Isegen

Restaurant Details

It’s not every day that a restaurant surfaces on Tokyo’s shores and sticks to the same thing for 200 years — but then again, Isegen is no everyday restaurant.

After a century of serving customers in Nakahashi Hirokoji (now known as Kyobashi Sanchome) and enduring several relocations, this venue finally moved its operation to a permanent address in Kanda in 1930 to continue formulating a monkfish-focused multicourse menu traditionally.

Monkfish, which goes by many names — goosefish, frogfish, devilfish or ankou in Japanese — isn’t the prettiest. With its wide, gaping mouth lined with sharp, fang-like teeth, annd mottled, muddy brown skin, it resemble a creature from the abyss rather than a fish (not far from the truth, as monkfish are bottom dwellers). But the beauty of monkfish is within; once filleted, its flesh is white, and its texture is often compared to lobster.

At Isegen, monkfish are caught using gillnetting and a long-line fishing method called karanawa-zuri, which doesn’t rely on bait. From the moment the fish is gutted to when it arrives at the restaurant, only 24 hours pass. It’s then prepared just as it was generations ago — swimming in a secret broth in a hotpot, turned to sashimi, or jellied. The liver, the prized and scarce part, is served with soy sauce or smoked.

Newcomers often wonder how Isegen has withstood the test of time by serving just one dish. But as they sit on zabuton cushions with their meals laid out on a low table, it becomes clear: Isegen masters that monkfish so perfectly, nothing else matters.

Isegen Access Info

• Isegen is a 2-minute walk from Awajicho Station or Ogawamachi Station, and a 5-minute walk from Kanda Station or Akihabara Station.

Isegen Phone Number

Isegen Business Days

Isegen Address

1-11-1 Kanda Sudacho, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0041, Japan

Isegen Cancellation Policy

Cancel your reservation at least 1 week before the dining start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.