Tenkatori Karaage

The karaage is delish! It’s deep fried so obviously unhealthy, but it’s my guilty pleasure. Juicy and so much flavor.

Incredible chicken that’s pretty much take out only. It take a bit of time, but it’s definitely worth it.

With the claim of award winning, it comes with higher expectation. The karaage tasted similar to any ramen joint. It was fried nicely but like many other places there was no crunch. The sweet and spicy karaage was even worse. It was soggy and cold. Also the chicken itself wasn’t super fresh. I actually liked the wings and whole leg much more.
They still need to work out some efficiency issues. Our order took 20 minutes. Looking at the kitchen, there could be many potential points of cross contamination. Also situated in the dreadful murakai food court doesn’t help.
Overrated. Don’t get me wrong, the fried chicken was above average but it will not win any awards here.

I think I’m going to be hated by many for my 3 star review but
I gotta be honest here.
We visited this place right after this place opened so things
may have improved by now. Sorry, I drafted my review but
forgot to post it to Unilocal until today. I hope to make follow-​up
visit to see if things have improved.
When I visited, customer service was lacking. Employees were not
friendly, and they seem to have plenty of employees behind
the counter but for some reason things are not
moving like it should. Potential lack of leadership?
We had to wait long for the food, they ran out
of chicken wings so we couldn’t order the wings.
Standalone Karaage store is a weird concept.
When I think of Karaage, I don’t see them as entrée (main dish). To me
Kaarage is something I order as side dish when
I’m eating ramen. There are plenty of ramen
shops in Torrance/​Gardena offering good
kaarage so competition is tough.
They have combo which comes with kaarage,
chicken rice, soup, etc. I felt it was a great deal but
as for the karaage, it was just okay, there was no
wow factor.

Wow! I first fell in love with karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken) in Osaka, Japan. I couldn’t believe how good it was! Now that there’s a place that specializes in karaage here in the South Bay, you’ve got one happy guy.
They have several different options, their regular karaage, and spicy and sweet version, the «gizzard» portion, and wings. Although I’ve had gizzard before in Japan, it’s definitely not my favorite way to go. I wanted to try the regular and spicy & sweet versions, but unfortunately they’d just run out of karaage for the day*, so I had their wings, which were very delicious.
*I was lucky enough to get one piece of karaage, which was all they had left. It was probably the best karaage I’ve ever had. Period.
The wings that I ordered were quite good but I definitely think their mainstay karaage is probably the way I’ll go next time, and believe me, there will be a next time!

Mmmm definitely the best karaage chicken I’ve ever bought. Crispy skinless boneless thigh cooked to tender perfection. They are big pieces. Probably the whole thigh of a small chicken. They claim they change the oil daily and I believe them. The marinade has a perfect balance not one ingredient overwhelmed.

I love chicken wings and karaage, so when this place opened in the Marukai Market, I bookmarked it for a future visit. Well, today was the day and I’m glad I stopped by.
I placed my order for 3 chicken wings before I did my shopping. On my way out, my order was ready and I could see that it was going to be a long drive home with those fried wings tempting me. I’ve never had food smell so good in my car that I wanted to stop on the side of the road to eat, but I finally made it home. The chicken was fried perfectly, and was still warm and juicy.
This take-​out restaurant is definitely a do-​over!

I’m so happy I got to try the karaage!!!
I ordered the 5-​piece set (original karaage that comes with a side of rice, tofu, and miso soup) and it was delicious! The karaage was perfectly fried, JUICY, and crispy! I have no idea how they make it so juicy.
My friends and I were quite satisfied. I can’t wait to go back!

The best spot for kara-​age by far!!! You got super fresh crunchy yet juicy inside flavorful Japanese fried chicken at Tenkatori! It’s located inside Marukai Japanese market food court, so I recommend you to carry out instead eating there. Their fried chicken is made to order, so if you could, it’s better to call them ahead to pick them up. If nobody is waiting before you, it takes about 10 – 20 minutes depending on a size of your order. They could sell out before their closing time, so please call to check it before going there if you plan to be there close to their closing time.

I was fairly nervous that Tenkatori wasn’t going to live up to my expectations, but it did! We ordered 10 pieces of the original karaage and it was perfect fried, juicy, and flavorful! Not too heavy, as I thought it would be.
However, the only downsides is the potential long line and the amount of time it takes to get our order. I believe we waited about 20 – 30 minutes.

So, I wanted to find out what the hype is AAAALLLL about.
As I was breezing through their small menu, the cashier asked if it was my first time here. I told him it was, and that I was here earlier that day (but they were still closed, so I ended up ordering from The Express.) He was excited to know I came back. I told him I really wanted to try their karaage, plus they’re not very far from home, so I didn’t really mind. I ended up ordering the 10-​piece karaage. I was told it would take about 15 – 20 minutes. (There were a lot of orders ahead of me, so I get it.) No problem, I wanted to go walk around Marukai anyway.
Before I walked away, I asked what the difference was between the butsuguri and the teba. (I seriously didn’t know.) The cashier was more than happy to explain. The butsuguri is bone-​in fried chicken. The order would come sort of like a combo of different boned parts of the chicken. Teba, however, is just straight wings. All cooked the same way as the karaage.
Walked around Marukai and ended up buying some bargain stuff from the 2^nd floor.
Came back to claim my chicken 15 minutes later (still not ready.) I didn’t really care — it’s not like I was in a hurry.
Came home and didn’t wait a minute to try it. The chicken was crispy, tender and juicy! I think it could have used a little more crisp and a little more seasoning, but it was still great overall.
3 stars for the food. The 4^th is for good customer service.

Tenkatori lives up to the hype! It’s a small storefront inside the Marukai that serves almost exclusively Japanese fried chicken.
We ordered 10 pieces of the original karaage, 10 pieces sweet and spicy, 10 pieces butsugiri (chopped bone-​in pieces), 14oz sunagimo (gizzard), 2 white rice, and a potato salad for 6 people. It was more than enough food for all of us and very reasonably priced at only about $ 7.50 a person. We only waited about 15 minutes for our large order, and they let us know beforehand that it would take a bit longer too.
The original karaage is insanely juicy and tender. It’s packed with meaty chicken flavor with a light but flavorful batter that is neither too greasy nor too heavy. It’s as good as chicken karaage gets, and is basically perfect.
The sweet and spicy is similar but covered in a tangy sauce. The sauce is in a nice thin layer and not too heavy, and has a great flavor without overpowering the taste of the chicken.
The gizzard is similar to the original, except chewier and closer in texture to cartilage. It also has a very slightly gamier flavor. Awesome if you like gizzard.
The only item that was underwhelming was the butsugiri, which is basically bone-​in chicken chopped up and fried. Since it’s not thigh meat as the original or sweet and spicy, it tends to be a bit less juicy, less flavorful, and has little bits of bone in there you have to deal with. I would skip these next time.
It’s perfect fried chicken at a great price, and you can shop in the market while you wait for your food. What more could anyone possibly ask for?

Best I ever had!
Located inside the Marukai Market’s food court, Tenkatori is a gem! It’s almost memerizing to see how a small food court shop specializing in fried chicken can get it so right.
We got:
— Karaage
The batter is sufficient without stealing away the flavor of the chicken. How can chicken be this juicy? If I ever had an ideal for how friend chicken should taste. This is it.
— Teba (chicken wing)
It’s basically the same thing but just a different part of the chicken. With the wing, you have to chew around the bones. So you know this is really frmo an animal and not just some magical meat that taste rediculously delicious!
The service is first rated. They make it clear that it’ll take 20+ minutes to be ready (made fresh!) That’s no problem since we’re going to shop around the market. When we returned, the staff remembered us and gave us our order right away.
I don’t really seek out karaage when I go to Japanese restaurant. Now with Tenkatori, I can’t settle for anything less! Thanks for making the best, juiciest, flavorful karaage I ever had!

Good fried chicken, but the wait was crazy. They said I didn’t need any hot sauce, but I beg to differ!

Oh em gee… this chicken is really really tasty, probably one of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, although I do try to stay away from fried food. However, this is a must try and a must have because the chicken just kinda melts in your mouth and the taste is so flavorful, it’s almost like one is being poisoned with the taste so one comes back for more. Be aware though that once you order, the fried chicken is made fresh and there is a 10 – 15 minute and there is a sign to indicate this wait and it is so worth the wait…

Unilocal challenge 2016 (²⁰⁄₁₀₀)
This place has the BEST Japanese fried chicken! It has so much flavor and it’s so moist! It’s about $ 1 a piece and they’re pretty decent sized pieces. It takes about 10 minutes to make. It’s the perfect snack when you’re shopping at Marukai :)

After reading an article on LA Weekly, Tenkatori has been a hot spot in Gardena.
LOCATION
Tenkatori is located inside the Marukai food court near the information booth. Marukai has a membership requirement for the market, but the food court doesn’t require one if anyone was wondering! I recommend coming in from the Western Ave. side and parking on the side of the Marukai building for easy access into the food court.
ORDERING
Since Tenkatori cooks to order, your fresh karaage will take a while to make. Every time I’ve gone, I ordered a family pack (1kg) to share with 3 friends, so it took about 20 – 30 minutes to make each time. It’s not a problem waiting because you can browse around Marukai’s vast market. They have cute stuffed plushies, plates, and all sorts of Japanese groceries, drinks, and bakery. You can get wrapped up browsing everything that you won’t notice that 20 – 30 minutes have gone by. The friendly guy that handles the front of Tenkatori recommended that I pick up some sriracha and Japanese mayo for the karaage because they don’t carry it. We also make a beeline towards the Japanese drinks section and maneuver our way through the vast variety of green teas and other Japanese sodas. I’m not sure what I get because I can’t read Japanese, but I get a different bottle of green tea every time. I’m trying to make up for the greasy chicken pieces with some healthy green tea haha.
FOOD
My friend that loves chicken has become a regular at this place. The first week I told him about it, he went five times in a week. I’m not joking haha. He’s had so much karaage at so many different establishments, and he will confidently state that Tenkatori has the best karaage. He’s even finished a family pack by himself if that says anything about this place.
The ORIGINAL KARAAGE is so deliciously crispy, oily, and tender. The perfect way a karaage should be. The family pack has about 22 – 23 pieces, so it should be enough for 4 people to share with their own rice and miso soup. I have to say they could work on their rice. It is a bit dry for my liking.
SWEET AND SPICY KARAAGE — this reminds me of the Korean chicken marinade that you can get at Love Letter, etc. but it’s still pretty tasty. I wouldn’t recommend only getting this because it can be overwhelming, but if you get some of this and some of the original, you’ll be good to go.
POTATO SALAD — The potato salad here is a good creamy contrast from the crispy chicken bits. I highly recommend this if you want a side. I was told the iceberg salad is not that good, and I appreciated the honesty.
I haven’t tried the other items, but I’m honestly pretty satisfied with the original karaage. Be sure to try it with Japanese mayo and sriracha that you can buy inside the market, which makes it even better. My friends and I are tempted to buy lemon to squeeze on it too. Can you tell I’m a fan?
See you in line.

I only just learned about this place a couple days ago. On a Monday. Today is Wednesday. Clearly it’s been on my mind.
Okay, the skinny on the food. The Karaage is good. Juicy. Meaty. Just enough batter. Perfect fry. But I thought it lacked seasoning. Like, good ‘ol salt. The meat tastes marinated, but I felt it needed just a little bit more.
I also had the sweet and spicy Karaage. Tossed in a tangy sweet and spicy sauce. Think, Thai chili sauce but darker. I assume soy sauce? It was good.
Rounded out my fry adventure with the teba — fried chicken wings. These were ok. The wings weren’t particularly big, so eating around the bone was just, meh. I would forgo the bone the next time and just go for the nuggets of Karaage.
They also have fried chicken gizzard on the menu! I wasn’t daring enough to eat an entire bag by myself, so I refrained from ordering them. Next time, I will bring friends.

This chicken must have been handed down by the tori kamisama, cuz this sh** is FAR out of this world. I got the set, which comes with five pieces, and it was plenty. The chicken is so hot, crispy, juicy, and flavorful that five pieces is perfectly decadent. Hands down the best fried chicken I’ve ever had.

Fresh Ka-​ra-​a-​ge
to-​go
at Ma-​ru-​ka-​i
Karaage was one of my itzakaya staples when I would go drinking in Japan in my younger years and I would occasionally make the soy/​ginger/​garlic marinated fried in cornstarch nuggets and as a last resort buy soggy karaage in the prepared foods area of Mitsuwa or Nijiya market, but I would say Tenkatori is more awesome of any of that.
Karaage is traditionally made with chicken thighs, which the fat content is pretty negligible and dark meat has way more texture and flavor than white meat, but if you eat dark meat chicken based on fat then you are seriously missing out. But don’t fear, according to the menu they have chopped chicken on the bone that is white and dark meat as well as whole pieces of thigh, breast, and legs, and if you are adventurous gizzards all bathed in their secret marinade which is basically soy, ginger, and garlic
At Tenkatori, be prepared to wait a while for your order, like 15 to 20 minutes or longer if it is busy since everything is made to order. The chef handles every piece individually and gently places them one at a time in the oil that gets changed daily. Luckily is it a display kitchen so you can see everything. We ordered the Karaage Set that had 6 pieces of karaage, miso soup, cold silken tofu, and white Japanese rice. The miso soup was pretty standard, although it would have been great with chicken broth, and the Karaage was very tender, juicy, flavorful, and the corn starch crust was very light and crispy.
In addition you can get a bucket of Karaage which is great if you are going to a party or want an alternative to the regular fast food chicken. Ideally you can place your order at Tenkatori and go into Marukai to do your shopping.

Advice, as there’s quite a few people standing in front of the small ordering area: look for people with receipts in hand, as they’ve ordered. Before the line wraps around to the entrance/​exit, make your place in front of the ordering stand. Guaranteed that ordering line will wrap so quickly.
Unfortunately the sweet and spicy karaage was sold out just as we were about to place our order (boo…lol). But there’s regular karaage still available (score!). We placed an order for 20 pieces for $ 18. They’re so busy this Saturday afternoon it’s a 30 minute wait. That’s not a complaint as Marukai market is full of twists and turns to get lost in. One can spend 25 minutes alone amazed by the housewares and beauty sections… I speak on experience as I designed my future home in my mind…
Oops for the sidetracking. We made a beeline back to the counter. I happened to tell the woman behind the counter that I tried to visit the day before but I just missed them by arriving after 7 pm. The woman replies that although they closed at 7 pm, they had sold out of food hours before at 5 pm. This is serious business.
After a very short ride home… oh boy. So juicy. Crispy skin. Truthfully you can eat 20 pieces alone. So glad that I wasn’t alone in eating this treasure.
Go early, as you’ll find menu items sell out faster than others. Marukai is a world of coolness all on its own however they added this bonus? Nice. I’m going back just to try the sweet and spicy flavor.

I love me some karaage and Tenkatori with its recent fanfare from an article in LA Weekly did not disappoint. Known in Japan for their various types of fried chicken, I knew I had to try it. Located inside the Marukai Market in Gardena. Convenient for me because I like to go to this Marukai as it’s the biggest and has the most selection from all the Marukai markets I have been to.
Tenkatori is the first food vendor you will see on the left side as you walk in. The delicious aroma of the fried chicken carries outside and you cant mistake it for anything else but goodness. We got there around 4 – 430 pm on a Sunday afternoon and the market was packed. The line at Tenkatori wasnt long but as it stood, some of their items were sold out for the day. Talking to one of the employees, he said this was a common occurrence. I remember the sunagimo (gizzard) was one of the items sold out already because I asked what it was. We ordered 5 pieces of regular karaage ($ 4.80) and 5 pieces of sweet & spicy karaage ($ 4.95). The regular karaage was real good. It was moist yet the outside stayed crispy. Good flavor and the batter was perfect. Good sized pieces and it was great when you get a piece of crunchy chicken skin. The sweet and spicy chicken was also real good. Not too spicy and a little sweet. Just the way I like it. You wait a while as many people have ordered and they cook to order. I waited at least 15 – 20 mins for our small order to be ready. The employee told me we came at the right time as they were just about to run out of chicken. This was before 5pm and they weren’t supposed to be closed until 6pm (Sunday hours).
You get it in paper to-​go boxes and are given chopsticks and napkins. Seating at the food court can be limited so you may have to wait for one to open up. Keep in mind that there are 3 other food vendors there. I gotta try the chicken wings next. They look so good. Arigato Tenkatori.

Someone I know went four times last week, and then again yesterday with us so that makes it five. It’s located in the food court of marukai market. Sunday afternoon parking can get a little crazy even with their huge lot. Although the market section of marukai is a members only purchase like Costco — you can still enter and purchase from the food court… And the market if the lady at the register is nice and just swipes her extra card for you for free (get the royal milk tea in the small white can super good).
I ordered the karage set — which comes with five pieces of karage (boneless fried chicken), miso soup, rice, and tofu. Don’t underestimate the amount of five pieces, it’s more than you’d think. It’s perfectly crispy but not crunchy, juicy, and succulent with each bite. I like that it’s fresh and not dripping in oil to where it makes you feel sick. You see how everything is made. They also have many other parts of chicken that you can order. Also have a sweet version that’s nicely smothered in sauce. There was a pretty long line but I got there during the lunch rush, pretty much disappeared once I got my food. Once I ordered the approximate wait was 20 minutes. My friend said they ran out of chicken the other day and had to close early. Come check it out if you’re in the South Bay Area. Also beware of the man that cleans the tables, he’s easily aggravated.

I got the combination plate that came with 3 piece karaage, 3 teba, rice, miso, tofu, and cabbage salad. Came out to a little over $ 10 which is not bad. The karaage was fantastic! The chicken was juicy, crispy and tender! The teba was just as tasty!
Pro tip: come before 5PM or they will sell out.
Located inside Marukai. It’s on the right hand side after you enter the store.

As a self proclaimed Tonkatsu expert I take fried stuff very seriously. When I found out about this Karaage place I decided to give it a try. I like the fact that they have different cut of meat for your own fancy. For a complete experience I ordered the combination so i can taste test the rice and soup. They told me they didn’t have the combination so I decided on just Karrage and Teba (wing). The Karrage is on point and passed my big 3. It’s Crispy, it’s Juicy, and it’s Tender. The meat has a lot of favor and my friend can hear the crunching sound while I was eating the Karaage. A lot of places tend to overcook their chicken so the meat become tough.
Where the heck is mayo type of sauce for dipping? Well when I went to Furiabo in Japan they didn’t give me anything to dip my Karaage so I guess the mayo thing is Americanised like those califronia roll?
Is this the best Karaage ever? I am not sure. Is this a place I would come back? Absolutely. And next time I will bring my own kewpie mayo.
Remember guys, they closes at 7pm on weeknights.

My friend told me about this place from an LA weekly article and I decided to try it out. They opened on Dec 18^th, and specializes in Japanese fried chicken. If you’ve ever been to a Japanese ramen place, it’s the karaage you would usually get with the ramen combo.
We got a karaage set that came with a piece of tofu, rice, potato salad, cabbage salad with sesame dressing, and miso soup. The karaage was crunchy and perfectly seasoned. I also tried the one with the sweet and spicy sauce, but it was kind of salty and because it was tossed, it made the chicken soggy.
Get here early because they do run out. We came around 6:30 and they were already out of the gizzards (sunagimo) and the chicken wings (teba).
Bang for your buck: get the combo because you get all the extra sides with it. The second set allows you to have the karaage and teba (chicken wings).

Great Japanese style chicken. I went to «Tenkatori» today. There are variety of Fried chicken. From just regular Kara-​Age to Sweet and Hot Kara-​Age, Wing, and Thigh/​Breast. And they sell from 5 pieces to 1 kilogram family pack. Kara-​Age was just perfect, nice and crispy outside and juicy but not greasy inside. And perfect flavor!
I sure will go back again and again when I feel like Chicken!