Kondo

Kondo, a one-Michelin-star restaurant on the ninth floor of a Ginza building, is led by chef Fumio Kondo, widely considered Japan's foremost living tempura specialist after decades perfecting the craft. Unlike heavier tempura styles found elsewhere, Kondo's frying is exceptionally light, using rapeseed oil and a thin, crisp batter that lets the flavour of each ingredient dominate. The signature dish is a whole satoimo (sweet potato), fried slowly over roughly 40 minutes until the interior turns custard-soft while the skin stays delicately crisp — a technical feat regular guests return specifically to experience. The seasonal vegetable omakase rotates with the calendar, moving from spring bamboo shoots to summer eggplant to autumn mushrooms, and the tiger prawn tempura, served with the head fried separately for crunch, is another highlight of the counter sequence. The dining room is a traditional tempura counter where the chef fries each piece to order directly in front of diners, giving the meal a quiet, ritualistic rhythm and immediate contact between kitchen and guest. Beverage offerings lean toward sake and green tea rather than an extensive wine list, in keeping with the restaurant's traditional character. Kondo's lunch omakase, priced well below the dinner tasting, offers meaningful savings while still including the whole sweet potato and a full seasonal sequence, making it a popular strategy among regular guests. Reservations should be made one to two months in advance through a hotel concierge or by phone.