Marugame Udon - San Francisco

We came here for an early dinner and the queue moved quite fast (max 5min). I was craving for some fish roe udon so ordered the mentai (large) and it was delicious! We also ordered the tonkotsu and it was tasty too! After not eating out for a long time, I do find the taste to be a tad saltier than I'd like. The layout of the restaurant has a more food court feel inside. There's plenty of seating inside and out. We didn't get any tempura because the batter seemed quite thick. Will definitely come back if it is not too busy.

So we finally tried out this hyped hand-made udon shop. All of my family loves udon so we were in high hopes. The long line in front was quite a discouraging start and they could've definitely employed more technology to not have people shiver outside. Fortunately it wasn't too cold but again, no one loves standing in lines. The line did move at a brisk pace though. However, all was forgiven when I saw the actually freshly pulled udons, then gently boiled and prepared. I loved the limited menu choices as that typically shows efficiency and focus. All the udon bowls start with the noodle as a base, adding in a soy dashi concentrate which in turn makes it a bit on the saltier side. These udons aren't the ones with abundance in soup. The soup is just enough to keep the udon dipped, just for the flavor. Either way, it was quite tasty. They didn't go small on the beef on top as well. Another highlight was the potato croquettes. Very well fried and the inside was super soft. But these turned out more to be on the blander side. The original chain and intentions of the store brand was clearly felt. But I do believe whoever is running this branch needs to make sure it doesn't drift too far. Yes, it is udon prepared like fast food, and it does a way better job providing a hearty meal at a reasonable price. Hence the 5 stars. Now, are they the best udon in the world? Definitely not by far. Are they worth the fast food experience? Absolutely yes.

Great staff who were helpful even during busy lines and amazing good with generous portion for a decent price mark. This was my second time eating here the the quality of the food and service was just as good. Specifically for the tempuras, the consistency in quality of the fry batter, the meat cut, and ingredients themselves, help contrast and complement the main udon dish. Very rewarding after good amount of exercise

Went here for some warm soup and ordered the curry udon. Udon noodles were nice and chewy, and the broth was savory— 4/5. Of the previous times I’ve been here, I ordered the Nikutama udon which tastes more flavorful.

On the more expensive side if you get the meat bowls but that was a darn good broth. Delicious and crispy Tempura. Very quick and efficient staff, was already sat down and eating only 5 minutes into walking in.