Tabelog ratingTempura Tenko Honten (天冨良 天甲本店) offers a classic counter-style tempura experience for just eight guests at a time. The appeal is the performance and precision: the chef fries each piece of seasonal, local produce before your eyes—often starting with live prawns from a tank—and serves it immediately, instructing you on which of four custom seasonings to use for the perfect bite.
Guests consistently praise the incredibly light, crisp batter and the masterful cooking. Favourites include the shrimp (both the body and the crunchy legs), a pairing of shiitake mushroom and scallop, and seasonal items like Hiroshima oysters. The meal concludes with a choice of three satisfying rice dishes: ten-don (tempura over rice), tenchazuke (tempura with rice and tea poured over), or ten-hogushi. Many non-Japanese visitors appreciate that the staff use a multilingual notebook and spoken English to explain each ingredient.
Criticisms are rare and minor. A few diners find the chef's focus on cooking makes the service feel brisk rather than chatty, and the pacing can feel quick if you arrive late for your seating. While the lunch is widely considered a bargain, some note the portions are slightly smaller than at dinner, which is significantly more expensive.
Reviewers report typical lunch spends of ¥6,000–¥7,999 and dinner from ¥10,000–¥14,999. Recent guests paid around ¥5,500–¥6,600 for lunch courses, with one dinner course quoted at ¥12,000. Most feel the lunch is exceptional value, while dinner is a worthwhile splurge for the quality and theatre.
- Booking: Reservations are strongly recommended due to the limited seating. Bookings can be made by phone, via a hotel concierge, or online.
- Getting There: A 3-minute walk from Ebicho Station on the Hiroshima Electric Railway.
- Seating: There are only 8 counter seats.
- Payment: Major credit cards (Visa, Master, JCB, Amex, Diners) and some QR code payments (PayPay, etc.) are accepted. Electronic money is not. A 10% service charge is added to the bill.
- Age Restriction: Children must be of junior high school age or older and are required to order the same course as adults.
- Language: Staff can communicate in English.
- Dress Code: There is no dress code.
- Smoking: The restaurant is entirely non-smoking.
