Menya Hanabi - The Original Nagoya Mazesoba

Menya Hanabi is located in the Vons plaza of Arcadia, with plenty of parking available. There was a waitlist when I arrived, but the restaurant has a good number of tables, so the wait wasn't too long.I ordered the Deluxe Nagoya Mazesoba for $18.49 and the Black Garlic Shio Ramen for $14.49. The menu primarily focuses on mazesoba, rice bowls, and ramen, along with a selection of appetizers and side dishes. I highly recommend the mazesoba--it was generously portioned and tasted even better with a dash of vinegar. However, the ramen was underwhelming, and I wouldn't recommend it, especially with better ramen options nearby.Ordering is done via a QR code on your phone, but no one explained the process to us, and the staff seemed extremely busy. The turnaround time for food was slower than expected. The restaurant only accepts credit cards, so keep that in mind. It's not the best spot for large groups, as the seating setup is better suited for smaller parties.The ambiance was casual, with rap music playing in the background. One interesting touch was the wall description detailing the origin of Nagoya Mazesoba, which added some cultural context to the dish. Despite the minor service hiccups, I would definitely return for the mazesoba.

Sat at the bar for dinner and had no wait and got to watch the cooks mix up noodles! I wasn't that hungry so I got one step below the deluxe with Cha siu and broth. I like how they had to explain on the menu not to add the broth to the mazesoba..I ordered the chicken karage to share and it was delicious fried, larger pieces than expected and cooked perfectly not dry at all. Noodles have a delightful chewy bounce and since I didn't get spicy liked that they had chill power and vinegar out on the tables so you can add to your taste. Key is to mix everything up really well and at the end they also give a small scoop of rice to eat with any left over sauce/toppings.

Ordering is done through the qr code on the table. The server that was working that day was really informative and courteous.Deluxe Nagoya Mazesoba: The sauce was creamy and wasn't oily at all. I definitely enjoyed it more when I added the vinegar. It added some sweetness and another depth to the flavor. Noodles were bouncy. Char siu was more on the tougher side. I ordered the spicy version and it was very tolerable/mild to me. Once you are done with the noodles you can ask for a free bowl of rice to finish up the remaining sauce and minced pork.They have lots of seating options available from bar seating, tables and booth style sofa seats. On a Monday afternoon, there was no wait time and only a few people dining in. Lots of free parking.

I have now visited several times and I can't get enough. The noodles become creamy and comforting once you stir everything together. If wanted to reach a dish to soothe me, fill me, make me feel hugged, this is it. Waits can be a bit long because it is quite popular and there's fairly limited seating. Service was standard. Can't wait to go back again.

I've been coming to this place since high school, and it's always been a great spot.I recently stopped by for dinner after more than a year, and my boyfriend and I ordered the deluxe and original Nagoya mazesoba--both were delicious! We also got a side of karaage and spicy edamame. The chicken was excellent--juicy and tender--but the spicy edamame tasted different from what I remember. I believe they now use Zindrew's spicy chili oil for flavor, which I didn't love since it's something I could easily make at home.A few bites into our meal, I was reminded why I hadn't been back in over a year. While the flavors are bold and delicious, the dish can feel quite heavy and overwhelming due to how rich and decadent it is. My boyfriend even got a headache afterward, which might have been due to the oil or the overall fattiness of the meal. It's definitely a matter of personal preference, but worth noting. Honestly, I probably won't be back for another year.The total came out to around $70, which felt reasonable for the amount of food we ordered. On a Friday night, the wait was about 25 minutes. They've also introduced a new ordering system--you place your order on your phone, and the servers only come around to drop off food and refill items if needed.Overall, it's a decent spot in the 626 if you're craving something savory and indulgent--but be prepared for a rich, heavy meal.

I have been eyeing this spot for YEARS now, and finally got the opportunity to stop by for their mazesoba. To my surprise, they also have several mentaiko mayo items on the menu. My family tried a few and loved all of them! I recommend the Mentai Mayo Takoyaki especially. The Deluxe Nagoya Mazesoba had everything! Poached egg, soft boiled egg, chashu, and a bunch of minced pork too! Lots of protein and equally as much noodles (which were cooked perfectly). They more you eat, the more oil and saltiness coats the noodles. Rice is recommended to soak up the sauce! So yummy and worth the price.Wasn't busy at all on a Monday evening :) Order via Toast Tab QR code and staff comes by to assist with rice refills, etc.

Every time we pass by this place, there's usually a line. Came on Wednesday late afternoon and there was no line so we decided to give it a try. When we got there and sat down for a few mins not knowing how to order. Then the waiter looked over and said the menus under the table. I'm like huh? Under the table? She looked at me as if I was stupid or something lmfao. How am I suppose to know there's a QR scan menu attached under the table???Anyways, we ordered the original and the deluxe. The only difference was the deluxe came w chashu and a cold hard boiled egg. The chashu was dry and tough to chew. Overall it's very flavorful when mixed altogether. However, there's a lot of oil drenched in this which you'll see when you get to the bottom of the bowl. With all that garlic in there, my breath smelled horrendous after. I should've requested for less garlic. Would I have waited on a line to eat this? Prob not.

Yelp check-in = One free topping, we each got corn.Quality/Quantity - The Original Nagoya Mazesoba - Our usual order. Usually my favorite, but I actually enjoyed the other two dishes more!! Mentaiko Cream Mazesoba - I am not a cream sauce guy, but this dish was a home run. I especially liked the caviar, fish eggs, for that additional texture. My favorite of the dishes.Tan Tan Mazesoba - A Japanese version of Tan Tan noodles. This dish was fairly spicy, but in a good way. My second favorite dish. Actually, we ended up combining this with the original to make this dish more mild and to give the original more flavor. Win/Win.Then we added the second course of rice to the sauce and brought it home for a second meal.Atmosphere - Small location, counter or table seating.Got lucky and got the last 3 counter seats here.As you can tell from my picture when we left, there was a long waiting list.Open kitchen.One unisex restroom.Open 6 days a week from 11:30am to 8:30pm; closed Tuesdays. Website's hours differs slightly.Limited mall parking, be safe. See pictures.Then we walked to Daiso and discovered a huge empty parking lot. We will park here in the future. Service - QR code ordering, but due to Yelp's check-in for a free topping, there was also some manual help/service. Overall service was good, from the waitress to the guys helping us in the kitchen across from our counter seating. Oh be careful, due to the open kitchen, there can be splashes.Price - $50 + tip.Owner Comment - Congrats on your company's success since 2008. And in 2019 with your two USA locations. Curious, how many locations do you have in Japan?

I finally got to try this place after ordering something similar back in Boston and actually enjoyed it. Parking was easy to find, it's in a huge plaza. My bf and I got there a little after they opened on Saturday, we immediately got seated at the front of the restaurant. The tables were almost full. There is a QR code that is dangling off of the table to browse the menu and put in the order. We ordered the monster fries, chashu Nagoya and the deluxe Nagoya. After what seems like an eternity, the first of the food came out in after 25 minutes. Fries were underwhelming, there was no flavor on the fries and the oil was sitting at the bottom of the bowl. The cheese wasn't melted. The karaage was the item providing the flavor, second was the pork. I lowkey wanted to ask for ketchup. Nagoya mazesoba comes out maybe 10 minutes after the fries. I knew after the first bite I took, it wasn't satisfying. I knew I was going to struggle to finish it and boy, I did. I think the flavor was too creamy and it felt heavy, especially with how oily and shiny the noodles were. I think every component was overpowering like too much scallions, too much fish powder. After trying to douse it with vinegar to cut the fattiness (which I felt didn't do much), I finished it. My bf couldn't tackle the rest, the heavy oil was making him nauseous. They usually ask if you want rice to mix with any sauce that is left at the bottom of the bowl, but we declined and got the heck out of there. When I went home, I felt so thirsty and kept chugging water the rest of the night. The food is too oily and heavy. I feel that they could incorporate other flavors like yuzu which is why I liked the previous mazesoba I tried before. Their vinegar does nothing. I felt bad because the food was not great and it was something I was looking forward to, and it made my bf's stomach hella upset. I would've been mad upset if I had to wait to be seated and then had that experience. Menya Hanabi, you were a no for me.

As great as Mazesoba is, it is sadly not as ubiquitous as its soupy counterpart, so I was excited to see a highly raved about Mazesoba place in the Arcadia area. Place has both table and bar seating and ordering is done on a QR code where you can keep the tab open until the end of the meal which is quite convenient.Chashu Nagoya Mazesoba ($16.49) - Fulfilled everything I wanted in a bowl of Mazesoba. Stacked with green onions, 2 fatty pieces of chashu (maybe woulda liked a little more of a smoky flavor), and a deliciously rich sauce coating the chewy noodles. I'm not sure if their vinegar is in house, but it's fantastic to add on. And if you want some more spice in addition they have chili powder available.