Tendon Tempura Carlos Jr

Premium bowl and udon & toro set
While the fried food was a little greasy, the braised celery was absolutely delicious, and having them together was a stroke of genius. Rear parking space and street parking.
Inside Mitsuwa Market has the same one -express 👌

Strangely unassuming, this place punches way above its weight class when it comes to delivering light and crispy tempura, amazing service, and great overall value.

While Tendon Tempura Carlos Junior (lol what a name) may not look like anything special from the outside, this is one of those places that will pleasantly surprise you. This is not your average tempura spot!

Their batter is light and crispy, the quality of their ingredients is top notch, and the execution is pure perfection. It's so airy! You can tell it's made with love and dedication to the craft. Will it be better than a world renowned Tempura Omakase at Ginza in Tokyo? Perhaps not but it will blow most US tempura spots out of the water.

Their sashimi and soba were also good but really, you must come here for the tempura!

The service is also top notch and friendly without being too pushy. The staff handles interactions perfectly without being overbearing. The culture of japanese welcomeness and politeness is apparent.

While the place itself is unassuming and the interior is nothing amazing to write home about, it's still very clean, modern, and functional.

Lastly, the value is there! Let's just say I'd be willing to pay a lot more for the level of quality you are getting (but don't tell them that).

Overall, if you are missing that light, crispy, and airy tempura you can find in Japan but rarely in the US, you must absolutely come here!

Amazing tempura—I love to order their eel tempura! Their sashimi is great too, in addition to other menu items like soba and donburi.

Dirty utensils, cold food, long wait.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1

I can’t say enough good things about Tendon Tempura Carlos Jr.! I always go for the tendon combo, and it’s hands down the best I’ve ever had. The small bowl with soba is just perfect—it’s delicious and satisfying without being too heavy. The original location in Torrance has such a great vibe, and the staff is always friendly and welcoming. Every visit feels like a wonderful experience. If you haven’t tried it yet, you’re missing out! Highly recommend!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I recently went to this restaurant with a friend, and I was shocked by how poorly she was treated. First of all, the cups we got were dirty, and the service was awful right from the start. Our waiter, a tall guy with a hair tie, kept asking for tips, which made us really uncomfortable. He wouldn’t stop bothering us about it, even though we’ve always left cash tips in the past. And we've seen this waiter plenty of times!

What really crossed the line was when the waiter tried to take my friend’s food while she was still eating! She had to actually grab onto her plate to keep him from taking it. And then, to make things worse, they almost didn’t let her take her leftovers home. On top of that, her zucchini was undercooked, just to add to the disappointment.

I’ve been here with my friend plenty of times, and we’ve never had an experience like this. It left a bad impression on both of us, and I felt embarrassed bringing her here. After what happened, I don’t think either of us will be coming back!

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

I’ve been to this restaurant several times before without any issues, but my recent experience was awful. The cups were dirty.. there was like a white layer inside it, and the service was seriously lacking. One of the waiters (a tall guy with a hair tie) repeatedly asked us for tips, even though Japan doesn’t have a tipping culture. It felt pushy and inappropriate, especially since we’ve always left cash tips before.

What really bothered me was when the waiter tried to take my food away while I was still eating—I actually had to hold onto my plate to stop him. To top it off, they almost refused to let me take my leftovers home. It left me feeling uncomfortable.???

I had brought a friend with me, and this terrible service left a bad impression. I’m disappointed because we’ve enjoyed our meals here in the past, but after this, I don’t think I’ll be coming back. ? My friend also thought that the condiments were lacking and they should provide a variety of condiments, not just 2. It was their first time here and the food wasn't memorable... it was basic compared to GOOD tempura.

Also, the food came out my zucchini was undercooked. ?

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

visit again

Soba and tempura combo

It doesn't disappoint either.

The group is also satisfied

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I came without much expectations.
Generally good

Even though I don’t like fried food, it’s not a burden for me.
Udon is disappointing

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Excellent food

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I never thought I would be able to eat Tendon in California that is so similar to Japan!
In fact, it was more delicious than the Japanese restaurants around here.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great little hole the wall with absolutely perfect tempura. I read about this online a while ago and since I was in Pasadena wanted to give them a try. Yes indeed you have to wait but I think it's worth it. I was there for lunch on Sunday and had to wait about 30 minutes. The food was great, and the wait staff were very friendly. I had the tempura and zarusoba combo with an added side of scallop tempura. Very good.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 5

Service: 5

Went there on a Labor day for a dinner. At 530, there was no wait but a line formed quickly. I loved the ambiance and food here. Tendon tasted great. Tempura is not super crispy, but tastes good for the tendon. Rice cooked to perfection as well. The only thing I had a complaint about was the wait time for the food. After we ordered food, we waited for 45 minutes for the food to come out. Not sure if this is the usual wait, or they were short staffed just on the day I was there. Food tasted great, so I'll definitely go back

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Premium Tempura Bowl with Ikura, Tendon

Very poor service. Forgot to place my order and ended up waiting over an hour.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Great Mexivan japanese true to the culture. plant based oils , food was delicious.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

The only other place to find tempura this good, is Japan.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Premium Tempura Bowl with Ikura, Small Tempura Bowl and Soba, Miso Soup, Regular Tempura Plate