Marugame Udon

Marugame Udon is quite popular. There was a line outside even nearing closing time, but luckily I was able to get inside. The way they operate this business is really cool to watch. They have the employees manning different tasks all at the same time from making the flour for the udon to prepping the actual bowl. You can actually see them do their thing through a clear glass barrier. When ordering, you first make your udon selection. You can choose their premade selections or make your own bowl with each ingredient added priced differently. Secondly - after placing the order, they first pre-warm the bowl and then add the ingredients accordingly. Each process was visible right in front of your eyes. Then, you can move on to purchase other toppings or side options, but I opted out. I personally chose the large NIKUTAMA UDON. First of all, it's most popular and it's includes sweet beef and soft boiled egg, which both sounded ideal for me. I thought this bowl was the best bang for my buck. I really liked the warmth from the broth and the rich beefy taste of it. The beef was sweet as described. The udon noodles were cooked to perfection. It was soft and great for slurping on. The large bowl option was a good portion for my hungry stomach. I enjoyed every process - from my selection to actually sitting down to eat my meal. I would recommend this udon place for a casual sit down meal.

Finally got around to trying this place without the line around the corner! I was severely hungover and needed a good bowl of noodles to nurse me back to health and I would say this definitely did the trick. You walk in, order with the first few guys as far as what your soup order is, they place it on a tray for you, and then you can move on to pick at the tempura and katsu selection that are out for self grabbing. I got the miso udon with sweet beef and my husband ordered the curry nikutama. I liked how mild the flavor was of my soup and that it came with bean sprouts, corn, green onion, and tempura flakes as well. I would've loved an egg, which I could've added, but it would have been an additional cost. My husband's curry soup (which is also saucier and thicker, which resulted in a more flavored profile) came with beef, green onion, tempura flakes, and the egg was already included. For drinks, we also shared the iced matcha and the calamansi-ade. As far as both our soups go, we enjoyed them. They were filling and again, I needed some nursing back to health so that's what happened. We really loved the tempura though - personally that really drove home for me in regards to the tamago tempura and the zucchini tempura which still had a snap to it and wasn't soggy on the inside. It was perfect. The batter was also nice and light and had an almost sweet flavor, but it worked really well with the tempura offerings. I will say the potato croquette was maybe a tad too moist on the inside, but it still tasted great.The matcha was very mild so my husband didn't love it - I figured it's because we're too used to a sugared up version. We did really like the calamansi-ade, which is a citrusy drink. Almost like a lime/lemon, but different and definitely refreshing for a hot day and hot meal. It was unfortunate that the tempura sauce dispenser wasn't working during our visit but dipping the tempura in our soup helped. I would come back again to try the different options. I did appreciate how they have everything you would need to pack up any leftovers out and easily accessible.

Marugame Udon has my five star vote.Their theatre kitchen entertained those of us waiting in line. When it was my turn to order, I watched my udon bowl prepared right before your eyes. Then, onward to the tempura self-service station to choose my fried treat of choice. After that, I paid out with the cashier. Simple, easy and quick.I had their Kitsune Udon three times in a week. With zucchini and shrimp tempura. Delicious! Could have branched out, I suppose. But I couldn't help it. The udon was so fresh and the delicate broth so flavorful yet light -- just perfect for summer.

I love udon and glad one opened in SD. I've been to the Hawaii one (hate that one, the line is too long) and the OC one. After HH I just wanted a quick dinner before driving an hour home. I got in the short line, took like 10 minutes. I ordered the sweet beef one, add egg and add hot sauce. It's good. Broth is sweet which balance out with saltiness. There's not enough seating, so sometimes you have to stand around looking like an idiot while your soup gets cold and wait for someone to leave. I was lucky to find a table, and you can save a table bc you could be in line for a while. They need more seatings or have a rule if you finish gtfo so others can enjoy their hot soup.

I showed up at 11am and there were a few people in line.  I was interested in trying the tempura dishes.Tempura shrimp had a light crunchy batter with plump tender shrimp.  Loved the flavor and texture.Tempura chicken had a different batter that was not as crunchy as the shrimp.  Liked the flavor which tasted like the chicken was marinated in soy sauce.Tempura zucchini had a light crunchy batter and fresh juicy zucchini.  I liked the light flavor.Gyoza had a thin crunchy wrapper with a beef and veggie mixture inside.  Pretty good flavor.  Tasted like the beef was marinated in soy sauce.I sampled the limeade.  Delicious lime flavor with a bit of sweetness and a bit of sour flavor.Service was very speedy as you grab the tempura and go to the cashier.2nd visit I ordered the tonkatsu and a tempura shrimp.  Thin, light tempura batter was crunchy and I loved the flavor of the shrimp and batter.Tonkatsu had a nicely seasoned broth.  Udon noodles were thick with a mild flavor.  Chasu pork was tender and I liked the bbq flavor.  This dish was mostly noodles and I would have liked to add more chasu pork.Limeade had a mix of sweet and lime flavor I loved.  Staff was nice and efficient.  So far my fav items are the shrimp tempura and the limeade.

Came here on a Wednesday for lunch and it was pretty packed! Luckily there wasn't much of a line when I entered, but there weren't much seating after I ordered. I just had the standard Nikutama beef udon with a chicken tempura. I've had the Marugame Udon in West LA and this one tastes very similar to that one. Beef and broth is super flavorful, the udon tastes just like an udon should, and they weren't light with the toppings, especially the crunchy tempura flakes and the green onion. Soft boiled egg is on point too.The chicken tempura was very flavorful too. Crispy outer tempura layer, and juicy soft dark chicken on the inside. I don't have chicken tempura very often but maybe I should change that after tasting chicken like that.

Ive tried this location in hawaii so when i found out they came to SD i was ecstatic. I got the miso udon which was so flavorful and fresh. The service is fast and the tables are limited but the turn around is fast. I would definitely come here if youre craving a cozy noodle meal.

100 percent would go again and again! It tastes just like the ones in Japan and Hawaii. The ordering experience is also the same- efficient. Open late night! Extra bonus: right next to a playscape - perfect for families with kids!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that they have staff minding the table situation and helping you find seating. It makes everything so smooth and stress-free. They're great at making sure we already paid/have food before taking up a table. We loved Marugame in LA, and were ecstatic when they announced this UTC location. It's cafeteria style, fresh-made Udon bowls with customized toppings and a selection of crispy tempura treats. Expect a line, but it moves quickly and efficiently. The noodles are deliciously chewy and the broths & sauces superbly flavorful. I would not advise coming with a large group, as seating is tight and tables are close together. It's a great place though for some fast, fantastic eats. They also have a take-out window if you want to skip the dine-in line.

I visited today to order take out as the line was a bit long and it was just a hot day. There's no shade offered when you wait in line so hopefully they can add some umbrellas in that area for their customers. They have a dedicated take out window so that was great. There were alot of people standing in that area but all were waiting for their orders so make sure to move them aside so you can place your order.This was my 2nd visit as the 1st visit we waited in line (with our pup) and really enjoyed the food. I was worried the to go order would compromise the quality and freshness but it didn't. I ordered one udon and 3 tempura items and it took about 10min. I went to Macy's to wait inside as there's plenty of ac there. My order was ready when I returned and it was behind the window so picking up was efficient and easy.I tried:Nikutama (large $13.95):- make sure to ask for the noodles ON THE SIDE so the broth remains separate and hot. The packaging was GREAT. I like everything in components and separated and they did a fantastic job. The soft boiled egg is BOMB - honestly one of the best I've ever had (Ramen Nagi nearby had a horrible version). The beef portion is small but tasty. My gripe is the broth size - it's TINY TINY TINY. Tamago tempura $2.25/ea:- dang freakin' good. Idk how they do it here but the tempura batter stays on the item like no other. It doesn't slip off . It stays on the fried item and remained crunchy even an hour later when I finally tried it. The egg is soft, lightly sweet, and a fun fried treatZucchini tempura $1.95/ea:- it's a decent size spear and the batter was exactly like the tamago (crispy and stayed on the veggie)I didn't need the tempura sauce as the fried items tasted great dipped in the udon broth .I would 100% come back. The patio is dog friendly. You can wait with your pet in line but not sure if you can take them in to order (my cousin stayed outside with her last time). This is our current go to Japanese noodle soup place in UTC (Ramen Nagi and Menya got nothing on Marugame IMO).