Japanese omakase tasting menus specializing in tempura























"There are few restaurants in the country dedicated solely to tempura, a Japanese style of cooking that is so much more than just “frying.” Tempura Endo in Beverly Hills is one such rare breed. Though there are tables woven throughout the restaurant, aim for a seat at the counter in front of the handmade copper cauldron. The tasting menus are on the pricey side, but such is the cost for a parade of vegetables and seafood dipped and fried delicately and served one at a time by the chef himself. Ribs of sweet corn, scallops from Hokkaido, broccolini, and snapper wrapped in shiso are all carefully placed in hot cottonseed oil and emerge with a lacy, almost transparent coating. At the meal’s end, opt for the tempura rice bowl over the soba noodles." - Michelin Inspector

"While Tempura Endo—Los Angeles’ only tempura omakase restaurant—does offer tables, the place to sit is at one of the restaurant’s eight counter spots where chef Satoshi Masuda elevates fried food to a new level. A wafer-thin shell enrobes singular seasonal ingredients from small silver wakasagi to saury that are quickly fried in cotton seed oil. The sign of a true tempura shokunin (craftsman) is for a chef to serve a bite atop rice paper yet not leave a drop of oil, and that’s precisely the case here. Spanning roughly 15 courses, this is one of the city’s most special Japanese restaurants." - Kat Odell

"Open since 1949, Tempura House is one of LA’s oldest Japanese restaurants. The classic spot serves reasonably priced bento featuring homestyle Japanese fare like chicken katsu, hamburg steak, and tempura shrimp just a few blocks north of the main Sawtelle drag." - Mona Holmes

"Sawtelle’s classic Tempura House is a family-run restaurant that’s been serving bento for years. Price is incredibly reasonable and the selection is fairly wide, from simmered mackerel and fried pork cutlet to Japanese hamburg steak and even shabu shabu. Tempura House could be LA’s most cherished bento spot." - Matthew Kang

"Tempura Endo was among the prominent Beverly Hills restaurants cited and temporarily closed following health inspections in October, with the restaurant later reopening." - Mona Holmes