Tempura Kondo てんぷら 近藤 (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

As the city with the most Michelin stars 🌟 in the world, it comes with very little surprise that most top restaurants in Tokyo are fully booked around Christmas time. But I guess I have been a good boy this year and Santa has decided to lend me a helping hand. First, I was able to secure a table at Gastronomie Joël Robuchon on 22 Dec and moments later, I got myself a seat at the one of the most sought-after tempura restaurants in the city, Tempura Kondo (てんぷら 近藤) on 23 Dec.

Perched on the 8th floor of a commercial building in the heart of Ginza, Tempura Kondo is the brainchild of owner-chef Fumio Kondo (近藤 文夫) who has been in the business for over 50 years. The restaurant has been a two Michelin starred establishment since 2008.

Chef Kondo is the recipient of the Mentor Chef Award for the 2024 Michelin Guide Tokyo. He is being recognized for his role in setting a modern example for Edomae tempura. For example, he was one of the first to put the focus of his cuisine on vegetables which were once viewed as a side dish to the seafood only. And speaking of the chef, there he was working diligently behind the counter. 

I was offered a choice between two menus, Sumire (菫) at 9,900yen and Tsubaki (樁) at 13,200yen. I was feeling a little hungry this morning so I went with the longer course. Little that I knew the slightly more affordable menu would have done the trick for me with its more than generous portion.

Shrimp head – Very nice and flaky. There were tons of shrimp roes hidden underneath!

Prawn, first piece – Very stringy with some lovely bite coming from the prawn and crispy batter.

Prawn, second piece – Normally, the second serving of the prawn would be prepared in a slightly different manner but judging from the texture of it, everything tasted exactly the same as the first piece, which really wasn't a bad thing at all.

Asparagus – Pretty juicy and working well with the ultra thin batter.

Eggplant 🍆 – The batter was even thinner than the last one.

White fish – Not my favorite item on the menu but it meshed really well with the sweet soy.

Ginkgo nuts – Love the crispy crust to go with the chewiness of the ginkgo nuts.

Scallop – Undisputedly the best item on the menu this afternoon. Beautifully done with a less crispy batter. A touch of sea salt did wonders to bring out the best of the scallop.

Sea urchin with shiso – An add-on item from the a la carte menu. Thought the uni would stand out a little more but the shiso leaves ended up dominating the flavors.

Onion – The onion from Hokkaido was so juicy and sweet. Not bad.

Sea eel – Last but not least, the sea eel tempura. The thicker batter was perfect for the eel. Pretty tasty.

Next up was Chef Kondo's kakiage brilliantly done with shrimps and scallops. I like my tendon with a little more soy to it but it looked like the sauce has been totally soaked up by the kakiage. 

The rice was accompanied by a bowl of warm red miso soup.

Dessert was slices of Japanese mango.

I am ever so grateful to have the opportunity to dine here and experience Chef Kondo's extraordinary cuisine first hand. Of course, I had to get a photo with the tempura master!



It was great to meet Chef Kondo in person and even better to see the tempura master go to work closely within striking distance. An unparalleled culinary journey crafted by Chef Kondo and his team. The impeccable job of pacing which allowed diners to savor each and every bite while still managing to complete the entire course in just an hour and 15 minutes is truly a remarkable feat.

Food Rating: 7.5/10

Price: ￥￥￥￥

Address: 9/F Sakaguchi Building, 5-5-13 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Ginza

Tel: +81 3-5568-0923

Website: www.tempura-kondo.com

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 1:30pm, 5:00pm - 8:00pm (Mon - Sat)