Restaurant
Narisawa
Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa's acclaimed Aoyama restaurant, serving a seasonal tasting menu built around Japanese ingredients, forests and the farming landscape.
Ten-ichi Ginza Honten
The Ginza main restaurant of Ten-ichi, a tempura house founded in 1930, where chefs fry seafood and vegetables piece by piece in front of diners.
At a glance
- Type
- Tempura
- Area
- Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
- Price
- $$$$ · Luxury
- Opening
- Open daily · 11:30–22:00
- Official site
- tenichi.co.jp
Good to know
- Counter seating
Why we recommend it
Ten-ichi has been serving tempura in Ginza since 1930, and its main restaurant on Namiki-dori is a classic place to understand why tempura is treated as a craft in Tokyo. The restaurant played a large part in turning tempura from a street snack of the Edo period into a refined dining experience, and it has served many well-known guests over the decades. It now occupies a modern building, HULIC &New GINZA NAMIKI 6, in the 6-chome area of Ginza.
At the counter, chefs fry each piece to order in front of you, from prawns and seasonal fish to vegetables such as sweet potato, shiitake and asparagus, and pass it straight to your plate while the batter is at its crispest. Each piece comes with a choice of salt, lemon or a dipping sauce with grated daikon radish, and the meal usually ends with rice, either plain with pickles or as a small tendon bowl topped with a mixed tempura fritter, followed by dessert.
At lunch, served from 11:30 to 16:00, there is a tendon rice bowl at the tables and three counter courses, Hana, Tsuki and Yuki, while dinner, from 16:00 to 22:00 with last orders at 20:30, offers the Ume, Momo and Sakura courses with more seasonal pieces. Prices include tax, and a 15 per cent service charge is added. The restaurant is open every day with no regular closing day, and any temporary closures are announced on its news page. Book online through the TableCheck link on the official website and request a counter seat, which is the whole point of the experience.
It suits couples, business diners and anyone keen to try top-level tempura, and the counter lunch courses are the most affordable way in. The cooking is light rather than greasy, so even the longer courses are manageable. Let the chef know of any allergies when booking, particularly to shellfish.
The restaurant is two to five minutes' walk from Exits B6 and B7 of Ginza Station on the Ginza, Marunouchi and Hibiya lines, five to seven minutes from Hibiya Station and four to six minutes from Yurakucho. The galleries and department stores of Ginza surround it, and the Kabuki-za theatre is around ten minutes' walk east.
Ten-ichi Ginza Honten FAQs
When was Ten-ichi founded?
In 1930, in Ginza.
Where is the main restaurant?
In the HULIC &New GINZA NAMIKI 6 building at 6-6-5 Ginza, on Namiki-dori.
What are the opening hours?
Lunch 11:30-16:00 and dinner 16:00-22:00 (last order 20:30), every day.
How do I book?
Online through the TableCheck link on the official website, or by phone.
Is there a service charge?
Yes, 15 per cent is added to the tax-inclusive prices.
Where should I sit?
At the counter, where each piece is fried to order in front of you.
Is lunch cheaper?
Yes, the lunch counter courses and the tendon bowl are the most affordable options.
How do I get there?
Two to five minutes' walk from Exits B6 and B7 of Ginza Station.