Your Guide to Tokyo’s Best Tempura Restaurants! Shrimp, Wagyu, Uni, and More!

Tempura, with its crispy, light coating and juicy texture inside, is a must-try when traveling to Japan. From classic tempura rice bowls to luxurious wagyu and uni tempura, the city offers a variety of ways to enjoy this beloved dish. In this guide, we’ll introduce the best spots to experience Tokyo’s finest tempura!

Giant shrimp tempura bowls in Asakusa: DAIKOKUYA TEMPURA

Founded in 1887, “DAIKOKUYA TEMPURA” is a renowned tempura rice bowl restaurant that fits right into the historic landscape of the Asakusa district of Tokyo. This restaurant serves incredibly delicious tempura out of a 130-year-old building, highlighted by their giant “EBI-TENDON” (a shrimp tempura rice bowl).

While shrimp tempura can be quite crispy and oily in texture, the shrimp tempura served at DAIKOKUYA TEMPURA is fried in sesame oil, and have a fluffier texture while maintaining a rich flavor thanks to a secret sweet and savory sauce passed down through generations. The lid topping the bowl is also sure to make for a fun “reveal” moment on social media.

DAIKOKUYA TEMPURA provides a truly luxurious tempura rice bowl experience steeped in culinary tradition. If you visit Asakusa, it’s well worth the wait!

Amazing uni tempura in Roppongi: UNIHOLIC

Located just a simple walk from Roppongi Station, “UNIHOLIC” is a restaurant that certainly lives up to its name. UNIHOLIC serves a wide variety of sea urchin (uni) cuisine.

One of the restaurant’s standout dishes is their “UNI tempura.” As the name suggests, it’s a dish that delivers the luxurious flavor of uni in the form of crispy tempura!

This tempura actually resembles a sushi roll in structure, as it is wrapped in shiso leaves and nori seaweed before being fried in a light and crispy tempura batter. The uni retains its creamy texture, and customers can add to its rich flavor with their choice of grated daikon radish and tempura dipping sauce, salt, or wasabi.

UNIHOLIC provides lovers of Japanese sea urchin cuisine to indulge in many different cooking styles, and the UNI Tempura has a flavor and texture combination that makes it a must-order!

Premium Kuroge wagyū beef tempura at Tempura Ginza Onodera Higashi Ginza

For travelers in Japan, Kuroge wagyū (Japanese Black) beef and tempura are often near the top of must-try food lists. Tempura Ginza Onodera Higashi Ginza combines both in their elegant “Kuroge Wagyu Tempura with Uni and Black Truffle!”

This tempura deliberately uses a particularly light and crispy coating, so that the natural flavor of the rare wagyu can shine through. While wagyu tempura would certainly be exquisite enough, the tempura is then topped off with uni sea urchin, and truffle.

Soy sauce and freshly grated wasabi tie this umami-packed dish together, which is a true triumph of Japanese fine dining!

The lavish “Japanese Harmony Course” at Tempura Ginza Onodera Higashi Ginza allows you to savor different types of sushi and tempura, but the combination of wagyu and tempura is sure to leave an impression on your tastebuds.

Watch tempura fried before your eyes at Tempura Hisago Akihabara UDX

“Tempura Hisago” is a tempura specialty restaurant in Japan with over 100 years of history. Their Akihabara branch, “Tempura Hisago Akihabara UDX,” is known for serving their renowned tempura for reasonable prices. What really makes a visit to this lovely eatery worth it is the opportunity to see tempura masterfully prepared in front of you at the counter!

While you’re guaranteed a delicious meal no matter where you sit, the counter seats not only provide the excitement of watching your meal being freshly fried and plated before you, but also allow you to savor your tempura the moment it’s ready!

Frying time at the restaurant is adjusted to bring out just the perfect texture and flavor of each ingredient. A blend of premium sesame oil and salad oil used in frying gives each piece a lighter mouthfeel, making sure the meal isn’t too heavy.

Both salt and tempura dipping sauce are provided at your seat. Whether you use the dipping sauce to add a richer flavor, or the salt to bring out the natural flavor of the ingredients, you’re sure to be thrilled with your meal!

Tempura Hisago Akihabara UDX provides an engaging and elegant tempura dining experience for those in the Tokyo area.

Enjoy tempura in three different ways at Tenkichiya Shinjuku

“Tenkichiya Shinjuku” is a specialty restaurant that really allows customers to get their fill of tempura. That’s because their “Ten-mabushi” set meal provides three different delicious ways to savor tempura!

Firstly, it’s recommended to enjoy the tempura on its own. This way you can fully appreciate the store’s special frying technique that provides a delightful contrast of crispy texture with the fresh mouthfeel of the ingredients used. This is particularly noticed in the shrimp, which has a firm and springy texture with a satisfying crunch!

Next, try it out as a tempura rice bowl. Scoop some rice into a bowl from the traditional Japanese rice pot that comes with the set, and top it with your favorite tempura pieces. Then drizzle Tenkichiya’s special refreshing sauce over it and enjoy your own custom tempura rice bowl.

To finish off your meal, enjoy the rest of your tempura and rice as ochazuke (a Japanese dish of tea or dashi poured over rice). Top your rice with tempura, and pour the dashi provided with the set on top to create a refreshing soupy take on tempura. A recommended piece for this dish is kakiage (a mixed vegetable and seafood tempura fritter).

Tenkichiya Shinjuku has a full menu of satisfying tempura dishes, but their Ten-mabushi provides a wonderful way to savor tempura in a way that you may not easily experience outside of Japan!

No trip to Tokyo is complete without indulging in its incredible tempura offerings. Whether you’re craving a hearty tempura rice bowl or looking to splurge on wagyu or uni tempura, these recommended spots promise a meal to remember.