For a first tempura meal, go to the Tsunahachi annex in Shinjuku: counter seats, open every day 11:00–22:00, with lunch sets until 15:00. For a big bowl, try Kanekohannosuke's Nihonbashi flagship or Owariya in Asakusa, where the ¥2,000 tendon comes with two prawns too big for the bowl. Ooshio in Hibiya pairs tempura with wine, Makino in Nishi-Shinjuku fries set meals to order, and Ishihara in Aoyama does a walk-in weekday lunch. For a special night, book Yamanoue on the top floor of GINZA SIX, or watch for a cancellation seat at Asanuma's eight-seat counter.
Take a counter seat on 6F. Sets run from prawns, fish and vegetables with kakiage to fuller ones with kuruma prawn, squid and anago, and the cooks also fry what's in season. Lunch sets are served until 15:00, and the shop puts the average spend at about ¥2,500 for lunch and ¥5,000 for dinner. 6F has 17 counter seats and 18 at tables; B1F has 34 more at tables. It's in TRES SHINJUKU, Shinjuku 3-28-4, three minutes from Shinjuku-sanchome Station and five from the east exit of JR Shinjuku.
Edo-style tempura · 11:00–22:00 (last order 21:00); lunch menu until 15:00; open daily except over New Year. · Average about ¥2,500 at lunch, ¥5,000 at dinner.
Come for a tendon, no course needed. This is the flagship of the Kanekohannosuke tendon shops, at Nihonbashi Muromachi 1-11-15. It opens 11:00–22:00 on weekdays and 10:00–21:00 on weekends and holidays, with last orders 30 minutes before closing, and it does takeout too. The brand says menus and prices vary by shop.
Original edomae tendon · Weekdays 11:00–22:00; weekends and holidays 10:00–21:00; last order 30 minutes before closing. · ¥¥
Make this the sit-down lunch of an Asakusa day. Owariya opened in 1860, and its tempura soba and tendon each come with two prawns so big they hang over the bowl, at ¥2,000 apiece. Ten-chirashi is ¥2,200, a plate of vegetable tempura is ¥1,000, and matsutake tempura joins the menu in autumn. It's at Asakusa 1-7-1, about five minutes on foot from exit 3 of Asakusa Station. Open 11:30–20:00 (Thursday until 16:00); closed Friday.
Order piece by piece and drink what you like with it. Ooshio's idea is freshly fried tempura with chilled white wine, and red wine with its own cheese-filled tempura. The chain says single pieces start at ¥190, so you can stop when you're full. This branch is in Hibiya OKUROJI, Uchisaiwaicho 1-7-1. It opens 11:30–22:00 on weekdays and 12:00–22:00 on weekends and holidays, with last orders at 21:00, and has no regular closing day. Book online from the branch page.
Tempura with wine pairings · Weekdays 11:30–22:00; weekends and holidays 12:00–22:00; last order 21:00. · ¥¥
A good weekday lunch near the Nishi-Shinjuku offices. Makino serves tempura set meals, freshly fried, with its squid shiokara and yuzu daikon on the side. It's on B1 of the Shinjuku Mitsui Building, Nishi-Shinjuku 2-1-1. Open 11:00–22:00 on weekdays and 11:00–20:30 on weekends and holidays, with last orders 30 minutes before closing. Takeout is lunch only, while it lasts. Makino says menus and prices vary by shop.
Freshly fried tempura · Weekdays 11:00–22:00; weekends and holidays 11:00–20:30; last order 30 minutes before closing. · ¥¥
Walk in for a weekday lunch; it can't be booked. The shop fries in Kuki sesame oil, and its tendon sauce has been topped up since it opened, with no chemical seasoning. Dinner is a planned meal: courses are ¥9,900, ¥13,750 and ¥17,600, booked by the day before, and the omakase is ¥21,450 (¥23,100 in autumn), booked by the previous business day. There's a private room for up to eight. It's at Minami-Aoyama 2-13-17, two minutes from exit 4A of Gaienmae Station. Open 11:30–14:30 and 18:00–22:30 on weekdays, 11:30–14:00 on Sundays and holidays; closed Saturday.
Additive-free tempura bowls · Weekdays 11:30–14:30 and 18:00–22:30; Sundays and holidays 11:30–14:00; closed Saturday. · Dinner courses ¥9,900–¥17,600; omakase ¥21,450 (¥23,100 in autumn).
The Ginza branch of Yamanoue's tempura room sits on the top floor of GINZA SIX. Lunch omakase runs ¥12,000, ¥16,000 and ¥22,000, and a vegetable omakase of nine vegetables is ¥9,000, so a non-seafood eater can come too. Dinner is one of two courses, ¥25,000 or ¥30,000. All prices include tax and a 10% service charge. Lunch is 11:00–15:00 (last order 14:00) and dinner 17:00–23:00 (last order 20:30). Book online or by phone.
Elegant tempura dining · Lunch 11:00–15:00 (last order 14:00); dinner 17:00–23:00 (last order 20:30). · Lunch ¥9,000–¥22,000; dinner ¥25,000 or ¥30,000 (tax and 10% service included).
One omakase course at an eight-seat counter, ¥16,500 including tax. The chef trained at Tenichi in Ginza and opened Asanuma in September 2022. Seats are hard to get right now: the shop posts cancellations in its Instagram stories and takes those bookings only by Instagram DM, and a cancellation seat can be booked for one. Every seat starts at the same time, so don't be late. It's on 6F of ordin Nihonbashi, Nihonbashi 2-10-11, one minute from exit C6 of Nihonbashi Station. Lunch 12:00–14:30 (last order 14:00), dinner 18:00–21:00; closed Wednesday.
