Tempura Mikawa Keyakizaka — Restaurant in Tokyo

I recently had an experience at Tempura Mikawa Keyakizaka that I feel compelled to share.

While I understand the importance of punctuality when it comes to reservations, I believe there should be some flexibility, especially for tourists who may not be familiar with local conditions， and where the restaurant is located, its very very hard to find. Unfortunately, we were delayed in arriving, and we were informed that canceling our reservation would incur the full cancellation fee of 47000 yen for 2 persons. When we knew we will be late, we have already asked our hotel to call them and let them know.

Unreasonable Charges

This charge seems excessive and quite unreasonable, particularly for visitors who may be navigating unfamiliar circumstances. It felt more like a penalty than a reasonable policy, which is disappointing for a hospitality establishment. But worst still, the lady server rolled her eyes when we slid the door on arrival (giving us that look “why do you even bother to come”. Roll her eyes!! Really? A Michelin star restaurant? And then a guy came out and didn’t let us in and led us out to the restaurant talking very angrily to us. I responded by saying “you don’t need to be so angry with me. I am simply asking if you can host us and if not, it’s ok and we will leave. It’s 7pm and I know we are late and I am sorry. But you don’t need to be so rude to your customers!”

Overall Experience

This experience left a sour taste and overshadowed any potential enjoyment of the meal. It felt disrespectful to be treated this way, and I believe that customer service should prioritize understanding and accommodation.

My experience at this restaurant was unforgettable for all the wrong reasons. I would not recommend this restaurant based on how tourists are treated. There are many other dining options that offer a more welcoming atmosphere.

Thank you for considering...

Amazing tempura! Must come here when you're visiting Tokyo. If you want to pay almost half the price, come for lunch it's about USD $70/person vs dinner would be much more. They have 2 sets, one for around 7000 JPY and another with more food for around 8000 JPY. Trust me, the 7000 JPY set is filling enough, you'll leave feeling very full.

Must get: kisu fish, prawns, eggplant, mushrooms, sweet potato. For the last course, it's a tempura over rice -- highly recommend getting the ten-don option, which is more flavorful.

Don't get: Unless you love eel, ask them to switch out the eel for something else - either the Uni or the Kisu fish or more prawns. The eel is underwhelming.

TIP: Must make reservation even for lunch! Also, try to snag a reservation by the bar! There aren't many seats there but you get the tempura right when the chef finishes frying them and it's just a teeny bit better when...

Came here for their lunch set which costs about 7700 yen per person on a weekday.

We almost wanted to cancel our reservation as we were not huge fans of tempura in general. But the experience here was life-changing and it has challenged the way we perceive tempura.

Usually, the tempura batter would be the main focus and it tends to be thick and greasy. But over here, the main focus is on the ingredients which are extremely fresh and kept moisture by the thin batter. It didn’t feel greasy at all and the batter actually enhances the freshness and flavour of the ingredients.

I love the final dessert of red bean jelly as well which complemented the entire course perfectly. It was light with the right amount of sweetness.

After this experience, we don’t think we can have tempura anywhere...