Marugame Monzo

Came here on a Sunday night around 7 pm, wait for 15 mins and I was in. It’s a cute little shop that serves good udon. I tried the Takoyaki and it was fine, not great. Little too doughy for me. For the udon we tried the miso carbonara and the hot dragon. I would say that they were both good. Carbonara is very creamy and milky while the hot dragon packed some good flavors. The hot dragon felt like it was more food than the carbonara. Took about 15 mins to get our food so a bit slow but I think they handcraft the noodles so many that’s why it took a while? About $50 for two udons and an app.

The curry udon was savory and came with the perfect amount of toppings. The Shrimp and scallops tempura could’ve been a little more crispy in my opinion. The braised pork udon broth was perfectly seasoned, the pork could have been cut smaller to make it easier to eat. We also thought it could have been braised a little longer as the fat wasn’t tender enough to eat. We were seated and served quickly, it wasn’t a bad experience and i would definitely come again.

Went for dinner with a few friends . Food was ok , too salty . The ingredients were not fresh and not very well washed . As per my picture you can see rotten leaves . Average food , average customer service .

I decided to try this place out since a friend recommended it while I was in Little Tokyo. I honestly didn’t have any expectations for an udon place because I’ve had udon at the Marugame Udon chain and expected something similar. Let me tell you that this place elevates their udon to the next level. The mentai udon was easily one of my favorite meals during my trip to LA. The sauce was creamy, savory, and sweet with the perfect balance. The umami from the mentai and shrimp complements the sauce so well. It wasn’t too rich and was just right. I slurped up all of the sauce it was that good. Highly recommend and would come back. Service was also very attentive and kind.

Not your standard Udon dishes. There are some unique items on the menu. Make sure to explore and ask questions. I enjoyed the uni udon, which tasted like carbonara. The chilled noodle dish would hit the spot on a hot summer day.

Visited Sunday night, there was queue and we waited about 15 minutes for available seats. We tried uni cream udon and carbonara udon. Both were nice!