Tendon Tempura Carlos Jr

"Run by a Peruvian chef who trained in Japan, Carlos Junior specializes in tendon, or sauce-seasoned tempura over rice (the original location is in Torrance). Bowls come mounded with hot and crunchy things like fried shrimp, vegetables, seaweed eel, and a mind-melting tempura egg with a runny yolk. The sushi and noodles that make up the rest of the menu are somewhat unremarkable, so stick with the fantastic namesake tempura, paired with self-serve pickled ginger and celery that comes on the table. Expect a wait if you show up around peak lunch or dinner time, but there's always Vromna's bookstore across the street if you want to put your name down and go kill some time." - brant cox, sylvio martins, andrew ryce

"A tempura bowl specialist opening a new location in the Del Amo mall’s Mitsuwa food court." - Mona Holmes

"This blink-and-miss-it spot in Torrance (with a second location in Pasadena) is dedicated to bowls of tempura in the same way The Rock is dedicated to bicep curls. Run by a Peruvian chef who trained in Japan, Carlos Junior specializes in tendon, or sauce-seasoned tempura over rice. Bowls come mounded with hot and crunchy things like fried shrimp, vegetables, seaweed eel, and a mind-melting tempura egg with a runny yolk. Order the fully loaded Special Tempura Bowl for a perfectly portioned lunch. " - garrett snyder

"This blink-and-miss-it Japanese spot in downtown Torrance—semi-hidden behind a pair of big white curtains—is dedicated to bowls of tempura in the same way that The Rock is dedicated to bicep curls. Run by a Peruvian chef who trained in Japan, Carlos Junior specializes in tendon, or sauce-seasoned tempura over rice. Bowls come mounded with hot and crunchy things like fried shrimp, vegetables, eel, and a mind-melting tempura egg with a runny yolk, paired with self-serve pickled ginger and celery that come on the table. Get the fully loaded Special Tempura Bowl if you want to taste a bit of everything—it’s one our of favorite lunches in the South Bay. " - nikko duren, garrett snyder

"This blink-and-miss-it Japanese spot in downtown Torrance—semi-hidden behind a pair of big white curtains—is dedicated to bowls of tempura like The Rock is committed to bicep curls. Run by a Peruvian chef who trained in Japan, Carlos Junior specializes in tendon, or sauce-seasoned tempura over rice. Bowls come mounded with hot and crunchy things like fried shrimp, vegetables, eel, and a mind-blowing tempura egg with a runny yolk. The sushi and noodles that make up the rest of the menu are unremarkable, so stick with the namesake tempura, paired with self-serve pickled ginger and celery that come on the table. The fully loaded Special Tempura Bowl is one our of favorite lunches in the South Bay." - Garrett Snyder