Marugame Monzo

I love udon, I really do. I heard they make «handmade» udon so I had to visit here being excited, but sadly left underwhelmed. I ordered beef udon, and it didnt taste anything special. Beef was good but the noodle, beef, and the broth didnt work together. The Broth was really medicore like anything you can taste at foodcourt.
The most disappointing part was udon noodle. I like sanuki style udon-​chewy lively texture!-but the udon marugame monzo serves has a slightly gooey texture. I think it’s because they didn’t rinse the noodles enough under cold water after boiling.

Coming from a person who is not really a fan of ramen, udon, phở or soupy meals, this place is great! I’ve never had this type of udon before.
My friend and I came a couple minutes after it opened and there was a wait. A party of 2 and roughly we waited around 30 – 45 minutes to get seated.
The restaurant is tiny and I feel like it is a bit cramped in there.
I ordered the miso carbonara, and boy was the sauce super creamy and buttery! I don’t usually finish my food at restaurants but I finished this one because it was so yummy.
I also ordered the tempura soft boiled egg to accompany my meal. It literally is what it is, but it was a good add on that I recommend.
What’s so cool about this place is if you sit at the bar you can see the chefs making the noodles, fresh! The noodles were so soft and delicious.
I kind of wish there was another type of meat in the miso carbonara, just because I felt like the bacon on the top didn’t match the portions of the noodles.
The location is just across the street from the cute little plaza in Japantown!
Service was great, and I would definitely come here again :)

Freshly handmade udon, yes please!
I’m happy that I found this gem before my trip here was over! I’ll definitely be back on my next trip down here too!
We had the curry udon and the kitsune udon with a soft boiled egg. I saw others around that ordered the tempura, duck, and uni udon that looked yummy too. Our udon was spot on, perfectly cooked, broth was flavorful and tasty, and the large wooden spoon was fun and helpful for the noodles. The soft boiled egg was a nice addition and well executed too!
Everyone who worked there that helped us were attentive and nice. I also liked that they greeted all of the customers :) Also, we sat at the seating in front of the kitchen and was able to see them make the udon noodles, pretty neat.
Tip #1: There are parking lots near by but we circled the block and found street parking, woot. You may get lucky too, give it a try
Tip #2: Japanese Village Plaza is right across the street and you can find desserts after your meal. There is also a Nijiya market if you want to stock up on some Japanese food goodies.

I came here for dinner at about 4:30. The restaurant is pretty small, so we (a group of 5 people) waited for 10 – 15 min. Right after we sat down though, the line got a LOT longer, so come earlier to avoid the line!
I ordered the signature miso carbonara udon– VERY TASTY! The noodles are handmade and you can definitely taste that. The reason why I’m giving 4 stars and not 5 is because it tasted like carbonara udon– I didn’t taste any miso. But it was still delicious!
Customer service is great! A lot of the waiters can only speak Japanese/​very basic English but that’s alright, and it shows how authentic the restaurant is. :)

This place is the BEST udon place in L.A.
Yes, the location is small and there’s always a wait time, but it’s absolutely worth it.
However, keep in mind this restaurant is small so it does not do good for large crowds and/​or kids.

4.5÷5. Almost perfect.
First of all, I LOVE UDON and when I came here for the first time after hearing about the freshly handmade udon, I was SO excited. The udon is thick, al dente, chewy, and just… delicious.
Since then, Ive tried many dishes and here is the lowdown:
Sea urchin cream udon: I love UNI, and the combination was amazing. The uni cream is very rich, and has a subtle uni flavor throughout. I can only describe this dish as decadence. My go to if Im not not starving because I find the portion a little small.
Seafood cream udon: this is basically tomato cream sauce with tiny scallops and shrimps. They skimp a bit on the seafood, but the sauce is delicious.
Out of all the soup udons, I have tried the curry, pork belly, and beef. The curry udon base is really thick, but tasty (no spiciness at all). The other ones are great as well. Please note that you can only order double portion for these regular udon. All the specialty ones (with the cream sauce) you cannot order double portion.
I find their portion size a bit on the small end so I dont get really full from regular unless I drink all the soup/​cream. So if you go with a friend, have one person order double portion and share it!
As for the non-​udon foods, they are hit or miss. I didnt enjoy the beef tataki because there are whole peppercorns which taste pretty strong if you end up biting down on it. On the other hand, the Kakiage tempura is amazing. It is basically tempura of shredded vegetables put into a giant ball. It goes well with all their udon dishes!
If you dont get here at the opening rush, expect to wait an hour. The interior is pretty small and cramped. Large bottomed people may find it difficult to squeeze between the tables. If you are a small party, you may be seated at the bar which is AWESOME because you can see them make fresh udon.
Marugame Monzo is located right next to Daikokuya. Often, I put my name down on both lists to see which one opens up first. But I rather eat the udon.

I went here with the intent to order the special sea urchin udon ($ 16) and only the special sea urchin udon.
Well, my plan never goes as planned. We ended up ordering tempura too. It was too tempting! The tempura is sold by the piece and ranges from $.50 — $ 2.50. We ordered two pieces of pumpkin and a soft boiled egg to share. It wasn’t until the yolk was dripping into our bowl of udon that we thought of the idea to put the soft boiled egg in our bowl. Anyway, the tempura was spectacular. The batter was crisp and fresh and honestly, I’m sure the tempura dipping sauce is from a bottle, but it tasted like a sauce that I haven’t had before.
Now, for the holy grail of udon. No surprise, as every other review mentions this, but the noodles are fresh and you can definitely taste it. My friend and I split a bowl and we’re so glad we did. I do think the salmon roe eggs on top of the udon was a nice touch. However, I do think the sauce was too rich to the point where I’m glad I only ate half a bowl. It would’ve been nice to have something refreshing to cut the richness for a balanced dish. I really don’t think I could’ve finished a bowl. All in all, I’m a fan of it and would order it in the future, but I would definitely split and order some sides.

Came here for lunch at 2PM. Seems like that’s the sweet time to come cause we only waited 10 – 15 minutes. The restaurant is tiny so expect to stand outside until your table is ready. We ordered the uni udon and the chicken tempura udon. For an additional $ 3, you can also order any rice bowls (also known as «dons») of your choice. We got the negitoro don add on. The bowl is meant for a single serving so don’t order it expecting to share!
Out of the three items I tried… I liked the negitoro don. It was drenched with a mayo sauce on top, but definitely a good reason to make today a cheat day. The bowl almost reminds me of the spicy tuna don at Fukada in Irvine for those who have tried that place.
Though the uni udon is the most expensive ($ 15.95), it was absolutely scrumptious. It is super creamy so be careful for those who are lactose intolerant! It also comes with a fair amount of uni. I recommend getting this dish at least once.
The chicken tempera don was whatever. It wasn’t bad, but there isn’t much to rave about it. The bowl comes with two pieces of tempera chick breasts. The udon itself only comes with the noodles, green onions, and tempera flakes.
I have to commend them on having super fresh noodles. That is really what differentiates this place and the udon spots Mitsuwa food court! The noodles were soft and absorbed the flavors of the sauce/​soup really well.
I can’t give this place the full 5 stars because I felt like the meal was incomplete (especially for the price I paid). I wish there was a little more meat and some veggies in the bowl. Don’t expect to get much besides the udon & soup when you come here. Overall, I would come back if I was in the LA area, but I would never make the full drive up from OC just to eat this.

Ugh I hate that I wasn’t impressed. I was really looking forward to trying it.
There was no wait. Thank goodness. But where we were seated had a strange mildewy smell. It threw me off a bit, not a good way to start.
Scallop carpaccio (2 stars) — I didn’t feel the scallops were fresh. They were fishy and the texture didn’t quite sit right with me. The tomato slices and the mayo-​y sauce on top all didn’t go well together. I only hand one piece and I couldn’t eat any more.
Pork belly rice bowl (4 stars) — the best dish of the night. Super flavorful meat, well seasoned rice, perfect side dish portion. I could’ve just had a large bowl of that as my entrée.
Uni udon (3.5 stars) — rich, creamy. It tasted more like alfredo sauce
Mentaiko squid udon (3 stars) — I really didn’t feel the udon noodles were that great. Maybe mine were slightly overcooked. The broth was a bit too buttery for me. The flavor got monotonous after a few scoops.
Overall, disappointing to say the least. Not sure what the hype is all about.

I love love Udon and was so happy when a friend of mine recommended this place to me a while back. Marugame Monzo was the first udon house I’ve ever been to and I’m so happy to have tried it. It’s located right next to Daikokuya, so don’t be intimidated by the large crowd waiting outside (they’re often times waiting for ramen next door). The longest I’ve ever had to wait at Marugame Monzo was probably 30 mins, which is not bad considering how small the restaurant is.
I’ve tried many of the signature udons, my favorites are the [1] Mentai Cream Udon, [2] Sea Urchin Cream Udon, and the [3] Mentai Squid Butter Udon. I like to add the Tempura Soft Boiled Egg (which is so perfectly soft boiled) and the Kakiage (deep fried sweet potato, baby shrimp, and baby scallops. My eyes are always bigger than my stomach and I end up taking some of the udon home. I
Some tips: parking on the northwest corner of 1^st and San Pedro is pretty cheap. I wouldn’t come to Marugame Monzo with any more than 4 people, and definitely try the sea urchin udon! Things get really creamy here… so if you’re not into creamy sauces, stay away from any of the dishes with cream! I highly recommend this place, definitely on my list of must eats if you’re ever in DTLA.

my cousins and i came here around 8pm, and we were seated right away, but we’re right by the door so we didnt get a chance to see how the chefs make their noodles. :(
i finally got to try the sea urchin cream udon that everybody’s raving about, and they’re right, ITS SO GOOOOOD! i felt like i was in heaven in a few seconds! my mouth was watering the whole time as i kept on slurping them. the taste also reminds me of alfredo, i was a bit disappointed that there were small pieces of sea urchin, that was the best part! but when its almost gone, i was starting to get full, bec. its so creamy and rich! i felt like a can of calpico is not enough, they should offer some free drink refills at least.
i also ordered their beef bowl rice, it was ok, its not bad either, its bec. their beef are so skinny and its not enough for their rice bowl! i prefer yoshinoya, but i’d give it a 3 out of 5, cuz im not used to the taste, but probably if i eat this more often, i’d probably rate it more too, but i was hungry when we came here so i finished it all up.
then after that, we ordered a few appetizers such as Negitoro, they say thats one of the popular ones, the tuna tasted like potato but if you put that on the seaweed, with cucumber and sprouts (minus the wasabi) you dip it in the sauce, it was so good! then we ordered another chicken skins, its kinda like chicharon, that one was also good specially when you eat it from the bottom where it has vinegar sauce inside of it. then their fried chicken, tasted a little bit like something’s missing. i think if they added some soy sauce, it would’ve tasted good, but thats just me.
the service is also good too, the waiter/​tress are very friendly.
overall, im glad we choose to go here over Daikokuya, its also cuz we dont carry cash atm, but my experience here was the bomb! i dont mind going back here again.

Came in expecting the best uni udon ever only to be disappointed. And only moderately full.
Ordered mentai cream udon (not the squid butter) and it was so much better than the uni udon. Shrimps and scallops made it amazing and the udon/​broth was on point. I would recommend getting this for sure!
Uni sea urchin udon for $ 15.95 is pretty expensive for such a small amount. It has a slight uni taste with little itty bitty uni chunks. I just felt like the broth was alright and sort of bland. Udon was great though !
Sides to get :
— tempura soft-​boiled egg $ 1.50
— kakiage $ 2.50
Our waiter told us everytime he eats udon, he’ll always order tempura soft-​boiled egg and kakiage. Both were good and the kakiage adds a nice crunchy texture to the meal.
Overall, this place is super hyped. Good to go once to say that you’ve tried, but not a place I’d come back to on a regular basis. Always expect a 30 – 45 minute wait!

Decided to try Marugame Monzo on the recommendation of a friend, and I wasn’t disappointed. After a near-​45-​minute wait, my group and I were seated at the bar, where we had the pleasure of (partially) watching udon noodles being made from scratch, among the other hustle and bustle in the kitchen.
I ordered Monzo’s curry udon, which, upon first impression, looked like a hefty serving fit to feed two people. It wasn’t. I devoured it, single-​handedly. Made with a curry-​based broth, udon noodles, tender pork belly slices and onion, the curry udon is packed with flavor and delivers the right amount of heat. For $ 9.75, it was «udon-​tastic.»
The restaurant is well maintained (compliments to the clean men’s restroom), and no complaints as far as service is concerned. The space, while compact, well accommodates moderate-​sized parties (2 – 4 persons). A larger group would prompt a longer wait time, but Monzo offers patrons the option to split their party into smaller groups.
Word of advice: If you plan on splitting the check between three or more people, I recommend having cash available, as we were told they are only able to split the bill two ways.

I came here with a group of 4 around 7 – 7:30pm. It is really really busy here, and it took us about a half hour wait or so.
The udon here is freshly handmade. I ordered the Sea Urchin Cream Udon. The udon had a good chewy texture. The uni was tasty and the dish had a good amount of creaminess to it. I was hoping there would be more uni flavor, but it was still pretty good. I was disappointed by the amount of noodles they give you. It’s approximately $ 16 for a bowl of this. If you’re a big eater, you might want to consider extra noodles. I didn’t read the fine print on the menu regarding that. This normal portion size is a tad on the small size. I wasn’t too full, but I knew I could eat a bit more.
Overall, it’s a great place to try some awesome fresh handmade udon noodles. If you want more bang for your buck, maybe consider elsewhere.

The long line and hype is real!
Came here on a Wednesday night around 7pm and waited about an hour. Don’t be discouraged when you drive by, the crowds of people are a mixture of groups between Marugame and the Daikokuya ramen joint next door so the line was shorter than what it looked like. There’s parking along the street, garages across the street for $ 10 flat rate or lots for $ 6. We opted for parking garage just so we wouldn’t have to keep circling around.
The restaurant itself was really small so it’s really not meant for big groups. Make sure you stay nearby because if they call your name 3 times (quickly) and you don’t respond, you’ll be crossed off the list. We were lucky enough to get seated right in front of the window to watch the man roll and cut udon which was pretty cool!
I ordered the Miso Carbonara with tempura soft boiled egg and my boyfriend got the Uni Udon. From the picture and looks of the udon, I thought the sauce was going to be too cheesy and rich but it really wasn’t! The udon noodles were sooo soft and good! Sauce wise, the uni and miso tasted very similar. Portions were okay sized, as I wasn’t super stuffed after finishing.
Service was really good. They get you seated prompted, take your order and get food to you fairly quickly. Not really a place where you take your time to sit around, mingle and talk due to the massive wait outside.
Will definitely be a must eat whenever I’m in LA!

The cool thing about this place is that they make their udon fresh.
I order the chicken tempera udon. It came as a bowl of udon in broth and a side plate of two chicken tempera breasts. The udon texture was chewy, basically what an udon should taste like. There was nothing amazing about the broth though. It tasted a regular bowl of udon. The chicken tempera was also really dry… I guess because of the chicken breast. Didn’t really enjoy that at all.
This place didn’t blow me away. Maybe if I had chosen their specialty uni udon I would have felt different but for what I had, the price was way too high for an average bowl of udon at best.

I finally came back here when I was not dieting! Reading my previous review, I see that both times I have come here I ended up parking on 3^rd. I guess that street does usually end up having more openings that the blocks closer to this restaurant… I must have come during an off hour because there was not much of a wait. Which was really good since my friend JC and I were quite hungry.
We both ordered the same thing:
– SEA URCHIN CREAM UDON: Creamy Uni Cream Sauce Udon, topped with ikura (salmon egg)
This is the udon I have been waiting to try ever since my last visit! Wow, there is a reason why this is so popular… it is really good! Because it is so creamy, I was worried that the entire dish would end up being too much and be slightly nauseating, but that was not the case. It was very delicious.
– SOFT-​BOILED EGG TEMPURA
Doesn’t this sound amazing? We had to try this. The egg was so perfectly cooked! But… it needed salt. In hindsight, I should have eaten the egg with the salty salmon roe that comes with the uni udon! I would say I will do that next time, but I don’t really see the need to order this again. I’m glad I tried it once, but for $ 1.50 I think it should stay a one-​time thing.
I really loved the uni udon and would definitely be down to coming back here just for that. Upping my review for 4 stars! It could even be a 4.5 star review if half stars were possible, but for now we’ll leave it at 4.

Oh yeah.
I LOVE marugame monzo. There are times where there’s a long long loooooooooong wait, and there are times where there is no wait. Luck of the draw I think.
If you can get a seat at the fishbowl (aka right in front of the kitchen where they’re making and cutting the fresh udon). Wait, did I just say FRESH udon? Yes sir, ma’am I did.
Fresh udon + creative flavors = an epic awesome meal. A little on the pricey side, but totally worth your while. The udon is chewy, cooked to a perfection.
What to try:
Mentai Squid Udon — Squid-​y buttery goodness in a bowl. The bowls look tiny, but seriously, it’s a lot of food (looks are deceiving, ya)
Uni Udon — OH yes. The piece de resistance. If you are an Uni fan, this is a must try. There’s so much uni, creamy soup, and udon. You won’t want or crave anything else.
Beef Tataki — meh. Taste was delicious, but the slices of beef was just a tad too thick where the sauce/​marinade doesn’t soak in.
Parking:
Sucks in Little tokyo. Paid lots or parking meters.
Takes cc, cash.

Not worth the price or the wait.
The place was pretty stuffy and tight.
I asked for NO ONIONS. They could have told me the curry udon had onions in it. If the waiter did not know then its the job of the staff to make sure the waiters know the food in and out. I would of ordered something else gladly had i known.
Initially the waiter came out and asked us for our drink order. We ordered two drinks. I was very clear. He only brought my GF’s drink and then only brought my drink when i reminded him about the «coke» politely. No apology or explanation was given.
The curry udon is udon and a curry broth that simple with some meat. It didn’t come with tempura flakes or seaweed or anything. If you want anything on that you have to order it on the side. It whole idea gave me the impression of someone nickel and dime’ing you for any little thing.
$ 1 for a small piece of kabocha pumpkin? Really?
Serving size was a little on the small size considering the cost.
The udon noodles itself was in fact pretty good texture.

I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about this place, but it all came to a head when I actually found myself sitting there with a bowl of sea urchin udon right in front of me ready to be devoured.
The night started off with my brother, boyfriend, and I arriving there at 5:30pm on a Friday night. As expected, there was already a wait attesting to the popularity of this place. Keep in mind, there isn’t really a waiting area inside, so you’d most likely be waiting outside in the cold, which only makes you even more ready for the warmth of their dishes inside. The groups of 2 who came after us were being called in very quickly because most of the tables accommodated 2 people, so I might come back just with just one other person next time. We waited and waited in anticipation and finally got called! YES! It was about a 30 minute wait for us.
They take your order very quickly. They are very efficient in getting your order out fast, your check out fast, and getting you out fast because of the masses outside waiting for their turn. I can appreciate that. We ended up ordered the fried chicken skins, uni udon, mentai squid butter, and udon gratin with three additional tempura soft boiled eggs. All three udon dishes were amazing! Life changing really. The texture of each udon strand is so soft and chewy. You can tell they were made fresh and with care. The chicken skins were also really good. Toward the last ¼ of my bowl, the udon was getting a bit heavy however. Next time, I plan on getting some of their rice bowls to share and cut the heaviness of the specialty udon dishes. I would definitely come back again. Their food is just too unique and flavorful not to.