Mikawa Zezankyo

A bit disappointed as the tempura were all quite oily (esp the shiitake), not what I expected from the “god of tempura”. The second chef also presented the food causally on the plate and it wasn’t good presentation at all. The whole experience felt like they are running the SOP with no passion, the chef didn’t talk to other customers except the 2 Japanese men. Everybody just ate quietly. Nevertheless, the restaurant is beautifully crafted and the two servers were very attentive to your need and polite. But I wouldn’t come back again.

I had high expectations for Mikawa Zezankyo, especially with the reputation, the long wait for a reservation, and the high price. Unfortunately, the experience was very disappointing. First, the service felt rushed from the beginning. Courses came out quickly and there was a strong sense that we were being pushed to finish and leave, rather than relax and enjoy the meal. For this price point, I expected a much more thoughtful and comfortable pace. Second, the value just isn’t there. The tempura itself was fine but nothing special – honestly felt like regular tempura, not something that justifies the premium price or the difficulty of getting a booking. What bothered me most was the menu. Even with an advance reservation made weeks ahead, we arrived to find a menu with many items crossed out. No one clearly explained why, and instead of offering interesting alternatives, they simply doubled up on items like shrimp. I don’t come to a place like this to eat the same thing over and over, especially when I was looking forward to variety. Overall, between the rushed service, lack of explanation about the menu changes, repetitive substitutions, and the high cost, Mikawa Zezankyo was not worth it for me. I wouldn’t return and wouldn’t recommend it to others looking for a special tempura experience in Tokyo.

The ingredients were fresh and delicious. However, the price was a bit high, and the value for money wasn't great. I felt a bit empty after eating.

Was very lucky that I could book a seat released by someone else just a few days before the solo travel. It was a good experience, guests were hosted in the owner’s small museum upstairs with lots of precious Japanese tea bowls, calligraphy pieces and art pieces, including a samurai outfit. It was a bit pity that most guests focus on selfie. Food was undoubtedly great. The master chef’s technique was exceptional, very impressed by how he used a long pair of chopsticks to cut a piece of fish perfectly without the two pieces moving!!

When we visited in 2016, we had a private room and the most beautiful delicious food and romantic experience. This visit was our adult family of five at the counter where I hoped for a more lively experience witnessing the great chef and eating moments after each pieces preparation. However the service felt openly hostile to joy as our family was reveling in the experience and told to shush many times. Service felt rushed, with barely a moment between bites and strong worded orders of how to eat each piece, which required salt and which required sauce. We were disappointed.

Average tempura with a tense atmosphere. Absolutely not worth almost $30k yen and certainly not the best tempura I had in Tokyo. I don't know how this is so highly rated on tabelog. Perhaps the concept of high end tempura is to blame (vs. high end steak or sushi where the freshness of the ingredients matter much more). Additionally, the atmosphere was super rigid and very quiet. At this type of restaurant I expect some type of banter from the chefs, but not a word from them. I don't recommend this restaurant.

I was a bit skeptical about this tempura omakase restaurant. Personally I’m not a huge fan of fried foods. But after I had the first bite it was absolutely mind blowing! You simply taste the original flavor of the fish or vegetables. Every dish is carefully prepared and it is 100% art, and extremely delicious. The chef signed the menu after our meals and it’s just the highlight of the night. P.S. That eel was easily the best eel in my entire life.

Advice: Book a counter seat! Service was prompt and efficient. The server would constantly be changing the oil paper, the hot towel, and topping up water for you without you asking. When each tempura item is served, they will also explain to you what it was and the recommended way to eat it. At the counter seat, you can see the chef doing the frying, so it's quite interesting. In the end, he even helped us sign our menus, which was very nice, and the menu itself was very pretty. I also noticed the other staff member (I assumed was the disciple of the chef) was extremely efficient and hard working. He literally did like 3 peoples jobs: prepping ingredients for the chef to fry, ensuring the chefs cup always had tea/water, came out to help serve the guests and prepping the dishes for the other guests sat upstairs. You could just tell how great he was. Each tempura dish was freshly fried and really nice. I dont think I had any complaints with any of them besides the prawn head being slightly harder than other places Ive had before but I assume this is because the head was bigger than the other ones Ive had before. The squid was the best part! It was not like any other squid I've had before. It literally melts in your mouth. The dessert (jelly) as extremely refreshing and helped de-oil everything. My only downside was the final rice dish. I ordered the tendon, and it was quite disappointing as it was way too salty. You can pay by cash or card here.

This place is not foreigner friendly. Do not come if you cannot speak Japanese. The food is actually pretty good but they won't even explain the difference of the 19,000¥ vs 11,000¥ so me and my spouse ended up with ordering one each. The whopping difference for the 7,000¥ was 2 extra pieces of tempura, one being uni with shiso l af and the other was stuffed mushroom. All the other pieces were exactly the same! What a rip off. And it was so enjoying that the server keeps brushing off your shoulders trying to pick up dishes etc. sorry but so so so overrated place.

Tons of respect for Chef Saotome and the dedication and craftmanship he put into each tempura piece. The way he easily managed to feed 10(?) people freshly fried pieces at the right time shows his skills - you can expect longer waiting time at other places between pieces . The food was delicious and certainly at 5* level. However, as in many internationally well known places in tokyo, this place is poplar among foreigners. When we were there, literally ALL diners were foreigners and as a result the overall experience was less than interesting or fun. The service could have been better or more helpful, too. As advised we arrived a bit earlier than scheduled time, so did most other customers scheduled for the same shift. we were all guided into a waiting room upstairs. It was way to crowded and loudly to be enjoyable and we were completely ignored there. Then after that there was no instruction on seating - people all rushed downstairs when it was ABOUT but not quite the time. It was kind of a mess.

This restaurant only seats 10 people at a time. You are extremely lucky to grab a seat here and be able to eat at one of the few michelin rated tempura restaurants. I was able to make a reservation without a concierge service and I actually used opentable through its Japanese version. Although, I don't read Japanese, the Japanese version of opentable is essentially the same as the US version and making a reservation was quite easy. However, what was not easy was finding the restaurant (just like everything else in Tokyo). The restaurant is in an alleyway in between apartment homes. We were able to find due to finding a picture online of the front door and looking for something similar. People be aware if you have foot odor you might want to take care of that issue prior to coming here, they do require that you remove your shoes. Also, please be courteous and make sure you arrive on time. Everyone seats at the same time and it is a tasting menu of the most delicious tempura you will have. You would think a multicourse meal of fried vegetables and seafood (they do not serve any type of beef, pork, chicken) would make you feel gross at the end but untrue! The tempura batter is very light and not oily at all and although I was stuffed I was not weighed down. I would have to say my favorite tempura here was the uni wrapped in shiso!!! You will not have tempura such as this back in the states so try to make an effort and get some high quality tempura while you are in Japan.

Save your money! The food was good...not great by any standard...and you'll get much more for your money and a far better dinner at Tenmatsu (see my review). We were seated upstairs in own 'dining room table'....lovely, actually...but the dinner was, in our opinion, simply 'okay'. Our bill was $ 500 USD per couple...insane for the integrity of the dinner...and we were taken aback that the chef never even made a presence to introduce himself and see how we were enjoying. We all would take a 'pass' on dining here again. It's definitely all hype and way, way overpriced.

Just check how much fees to be charged if a reservation is cancelled 2 days in advance? (I could not find email on the website) The website says 10,000Yen/person if cancelled on the same day, 5000Yen/person if cancelled 1 day in advance. How about 2 days in advance?