Katsuo + Kombu

Let me just start by saying the vibes are immaculate. Everyone working here was smiling when I showed up just after they opened. They had a fun song going on that actually made me want to dance as I waited for my takeout and then when it was ready, made me wish I was dining in.

The curry was better than anything I could have imagined! Reminds me of the place on Kearny near California Street downtown that used to serve Japanese curry during lunch. Flavors and toppings were delicious and travelled well.

Cozy authentic udon spot on Divis! Came here for an early dinner over the weekend. We arrived around 5pm and there wasn't a line. You order at the counter and then seat yourselves. They will bring your food to the table. It's a small spot so the tables can fill up. They have personal bins near the tables to put your bags.

For the udon, the menu is divided into cold and hot preparations. I got the Fukuoka Signature which was a cold dish. It came with some vegetable and chicken tempura, udon, some other toppings and a cold pour over broth. The udon noodles were amazing, perfectly chewy and very fresh. The broth was flavorful and the tempura was great! But not sure if I would get again because I prefer udon served hot.

Great udon! We beat the line on a Friday night and didn't need to wait, but while we were eating, the line got insanely long outside.

Prices are very reasonable for San Francisco. It's a cozy storefront in NoPa that I've walked by and heard good things about, but never went in. Boyfriend liked his curry and I loved my niku beef udon--broth was very flavorful and noodles had good consistency. Will be back

Came on a weekday evening and thankfully didn't have to wait too long! This is a small fast-casual spot where you order at the front and then they bring the food to your table. They have both hot and cold udon as well as some sides. The udon are thinner than most I've had but have a really great chew to them still!

I got the mentai and yam udon and was a bit thrown off by the sticky texture in the beginning but actually really enjoyed the slipperiness it lended. The mentai flavor could have been stronger but overall I thought it was quite well balanced. I added the prawn tempura and this was SO good, I'd definitely eat this first or remove it from the bowl (you can ask for a small bowl on the side) so that it retains its crisp.

My friend got the kakiage which was also really tasty. The tempura was crisp and not too oily tasting. The broth was nice and light.

Definitely a good spot if you like udon!

Ordered delivery from here once via DoorDash and visited in person for the first time last night. Got here on a Thursday night a little before 7pm I think, and one couple was in front of us. We had 3 in our group. The place is pretty small/intimate, I think they only have 3 tables for 4 and 4-6 tables for 2. If you don't want to wait long, I recommend coming in groups of 2-3 because they can squeeze 3 people at some of the tables for 2, which is what we did.

We waited maybe 15 minutes because I think people tend to dine quickly since the restaurant is small. The guy who greeted us knew exactly what I was gonna ask which was can we squeeze our group of 3 at the small table for 2. :) And he was happy to accommodate!

The menu is pretty simple with some hot udon options and some cold udon options. They have a lot of vegetarian options, and signs next to dishes they can even make vegan. My friends ordered the kakiage which is a shrimp tempura and root vegetable tempura mix in soup. I tried the niku beef which is beef with tempura burdock root in soup. Everyone loved the shrimp tempura kakiage, and I thought the niku beef with burdock root was very tasty. 2 of us added an ontama (soft boiled) egg to ours. It was yummy but probably not necessary.

Pricing after tax and tip is going to be about low $20s per person which is pretty competitive for SF prices. (No drink in this cost)

The udon noodles here are very tasty, but they are not as thick/round as other places. Didn't bother me because they still tasted yummy and fresh.

When I got delivery from here, I tried the dry tan tan noodles (yummy and lots of flavor) and the cold noodles that come with cod roe. Very yummy with an interesting texture because of the other ingredient that's in it (which I'm blanking on right now). Just stir it all up, and it's good!

Would definitely come back but not if the line outside was crazy long...

Parking in this hood is very difficult at popular times of day, so keep that in mind if you drive.

A place that usually has a bit of a longer line, I ended up luckily getting here right before everyone else started lining up. The interior is clean and comfortable. And the menu is pretty straightforward.

I got the Kakiagi (mixed root vegetable tempura with shrimp). The tempura is absolutely excellent. Honestly could come back and just order the tempura (assuming it came with a sauce). The noodles were clearly homemade. The broth, on the other hand, was very light and didn't have a ton of flavor. That was my biggest issue. Without much flavor in the broth, the noodles didn't have much flavor either. I needed to take a bit of tempura with every bite of noodle and soup. Which is fine, but I would've preferred a way to get a bit more flavor into the broth so I could also enjoy each component separately.

The onigiri was tasty as well- a nice extra treat.

I'll be back to try the Niki Beef- that looks like a hot broth dish with some flavor!

Great place to grab some udon! I came here on a Saturday night and it was packed! My friend and I had to wait in a line outside, but the line moves fairly quickly. You order first, and seat yourself at a table. I ordered the Niku beef udon, and it was delicious! The broth was flavorful and the meat and tempura complemented each other well. The downside is that there is not a lot of searing, as the restaurant is small, but people don't stay too long here. The service was helpful and attentive. Overall, great place to grab some udon!

Came back again on a weekend this time and waited for about 20 minutes before we got to order at around 7 pm. It came out very quickly once again and the staff were so kind whenever we interacted with them.

Kakiage Udon - Wanted to try this dish last time after my friend had it and it was so good. The broth was so clear, light and salty. Differed a little from the niku udon broth which was a little more sweet. The tempura was massive but so crisp and fresh, I felt like I could taste all the different vegetables in it. Loved the shrimp tempura this time as well. The noodles we could tell was handmade with how they varied and it was a nice chewy consistency.

Love showing people this place and already thinking about what to try next time I go!

Incredibly delicious. Had both the hot and cold udon here and would recommend the cold. Focusing on Fukuoka style udon, the noodles are a bit skinnier than what you'd get from a marugame. But the dashi broth is delicious: it's lighter but the taste of bonito comes through.

During the heat wave we're going through, the cold noodles were a perfect meal. The Mentai Yamakake Bukkake was unique and so tasty. The yam coated the noodles with every bite. Tempura was extremely well done. Will definitely come back.

The place was so nice and Japanese: they even had little baskets for you to place your bags in!

I was excited to try this new udon spot that opened on Divisadero! The place is small but has a fair amount of seating. You order at the counter and then seat yourself while waiting for the food to be brought out. I got the Niku udon and my initial thought was the soup tasted very clean and not super oily. The meat was tender and the crunch of the tempura went well with the dish. The portion is pretty generous, I wish there were a little bit more noodles in the dish. Would come back again!