Our Story
Sushi Garden was born in 2018.
Andrea Lio is from Le Castella (means The Castle) a small village of Calabria, the
Southern part of Italy. He’s been living in London for over 12 years, working in the food
and retail industry. Work, persistence and dedication are some of the qualities Andrea
holds to open the first Sushi Garden – Le Castella in 2018. It is currently the summer spot
for tourists and locals.
Marco Pittella is from Isola di Capo Rizzuto (Island of Boss Rizzuto) a small town in
Calabria. He has been living in London for the past 18 years. His love for good food,
exceptional wine and adventure has taken him around the world to many different
countries. He has visited, Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka and has fallen in love with their food,
gardens and amazing people.
Andrea and Marco have been friends since they were teenagers. They both had a desire of
owning their own business here in the city they live and love. After many months of
searching, viewing multiple shops, phone calls with real estate agencies, etc., they found
their spot. Forest Hill was It. They discovered this charming area had a lot to offer plus
beautiful gardens near by. After many months of cleaning and repairs, the shop that
used to be a coffee shop was transformed into the now lovely and charming Sushi
Garden – London Restaurant.
The combination of Andrea and Marco’s skills, characters and passion for food, drove
Whakil Mahmud to accept the position as Head Chef. He holds a college education, but his
artistic passion and great taste took him to learn and study everything about sushi.
Whakil is a certified Head Sushi Chef.
Sushi Garden – London, opened its doors on May 18th 2019. Andrea and Marco want to
thank their wives Rocio and Anette for their support, love and encouragement through
out these few months. To the public and friends, thank you for joining us today.
We hope you can continue supporting us throughout this amazing journey, Cheers!
Welcome to Sushi Garden – London!