One of the Japanese food that you must eat in Tokyo is tempura. Once you have tried tempura in Japan, you will never see it in the same light again. The tempura is deep-fried to perfection: amazing airily light and crisp, not too oily or greasy, and very delicious.
Here are 4 affordable tempura restaurants in Tokyo.
Aoi Marushin
Aoi Marushin is a famous tempura restaurant which has been serving tempura for 60 years. If you are on a hunt to try the best tempura in Tokyo, Aoi Marushin is a must visit. They have a selection of dishes to choose from, such as the Tempura Set (¥2,310), and Tendon (¥1,700). For the full package, go for the Kaiseki Aoi (¥5,250) which features two kinds of appetisers, soup, sashimi, grilled fish, stewed dish, tempura, rice and dessert.
1-4-4 Asakusa, Taito-ku
Tel: +81 3 3841 0110
Daily: 11am – 9pm
Right of Kaminari gate at Sensoji Temple
Nearest Station: Asakusa
Daikokuya
Also in Asakusa, just a stone’s throw away from the famous Senso-ji Temple is Daikokuya, a small and cosy joint which offers excellent tempura. Daikokuya is extremely popular and commands a long queue during meal times. The basic Tendon set (¥1,500) – with one prawn, mixed tempura and kisu fish – is a good choice, while the Tempura set (¥1,650) comes with three prawns and one kisu fish.
If you are visiting Senso-ji Temple, you must stop by here for a meal.
1-38-10 Asakusa, Taiko-li
Tel: +81 3 3844 1111
Sun to Fri: 11.15am – 8.30pm
Sat: 11.15am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Asakusa
Tempura Tendon Tenya
The poster boy for cheap and good tempura, Tenya is a fastfood chain with more than 500 stores in Japan. A basic Tendon (tempura-donburi) with ebi and vegetable is only ¥500.
We were in disbelief when we had the tendon. It might not be the best tempura, but it was very decent, and surely a steal for the price. This is probably the cheapest tempura restaurant in Tokyo, a place where you can have tempura without breaking the bank.
1-25-1 Nishishinjuku
Shinjuku
Tel: +81 3 3345 1266
Nearest Station: Shinjuku
4-31 Jingumae
Shibuya-ku
Opposite F21 Building in Harajuku
Nearest Station: Meijijingumae
Tenfusu Tempura
Most people go to Tsukiji Market for sushi breakfast, but if you want to try something else, go to Tenfusu – which is located just beside Sushi Dai and Sushi Daiwa – for their tempura. The tempura is top quality. It is fried to a beautiful golden brown, and not oily at all. Go for their Tempura Platter (¥1,200), and Tempura-don (¥1,100).
5-2-1, Building 6
Chuo-ku, Tsukiji Market, Tokyo
Tel: +81 3 3547 6766
Nearest Station: Tsukiji/Tsukijishijo
For more recommendations, read our Tokyo Food & Travel Guides.