When it comes to tempura in Tsukiji, I believe Tempura Kurokawa (天ぷら黒川) is the best. I often go there for lunch during work. While they offer a luxurious tempura course, they also serve a more casual option—tempura bowls (ten-don).
The shop is tucked away in a back alley of Tsukiji Outer Market, just off Harumi Street. It’s located right in front of my favorite sushi spot, Motodane, near Kachidoki Bridge.
Kurokawa is a small restaurant with only four counter seats and two tables, each seating four people. During busy hours, customers may have to share tables. If you’re seated at the counter, you can enjoy watching the chef expertly frying tempura.
Kakiage bowl is the most popular food at Kurokawa. Kakiage is usually made with a mix of vegetables like onions and carrots, with just a few sakura shrimp. However, Kurokawa’s kakiage is different—it’s packed with scallops and has only a few sakura shrimp.
Unlike typical kakiage, this one contains very few vegetables. It’s fried in fragrant sesame oil, giving it a rich aroma. The scallops are deep-fried quickly, leaving them medium rare and incredibly sweet. The batter is light and crispy, and the sauce is neither too sweet nor too greasy—just the way I like it.
And this is Jyo Tendon (Special tendon). “Jyo” (上) means “superior,” and this bowl lives up to its name. It includes shrimp, conger eel, and more.
This special tempura bowl comes with two shrimp, conger eel, scallop, and other ingredients. The batter is perfectly crispy, the sesame oil adds a wonderful aroma, and the sauce complements the rice beautifully. 🙂
If you have a bigger appetite, Kurokawa also offers the Tokujyo tendon (Deluxe tendon / 特上天丼, 2000 yen), a deluxe version with even more pieces of tempura in a larger bowl. The portion sizes at Kurokawa aren’t overly large, so if you plan to visit multiple restaurants in a day, their tempura bowls make a great single-meal option.
Every tempura bowl is served with miso soup and pickled vegetables. The miso soup contains shrimp heads—while it has a rich shrimp flavor, the heads themselves don’t have much taste.
Kurokawa is also open for dinner, but reservations are required. Reservations are not available for lunch.
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Name Tempura Kurokawa (天ぷら黒川)
Open Lunch, Dinner (reservation only)
Reservation Available for dinner time only
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