Tempura guide to Tokyo
Outside of Japan, it is rare to find dedicated tempura restaurants. Because of this, I always find time to try eat tempura whenever I visit. The batter is thin and light, adjusted accordingly to each ingredient. Items are fried individually, with timing precision down to the second. It’s an art form in an of itself. Regardless of your impressions of tempura from outside of Japan, I would recommend trying it at least once. Here are the tempura restaurants I’ve visited so far and my thoughts about them.
Motoyoshi
Worth trying once: Yes
Would I go back: Yes
Price: $$$$
Motoyoshi is my favorite tempura restaurant. The batter is mixed right before frying and the viscosity is adjusted accordingly to each ingredient being cooked. Placed in front of the guests is a beautiful box containing all of the vegetables used in the meal, showcased like prized treasure. Motoyoshi lightly dips everything in batter and fries them to a perfect golden crisp.
Every dish stood out in taste. Asparagus and mushrooms were sweet and juicy. The chestnut had a buttery texture like mashed potatoes. And the anago, my favorite dish, was crispy, juicy, and tender all in the same bite.
Reservations are difficult and must be booked months ahead. They can be made online through Tableall. Even if a date doesn’t list availability, request it anyways to try your luck.
Mikawa Zezankyo
Worth trying once: Yes
Would I go back: Yes
Price: $$$$
Tetsuya Saotome, the chef at Mikawa Zezankyo, is often referred to as the God of Tempura. I have heard that Jiro comes to this restaurant whenever he wants to eat tempura. And for good reason — this 70+ year old shokunin has been deep-frying since the age of 15!
The food very delicious and the meal includes many seafood items. The highlight is the anago near the end of the meal which he cuts with his chopsticks, making a very satisfying crunch sound.
Saotome-san is also a wonderful artist. The menu is hand-drawn with beautiful illustrations of the seafood items included in the meal. At the end, he gifts ladies a piece of memorabilia by drawing a shrimp on a piece of paper and signing it.
Reservations can be made a few weeks in advance online. I enjoyed my visit very much and would recommend everyone to visit before the chef chooses to retire. He is undeniably one of the top tempura chefs in Japan.
Fukamachi
Worth trying once: Yes
Would I go back: Yes
Price: $$$$
Fukamachi is one of the highest rated tempura restaurants in Tokyo, receiving the Tabelog Silver Award in 2019 and earning a Michelin star. I personally enjoyed most of the seafood dishes but did not like some of the vegetable dishes as much. Overall, the tempura was still great and I would return. It may not top my personal favorites list but I would still recommend it to everyone.
The restaurant doesn’t take online reservations but you can ask your hotel concierge to try booking for you. Seats go fast so try to book a couple of months in advance.
Seiju
Worth trying once: Yes
Would I go back: Yes
Price: $$$$
Seiju is a great tempura restaurant located in the Tsukiji area. The course contains a good mix of vegetables and seafood. A highlight dish for me was the scallop which was fried perfectly such that the exterior of the scallop was cooked yet the inside was raw. I also enjoyed the kuruma shrimp wrapped in shiitake mushroom.
It is possible to make online reservations, but the website is in Japanese. I would recommend asking your hotel concierge to book for you instead.
Ten Asa
Worth trying once: Yes
Would I go back: Yes
Price: $$$
Ten Asa is located in Ginza and the price is reasonable given the location. The courses are seafood-heavy which is great. My favorites were the kisu, scallops, and uni wrapped in shiso leaves. The dishes may not stand out as much as some of the other restaurants but everything was solid and I would go back in the future.
The restaurant is not well known to foreigners (a good thing!) so there is no English website to make reservations. Ask your hotel concierge to book for you.