Marugame Udon

This place was great! Even with the large crowds and indoor noise. (The lines go quick). I thoroughly enjoyed my curry udon soup with beef and all of the add-ons such as the shrimp and sweet potato tempura, chicken katsu, and gyoza. I recommend going at lunch or early on weekends to avoid the crowds.

Sara T

They have this new item on the menu. Tomatama curry udon. I really like it! It's a good balance of tomatoe and curry flavor.

Kenneth Tong

3.1.25 Long awaited opening finally here! Love how they've transformed this location which used to be Panera. It is now so bright and spacious, compared to the slightly tight and dim feeling that it used to be. Makes this space much more inviting. There's lots of seating indoors and outdoors. Service was smooth and efficient. Wonder if line will get longer as people start coming throughout this week and into weekend. Calamansi drink was refreshing! Not too sweet and not too tart. Tempura (chicken katsu, tomagoyaki and gyoza) were all yummy. Not dripping with oil which means it was cooked when oil was sufficiently hot enough. It was definitely an improvement here compared to the Berkeley location that has become very oily that we generally forgo their tempura now. Lastly the three different bowls of udon we had were umami! We finished three bowls completely including the soup/gravy to the last drop. Udon texture is an improvement from Berkeley, but compared to Waikiki, Oahu, still missing the slightly chewy texture that takes udon to the next level. Making noodle is an art so hopefully Alameda location can continue to improve. We will be back now that it's 3x closer to us. 3.9.25 Decided to try their online ordering and take out today. Food was ready within 10 minutes! This is awesome. Food tasted just like in the restaurant - delicious! Only downside that may have been overlooked is the quantity of broth. We ordered 2 large nikutama udon and the portion of noodles and beef was good except that the broth was a little too little (see included picture with this review). So we made a little broth to go with it so that we have enough. Hopefully the restaurant can continue to improve and make sure this is resolved next time - I'll share again when I do take out.

Nancy C.

I'm super excited for Marugame Udon to finally open at the former Panera Bread. The closest one near me is the Berkeley location. Since today was the grand opening, to-go orders were a bit longer, but it was very organized since it was so busy. The staff were awesome and totally worked their butt off. I loved that they gave out free drink samples while in line outside. I did lined up before realizing I could just order it to go and went straight inside.. I ordered from the Marugame Udon app, which was very easy to use. I ordered the Tan Tan Udon, Curry Nikutama, and Nikutama. The Curry Nikutama was very delicious and consistency on point. The sweetness from the sweet beef and the savoriness from the curry sauce, this delicious blend is a perfect balance! 😋 I love how they labeled and sticker each item in my to-go bag! This was a very well organized event! Great job to all the workers there. They cleaned every table anytime someone leaves, and the workers go around greeting the customers. Also, I was able to chat with a bunch of random people here. They were all very friendly! It was a great experience! Of course, I'll wait it out. I would go back again and again!

Ryoto Matsumoto

I love this restaurant and I have visited other places that have udon. I decided to check it out because I haven’t seen this restaurant for several months with my family. I knew that I have to get it before too many crowds. I was surprised it was not that many people. I suggest anyone to try it and see the service. I enjoyed it.

Wesley

Super tasty udon noodles! Service is quick and you eat within five minutes after stepping in. The chicken tempura may look over fried but it’s actually cooked perfectly and not dry. The ice matcha could use some more BAM as in more matchaness but it’s not bad. There’s lots of parking in the lot and you can window shop to walk off the tasty food you just ate.

Joshua McCauley

Great location for this fast casual chain. The udon was hearty, broth savory, and staff very nice and helpful. On par with fast casual udon joints in Japan. It was fun to come back after I received a free meal from participating in a new menu item test and review 😃

Albert Chan

Love this place because food is fast and delicious. Most important, our kids could eat udon all day every day.

Judy Bartlett

I was never a fan of udon before, but that changed today. This was SO great! Really nice people and amazing food! Don’t take my word for it. Just go try it. You will not be sorry!

Lindsay Wong

This place was great! Even with the large crowds and indoor noise. (The lines go quick). I thoroughly enjoyed my curry udon soup with beef and all of the add-ons such as the shrimp and sweet potato tempura, chicken katsu, and gyoza. I recommend going at lunch or early on weekends to avoid the crowds.

Majin Buu

Great flavored udon. Lots of seatings. Friendly staff.

Love the free kids udon bowl for our little one. The food is always great. Got secretly uncharged for veggies, would’ve loved if they told us, but besides that, everything greatZ

John Nunes

Food was very flavorful, price was right, and the staff treated us very nicely. They were very courteous and the atmosphere was very mellow. It made for a very delightful experience being that this was our first time patronizing this establishment.

Karena Hoang

Unlike the Honolulu location, there isn’t an-hour wait at this one 😄. Easy ordering and there are self serve stations for tempura, green onions, water and utensils. I usually get the Nikutama udon but I recently tried the creamy tonkotsu udon and both are good.

Fo Sho

Love the free kids udon bowl for our little one. The food is always great. Got secretly uncharged for veggies, would’ve loved if they told us, but besides that, everything greatZ

It’s a nice, clean Japanese noodle restaurant with a fast-food style setup. You stand in line, choose your noodle dish, and then take it to your table. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating. I ordered the beef tomataka noodles. The noodle quality was very good, but the sauce could have been more flavorful. If you want to add spice, there is an extra charge for the sauce.

Been to quite a few Maru in the bay but this new one was different. I missed the green onion and sauce bar. There was a limited amount of tempura options. I love the fact there are rice bowls now for the non udon diners. The chicken Katsu was perfectly fried and flavorful. The udons are still silky yet chewy here. The tempuras, I had the shrimp and sweet potato which were both good. This is a low key but super efficient restaurant with a quick fix for Lunch or dinner if you want an easy simple and delicious meal. I hope in the future they offer different tempura samples to customers to try before they buy. Might sell more tempuras this way. Follow me for more tasty places to try. @Only1ChristineLu

Lily Bloodworth

It’s a nice, clean Japanese noodle restaurant with a fast-food style setup. You stand in line, choose your noodle dish, and then take it to your table. They offer both indoor and outdoor seating. I ordered the beef tomataka noodles. The noodle quality was very good, but the sauce could have been more flavorful. If you want to add spice, there is an extra charge for the sauce.

C Lu

Been to quite a few Maru in the bay but this new one was different. I missed the green onion and sauce bar. There was a limited amount of tempura options. I love the fact there are rice bowls now for the non udon diners. The chicken Katsu was perfectly fried and flavorful. The udons are still silky yet chewy here. The tempuras, I had the shrimp and sweet potato which were both good. This is a low key but super efficient restaurant with a quick fix for Lunch or dinner if you want an easy simple and delicious meal. I hope in the future they offer different tempura samples to customers to try before they buy. Might sell more tempuras this way. Follow me for more tasty places to try. @Only1ChristineLu

This place is a chain-franchise business, and it was started in LA first, then moved to the Bay Area. Daly City and Bekelery has one as well. I was glad they opened at South Shore. I have tried their udon in different locations, so I had to give this place a try. The line was short during typical lunchtime hours. The prices are similar to other locations. We got Tan Tan and Curry with sweet potato, friend chicken, and fried eggs. All I could say was that everything here was quite medicore and didn't stand out much. The food and broth were at room temperature. The guy who scooped and placed broth in bowls, making some mess around the bowls and on the plate. A lot of improvement is needed. Their overall quality, I rated 3.3 out of 5, is just like other locations. I feel their franchise has gone downhill compared to when it was started.

B. Wai

This place is a chain-franchise business, and it was started in LA first, then moved to the Bay Area. Daly City and Bekelery has one as well. I was glad they opened at South Shore. I have tried their udon in different locations, so I had to give this place a try. The line was short during typical lunchtime hours. The prices are similar to other locations. We got Tan Tan and Curry with sweet potato, friend chicken, and fried eggs. All I could say was that everything here was quite medicore and didn't stand out much. The food and broth were at room temperature. The guy who scooped and placed broth in bowls, making some mess around the bowls and on the plate. A lot of improvement is needed. Their overall quality, I rated 3.3 out of 5, is just like other locations. I feel their franchise has gone downhill compared to when it was started.

I love marugame, but pretty disappointed with this Large Niku SOUP and curry udon we ordered from this location. I ordered take out and the small 16oz container that the broths came in were just under half full. The noodles were barely coated.

This restaurant doesn't inspect broken bowl, its should never leave the tray return area. It almost cut my kids finger. Gyozas are not hot and chewy. Chicken piece alsmot overfried.

It was a joke. Tons of noodles, barely any broth and 1 tablespoon of meat. I was basically eating soggy noodles. The only plus, the flavor was good.

Jonathan Dang

I love marugame, but pretty disappointed with this Large Niku SOUP and curry udon we ordered from this location. I ordered take out and the small 16oz container that the broths came in were just under half full. The noodles were barely coated.

Wei kian Ng

This restaurant doesn't inspect broken bowl, its should never leave the tray return area. It almost cut my kids finger. Gyozas are not hot and chewy. Chicken piece alsmot overfried.

Natalie Stones

It was a joke. Tons of noodles, barely any broth and 1 tablespoon of meat. I was basically eating soggy noodles. The only plus, the flavor was good.

Obviously, Its cooked with the same ingredients and the same recipe with the same instrument, but it tastes clearly different from other branches. Disappointed. Employee who works there are not focused on what the customer ordered. And even thought there was not enough stuff to put it but just put whatever left because he was lazy. Really need to improve and train all the employees. And please refund my valuable time and hunger that I was expect to come to Marugame that I known before.

Brian Kim

Obviously, Its cooked with the same ingredients and the same recipe with the same instrument, but it tastes clearly different from other branches. Disappointed. Employee who works there are not focused on what the customer ordered. And even thought there was not enough stuff to put it but just put whatever left because he was lazy. Really need to improve and train all the employees. And please refund my valuable time and hunger that I was expect to come to Marugame that I known before.

Pretty sure I got food poisoning or stomach bug from my dinner here on Thursday, 2/26. I had dinner around 7:15pm and woke up around 5am ill and vomited up the entire dinner, and spent the entire Friday bedridden and vomiting 3x more times. I had the curry nikutama ramen which included the poached egg (my suspicion on what caused it), and I also had shrimp (or this), zucchini, and pumpkin tempura. Please reconsider looking into food safety in your establishment as this was an absolutely unacceptable experience.