Azuki Handmade Japanese Udon Noodles

TLDR: Amazing noodles. Mid beef currySaturday 3/30/24 ~12:17pm, 25 min 26 sec waitlist (for 1), 14 min order-to-bowl~~~~~~~~~ Beef Curry Udon ~~~~~~~~~Final Score: 5.365/10(9.2/10) Noodles: Top Tier udon noodles. This Is what they're known for. It's the namesake of the restaurant and they deliver. The udon noodles were extra thiccccc.and had the "made-fresh" texture and cook. Some of the most bouncy, textury noodles I've had. Cooked perfectly. Great feel in the mouth. They were drowned in curry sauce, so it was a little hard to detect any flavor the noodles had on their own. A lighter broth may have let them shine even more. Good stuff. No complaints.(5.0/10) Broth: Straight out of the box curry broth. The broth was pure Japanese-style curry mix, likely a Golden Curry or generic S&B brand pre mix. I've definitely tasted this exact flavor at home from my own stove top. Nothing wrong with it, those boxed curries are tasty, but even in the "pre-made" category it fall short of a Coco-Ichiban curry udon sauce. It's fine. It tastes exactly like beef curry. Some of their lighter broths, or cream-based fish broths would have been far more interesting.(4.0/10) Egg: A standard soft (slightly under) boiled egg. No seasoning. Just an egg cracked straight into the bowl. Soley exists to pop the yolk and make the broth even thicker. Nothing wrong with the egg itself, but, since the beef curry bowl is already a super rich and thick pure-curry mix, you really don't need any egg-yolk richness. Would have been perfectly fine without it and maybe tipped the bowl into over-rich territory.(3.5/10) Meat: The main meat consisted of thin slices of fatty beef. There was a good amount of meat volume-wise, but the quality of meat was average at best. It felt like slices of generic hot-pot thin-sliced beef thrown into the boxed curry mix. The fat / meat ratio was a little high. The meat slices were clearly left to over-boil and became chewy. The flavor relied purely on the box curry broth. No extra prep on the meat itself. It didn't taste bad. Just the meat portion of a generic Japanese curry.(3.0/10) Misc Toppings: A small amount of arugula for color. Better than having a ton of filler (bean sprouts) but there was something missing from the bowl. It was all one note curry + udon. No change in taste or texture. Some tempura bits would have been great. Some garlic chips or green onions would add a little extra crunch and flavor. The single-note of the bowl is much more apparent when the serving size is as gigantic as Azuki's.(3.9/10) Other: A comically large bowl of udon. Great noodles. Absolutely average-at-best secondary components. The noodles are strong enough to warrant another visit for their more traditional bowls / other options. I wish they offered an extra small size. One bowl is enough for two people. It may not be worth the wait on a weekend, but a weekday no-wait lunch would be interesting. ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~*Weighted Scoring Formula: Noodles (25%), Broth (25%), Egg (15%), Meat (15%), Misc Top. (10%), Other (10%)Parking: Lots of street parking available.Service: Busy, but efficient.Other: They leave the door open so it can get chilly. 1 gender-neutral bathroom

This is a lovely hole in the wall that serves GIANT bowls of hand made noodles. Although seating was limited, we were able to grab a table because we went on a weekday night. Food was all delicious. That mackerel sushi was SO fresh. I don't like mackerel much due to the fishiness but THAT dish was so amazing and fresh, I highly recommend everyone to try it! Will definitely be back!

This place had been on my list for a long time. Finally was able to try them this past Sunday we were in Madrona and decided to come for lunch. One of the three of is had been. We got here about 11:45 and were the third group in line as they open at noon. The individual letting us in and taking orders was very informative and explained the chef was running a little late. Though I thought the food came out at a timely manner. The two newbies one being me went with the Hotate Wakame our other friend had the Ryuuji's Tokumori. In ordered the beef tataki salad to share, another friend ordered the fresh crab rolland the other friend ordered the sale donburi. I've always been a bigger fan if udon over ramen and being a Japanese American it's always nice to find a place that serves Japanese food that is not ramen or sushi. They start you off with a small portion chawanmushi perfectly cooked. Dashi in the chawanmushi was delicious. Each bowl of udon comes with grated ginger, tsukemono and a light dessert of azuki jelly. I read online that the area the owner is from adds grated ginger to their udon I had never heard of that and it was a nice addition. My friend's sake donbori looked delicious and she enjoyed it immensely. My other friends crab roll came out last but it was so good real crab no mayonnaise with lettuce in rice and nori very refreshing and the lettuce added a nice texture. I thought the beef on my salad would've been a little more rare when I think of tataki I think raw to rare thinly sliced beef. The flavor was still good and we needed some freshness for our meal. Now the udon, the noodles are hand made and had the perfect chew. Looking at the menu each type of udon had a broth that highlighted its ingredients. The Hotate Wakame: Seared Hokkaido scallop and Wakame seaweed with crab egg flower soup, hint of butter. Though it had the butter it was flavorful but not heavy. Really enjoyed the depth of flavor the broth had and the texture from the corn. I ended up eating all my scallops but brought home leftover noodle and broth for lunch the next day it held ip well. Looking forward to returning and trying the yuzu udon next time.

I've been back a few times since my previous review and I'm very happy to share that there's been improvement in several fronts. I've only witnessed calm behavior from the kitchen, and there seem to be more chefs in the back so the food is coming out much faster. The flies are gone. Phew. The food is still great and there are even some new dishes on the menu. I especially enjoy the combos and the lunch specials.

Wow what a find in Madison valley. We've been here a few times. This is a hole in the wall with authentic seating amd it made feel like I was somewhere in Tokyo. There's a steady line of Asian locals coming in. All a good sign.It's a simple place with the menu up on the wall and then some specials. Just grab a table, order and pay at the counter. And then wait to be delighted. the handmade udon noodles are terrific. We stuck with the classics. The tempura udon is great. The soup is not too salty. We appreciated this was "head on shrimp". Not for the inexperienced but great. The bowls are huge so we often split one. The curry classic is great as is the beef udon. There are authentic "saki in a can" treats here as well.Overall the perfect place on a cold seattle day to grab a bowl of noodles and Slurp.

This place was always closed when I was in the neighborhood but I always curious since I have a love of udon.But when I was in town, a friend said we should go and I did. Now I regret all the times I haven't gone.Cause here is the thing. It is a cozy space (we were lucky that we came early enough so we could get a tables that fit 5 of us). The menu was primarily on a chalkboard (paper copies were available at the counter). And there is only one bathroom. It is definitely a no frills place. But this has been a great food experience. For the price and what you get from the meal, it is worth it. I shared a Kaisen Chanpon (Salmon, bay scallops, shrimp, calamari, Manila clams, fish cake and vegetables served in a creamy broth) and a special of salmon karaage. The udon came with a side of wasabi, an egg custard and a dessert of red beans (one per order). The salmon collar was perfectly crispy with its skin and the meat was flavorful. Adding the lemon juice really complemented it. The udon was plentiful and had a lot of seafood. And it satisfied me and a friend. Added with the free hot tea, I ended up feeling fulfilled on a cold night. If I ever end up in Madison again, it is most likely to come back here.

Very good and authentic Japanese udon and other foods. We both had the Niku Udon which was definitely delicious but could maybe have a little more umami to it. Enormous bowl. I also have the Jakomeshi as an appetizer and it was certainly not for those who don't enjoy whole anchovies. I guess I am now an "expert" Several beverages to choose from and went with the ready cup sake.

I finally had the chance to try this place out. Udon has always been a personal favorite, so any new udon spot instantly piques my interest. This particular restaurant isn't very close to downtown, which made getting here a bit of a challenge, but we eventually made the trek, and it was quite an experience.Upon entering, I noticed that the restaurant was quite small and stuffy, with no air conditioning or airflow. The entire place felt humid, making it uncomfortable to sit inside, so we opted for outdoor seating.This is the kind of place where you order at the counter before choosing your own table. They have a self-service water and tea station, and the menu is posted outside with some specials listed inside the restaurant.The restroom was a bit of a letdown with multiple live flies buzzing around - I counted at least six during my visit. This didn't leave a great impression and raised concerns about the overall hygiene of the place.We decided to order the beef udon and the Yuzu Shio udon. Both dishes had their merits. The beef udon had a rich beef flavor with just the right level of saltiness. It came with niku (beef), pickled cabbage, tofu skin, and green onions, along with an unwanted fly. The Yuzu Shio chicken udon had a zesty lemon flavor, a soft-boiled egg, chicken thigh, and green onion. We found the yuzu dish's flavor more appealing, although both were tasty.Unfortunately, the seating options presented a dilemma. It was either endure the stifling indoor environment with buzzing flies or opt for outdoor seating with leaves falling into your food and numerous flies around. We chose the latter to avoid sweating, even though the weather was a comfortable 65°F.In summary, the food was delicious, earning a 5/5 for taste, especially considering the generous portions and reasonable prices. However, the dining experience and hygiene left a bad taste, earning a 2/5. I might consider returning if they improve these aspects.

Finally get to try it out on a weekday. The udon is so chewy and soft and the broth is super good. We got Chawanmushi and azuki jelly as side dishes, which is kind of a surprise. I love to come back there again.The store may be a bit humid but it's perfect for us since it was cold and rainy outside.

A few weeks back, my boyfriend and I finally decided to make the trip to try Azuki! Many people know and love this spot in the Seattle community, so I was excited to try it out. This restaurant is nestled in a small row of buildings on Madison St, and can get really busy! They have limited seating, during our visit we had to wait around 45 mins when we came a bit after lunch opening. I took a look online to get a brief idea of Azuki's history and their chef/owner is from Kagawa prefecture. This area is well known for their udon noodles, which inspired him to want to bring udon to the Seattle community. We tried the Saba Sushi ($15), Ryuji's Tokumori ($30) and the Tomato Niku-Tama ($24.5) during our visit. The saba sushi was made of marinated mackerel on sushi rice with ginger-scallion topping. The mackerel was super fresh and not fishy at all. The ginger and scallion topping paired perfectly and provided a refreshing taste. As for the udon dishes, the noodles had the perfect texture (which makes sense since they're made in house). The broth tastes very clean and light and I felt like it was more flavored by the toppings that came with the respective combinations. Although the food was good, I didn't feel like I was blown away and I think it was slightly overhyped personally. It was comforting though and definitely worth a try. I would suggest stopping by, supporting and giving it a try for yourself!