Kyodai Izakaya offers an authentic Japanese pub vibe with a cozy, lively atmosphere where fresh, flavorful small plates like takoyaki, gyoza, karaage, tataki, ramen and udon are served hot and nicely presented, paired with a varied sake and cocktail menu. The service is consistently friendly and attentive, helping guests feel at home and making meals feel special whether for a casual night out or celebration. The space, decor and music contribute to a welcoming character that many describe as transporting to Japan, while the menu delivers strong favorites and occasional standout dishes such as unagi udon, duck tataki and curry katsu. In short, Kyodai Izakaya is a dependable go-to for tasty Japanese tapas, great drinks and a memorable, convivial dining experience.
I was super happy to hear that Tempura Kyodai is back after closing for a while with a change in the management (apparently?). So I went with my family for a Saturday dinner. Honestly, we were disappointed.
First, the menu shrank by a lot. In the main dishes, all the rice bowls disappeared leaving only the hot udons & the curry rice. There are a lot of appeatizers (tapas style). With an increase in the prices too.
For the food, it's not as good as before. It's ok, I can eat it but I can go anywhere for this generic taste. The ebi tempuras were my favorite so I ordered them again, it was my biggest disappointment. Sure, it was crunchy but so oily. There is not this elegance that was previously in the dishes.
Plus, as there were customers, the cooks in the kitchen kept bashing, I suppose the chicken or pork, for almost 30 minutes...
Anyways, tempura kyodai is not what it once was.
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Before the relaunch (pictures from then)
Tempura Kyodai is a cute restaurant with great atmosphere & excellent food & service.
Let's start with their specialty, the tempuras. They were excellent. I truly recommend the Ebi tendon which is a bowl of tempura featuring fried shrimps & veggies on rice.
The soft shelled crab curry is up there too. It's the best Japanese curry I have eaten. It's not too sweet & the spices is pronounced enough.
Then, there is the Soba. It's a simple dish, but it's done right. It's very elegant & light, perfect for summer time. The flavours are really balanced here.
The last but not least, the mackerel udon. During winter, who can resist it? The broth is light but so complex. The udon are thin but chewy. & the grilled mackerel complement it well.
Other than main dishes, they have appetizers & specials of the day. Like the Ebi tempura or the monk fish liver. All are delicious.
Overall, Tempura Kyodai deserve their name. Everything was delicious & it's not expensive. You get a huge main for around 20$ or less.
We will be coming back for sure!
Sep 9, 2023
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The unagi curry was delicious & arrived within 5 minutes of ordering. Crispy unagi was the right size for the dish. Service wall friendly. The place wasn't busy at all but we went early evening. A little dark inside.
-Went there during a less busy time.
-The indoor decors really complements the atmosphere.
-Servers were always there to help.
-ordered the unagi udon ( the soup was delicious), the anago curry rice ( just perfect !!!!) & the karaage ( portion was a bit small for the price, but tasted good)
-mango cheese cake 🧡
Review #2:
Just did a follow-up visit after a short stint where they closed & reopened (allegedly under new management?) This time, the menu has shrunken with no more tempura bowls without curry. Moreover, all the prices were marked up considerably -- the curry vegetable bowl has gone from $9.50 to $15 with the 3 pieces of less-exciting vegetables.
Despite being recommended by the waitress over the kimchi salad, the cabbage salad with sesame sauce tasted like a tangy miracle whip dressing. The takoyaki, chawanmushi, grilled mackerel, & curry bowl were adequate at best. We opted out of the vegetable tempura appie, which was marked at $13 for 5 pieces. We were rather disappointed after 2 outstanding visits before their closure; even with the friendly service that we got & a reasonable price hike, we'd likely choose other izakayas.
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February 2023:
Visited for the first time, ordered a veggie tempura curry & a scallops ten-don. The curry was mild with abundant sauce & rice; though a bit skimpy at 3 pieces, the tempura of eggplant, okra, & Japanese squash was perfectly battered & fried. The scallop tempura bowl had much more veggies & 3 large scallops.
For a casual restaurant, service was superb...our water glasses were always full. & in this age of inflation, the $9.50 curry & $18 scallop bowl were a steal. Definitely coming back very soon for udon & soba. This was their daily special page; their regular menu pages are in the menu section here. I hope they open for lunch soon, even for just pick-up/delivery.
We were 2 & ordered few dishes to share, & some Japanese drinks 🤭overall is one of our favourite place to go back ! Staffs r amazing!
Yumyum 😋 must try !
