Find great tempura near you
The independent guide to tempura in America, the specialists, the tendon counters, and the fry worth traveling for.
We only use your location when you ask, and proximity never changes our editorial judgment.
Explore by city
Choose a city. Find your next tempura stop.
Photo: Alek Leckszas · CC BY-SA 4.0CaliforniaLos AngelesExplore Greater LA, from the Westside and Little Tokyo to the South Bay, Orange County and beyond.
18 restaurants · 30 locationsExplore Los Angeles →
Photo: FrameOverdose · CC0 1.0New YorkNew York CityNew York City tempura and tendon, from East Village counters to Midtown.
7 restaurantsExplore New York City →
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0IllinoisChicagoExplore our Chicago-area coverage, including suburban destinations such as Schaumburg.
5 restaurantsExplore Chicago →
Photo: Daniel L. Lu · CC BY-SA 4.0CaliforniaSan Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley and the South Bay (San Jose), the Bay Area’s soba, udon and tempura counters.
6 restaurantsExplore the Bay Area →
Photo: CommunistSquared · CC0 1.0WashingtonSeattleSeattle’s tempura and tendon, from Fremont to the Chinatown–International District.
4 restaurantsExplore Seattle →
Photo: russellstreet · CC BY-SA 2.0CaliforniaSan DiegoSan Diego County tempura, izakaya and soba, from the city to Del Mar.
2 restaurantsExplore San Diego →
Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0TexasHoustonHouston-area Japanese counters with a meaningful tempura offering.
5 restaurantsExplore Houston →
Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0TexasDallas–Fort WorthDallas, Fort Worth and the suburbs, Japanese dining with tempura.
4 restaurantsExplore Dallas–Fort Worth →
Photo: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, the Main Line and nearby South Jersey.
3 restaurantsExplore Philadelphia →
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainDistrict of ColumbiaWashington, DCThe District and the wider DMV, including McLean, Virginia.
5 restaurantsExplore Washington, DC →
Tempura spots worth knowing
- restaurantAzuki
Multiple distinct tempura udon preparations, chicken, head-on shrimp, kakiage and chrysanthemum, provide unusually broad noodle-tempura coverage.
- restaurantAzuma Japanese Restaurant
A broad Gardena Japanese restaurant with tempura dinners, rice bowls and kakiage options, and a 2025 critic's direct endorsement of the tempura.
- restaurantAzumi
A contemporary Japanese setting with both classic vegetable/prawn and sauced seafood tempura styles.
- restaurantCocoro
A River North Japanese restaurant with several ways to make tempura the meal.
- restaurantEBESU Robata & Sushi
Downtown Plano coverage with standalone tempura assortments and noodle pairings.
- restaurantFuji Mountain
A city-center option where standalone tempura and noodle pairings are clearly orderable.
- restaurantHimari
A contemporary sushi restaurant with a clearly documented vegetable-and-shrimp tempura selection.
- restaurantI-naba Japanese Restaurant
A South Bay soba institution with unusually strong published support for its tempura, including specialist-style meals described in earlier criticism.
Learn to love tempura
A little knowledge makes the next bite more interesting.
The first bite gets your attention. The next should tell you what you’re eating. Start with the ingredients, then choose between a counter, a plate, a bowl and noodles.
Read the guide →
Tendon is not just tempura moved onto rice. Learn how the toppings, sauce and rice work together, and choose the kind of bowl you actually want to eat.
Read the guide →
Crunch is a clue, not the whole verdict. A practical look at the batter, the oil, the timing and the ingredient, and how to tell what you’re tasting without pretending taste reduces to a single score.
Read the guide →Never been to a serious tempura restaurant? Here’s how to read the menu, choose salt or sauce, and eat each piece at its best, so you can walk in like you belong.
Read the guide →Want to focus on the frying? Explore a counter-style meal, then read how that particular restaurant serves its tempura.
Want the whole meal in one bowl? Start with tendon and get to know the relationship between toppings, rice and sauce.
Already craving soba or udon? Look for a documented tempura pairing, and check whether it comes separately or with the noodles.