Carlos Junior is the perfect place to visit when you're in the mood for Japanese comfort food. I've tried the soba noodles, sashimi bowls and tendon tempura bowls here and everything has been delicious. I also love the condiments that are available at the table, especially the red chili mix which I like to add to my rice. It's spicy but so addicting. The service here is good and the vibes are casual/comfort. Definitely recommend stopping by if you are looking for good tempura, soba or sashimi bowls.

Quoting my sister on this: "There was me before Tendon Tempura and there is me after Tendon Tempura" We 3 unanimously agreed this was our best tempura experience ever. We loved the thin crunchy layer amongst the veggies and shrimp variation. One unique veggie we tried was their avocado. It was an appetizer that had an explosion of creamy avocado, and a crunch with lemon over top and salt/lucas. Zesty! Our plates/soup came out only 5-10 minutes after ordering.. very steamy and picturesque presentation obviously... The broth of the miso was as it should be. So umami. Their udon soup featured excellent beef broth, pleasantly salty, and had some other herbs and a sweet beef bite. The jumbo shrimp were about 5 inches of pleasure. All the tempura was remarkable and our Favs were the seaweed and egg plant. The restaurant doesn't look like much from the outside but inside it's designed with very traditional pagoda-like structure, comfy booths, and lots of indoor seating. The service was very attentive, quick, and friendly. Will 1million % return.

Parking: There is a small parking lot in the back. I arrived 20 mins before the restaurant opened and it was already almost full. Interior: The restaurant is not very big so it does feel a bit crowded during peak hours. Service: The staff was friendly and took the time to explain the menu to us. Food: I am not big on tempura but it was definitely worth the day trip out to Torrance. I expected the meal to be heavy because of all the fried food but it was a lot better than I expected. I got the Special Tempura Bowl. It comes with a rice bowl with 2 pieces of shrimp tempura, 1 piece of white fish, some fried veggies, and a bowl of miso soup. The tempura was not greasy and had just enough batter on it for a crisp. The egg was also cooked perfectly and was delicious when I mixed it with the rice and sauce. It was just enough to make me full but not stuffed. I would probably order a plate next time.

This place was a nice dinner spot. I came here after work with a co worker and it's located in downtown Torrance. They are known for their tempura so I definitely ordered that, and did not regret it. It was so good. It came with sauce and it was the perfect combination. I got the mixed sashimi bowl, and it wasn't bad. But definitely try their tempura if you dine here. The service was good and quick. We were probably in and out of the restaurant in less than 2 hours. There was no wait and there's sufficient street parking.

Tasty tempura spot with lots of great options. You can get sushi, sashimi, udon, soba, rice, vegetables. So many options! You'll definitely leave full. The tempura is light and very crispy. I got the tempura plate that had eel. My favorite part was the egg. So delicious. Service is good. They don't take reservations. The wait on a weekend around 1pm wound up being about 15-20 minutes. There were a lot of people outside waiting but it wasn't too bad. I've had takeout from here and didn't enjoy it as much, so I'd definitely recommend dining in if you can. Way better when it's hot and fresh!

Along the streets of old town Torrance lies a little place run by Carlos Pinto, Jr. Yes, he's not Japanese, but proves the point. Do you NEED to be of the same ethnicity to cook that ethnicities food well? No, you don't & Carlos has proven this. The line of diners waiting to be seated on a Sat afternoon proves, the food must be good! Met out of town relatives traveling here for a quick weekend trip. Luckily they chose Carlos Jr out of the 5 choices I sent. We're all really into food. Ordered the "Special Tempura Plate", Dragon roll maki sushi, garlic maitake mushroom & one had the soba bowl. VERY happy with the crisp light batter. Shishito pepper, kabocha pumpkin, whiting fish, a generous seafood mix-scallop & squid, sheet of nori, & a couple shrimp. A winner. The dipping sauce (tare) is a continuation from a "mother" sauce. Think sourdough starter. Much like many restaurants in Japan. Ingredients are added to a "mother" sauce replenishing that used. The outcome is a mellow, umami filled dense sauce. Well balanced, rich flavor, refined sauce. Not a watery thin sauce as other restaurants. A side of crumb crusted fried soft boiled egg. Runny dark yellow yolk to top your hot bowl of rice. Add a touch of a special shoyu, a truly blissful delight. The garlic maitake was as good as it sounds. Garlicky sections of maitake. VERY good. Not too much garlic, a touch of salt. The dragon roll, was good. Eel was a bit thin. Could have added a bit more eel tare. Lots of tempura bits to garnish. Forgot to ask how the soba was. The bowl was empty, so I'm guessing she liked it! ‍ What a great place. Can't wait to come back!

Oh my, the tempura is japan level wow! The team of people are friendly and quick. The 5 booths for 6, 3 booths for 4, and 8 tables for 2 seats a lot of people. Nice soft japanese music and fresh plants liven the simple place. Come here, and be ready to wait during dinner rush. We came at 430 to avoid it and was happy!

Wow, possibly the best tempura I've had stateside! Light, crisp, and minimal grease - as tempura should be! Everything was fried and cooked perfectly. The squid in particular surprised me in how soft, juicy, and non-chewy it was! Tempura is a simple dish, therefore this will be a simple review. If tempura is what you're craving, you'd be hard pressed find a better place. The appetizers I tried (tomago and sausage) were ok and arguably makes this place a 4.5, but I don't mind giving the 5 stars to a place with a nice story and for being great at what they do - tempura!

One of the best, more authentic tempura places in Torrance. We recently visited here with a group of 5 and were greeted with a friendly wait staff but small interior. The wait time wasn't too long thankfully. When we got inside. The menu was pretty straight forward, tempura is in the name and tempura is their specialty. I got the special tempura plate featuring a tempura white fish among other assorted tempura items. Everything was freshly made to order, which means the food takes a little longer to come out, but boy was it worth the wait. The batter was lightly coated and not too heavy. Everything was super crisp and tasted excellent, reminded me of the time when I was in Japan eating tempura at a local ramen spot. This place brings me back and I'll definitely be back! Overall, one of the better places that I have eaten at. If you're looking for that freshly fried tempura with flavorful sides, look no further than here!

Small restaurant in torrance parking is in the front and the back Solid tempura, I definitely recommend getting the TenDon! It has shrimp and a bunch of other tempura vegetables. The appetizer taco sausage was okay, it's just a wiener in the shape of an octopus Lol The restaurant itself is very clean and is a quiet environment so I enjoyed it!