Tenpei

Stroll down the Sunamachi Ginza shopping district and you will come across Tenpei, a friendly neighborhood staple where a takeaway showcase greets passersby out front while a dining room in the back serves freshly fried tempura. The lunchtime tempura set meal is a generous spread, offering seafood like prawns and whiting (kisu) alongside vegetables such as eggplant, maitake mushrooms, and sweet potato. It comes complete with miso soup, a small side dish, and fruit for dessert.

Another crowd favorite is the tenju, where crisp-fried seafood and vegetables are lightly cloaked in a savory, balanced soy-based tare sauce that accents rather than overpowers the fluffy steamed rice beneath. The menu also covers sashimi-and-tempura sets, mixed fried cutlets, and tendun rice bowls, offering plenty of ways to settle in for a satisfying meal depending on your appetite.

The takeaway counter facing the street is equally appealing. It stocks tenmusu—handy rice balls wrapped around bite-sized shrimp tempura—as well as seasoned steamed rice (okowa) and individual fried items that locals frequently grab for dinner. Whether you sit down for a leisurely set lunch or pick up a quick snack while browsing the market street, Tenpei is a reliable downtown standby.