Marugame Udon

The udon and experience is exactly how I remembered when I went to the one in Hawaii. The udon was prepared fresh and cooked al dente. I had the more flavourful broth and it was tasty. There were good portions of meat and can't beat the value. The service was quick as it is cafeteria style but the decor is totally open and elevated.
We also tried a few of the tempuras but make sure you take the freshly fried ones otherwise they seem oily and not as crispy.

I'll definitely be back and try the other broths and curry.

I was really excited to try the freshly made udon here but it was kind of disappointing, unfortunately.

This restaurant was hyped up and still has long line ups since its opening. On a Saturday evening, around 6 pm, we waited around 15 minutes to be served, which was reasonable. We went with a large kitsune udon and a few pieces of tempura, for a light dinner. The ordering and food pick up process is very efficient. Just before the cashier, they also have a water station, which is perfect. There is also a sauce station, which had soy sauce, a hot tempura sauce, and chilli flakes.

The disappointing part was the food itself. I found the udon to be on the soggy side, overcooked, and therefore it tasted about the same as if I had slightly overcooked frozen udon at home. For example, if I picked up some strands of udon and held it above my bowl for 5 seconds, it would start to tear. I am a bit surprised this would happen because they are supposed to be known for udon and since it is fresh, it does not really need much cooking plus it should be chewy. This was not the case at all.

The soup itself was tasty, and the tempura was okay. The tempura sauce was pretty watery and not very flavourful compared to the ones I've had at various Japanese restaurants.

The restaurant was very busy and almost full; however it was not the cleanest, but acceptable. The price of the food was reasonable, and tipping is not an option here, which is great to see as it's not a sit down restaurant, mostly serve yourself.

I probably won't be coming back, unless a friend really wanted to. Now I understand how people have been saying there wasn't anything special about Marugame.

Been here twice already to try both the classic beef udon, curry, and the beef on rice entree.

Also tried the fish and squid tempura.

Overall simply but delicious. Service is fast despite the line out the door.

The usual problem is always seating. People do move along fast but i still see a lot of people holding their trays with their orders but with no place to sit. Plus, no access to water. You either pay $3 a bottle or get another drink.

For the price, the qty could be a bit more.

But taste wise, Yea very good and flavourful.

Cheers! Happy eating!

Very disappointed.

I expect Marugame Udon to serve not only the quick freshly-made handmade udon, but also efficient work & service. "Quick & efficient" is what this freshly-made handmade udon special.

The line was long (10 mins wait), which was OK, I knew that already.

I was asked to choose a style of udon (either Kamaage, BK, Nikutama, or Kake), then proceeded to pick toppings (self service). The process was fine.

But then, when it comes to adding seasonings (Shichimi spices etc), I had to go to separate section where there are people who take time to explore what each seasoning was. I had to wait like 5 mins. I was worried about my udon (Kake) getting soggy.

And at that point I realized that there was no noodle spoon. I asked about it, but a staff told me that she was not aware of it, and checked in with the kitchen. I was then told that they are all in dishwasher but would be finished soon.

When I got seasonings on my udon and looked for a table, I found one spot where there were dirty spills all over the table. I had to get up to get a paper napkin to clean the mess by myself. I did not bother asking staff to clean, as I did not want my udon to get soggier.

Unfortunately, by the time I ate the udon, the noodle was super soggy, broth was lukewarm. Tempra (shrimp, squid, chicken, asparagus, kakiage) was average.

Spoons never came out of dishwasher even when I exited the place.

We had
- Kake
- BK
- Nikutama (Curry)

My suggestion is, do not go for udon in broth (Kake or Nikutama) when the place is busy. You will end up eating soggy flabby noodles.

We visited this hyped up spot since we were in the area and I was sooo excited to try this place out since I loved it when I had it in Hawaii previously. We were greeted with a lively bustling atmosphere when we walked in. Luckily we didn't have to wait long. It is cafeteria style so the line moves quickly as you order at the counter, get some tempura, pay at the register, and go find a table. There is a sauce bar on the side counter for tempura or other flavouring needs. The staff was nice and friendly also.

We ordered the Kaku udon with soup ($6.50) and the BK udon with sauce ($6.50). We also picked up some shrimp tempura ($1.99 for 1 piece) to go with our udons.

We were surprised with how affordable our meal was!! There were also free tempura flakes that you can add to your udon or put on the side, and this was a nice option. We did find the udon to be less chewy and al dente than we would've liked but the flavours were still comforting and delicious. In this day and age, those prices are insane and I would love to go back!!

Yummmyyyy! I was excited to come try the Vancouver location after eating it in Hawaii last June. My partner and I came randomly at 3:30pm on a Saturday since we were in the area, and there was no line up! The perfect opportunity I'd say.

Just like in Hawaii, they have a menu board up, and people move through the line in a cafeteria style. You choose your noodle (or rice) base dish, receive it very quickly, and move down the line to the tempura sides and drinks. I got the Nikutama (beef & onsen egg noodle soup) with 2 shrimp tempura on the side.

After you order and pay, you're left with figuring out where to sit. This is the only stressful part of this experience, as I imagine when there's a line up, the seating area could get clogged up. Thankfully, people eat and leave pretty quickly. There is also a section to grab utensils, napkins, tempura sauces, and chili.

My noodle soup really hit the spot! The beef was flavourful and tender, and the egg was perfectly runny. The texture of the udon was chewy and bouncy. The soup itself was good, though I'd prefer if it was less sweet and more savoury. A great cheap and tasty eat!

Having been to the location in Honolulu, I already had an idea of what to expect. Unfortunately, comparing it to the other location, it just wasn't as good. Although for the price, I will say it is affordable and still a good option if you're in the area and there isn't a long line.

I had the kake udon and squid tempura. I had to wait with others in line for the tempura as the trays were a bit sparse, which held up the line. As well, the selection of tempura was less than what they offer in the states.

As for the udon, broth was alright, but the noodles were overcooked. They had some chew, but could be chewier. The squid tempura, although fresh out of the fryer, just didn't seem as crisp.

Overall, it was an affordable meal, but was just okay. But this is based on having been to another location before.

This was my first time at any Marugame Udon but unfortunately I had a really bad experience. I got the chicken katsu curry don (rice dish), squid tempura, and a pumpkin croquette. 0.5 stars for the curry but 4 stars for everything else.

The chicken katsu curry don was really sad--the worst Japanese curry I've ever had. The chicken piece was crispy and juicy but really small. So small that after it you're just eating gravy and rice. No vegetables. The flavour was too sweet and.. just so bad. I ended up throwing away 3/4 of my dish because eating it was depressing me. Such a waste. Not even my partner wanted to take it home to eat and she takes home things like unused chilis and basil from eating phở. She said it had an aftertaste of feet.

However, the pumpkin croquette was crispy and good (but I wouldn't get it again), and the squid tempura was deliciously tender. Perfectly cooked squid for my soft mouth. Much preferred it over the shrimp tempura. The small amount of soup and udon I had from my partner's nikutama udon was also scrumptious.

Service was fast as it was cafeteria style. We didn't have to wait for a table since it was 3pm when we went.

Went during Friday lunch (12pm) and waited for about 20 minutes. The restaurant set up is kinda like a food court. You order over the counter and sit at any open table. First you choose which udon base you like. The price ranges from $6.49 for plain udon to $13.49 for curry katsu udon. There are photos on the menu so it's easy to choose which one you want. Once you've selected an udon, you move forward in line to choose the add-on tempuras you'd like. Prices can be reasonable depending on what you add on.

I ordered the Nikutama udon with zucchini, squid, and potato croquette tempura. Udon was bouncy and not too soft, beef and egg were also made perfectly. Squid tempura stood out the most to me. Great place for a quick lunch!

Fast casual udon eatery that is popular in the US & Asia. I've eaten at Marugame back home a lot, so I was eager to try Vancouver's new location!

I came on a Saturday around 1:30 and only waited about 10 minutes in line. The ordering system is cafeteria style: where each person chooses their udon and then their tempura before paying.

I got the beef udon (4/5). The noodles and broth were your standard quality, but true to authentic flavoring. The beef was sweet, but a bit on the chewier side. Next time I would rather get the udon sans beef so I could indulge in more tempura toppings.

In terms of toppings, I got the shrimp (5/5), the kakiage (5/5), and the potato croquette (3/5). The potato croquette was cooked perfectly, however there was very little potato and mostly just fried batter.