Nate C

Fast service and great prices for Udon noodles! Stopped by for a weekend dinner which usually means long lines. However, their counter service is pretty quick. This also means they can turn tables faster than most restaurants because customers and not waiting for food service plus checkout is done before sitting. Family enjoyed the large bowls of beef udon. Would like to go bacl again.

+4

Janet Li

What a perfect place to have dinner at on a cold day! We ordered the regular Nikutama with a side of steamed veggie and squid tempura and a large Tonkotsu with a side of squid and shrimp tempura. Both udon bowls were delicious, but the squid tempura was a bit softer than expected. I probably won’t order that again next time. It was my first time here and I thought the wait would be super long, but from ordering to seating only took about 15 minutes. I love the self-serve station with the sauces and water. I’ll definitely visit again!

Jeff Tong

Get a regular, larges are pretty big. Wonderfully chewy udon and soothing soup. The little additional appetizer pieces are also delightful. The croquettes are smooth and soft inside while still crunchy on the outside. The roe adds a nice saltiness to the mix but they no longer offer it. Service is fast. The atmosphere is lively.

+5

Larissa M

First time having udon and it did not disappoint. This place was recommended to me by multiple people and had to try it out. I love the cafeteria style setup. There was a line out the door of like 50 people when I left so that's how you know a place is good! Get there early for dinner if you don't want to wait long, but they move through the line pretty quickly. Although Udon is their speciality, they have multiple pieces of tempura which you can individually purchase, I got the zucchini one and it was my favorite. You get your water cups, to go containers, and sauces all towards the back at the counter. I love that it's all together. For my Udon, I went with the miso udon with beef but you can also make that one into a vegan option if you'd like. Just request it. Street parking down Sawtelle Ave.

+3

A Sawtelle staple. Delicious udon with so many tempura options, but you can certainly rack up a bill by trying too many... There's often a line out the door, but it moves pretty quick. They put toget…

A Sawtelle staple. Delicious udon with so many tempura options, but you can certainly rack up a bill by trying too many... There's often a line out the door, but it moves pretty quick. They put tog…

Japantown is renowned for its excellent restaurants, dessert shops, and other attractions. While I've been to this area a few times, I've never had the chance to visit this restaurant until now. I …

Always a good spot for comfort food; flavorful broth, perfectly cooked udon noodles, and a variety of side dishes to complete the meal.

Same as the one in Waikiki delicious I would definitely recommend this place. The prices are solid.

So good. I am obsessed with the tomatama beef wow. I would definitely come back to this location. This location is spacious and also super clean.

Marugame always has generous portions and a clean consistent experience. The udon is always 10/10. I tried the new curry udon with tomato and I highly recommend it.

Such a tasty go-to. parking is a little tricky to find in the area though, but that's not Marugame's fault haha

Great food and wonderful service! Love the drinks and the little samples they gave us.

The food is good for the price. The service is fast, friendly and professional. finding parking is an issue, but otherwise the location is central and easily accessible

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.

A popular ramen joint in LA's Japantown. My partner and I ordered: tonkotsu udon ($13.95) 4.5/5 nikutama udon ($13.95) 4/5 Shrimp and squid tempura ($2.25 each) 4/5. Pros: - A line can form, but moves quickly. - The tonkotsu pork broth was very flavorful and noodles cooked well. - Lots of tables, but can fill up if busy. - Friendly staff. Cons: - No parking lot, only street parking. After 8:00pm, street parking is free. There is a parking garage about 2 blocks away where Marshall's is, but not sure if it's free. I highly recommend their ramen and I will return!

Sky Thai

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.

The Baseline

The Baseline: For an Udon restaurant, the noodles must be fresh, cooked with consistency in softness attributed to thicker noodles, broth must be tasty with a light umami flavor, accompaniment additions must match with the style of an udon Japanese cafe/restaurant, and the plating (bowling) must have good presentation. Food: The Kake Udon had a very nice fish based broth that complimented the udon noodles that had a good consistency. The times I had to “slurp” the noodles had a great taste as the broth adhered to the noodle. All add ins are presented at the time of order and the noodles are quick prepared in front of you as the order is made. All tempura items are presented Japanese cafeteria style and you select each of them with tongs by the items (be clean and respectful when selecting items please). Once you pay for your food there is a service bar with sauces and spicy add ins along with a water station. Service: Great service with fresh prepared udon. Staff was friendly and helpful. Self service areas are intuitive and the flow works for the restaurant. Ambiance: This restaurant fits in with the Japantown Sawtelle vibe. The Japanese cafeteria style is fun and inviting. Relatively clean bathrooms and the seating area was well serviced.

+7

Christina W.

My first time trying a customizable udon spot and it’s quite fun! I had a hard time choosing the soup base but ended up picking the tan tan. The soup was so red I was worried it’d be extremely spicy but thankfully it wasn’t. Udon was solid quite happy with my meal.

Max M

Good spot for udon, lots of different choices toppings and ingredients. Can order regular or large, photos show regular size (plenty). As you work your way through the restaurant to pay you have the opportunity to buy several other items, all freshly made. Good selection of drinks. They have a bagging area if you order there and dedicated section for phone order pickup. It's a busy area but worth it. Recommended.

+18

Casual cafeteria-style chain serving udon and tempura, perfect for larger groups with different tastes.\n\n4/5 Beef tomatama curry udon (seasonal) - Not spicy at all! The thin beef slices, stewed tom…

Basically, the order process is that you tell them what number you want and then you grab tempura and other add-ons. \n\n24, Beef, tomato, egg: 9/10\n5, Creamy tonkatsu chashu: 7/10 (chashu tasted we…

Basically, the order process is that you tell them what number you want and then you grab tempura and other add-ons. \n\n24, Beef, tomato, egg: 9/10\n5, Creamy tonkatsu chashu: 7/10 (chashu tasted …

Came over for lunch on a Saturday. Place was busy but line moved fast. The place was clean and prices were fair. Parking a bit of a challenge but expected in the Sawtelle area.

Came over for lunch on a Saturday. Place was busy but line moved fast. The place was clean and prices were fair. Parking a bit of a challenge but expected in the Sawtelle area.

Came over for lunch on a Saturday. Place was busy but line moved fast. The place was clean and prices were fair. parking a bit of a challenge but expected in the Sawtelle area.

Marugame is always solid, but I feel like the menu has changed a lot over time, and I miss the old tonkotsu udon. Nowadays, I think the $10 deal with kake or bk and tempura is more worth it than th…

Pretty consistent and delicious. I love the curry and the beef udon the most but they all look good and are priced well. Flavors are very good and not too salty/bland and the portions are deceptive…

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 …

The food here was amazing and very flavorful. The Nikutama and gyozas were my favorite. I look forward to going back soon to try more things off their menu. All this food plus drinks was about $50.…

A popular ramen joint in LA's Japantown. My partner and I ordered: tonkotsu udon ($13.95) 4.5/5 nikutama udon ($13.95) 4/5 Shrimp and squid tempura ($2.25 each) 4/5. Pros: - A line can form, but mo…

A popular ramen joint in LA's Japantown. My partner and I ordered: tonkotsu udon ($13.95) 4.5/5 nikutama udon ($13.95) 4/5 shrimp and squid tempura ($2.25 each) 4/5. Pros: - A line can form…

A popular ramen joint in LA's Japantown. My partner and I ordered: tonkotsu udon ($13.95) 4.5/5 nikutama udon ($13.95) 4/5 shrimp and squid tempura ($2.25 each) 4/5. Pros: - A line can form, …

Eddie C

It looks amazing and I rate this bowl ( the #1) a 7/10 not bad but it’s not something I’d get regularly. I’ll be going back to try something different very soon. The atmosphere is nice and busy. Kinda feels like you’re in a Japan and I like that.

Ipek Kahraman

While the food here was good, the service was shockingly rude and completely ruined the experience. Another customer cut in front of me in line, and instead of addressing it, the employee working (tall, wearing a red bandana) claimed he never saw me and proceeded to call me a derogatory name. There was absolutely no apology or accountability for this disrespect. It’s a shame that such poor treatment tainted what could have been a decent meal.

The quality of the noodle has really gone down. They have precooked, proportioned noodle set aside ready to just warm up in hot water which results in soggy, over cooked, noodle. Broth is watered d…