Marugame Monzo

I recently dined at Marugame Monzo in Little Tokyo and was thoroughly impressed by their udon noodles. Cooked to perfection, the noodles had an ideal texture that complemented the rich broth exceptionally well. The ambiance of the restaurant adds to the experience, making it a delightful spot for udon enthusiasts. While the uni udon was a unique twist, I found the uni flavor to be somewhat subtle. I expected a more pronounced sea urchin taste, but it didn't quite meet my expectations. Additionally, the portions were on the smaller side. Despite these minor drawbacks, the overall dining experience at Marugame Monzo was exceptional. The diverse menu, friendly staff, and the standout udon noodles make it a must-visit for anyone exploring in Little Tokyo.

Mentai cream udon to the moon. Simply delicious. Love the noodle thickness and texture mixed with the creamy soup. Wait may be long but food was quick and it’s worth it. The space in the restaurant is quite limited and they will sometime have you share a table with another group (especially if your a pair), but they do their best to give you the privacy you need with a screen in between.

Visited this udon spot on a Tuesday late afternoon. My partner ordered the sea urchin udon and I ordered the duck nanban udon with takoyaki on the side. The food met our expectations for what udon should taste like, but there wasn’t anything particularly special about the flavor itself. The service was great, and I would recommend stopping by to try their signature/cream-based udon.

So while I was waiting for my friend to park the car. I went inside around 8:25 and informed the waiter that if we can't stay to eat because all party members have to be here we can just take out. The guy said he would make an exception if we arrived during closing time and still serve us. I have worked in the restaurant industry, always hated the last minute orders so of course I would never do it at any other establishment. I think he spoke to the manager because they told me it's okay. So service was a 5 for me. Luckily my friend found parking and head in at 8:40. I ordered the pork curry udon. Typically japanese curry is heavy and udon was filling. Was it worth it? Yeah it was. My friend ordered the Japanese mapo tofu udon, he can't eat spicy but apparently it was really good. Food was 5 for me. Didn't think curry and Udon would work. Atmosphere: it's very chill and the choice of music was upbeat techno. I like it. I appreciated their service and humility. I bowed at them when I left. Worth going to. If there was a next time I would like to try their Uni cream udon. (visiting from NYC. I apologize for the long review)

While travelling and waiting out the hurricane/storm in Japanese village plaza we started to get hungry. Surprisingly the majority of the eateries inside the plaza were empty. I figured it was due to the storm but as I read the reviews this doesn’t seem to be the case. Marugame had a bunch of great reviews and as we made our way there it was definitely popular. Just imagine getting a weather advisory on you phone and still seeing a line-up outside. Well we ended up waiting about 30 minutes and finally got a seat. Unfortunately, none of us were in the mood to try their house specialty because of allergies and such. But the stuff we ordered was fantastic. I definitely recommend the fried chicken and almost any udon.