath

  The Berlin operation grew to three restaurants by October 2023 according to the cited reference material.

  Source

• 2013

  Minority investment by Maj Invest EquityM&A

  Background

  The owners sought capital to accelerate expansion beyond the Copenhagen base and into international markets.

  Action taken

  A 49% share of the company was sold to Maj Invest Equity.

  Aftermath

  The transaction was followed by continued UK expansion and the company’s subsequent entry into Germany.

  Source

1. 1Sticks'n'Sushien.wikipedia.org