Shunsaiten Tsuchiya

Wow…the best tempura I ever had! The food is 10 out of 10. They use some very unique ingredients to make them tempura. Also, the batter was so light and the crispiness was just perfect. Very nice atmosphere. We were seated in the private room so we didn’t talk to the chef but the server was so professional and explained to us about every dish. It worth every stars. Will come back next time time I’m in Osaka.

An incredible meal. Somewhat on the outskirts of Osaka but worth the trip. We booked our reservation for a Thursday night in the private room as soon as reservations opened up. We did the kaiseki-tempura dinner. Tempura was so light. Come hungry, it’s a lot of food!

Shunsaiten Tsuchiya is located about a 30-minute taxi ride north of central Osaka where we were staying, but it was well worth the trip—the restaurant is fully deserving of its Michelin 2-star rating. We have dined in several high-end tempura restaurants in multiple cities on previous trips to Japan, and Shunsaiten Tsuchiya is among the best. Since there were four of us, we were seated in a semi-private room with an open view of the tempura bar. This seating made it easier for conversation and didn’t make us feel isolated from the action at the tempura bar. Our tatami room had a nice, heated floor well and seat backs which suited our Western expectations of comfort. Several menus are available, including the “Chef Special Course” which was a combination of kaiseki courses and tempura. However, since we were eating numerous kaiseki meals on this trip, we opted for the all-tempura Chef’s menu. All of the varied vegetable and fish items were superbly prepared. The tempura coating was light and crispy, cooked for just the right time at just the right temperature in fresh oil, imparting clean flavors and textures that let each ingredient shine through. Unlike many other tempura bars we have experienced, where every item appears individually, this one served one piece of 3-4 items at one time, but the quality did not suffer, and the flavor and texture contrasts each grouping provided added to our enjoyment.

This meal should not to be missed if you visit Osaka. The location was about a 20 minute cab drive from the main tourist section of Osaka in a pretty small building. We sat at the bar and were entertained by gourmet food preparation. The staff did not speak English but were accustomed to using their translator app to help us to understand all ingredients. There was course after course of superb sashimi and tempura.