About Mikawa Zezankyo
Tetsuya Saotome trained for some fifteen years before opening his own tempura counter, and at his Zezankyo in Fukagawa he has cooked, by his own telling, for the craft rather than for ratings. He earned a Michelin star in 2010 and has been indifferent to it ever since. Regulars and visiting chefs simply call him the god of tempura.
The meal is Edomae tempura at its most exact: each piece fried to order in pure sesame oil and set in front of you the instant it leaves the pot. The signature is anago, the conger eel split lengthwise mid-fry so it arrives crisp at the edges and barely set at the center, then a kakiage of small shrimp and scallop to close. Dinner runs about ¥19,000 per person plus tax, and a deposit is taken when you book.
The Room
The room is a plain wooden counter for a handful of guests, with Saotome and his son working an arm's length away. There is no menu to read and little decoration to distract from the oil and the pot; the address is 1-3-1 Fukuzumi, Koto-ku, a short walk from Monzen-Nakacho station.
Why It's Good for Impress Clients
A counter this serious says more than a tasting-menu palace would. The pace is unhurried, the cooking happens in front of your guest, and a few seats keep the conversation yours. It works just as well for a solo diner with patience and an appetite for watching a master at the pot.
Not For
Not for a quick bite or a large group — this is a tiny counter with one long omakase sequence and no à la carte.
Common Questions
Does Mikawa Zezankyo have a Michelin star? Mikawa Zezankyo earned a Michelin star in 2010, but chef Tetsuya Saotome has been openly indifferent to the guides and the listing has not held continuously since. Diners and chefs value him less for stars than for being widely called the god of tempura.
Who is the chef at Mikawa Zezankyo? The chef-owner is Tetsuya Saotome, who began washing dishes at a tempura house straight out of junior high, trained for around fifteen years, and opened his own counter young. He now runs the Zezankyo counter in Fukagawa alongside his son, frying every piece to order.
How much does dinner cost at Mikawa Zezankyo? Dinner is a single omakase that runs about ¥19,000 per person before tax, with a deposit taken when you reserve. There is no à la carte; the price covers a long sequence of tempura fried one piece at a time and finished with a rice course.
Where is Mikawa Zezankyo and how do I book? It sits at 1-3-1 Fukuzumi in Koto-ku, a few minutes from Monzen-Nakacho station in eastern Tokyo. The counter seats only a handful of guests, so reservations are essential and best arranged well ahead through a hotel concierge or a Japanese reservation service.
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