Ebi-Ten

Ebi-Ten Review

In a narrow street between Pivot and 4-Chome Plaza buildings (near Mitsukoshi department store downtown), Ebi-Ten (look for the white signs) is on the first floor of a building next to the corner car park lot. The sliding doors behind a blue banner reveal a quiet, homey restaurant, managed for two generations by the very friendly Yamada-san, with years of tempura aroma seeped into the woodwork and Hokkaido taxidermy (look for the bear climbing a tree). Seating is available at the counter, tables, and tatami rooms with cushions. On offer: Japanese soul-food-style tempura, salad, and alcoholic beverages. This writer recommends the same meal he has eaten every time over 25 years: Tendon Setto—a rice bowl with seafood and veggies in season, a delicious homemade miso soup with mushrooms, and tsukemono pickles, with a big mug of green tea to wash it down (¥650). Beer with edamame (boiled salted soybeans) are also recommended as appetizers. This is an ideal downtown oasis for a relaxing, cheap dinner or lunch, where you can unwind and decompress from cultural overload. A basic English menu is available.