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Tendon

Tendon is tempura served on rice, the pieces dipped in or drizzled with a sweet-savoury sauce (tentsuyu) so the coating half-softens into the rice beneath. Prawn is the standard, with vegetables and sometimes fish or squid. It is heavier and sweeter than tempura eaten on its own, and cheaper — a lunchtime bowl rather than a tasting menu.

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RICE BOWLS

Tendon thumbnail
Tendon¥700〜¥1,300
CommonRICE BOWLS

ABOUT

Tendon is tempura served on rice, the pieces dipped in or drizzled with a sweet-savoury sauce (tentsuyu) so the coating half-softens into the rice beneath. Prawn is the standard, with vegetables and sometimes fish or squid. It is heavier and sweeter than tempura eaten on its own, and cheaper — a lunchtime bowl rather than a tasting menu.

DIETARY NOTES

VegetarianVEGETARIAN
On requestVegetable tempura versions exist, but the tentsuyu sauce uses bonito dashi and prawn is the standard topping.
PorkPORK
No pork in the standard version.
AlcoholALCOHOL
Cooked with mirin and/or sake. Most of the alcohol cooks off, but not all of it.
AllergensCOMMON ALLERGENS
Wheat / glutenEggShellfishSoyFish

General guidance for the standard version of this dish. Recipes vary by shop and region — always confirm with the restaurant if you have an allergy or a religious dietary requirement.

WHERE TO EAT

TokyoCity guide →
An Edo (Tokyo) invention, born from the city's street-side tempura stalls.

DETAILS

OriginORIGIN
A donburi that fuses two Edo-period Tokyo street traditions — tempura fried at roadside stalls and the rice bowl — into one cheap, filling dish. Nagoya later added its own darker, sweeter tentsuyu.
How to EatHOW TO EAT
Eaten with chopsticks from the bowl. Break the tempura against the rice so the sauce spreads into it. Miso soup and pickles usually come alongside as a set.
FrequencyFREQUENCY
Common — Found everywhere
PricePRICE
¥700〜¥1,300

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