| Cuisine | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Price | $ (under 15) |
| Rating | 7/10 |
| Last Visit | June 2, 2025 |
| Location | Japan: Fukuoka |
Tempura Hirao has several locations scattered throughout Fukuoka; we went to the one in Tenjin. The tempura here was really, really good. The tempura is fried freshly, one type at a time, and brought directly to your plate by the chef. In a way, it feels a bit like an omakase experience as you're getting each piece, one at a time. The tempura being freshly fried makes a huge difference. I also appreciated the wide variety of different tempura options, including some things that I've never seen on a tempura menu: squid, whitefish, pork, scallop, mozzarella cheese. My favorites from the night were the whitefish and pork. It was also interesting to see the types of accompaniments that they'd provide with the tempura: there's the classic dipping sauce, sesame salt, yuzu juice, chili powder, and some other miscellaneous condiments. It's also served with rice, squid marinaded in yuzu juice (a lot of yuzu juice, huh), and kabocha (huh).
> The dipping sauce is not too salty, it's the perfect balance.
> If you're not fluent in Japanese, it can be a little bit tricky to order. You need to order in advance at a kiosk, where everything is written in Japanese and you need to pay with cash. You then bring the ticket over to the booths and hand it to the chef who'll go through and give you everything on your order.
> The smell of deep-fried tempura will permeate your clothes. Make sure you wear something that you don't mind having to wash immediately.