Tempura Fukamachi

Was grateful to be able to secure a spot at restaurant especially during holiday season. Wanted a counter spot but was fully booked so sat at table. You must have reservation so make sure you have one ahead of time. Tempura batter and seasoning for each course was amazing and they tell you how to best enjoy each piece such as salt vs dipping. Each piece is cared for with perfection and love that its run by father and son. This is a premium restaurant so expect to pay premium price I spent about 400$ USD for two people. It has cozy atmosphere with attentive staff that are warm and welcoming and ensure you understand although we had language barrier. This place is well deserving of Michelin star.

Brilliant. Family owned and run, you’re literally welcomed by wife of the chef who keeps ticking away at the tempura with his dad at front of house. Mom and whom I assume is little brother running back of house. What an experience. Food was good, I liked the option of different set menus. I stumbled upon this place because was close to my accommodation, made reservations and didn’t even know they were Michelin until after the fact. Totally worth a visit and a revisit.

One of the best fried food meals I’ve ever had, the staff was all amazing, very attentive wait staff who speak good English, the chefs are skilled and put on quite a show. Not to mention the extreme high quality of the food. It isn’t cheap but you get a very high quantity and quality of food and is well worth it. I would definitely recommend tempura fukamachi to whoever wants a real tempura experience in Tokyo

Would definitely recommend this place as the gateway to fine tempura/omakase for those who have never experienced it. Very very good traditional tempura omakase. Every dish was super tasty, even with limited engagement with the chefs (father and son). Place is simple and a bit old/less modern (but not a cause for concern). Attentive service, seems popular among foreigners as we didn’t see any locals dining here on our visit. Regardless, among all the tempura omakase experiences we’ve tried, this is one of the best ones despite its simplicity and straightforwardness. Benchmark tempura omakase

If I could, I would rate this a 4.5! You need to make a reservation in advance and I think you get two choices of the courses, but come on, you're already coming here so you should choose the bigger course! The food was excellent, with the prawn and sea urchin being a highlight. Japanese asparagus still tastes like asparagus, though, but Japanese eggplant on the other hand, tastes different than US eggplant. We were served by the head chef, and he knew how to say what each portion was and what he recommended to eat it with, but I think beyond that, he relies on the staff who do speak English better. The younger chef knows more English though! The other Japanese customers got beer but we got cold sake which I feel paired well. Overall a great experience!

Definitely one of the best Tempura restaurants in Tokyo. I ordered no.3 lunch set which comes with sea urchin and an extra fish. Each tempura piece, from shrimp, veggie, to fishes, are gorgeous! For the rice dish, I picked Tenbara which isn’t commonly seen in other ordinary tempura places. Really nice food and experience!

Fantastic meal and value for the price. The chef seemed very stern at first but opened up after the meal. Would love to come back!

Small tempura restaurant on a side street. 2 non counter tables (each sitting 2 people) and around 10-12 counter seats. We booked online, and I don't remember there being an option to pick. Make sure to book well in advance if you're booking online. Another option is to call the restaurant directly. We went for the no2 lunch menu, which included a rice dish at the end . The shrimp head tempura was 1 of the best bits as it was nice and crunchy. The other tempura dishes were nice except for 1 of the vegetables that was super bitter. For the rice, I ordered the soup rice one, and it was ok, not the best, but not bad. My partner ordered the ten-don and he said it was very nice, better than other ones we've had before. Service was good. The staff was very prompt in everything and was constantly refilling my tea/water. I noticed that when other customers who sat at the counter seats arrived, the chefs were a lot more friendly (not sure if its because they were japanese or they were frequent customers or what), there was no interaction between us (the 2 tables) and the 2 chef's. Overall, the food was good but not as good as the other one I went to. Of course, there's a price difference, and one was at lunch . One was at dinner, but if I had to pick 1 out of the 2, I'd go for the other one. But this one is still a really good tempura restaurant to try and definitely worth it to. I would say the service from the waiters/waitresses was better at this restaurant, but the interaction between all customers and the chef's were better in the other restaurant.

Our first omakase tempura restaurant and we were utterly pleased by the whole experience. The items on the menu we ordered from during our visit included shrimp, fish, and vegetables (I forget the exact number per each, but it was something along the lines of 3 shrimp, 4 fish, and 5 vegetables). I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed all the vegetable tempura pieces, as they tasted so much more elevated through their battering + frying process, and seasoning/sauce recommendations, and the fact that they came right out of the fryer. One of the more unique and tasty dining experiences we had in Tokyo.

Wanted to try good tempura & this place delivered. Yes the wallet will take a hit but it's refreshing to see a father & son operation carrying on the traditions. This is the equivalence of omakase/kaiseki but for tempura. Only 9 guests per seating for the 2 hr experience. Few things that stood out: otoson & musuko worked in tandom, each item is prepped meticulously, the chef inspected each piece carefully before committing it to the deep, the batter was remixed each round, the temperature of the fryer is carefully controlled instead of left on constantly, everything is served burning hot, you use either salt or house sauce for dipping, 2 servers were very attentive & kept my drinks coming...maybe too attentive Items we had included tiger shrimp head then body, white fish twice, unago (eel), squid, shitake, chestnut, lotus root, ginkgo, if you pay extra you get uni & abalone. At the end they serve miso soup (with clams) along with either tendon or tempura served over rice.

This place blew my mind. Delicious form start to finish. The staff are incredibly talented and sweet. If you are looking for the top of the top on tempura, this is your place.

Tempura in the US is typically drenched in batter, the same oil is used over and over (creating a burnt taste), and lower quality ingredients (since you try and hide it with batter). In Japan, true tempura is made with very little batter, only for purposes of providing a textural contrast of crunch, not to mask the flavor. The true flavor comes from the ingredients; the various seafood and seasonal vegetables. They change out the oil periodically in order to keep the flavor fresh. They give it only a pretty quick cook to keep it crunchy but not oily. Tempura Fukamachi is a place you can experience true tempura in an intimate setting and for a (for Tokyo prices) semi-affordable price. Definitely make a reservation because walking in is tough. We saw at least 2 couples get turned away. The chef will explain what you're eating, what you should add to it (salt, tempura sauce, or lemon), where the ingredients came from, etc. I strongly recommend you get at least the course B which comes with a final dish of tempura with rice. A great experience and strongly recommend if you want to try tempura, the real way. They do speak English and have an English menu so it's not as intimidating even if you don't speak japanese.

Fukamachi is either a World class Tempura restaurant or something you yell out the window when someone cuts you off in heavy Tokyo traffic. If you are fit to be fried, this place is for you. The restaurant is as clean as a surgical suite with a slate floor, bleached and polished wood counter for 11 people who patiently wait for two months for the opportunity to come here. Chef F and two sons man the business end of the business. (The Batter Station and the Fryers fueled with fresh Sesame Oil only). There are three Set Menus, all with two Shrimp, five Vegetables, four Fish, and for me, with the Goldilocks Menu, I got some added Sashimi (good for me). The Staff: Warm. The Food: Hot. The Experience: Spiritual. Everything is to be enjoyed in a prescribed manner. That way the pressure of eating it all in the correct way is eliminated. The appropriate manner in which to appreciate each plate is carefully explained in Japanese, broken English or charades. The opening round was a lovely cup of Chanwanmushi which may have been mixed with a little Mountain Potato. It was creamy and rich with a Ponzu drip and some Micro Chives. This was an elegant beginning and a good beginning makes for a happy ending. My Sashimi course consisted of see through slivers of Flounder so fresh the fish still thought it was swimming instead of having floundered into a net somewhere nearby. Make your own hand roll with a Spring Onion straw, a crumb of aged Cheddar, (yes, cheese and fish), Chef F is either living on the culinary edge or had extra leftover from the Grilled Cheese Sando he had at lunch. Give it a quick dip in the pool of Ponzu, et Voila, disparu. A Shrimp Head went to the head of the class. Chef F surgically removed the eyes and face like a creep in a slasher movie, leaving only the back of the head and a bit of the legs in front. This was a grand head start on the bounty to come. Mountain Vegetables descended from the clouds. Asparagus and Broccoli vying for attention with a second round of Mountain Vegetables. This time it was only a Flower Bud about the size of an Acorn vaguely reminiscent of an Artichoke Heart with a slightly bitter finish. Chef F pointed at my perfect Lemon wedge and motioned to add a pinch of Sea Salt. I did, and the taste bloomed to a rainbow of delight. Next, a Filet of Kisu (Whiting) appeared. This went along wonderfully with my third glass of Plum Wine. Be advised that your hands will not go numb until the 5th glass, so carry on smartly. A raw Fava Bean was nibbled carefully off a toothpick and open the palate for the balance of the body from the beheaded Shrimp. This was scored, then stretched over a Chef finger, deveined quickly, and then trimmed like a Marine recruit's first trip to the barber in Boot Camp. Each Shrimp looked exactly the same after Chef worked it over. Delicious from decapitated head to tail. Then a Japanese Perch perched on my small silver grill. Moist, crunchy, and offered with Lemon and Sea Salt only to highlight the taste of the ocean. This quickly wiggled down the chute to join his friends. Next up was a thumb thick Bamboo Shoot which set the stage for the Nori wrapped bundle of Ice Goby with all their tiny faces facing me, stare fried and frozen for eternity, or at least until I dispatched them. Delicate and lovely even two hours after they'd been tweezered onto my silver grill. By this time I wanted to re-read Shogun which is a good idea even after a hot dog on a tailgate during a Packers game in a raging winter storm. Rice mixed with some Baby Shrimp Tempura mixed in and a bowl of Miso Soup with tiny Manila Clams snatched from their Mother's bosom was set down gently in front of me and received the respect they deserved. I ate it slowly. Finally, Orange Jelly denoted the end of the adventure. Everything here was choreographed like a Kabuki. It wasn't merely dinner, it was theater, it was Japan presented through culinary artistry. Make your booking and wait patiently.

Tempura is truly an art form here. The chefs frying the various pieces of vegetables and seafood really are performing works of art. We were seated for a late lunch, no reservations, so we were seated at a table not the bar. A server brought over our pieces after each round was fried to our cute set of small plates and dipping sauces/salt. There was an interesting assortment of Japanese vegetables, while the seafood was so fresh and delicious. The tempura batter is so light and airy, it's just enough without overdoing. You finish with clam miso soup, ice cream, and hojicha. Great experience, though quite pricey, especially for lunch; hence the -1 star. It came out to $85 a person, and we didn't even order drinks.

Went here for lunch. If you make a reservation, you have three options: set lunch with plain rice (7000Y), set lunch with tempura in green tea broth (9000Y), and set lunch with tempura rice (also 9000Y). I ended up ordering the set lunch with tempura in green tea broth, which I loved. I will not bore you with the play by play, but suffice to say that these are really high quality ingredients, expertly battered and fried, and served very simply with either sauce or salt. A lot of Japanese food is deceptively simple and subtle but the result of much expertise and care. If you are reluctant to spend $100 on tempura, Michelin star or not, then I suggest that you do not make a reservation and try to drop in for lunch, when you can order the large version of tempura rice ("tendon"), for 2500Y. This is basically a huge "patty" of seafood and vegetables fried with tempura batter, placed over a bowl of rice, and doused with tempura sauce. So my reservation was at noon, and the place was packed, half with lunch reservations at 1130am, and the other half with reservations for noon (you could tell some people just started their lunch course, while others were in the middle). By around 1230, some spaces started to open up (1130 am reservations leaving). This is when the Japanese locals started trickling in (cute elderly couple, single office workers) and ordering the tendon. By 100pm, there were a lot of open spaces. Tempura Fukamachi made such an impression that it was the only place that I tried to have two meals in Japan, specifically to drop in for the tendon. Sadly, I dropped in at 1130am (when they open, I was hoping to sneak into an open spot), and all of the spaces were set aside for reservations. Conclusion: Try to drop in around 1230pm or 100pm for the tendon.

Fukamachi -- good vibes, nice people who know your name when you walk in, cozy relaxed quiet space, chefs advise you on when to use sauce / salt / lime on the various pieces of tempure -- great batter. Lunch tasting menu $7500yen: two shrimp's bodys/shells (super crispy), 2x shrimp meat: excellent buttery, corn (somehow stuck together -- the epitome of summer flavour), a thin white fish (bright, great with lime), sweet pepper (bittersweet, bouncy), chestnut (not particularly nutty), scallop (big and succulent - really great, cooked medium rare -- you'll see the interior turn from pink to white before your eyes), Asparagus (herbal, thick), Anago don on rice -- really meaty and delicious, with a red clam miso and houjicha. Green tea ice cream (light flavour but icy texture).

Highly recommended michelin 1 star tempura restaurant. Make sure to make reservation as restaurant is only 16 seaters.We went for lunch menu no 1. The chef Fukamachi and son cooked everything to perfection. We were served shrimp heads,shrimp body,white fish,scallop, green pepper, asparagus, mushroom and anago over rice and finally walnut ice cream desert. Every tempura was served one by one.the scallop tempura was the best of all. We paid 17.280 yen for 2 persons.Though expensive, it was worth the experience and leaving us satisfied.

Awesome place to try all kind of tempola. Very impressive indeed. It's different if compared with a regular restaurant tempola. We have tried tampola in many other restaurants, but this one is NOT the same. Definitely worth to try out if you travel to Tokoyo.

this review is from March 2014 went for lunch and it was one of the best tempura (I hate deep fried things but this place is the best!) one michelin star! and the cost is very affordable lightly battered, not oily and perfect ... the best tempura i have ever had in my entire life (better than kondo I think) there are three options 1) tempura lunch set 6300 yen (2 kuruma ebi, 3 sakana [fish] and veggies) 2) tempura + tendon lunch set 8400 yen 3) veggie lunch set 6300 yen (2 kuruma ebi + veggies) 4) tendon (tempura over rice) 2500 yen must order extra! = uni wrapped in shiso leaf

Tempura Fukamachi is an intimate and secluded restaurant off the busy streets of Tokyo and is one of those places that you would never stumble upon unless somebody recommended it to you. How can tempura be that different you may ask? If you really want to know, just come see Master Fukamachi. He will change everything you thought you knew about tempura. Just a magical omakase course that you won't ever forget.

I've never been a big tempura fan, largely because in the U.S., everything tends to be fried just a little too much. However, it's one of my mom's favorite types of Japanese food, so I thought it would be cool to try a spot that did a really top-notch version of the cooking style. The storefront is quite innocuous, but given how little space there is - a couple small tables and the counter seating - it would behoove anyone to make a reservation ahead of time. The decor isn't much to look at, but you will have most of your eyes trained forward to watch your food get prepared in front of you. Our water glasses were always filled, and tea was provided promptly, with refills, once we were done eating. Of note is that there is only a tasting menu available here for dinner; I think I had read that a la carte was an option, but you had 3 different tasting menus. The basic tasting menu included 2 shrimp, 5 vegetable, and 4 fish dishes; the other two used this as a base but added additional courses (one of which was uni wrapped in a shiso leaf...wish I had gotten that!). At around 10-12,000 yen / person, it's not too bad given the amount of food provided. To start - we had ponzu dipping sauce for everything, as well as a lemon wedge and salt to use on each bite as directed. The shrimp was the head (two of them, actually) first and the body last. Even though I'm not a big fan of eating shrimp head, this one was actually very tasty, as it wasn't overly chewy and was fried just the right amount. The body of the shrimp was seared just the right amount and was also delicately fried, giving it a nice succulence without being overbearing. The vegetables and fish that followed were interspersed with each other. My favorite vegetable (or fungus, to be proper) was the mushroom caps, which still had a nice earthy flavor to it despite being fried. As for the fish, the most interesting (or disturbing?) dish was the tiny fish that was battered up and then tossed into the frying pan alive and served whole. The fish itself was very good, but the only sour note would be that the head (or the brains) was quite sour and definitely didn't have a good aftertaste. A flat whitefish of some kind had a very flaky texture that was delicious, though, and I have to say that I wish I could have the anago tempura over and over again - such deliciousness, even without the usual marinade that eel is served with. Once you are done with the individual bites, you are given a bowl with lightly friend fish tempura that has been diced up and served over rice. It's less distinctive than the bites but is still quite delicious, and the rice helps add substance to what had felt like a light meal to that point. You also get a nice warm cup of red miso soup, which has a more intense flavor than your standard-issue miso soup. To finish it off, we were served a scoop of sakura ice cream (I think, given the light floral flavor and pinkish color) topped with a single giant red bean. A light, sweet finish to an exciting and delicious meal. The team who cook here (father and son, perhaps) are excellent at their craft, and I'd love to come back again - as well as try out more tempura next time I am in Japan. This was so well-done, and it goes to show that sometimes more (frying) isn't always better. What a treat! That said - this is cash-only, so make sure you are stocked up on yen ahead of time.

Tempura Fukamachi is a special experience. I understand why they have a Michelin star, as the tempura is cooked to perfection, waitstaff is friendly and meticulous, and the last tempura don is pretty spectacular. Highlights of the tempura were the shrimp head, corn, asparagus, and red pepper. I ordered the smallest set, which still had so much food I couldn't finish it all... . My partner in crime ordered set #3, which came with an extra raw abalone, sea cucumber eel tempura, and uni tempura. I'd say the uni tempura was quite unique.

4.5 high end tempura not really my thing but they everything culinary in japan is about achieving perfection. enjoyed the light batter and quick frying. scallop still raw in the center but perfectly fried on the outside, not oily, amazing timing. 1 star, tabelog 4.15