Made ByRestaurant

Tempura Kondo

Name: Tempura Kondo
Address: Japan, 〒104-0061 Tokyo, Chuo City, Ginza, 5 Chome−5−13 Sakaguchi Bld., ９F, Tokyo, Japan

Chef in Residence

Fumio Kondo

Chef

01CuisineMichelin-Starred Edo Tempura
02CityTokyo, Japan
03RecognitionTwo Michelin Stars

Among Ginza's tempura counters, Tempura Kondo occupies a tier defined by two Michelin stars, consistent Tabelog Bronze recognition since 2018, and a La Liste score of 85 points in 2026. Chef Fumio Kondo's 50 years at the fryer have reframed tempura around vegetable primacy, treating batter as a vessel for steam rather than a coating. Twenty seats, lunch and dinner service Monday through Saturday, with dinner averaging ¥20,000–¥29,999.

2 Michelin Stars

At a glance

Cuisine: Michelin-Starred Edo Tempura
Price: $$$$
Per person: $200
Hours: Mon: 12–3 PM, 5–8 PM; Tue: 12–3 PM, 5–8 PM; Wed: 12–3 PM, 5–8 PM; Thu: 12–3 PM, 5–8 PM; Fri: 12–3 PM, 5–8 PM; Sat: 12–3 PM, 5–9 PM; Sun: Closed
Neighborhood: Ginza
Rating: 4.4 (903)

<h2>Where Ginza's Tempura Tradition Places Its Highest Bar</h2><p>Tempura Kondo is a two-Michelin-star restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza district, led by chef Fumio Kondo and priced at about $200 per person. Twenty seats on the ninth floor of a Ginza office building sets the terms of the experience before the first piece hits the oil. Tempura Kondo operates at the upper tier of what is already a demanding category in Tokyo: the dedicated tempura counter, where a single chef's technical judgement governs every element of the meal.</p><h2>Tempura as Steaming: The Technical Argument at the Core of the Menu</h2><p>The dominant school of Edo tempura has historically centred on seafood, with vegetables as a supporting cast. Kondo inverts that hierarchy, and the inversion is not merely a stylistic preference but a technical proposition. The argument is that battered ingredients, when submerged in hot oil, do not fry in the conventional sense. The moisture inside the ingredient turns to steam, and that steam pushes outward through the batter, cooking the ingredient from within while the batter sets around it. Understood this way, the batter is a membrane for controlled steaming, and the quality of the result depends entirely on what is inside it.</p><p>Vegetables, with their higher water content and greater structural diversity, give this logic more to work with than uniform fish fillets. Seasonal produce from carefully selected sources means the ingredient arriving at the fryer already has defined character: sweetness, bitterness, starch concentration, moisture level. Chef Fumio Kondo, working with 50 years at this particular craft, prepares each ingredient immediately before frying to preserve that character rather than allow it to dissipate. The timing between preparation and oil contact is not incidental; it is the mechanism by which freshness carries through to the plate.</p><p>The drink program reflects the same material focus. The kitchen's attention to sake and shochu is described as deliberate, with both receiving specific curation rather than generic list-building. That alignment between frying oil, batter, ingredient, and paired drink is characteristic of counters operating in this tier, where every element is expected to hold at the same level.</p><h2>The Ginza Ninth Floor: Context and Competitive Set</h2><p>Ginza has functioned as Tokyo's baseline for high-end counter dining across multiple formats for decades. The neighbourhood's tempura addresses span a wide price range, from lunch counters to dinners priced against kaiseki rooms. Kondo sits near the upper end of that spread, with dinner averaging ¥20,000–¥29,999 and lunch at ¥10,000–¥14,999 per person based on review data. That positions it below the ¥¥¥¥ bracket occupied by comparison-set venues like <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/restaurants/edomae-shinsaku-tokyo-restaurant">Edomae Shinsaku</a> and the kaiseki and sushi rooms that define Ginza's most expensive tier, while still clearing the threshold at which ingredient sourcing and format discipline become the primary differentiators.</p><p>The physical setting, counter seating on the ninth floor of the Sakaguchi Building, reflects a structural reality of Tokyo dining: the address and building exterior rarely signal what happens inside. This is consistent across the city's leading counters, where the premium is absorbed by ingredients and the chef's time rather than by interior design or service theatrics. <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/restaurants/seiju-tokyo-restaurant">Seiju</a> operates in a similar register within the broader Tokyo tempura category.</p><p>The 20-seat configuration is intimate, with no private rooms. That detail tends to matter more for repeat visitors than first-timers, but it signals the format: intimate, unified, with no separation between the cooking and the room.</p><h2></h2><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/restaurants/hajime-osaka-restaurant">HAJIME in Osaka</a>, <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/restaurants/gion-sasaki-kyoto-restaurant">Gion Sasaki in Kyoto</a>, <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/restaurants/akordu-nara-restaurant">akordu in Nara</a>, <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/restaurants/goh-fukuoka-restaurant">Goh in Fukuoka</a>, <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/restaurants/1000-yokohama-restaurant">1000 in Yokohama</a>, and <a href="https://www.enprimeurclub.com/restaurants/6-okinawa-restaurant">6 in Okinawa</a> represent the reach of serious Japanese restaurant culture beyond the capital.</p>

Know before you go

Dress code: smart_casual
Reservations: essential
Payment: credit_card, cash
Accessibility: elevator

Reserve via direct →

Frequently asked

Can I bring kids to Tempura Kondo?

07 at ¥20,000–¥29,999 per head for dinner — suggests an adult-oriented setting where sustained quiet is expected. Reservation notes ask guests to avoid strong perfume and enforce a strict lateness policy, which points to an atmosphere where disruption of any kind sits poorly. check the venue's official channels at 03-5568-0923 to confirm before booking with children.

Is Tempura Kondo better for a quiet night or a lively one?

Quiet, without question. Twenty seats on the ninth floor of a Ginza office building, no private rooms, and a counter format where Fumio Kondo's technique is the focal point — this is not a venue built for group celebration or background noise. Tabelog reviewers recommend it for time with friends, but the two-Michelin-star precision of the setting tilts toward conversation and concentration rather than revelry.

Is Tempura Kondo Michelin-listed?

Tempura Kondo has received recognition including: {"Year":"2026","Award Source":"Tabelog","Award Type":"The Tabelog Award","Award Group":"bronze","Award Group Rank":"201","Restaurant Name":"Tempura Kondo","Score":"4.07","Budget":"Dinner: JPY 20,000 - JPY 29,999; Lunch: JPY 10,000 - JPY 14,….

What do people recommend at Tempura Kondo?

Kondo's approach places vegetables at the centre of the menu rather than in a supporting role, which is what separates this counter from most Edo-style tempura houses. La Liste awarded 85 points in 2026 specifically noting his vegetable diversity and creativity. The restaurant also specifies a particular focus on fish sourcing, so seasonal seafood pieces are consistently referenced alongside the vegetable courses. Beyond specific dishes — which change with the season — the counter experience itself, Kondo's technique of preparing ingredients immediately before frying to preserve moisture, is what draws repeat visitors.

What should I budget for a meal at Tempura Kondo?

Pricing at Tempura Kondo is listed as ¥¥¥.

What days is Tempura Kondo closed?

Hours at Tempura Kondo: Hours: Monday 12–3 pm, 5–8 pm Tuesday 12–3 pm, 5–8 pm Wednesday 12–3 pm, 5–8 pm Thursday 12–3 pm, 5–8 pm Friday 12–3 pm, 5–8 pm Saturday 12–3 pm, 5–9 pm Sunday Closed.