Tempura is seafood and vegetables in a light batter, fried in hot oil until barely crisp. A counter chef fries piece by piece and sets each one before you at its peak. Eaten with tentsuyu dipping sauce or simply a pinch of salt.
What it means
The technique arrived with 16th-century Portuguese traders, but Japan made it its own — refining the batter to a near-transparent crackle and elevating it to kappo haute cuisine. It's a lesson in Japanese restraint: the cook's skill is to add almost nothing, so the ingredient sings.
Why it's wonderful
Great tempura is shockingly light — no grease, just a clean crunch giving way to sweet prawn or tender vegetable. At a good counter, the rhythm of fry-and-serve is half the pleasure.
Standard batter is wheat (not gluten-free) and egg. Rice-flour, gluten-free and halal tempura counters now exist; vegetable courses suit vegetarians.
FAQ
What is Tempura?
Seafood and vegetables in a lace-light crisp.
Is Tempura vegetarian, vegan, halal or gluten-free?
Standard batter is wheat (not gluten-free) and egg. Rice-flour, gluten-free and halal tempura counters now exist; vegetable courses suit vegetarians.
💬Recipes and preparation vary by restaurant, so this is a general guide. If you're ever unsure, please confirm directly with the venue before you order — they'll appreciate the heads-up.
Where to try it — and book a table
Hand-picked spots for this dish, each with a working reservation link. Tap to book.
★ Wagyu sirloin and tiger prawn tempura in rice-flour batter
A ten-seat counter beneath a canopy of cherry blossoms where every course — even the wagyu and prawn tempura — is fried in rice flour: fully gluten-free and halal.
★ Tempura fried in 100% gluten-free rice-flour batter with house-made gluten-free soy sauce and broth; wagyu and seafood tempura bowls are highlights
A counter tempura restaurant whose entire menu is gluten-free (rice-flour batter plus house-made GF soy sauce and broth) and which is halal certified. It is not a separate dedicated GF facility, so highly sensitive celiacs should confirm cross-contact directly; vegetarian tempura courses are also offered.
★ Vegan tempura, waffles and seasonal plant-based plates
A fully plant-based restaurant near Asakusa Station where every dish is vegan, additive-free and gluten-free, so it is dairy-free by definition. A per-dish allergen chart is published, so check it for nut content; we have not confirmed it is nut-free and do not tag it as such.
The towering wooden-beamed izakaya that inspired Kill Bill's House of Blue Leaves, where lantern light conjures an Edo-era warehouse over plates of fresh soba and charcoal skewers.
★ Vegan tempura soba and zaru soba with a plant-based broth
A small standing-style soba shop in Shimokitazawa (opened 2024) serving ni-hachi soba with a fully plant-based kombu broth and toppings, so there is no bonito or fish dashi. The noodles are ni-hachi (80% buckwheat, 20% wheat), so it is vegan but not gluten-free; it is daytime-only and closed early in the week, so check hours before visiting.
