Japan’s oldest Tempura shop with over 180 years of history in Asakusa -Fresh seafood from Tokyo Bay is deep-fried with sesame oil

Asakusa was crowded with lots of merchants and craftsmen during the middle ages, and then, many restaurants opened. As a result, various food culture unique to the town such as Loach Hot Pot and a rice dish made by grating Japanese yam was born. They have been passed down to the present age as “Edo(Tokyo)-style cuisine.” This time, we’re going to introduce Japan’s oldest Tempura (deep-fried seafood and vegetables) “Sansada” from among long-established eateries in Asakusa where you can enjoy tastes of Edo-style cuisines to your heart’s content.

Well known for their tagline ‘First Asakusa, second Kanon, and last but not least is Sansada Tempura Shop,’ “Sansada (三定)” opened as a tempura stall in 1838 in front of the founder’s home located at Ningyocho. After that, they opened a shop next to Kaminarimon Gate, and now, they have only one in Asakusa by following their original policy: the owner must be at a cooking place. It’s made not to take the owner’s eyes off the kitchen. In other words, what you can eat at Sansada is a rare and traditional taste allowing you to try in only Asakusa.

Let’s try Edo-style tempura, one of 3 kings in the style cuisines along with soba and sushi, in Sansada with an old ambiance! Its feature is to fry fresh seafood, including Japanese tiger prawn and conger eels, from Tokyo Bay with sesame oil. After feeling the crispy texture of the coating, rich flavors of sesame oil and ingredients explode in your mouth.
The popular menu is 6 types of Tendon (tempura rice bowl). All of tempura is so big that they look like overflowing the plate, and traditional sauce with a nicely balanced sweet and salty flavor will stimulate your appetite. Besides, there is a variety of menus such as tempura served with grated radish and their specially-made sauce, set-menu meal and nibbles. They also offer dinner course, so you can visit according to your travel plan and mood.
By the way, it’s also said that the origin of Age Manji (deep-fried bun stuffed with adzuki-bean paste, one of Asakusa’s famous sweets, is Sansada. Why not eat freshly-fried one after meals?