Tempura Endo

The story

Tempura Endo Beverly Hills: Michelin-Recommended Kyoto-Style Tempura

A Taste of Kyoto in Beverly Hills

When you step off the lantern-lit stone pavement into Tempura Endo, the first thing you notice is the quiet. The delicate fragrance of Japanese incense replaces the hum of Santa Monica Boulevard, and you enter a space designed for focus. This is a Beverly Hills outpost of a revered Kyoto institution, bringing a centuries-old tradition to Southern California.

The restaurant’s Michelin recommendation is a natural fit. Here, the kitchen is led by Head Chef Satoshi Masuda, whose sharp, well-honed skills as a master tempura chef have impressed guests from around the world. He works in the tradition of owner Koichi Endo, who as the eldest son of a long-standing Japanese-style hotel, has dedicated his career to preserving the culture and customs of Kyoto.

The focus is on an omakase tempura course. The menu proudly describes their style as "amazingly light but succulent tempura," featuring the freshest seafood—think sea urchin wrapped with laver and prawn—alongside a variety of Japanese vegetables. The dinner progresses through a seasonal appetizer, the choicest sashimi, a palate-refreshing side dish, and a special salad, before arriving at the tempura itself. The meal concludes with a choice of rice dish (Ten-Don, Ten-Cha, or Ten-Soba) and a dessert served with matcha in the tea-ceremony style.

The setting is as refined as the food. Guests can choose from the tempura bar, where you watch the chef’s precise work, or table seats in a private room. There is even a Japanese tea ceremony room, reinforcing the sense of entering a different world entirely. It is a peaceful, relaxing setting that allows you to fully savor a quintessential Kyoto dining experience, right in the heart of Beverly Hills.