Hands-Down Best Udon Restaurant in London

?? We visited the newly opened Marugame Udon in London! If you didn’t know, this is a MASSIVE chain in Japan – that must be a good sign right? Luckily London is the chosen location for their first European restaurant ??.

? The first thing you notice on arrival? The huge queues. However due to the fast service, this moves quicker than you would expect. And the food tastes better if you’ve waited for it right? ?

? We were shown around by the restaurant manager and a couple of things stood out for us. (1) all of the machinery to make the Udon is imported from Japan and (2) All of the flour to make the Udon is imported from Japan. So there is a big emphasis on bringing the true Japanese experience to London. Our verdict on this? Read on to find out later in our review ?.

HOW IT WORKS:
?‍? As you walk in, you are welcomed with an open kitchen showcasing the chefs at work, creating your Udon noodle with expert speed. We ordered a Pork Tonkotsu, Katsu Curry, and Kamaage and it was on our tray within a minute.
? After collecting your Udon, you move on to the self service Tempura station. All the tempura is freshly fried here and you can see the chefs renew the stock with high frequency.
? After this is the drinks/desserts and payment. Within the restaurant is also the self service condiment station which includes a great selection of sauces such as tonkatsu sauce and Japanese mayo. There is tempura batter as well! All of this is free of charge and self service. You’ll also find the self service soft serve ice cream station here if you have opted for the bottomless soft serve dessert option.

THE FOOD:
? Now that’s the ordering experience done… how did we think of the food? In one word – exceptional. ?
? The Udon is all freshly made on site (literally as you are waiting to order). It has a fantastic texture as your bite and slurp it up. The broth and sauce from the Tonkotsu and Katsu curry were delicious. If you want to get the most out of tasting the brilliant textures, our suggestion is to go with the Kamaage option which is simply the Udon and some dipping dashi. Keeping it simple and tasty.
? The chicken from the Katsu curry was some of the crispiest we’ve ever experienced! And we’ve had our fair share of chicken Katsu!
? We fell in love with the Matcha coconut soft serve ice cream… and the best part is it is bottomless!

? All in all we had a fantastic experience here where the food is faultless and the value is unparalleled. As authentic as you would get in Japan? We’d say it’s the closest we’ve come for Udon in London.?

*PR invite

? Liverpool Street Station
? £4-8 per Udon bowl