A nearly seven decades old fried chicken chain based out of Japan, Tenkatori Karaage will soon open its first San Diego location.
Tenkatori was founded in Oita, Japan in 1955, but the company launched it's first United States locations in Southern California in 2020. Tenkatori specializes in chicken karaage, juicy nuggets of marinated chicken thigh meat that are battered in potato starch and fried until golden.
The first San Diego location of Tenkatori Karaage will open in the space that previously housed TJ Dumplings in Miramar. In addition to chicken karaage with several homemade dipping sauce options, the fast-casual restaurant will also serve chicken tebanaka (wing flats), teba (full wings), popcorn chicken made out of breast meat, nankotsu (soft-bone cartilage), butsu-giri (bone-in breast cuts), sunagimo (gizzard), and gaburi momo (whole-piece thigh or breast). Tenkatori changes its oil twice daily and fries all chicken to order to ensure freshness. Several branches also serve sushi, rice bowls, curreies, bento boxes, and/or ramen, but there is no word if San Diego's first branch will have an expanded menu.
Tenkatori Karaage is expected to open in late April at 6780 Miramar Road, Suite 104, in San Diego's Miramar neighborhood. For more information, visit tenkatoriusa.com.
