Marugame Monzo

If you've never tried this place, it should definitely be on your list to try. It's one of our top restaurants when we visit Little Tokyo, been coming here for years before the pandemic and I'm glad this place survived.The place is small, with outdoor seating available, Service is always fantastic and the wait isn't usually too long. Can be a little loud but it's part of the charm and ambianceI will say I miss the days when you can see the chefs preparing the udon in front of you. It was an art. Now I think everything is pre-prepared.The udon is cooked perfectly, never had an issueOur go-to dish is the Sea Urchin udon. Rich, creamy, and delicious uni cream sauce with actual uni you can eat by itself or mixed in. It's also surprisingly not too heavy of a dish so it's perfect to have anytime whereas the carbonara is just too heavy for us to have all the timeOpted for the beef udon with jidori egg udon. Cooked perfectly. Beef isn't too sweet with the broth and egg mixed in.Fried chicken skin is delicious. Personally I would ask for the sauce to be on the side to use for dipping as some pieces don't get enough sauce and some are drenched in it.As long as they're open, they'll always be one of our top options when we're in the area.

I came here on a Friday evening ~ 5:00pm and there was just a slight wait. The shop itself is pretty tightly packed & the servers were kind! + miso carbonara & mentai cream sauce: 8/10. comparing both of these dishes, i definitely preferred the mentai cream sauce udon more. the carbonara is a lot more cheesy if you're into that and has bacon pieces. if you like super creamy udon, both of these are good options though. my only critique is that the sauce was a bit watery for my taste. if anyone has had udon mugizo before, this is a comparable place, but i prefer udon mugizo :0 + beef soup udon: didn't eat much of this but supposedly it tastes like how a regular beef rice bowl tastes like, but w/ soup! the broth is flavorful on its own and it's not too heavy.

- fried chicken (4/5): very crispy, comes w a curry like powder & mayo? and a slice of lemon :) it was yummy and filling, had leftovers and would order again!- sea urchin udon (4/5) creamy, filling, a little watery tho, udon looked/felt handmade that i wasnt used to. a little different from normal store bought udonoverrall: came at 2pm on monday for lunch and it wasn't packed yet ! however as we ate, it did. i would come back to try other things it was yummy :-) seats/tables r very close to one another with plastic dividers/barriers separating tables. was cozy and nice servers.

I've been here a few times and always had a nice experience! Today, we waited for about 5 mins until we seated at around 2pm, so that was already a win! I like that this place has both 'signature' dishes, as well as authentic udon dishes, so it pleases everyone's palates. We got the mentai cream udon and pork curry udon, and I enjoyed both! I personally found the portions to be a bit small, but probably better that way so that we don't overeat. The meat in the curry udon was okay, I think beef would've been a better choice. Mentai cream had a unique flavor, it was a really nice compliment to the udon texture.Just an add on tea, I was hoping for a cup of hot tea, but instead they brought out a hot can of green tea (that's usually the cold kind). I thought that was a bit strange. Overall, a good spot for lunch and dinner in Little Tokyo!

Service is good, everyone is nice. They'll seat you at a two seater never a four top, and put up a divider for a four top even though more than half the restaurant is empty. - Hot Dragon Udon 4.2/5I thought the soup had a good kick to it. It definitely warmed my insides. - Mapo Tofu Udon 4.7/5This is SO flavorful, actually. It wasn't that spicy so I'd ask for something more to add. The tofus are very soft and delicious. Very very flavorful. I'd get this again.The noodles are huge, and chewy. Home made udon. Street parking and lot parking.

Good food, but had to wait because very busy, although the waitlist goes pretty fast. Tempura is perfect. The creamy udon was delish but a little bit one-note.

I'm not sure what happened, but it's clear that the quality of food has significantly declined. It's a real disappointment. I ordered my usual favorite, the uni udon, and unfortunately, it missed the mark entirely. The udon was lacking any firmness or texture, and overcooked. The uni was equally disappointing--overcooked and crumbly, with none of the delicate richness I've come to expect. Even the sauce, which used to carry the sweet, briny fragrance of fresh uni, was flat and lackluster.My husband's beef bowl was equally underwhelming; in fact, it was so bad that he couldn't even finish it--something I've never seen happen before. On the plus side, service was quick and efficient, though nothing to write home about. Overall, it was an unsatisfying experience that left us both feeling disappointed.

I HAVE SUCH MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THIS PLACE!! On one hand, the udon was the perfect chewy texture that sanuki udon is known for and I loved the thickness. But on the other hand, I'm pretty sure their seafood in the mentai cream udon was soaked in borax (as said in Mandarin: 有跑過), which is absolutely unacceptable.That being said, the mentai cream udon was unexpectedly not too heavy, which I liked. It was less salty than I would've expected since mentaiko is known for being really salty. It was decent but because of the seafood I wouldn't get this again. If I came back, I'd want to try their hot soup udon or cold udon.I came alone and was seated in the bar area, which usually results in faster seating. Service was very fast and efficient.

A interesting, cozy spot in Little Tokyo that serves both classic and inventive udon.We waited about 30 minutes for a table on Friday night, which seems typical. They have a clipboard for you to write your name on, and they just call party after party from it.To start, we sampled the agedashi tofu (not much flavor) and the fried chicken (excellent). The chicken was flavorful and crunchy and came with a mayo-based dipping sauce and curry powder to boot.I ordered the miso carbonara udon, a creamy and rich noodle dish that I really enjoyed. We also tried the squid butter udon, and in the more typical department, the shrimp tempura udon and the beef with fluffy egg udon. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. Next time, I think I'll try one of their curry udons.

Parking can be difficult in this area. We put our name on the list for 2 people and waited like 45 minutes on a Sunday night. I was starving but got full from the udon alone. So the portions are just right!Service was quick and food was brought out quickly after we ordered as well.Takoyaki: 5/5 texture perfect and super flavorful.Fried chicken: 4/5 fried really well light and crispy.Mentai cream udon: 4/5Miso carbonara udon: 4/5