Marugame Udon

One of the very few Udon restaurants since most others are soba noodles. They had a lot of choices after after you get the Main order dish you can add maju sides and even tempura. The noodles are very tender and chewy very tasty. The meats are soft and flavor hit the spot. Only downer was way too salty, afterwards we were in need of water badly. The restaurant is big and spacious and they also have outside seating as well.

Convenient and fast cafeteria-style Japanese udon spot! This food chain is worth checking out if you’ve never been. Their broths and udon noodles are made well and they have a good amount of fried add-ons that you can choose yourself. Seating is first come, first served so if it’s busy it can be a hard to find a table. Service is standard for a place like this.

I had the kitsune dashi broth udon, and it was very flavorful! They have several tempura options to get in addition to the udon, with the vegetable options being my favorite. It is cafeteria-style, and the seats are first come, first serve. There was a line when we arrived, but it moved quickly.

I love Marugame Udon! The soup is always flavorful and delicious, also the dumplings, crispy fried shrimp, and sweet potatoes. The service is consistently attentive and friendly, and the space is clean with a nice ambiance. It’s one of my favorite spots to visit whenever I’m in Sawtelle!

Although I am DEVASTATED that the fish cake tempura is no longer available, Marugame Udon remains a solid choice for a casual comfort meal. I used to come here a lot during my college days, and the line would be out the door. However, on this Monday night, I was able to waltz right in. In addition to udon, they also have other options such as tendon and curry, but I’ve only ever gotten the nikutama udon. A regular size is enough for me because I always go overboard with the tempura. After you order your bowl of udon (or whatever you got), the tempura are laid out for you to grab. Be careful, although each piece is only around $2, they stack up quick if you have hungry eyes (like me). My favorite piece used to be the fish cake tempura, but it’s no longer there. I live down in OC, so I would usually go to the South Coast Plaza location, which also didn’t have it. I thought that the Sawtelle location might still have it, but the girl at the front said they discontinued it over the summer (so sad!) please please please bring it back. But aside from that, the imitation crab tempura was very good and similar. The taste is the same as the fish cake, but the texture is different. Stringier instead of condensed and solid. My bowl with 4 pieces of tempura cost around $25. It’ll be cheaper, obviously, if you don’t take as much tempura. But in my opinion, the tempura is the best part. There’s so many fun ways to eat it. On its own, it’s slightly crisp. Dipping it in tempura sauce makes it a little sweet. And letting it soak in your udon broth gives you a satisfying, soggy, soup filled bite. The udon itself is decent. If you’ve never been, it’s worth a visit, and even if you have, Marugame is a solid choice.