Hyperlocal Tokyo

Tempura Nakayama

天ぷら 中山

Ningyocho
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tempura
donburi
4.2
(905 reviews)
¥¥
Status

Recent Reviews

3.0

I arrived at 11:05 am on a weekday. There was already a line, and judging from their conversations, many of the people waiting seemed to be tourists who had traveled from far away. I was able to enter the restaurant at 11:15 am, just barely making it through the first round. I ordered the tempura donburi. Before the donburi arrived, they brought me tea, pickles, and a hand towel. The hand towel was a proper oshibori. The donburi arrived about 10 minutes later. The taste is probably a matter of preference. The fish was anago (conger eel) and kisu (whiting). It was plump and fluffy, and very delicious. When I left, the line was even longer.

1.0

I dined alone for lunch. While there is air conditioning inside, the lack of a partition between the counter seats and the kitchen made it quite hot due to the heat from cooking, and I couldn't stop sweating. The tea was also served warm, so I think it would be more considerate to offer cold tea or barley tea during the summer. I ordered the tempura donburi for 1,500 yen. The most important aspect, the taste, unfortunately, wasn't to my liking. The batter, drenched in a thick, black sauce, was soggy, the ingredients were subpar, and despite the dark appearance, the sauce lacked flavor. There were no redeeming qualities. Please note that lunch service ends at 1:00 PM. Lastly, the staff were friendly.

2.0

A critical review of a popular tempura restaurant!! Ningyocho. A district known for its many famous restaurants, it's always on my list of places to try for lunch. This time, I decided to have a hearty meal at "Tempura Nakayama", famous for its "Kuro-tendon" (black tempura rice bowl). I arrived 15 minutes before opening. Despite the light rain, there was already a line of 9 people. It seems to be a popular restaurant as rumored. I was worried about whether I would be able to get in, but I managed to get in on the first round. ✨ I was guided to a table in a Japanese-style room at the back, where I shared a table with another customer (with a partition). The nostalgic interior, reminiscent of my grandparents' house, was calming. I was excited, anticipating the smell of fried food, and placed my order. ■ Tempura Rice Bowl, Large (¥1,590) The ingredients were conger eel, kisi (Japanese whiting), 2 prawns, carrot, and shishito peppers (or were they?). It also came with pickles and miso soup, making it a good value for the price. The waiter memorized the orders. I was a little worried about whether he could remember so many orders, but my worries were confirmed. He almost made a mistake twice in a short time, and there was a tense atmosphere between him and the kitchen staff... (He was the most polite of all the staff, though). 😅 Despite my anxieties, the dish arrived safely. The black, shiny tempura rice bowl was quite impactful! It's not exactly photogenic, but its appearance definitely whetted my appetite, promising a satisfying meal. I eagerly took a bite of the conger eel, but was shocked. The oil hadn't drained at all. The same was true for the other ingredients. Despite its intimidating appearance, the taste was surprisingly mild. As a result, the sauce was completely overpowered by the oil. I had imagined the tempura to be moist based on its appearance, but it was surprisingly soggy. I wouldn't have been able to finish half of it without the pickles. I regret ordering the large size... It has a high rating on Tabelog, so maybe it just doesn't suit my taste. Or maybe the poor oil drainage was just a one-time thing... Unfortunately, I felt that the price didn't reflect the quality. Thank you for the meal.

3.0

Arriving around 11:20 on a weekday, there was already a line. After waiting for about 30 minutes, we were seated in a tatami room at the back. The tempura donburi sauce was black and looked salty, but it wasn't at all. It was delicious, not too sweet and not too salty. The clam soup and pickled vegetables served alongside were also delicious. The large portion of rice was piled high, overflowing from the bowl, so it was quite a lot. We weren't eating particularly slowly, but there were people waiting behind us, so we were urged to eat quickly by the staff. It's not suitable for those who want to eat leisurely. There was air conditioning, but not much air flow, and with the piping hot tempura donburi and hot tea, there was nowhere to escape the heat, so I ate while sweating.

5.0

I first learned about this restaurant from the show 'Solitary Gourmet,' but it's closed on weekends, so I couldn't visit for a long time. However, I finally got the chance to visit during a recent business trip to Tokyo. I arrived around 10:45 am, but it was still 30 minutes before opening, and there was no line, so I went to visit Suitengu Shrine. When I returned 15 minutes later, there were already five people in line! I was glad I came back early. The restaurant opened at 11:15 am, and I was able to get in on the first rotation. I ordered the famous tempura donburi (known as the 'Black Tempura Donburi') and, since I was there, I also ordered some individual tempura. For the individual tempura, I chose conger eel, sea urchin, lotus root, and eggplant (they didn't have any 'megochi' that day). I could have added the individual tempura to the donburi, but I asked for them separately with tempura sauce. The individual tempura came out first (I forgot to take a picture, oops!). Everything was light and very delicious. Soon after, the tempura donburi arrived. When I opened the lid, I was surprised to see the black tempura packed in tightly. It looked very flavorful, but when I tasted it, it wasn't overly salty and had a perfect balance of flavors. I think there were shrimp, white fish (maybe conger eel?), shishito peppers, and carrots. It was a huge portion and I was completely satisfied. For such delicious tempura and tempura donburi, the price was very reasonable. It's no wonder people are willing to wait in line. Thank you for the delicious food. If I have the chance to come to Tokyo on a weekday, I'll definitely stop by again. It was a delicious meal.