Osaka, Japan｜Ippoh Honten (Higobashi)

One of the best tempura places in Japan. Extremely kind and easy to guests. Personal experience with a private chef and friends.The garden was as beautiful as the food. We were a bit late (20 mins+) with lots of luggage from Tokyo and they were very kind in understanding it and they quickly helped us in storing it and helping us out ! Although they don’t speak much English you can use a translator app to communicate with them. Our chef luckily spoke a little English and it was very fun to watch him cook. He noticed we were very tense (especially being so late) we wanted to be very respectful. Luckily he noticed and he said please be lax, because if we aren't relaxed then he definitely also feels a lot of pressure haha. It quickly became friendly chit chat here and there. I been to many tempura places in Tokyo and this one definitely beats most of them especially the lunch and service. The prices are online so you can see how much it costs which isn't that bad considering the caliber of service and food you get. You truly get privatized service. We drank lots of alcohol and it was pretty embarrassing for us seeing them fill it the moment we downed the shot glass. Highly recommended ! Just make sure you get someone like your hotel concierge to book as they only speak Japanese, otherwise you can just give them a call !

My husband had eaten here over 40 years ago. We met the granddaughter of one of the owners and now the woman in charge. Our chef has 20 years of experience with them and we got to watch him make various tempura. We had a delicious dish with rice and seaweed and miso soup to finish! The atmosphere is lovely and the rituals are precise and priceless. An unforgettable experience!

Such a fun and memorable night for our team dinner, we left both full and fully entertained! Our starters were in one room, and the main tempura service in another, which added to the theatre of it all. The tempura was exceptional and varied.