Restaurant · Shinjuku 3-chome

Tempura Tsunahachi (Shinjuku Main Store) 新宿つな八 総本店

Shinjuku's classic tempura house since 1924, serving crisp, light Edo-style tempura at the counter at prices far below Ginza's tempura temples, the perfect first tempura meal in Tokyo.

About

Tsunahachi opened in Shinjuku in 1924 and its main store, in a traditional wooden building on a side street behind Shinjuku-sanchome, still fries to order at counters facing the chefs. Edo-style tempura is all about seafood: kuruma prawns, white fish such as kisu (whiting), squid, conger eel and seasonal vegetables, coated in a thin batter and fried in sesame-blended oil so the crust shatters. Lunch sets with rice, miso soup and pickles are excellent value, while dinner courses add more pieces and seasonal specialities. Ask for a counter seat to see each piece emerge from the oil and land straight on your paper.

Highlights

• Counter seats facing the fryers, each piece served the moment it's cooked
• Kuruma prawn, kisu whiting and conger eel in light Edo-style batter
• Tempura-don and tendon rice bowls for a quick lunch
• Wooden building that has housed the shop for generations
• Affordable lunch sets compared with high-end tempura counters

Tips

• Ask for counter seating (kaunta-seki), it's worth the short extra wait
• Lunch before 12:00 is the best value and easiest to get in
• Use the salt for prawns and white fish, the tentsuyu dipping sauce for vegetables
• There's a separate annex nearby if the main store is full

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

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