Hanamaru Udon is located about a 5-minute walk from Shinjuku Station. I ordered the cold tan-tan salad udon, chicken karaage, and toriten. I have never seen a case where soy milk and tan-tan did not go well together. Nice. Also, I was surprised that the karaage was more delicious than I had expected. The meat is tender, the coating is crispy, and the seasoning is also well done. They definitely live up to their reputation.

The chilled dipping udon with spicy sauce is delicious. I like the crunchy texture, so I prefer to pour it directly over the udon noodles. The option to have the toppings served separately is appreciated. I enjoy adding the toppings at my own pace to control the level of crunchiness. Even though the portion size may seem a bit large, the chilled udon with toppings tasted especially good on a hot day. The broth was also delicious, and I always finish every last drop.

It's getting hot, so I felt like eating some cold noodles and decided to go to Hanamaru Udon. There were quite a few people waiting to order, but the turnover was fast so I didn't have to wait long to place my order. I originally wanted to order the cold udon with a soft-boiled egg, but ended up changing it to the rich seafood and pork bone dipping noodles in a medium size instead. I used my Rakuten card and a 100 yen discount coupon to pay with PayPay, which came to 590 yen. I tried to add some ginger, but they were out of stock, so I gave up and just got some water instead. I also added some tempura bits on top. I found a seat at the corner of the counter and started eating right away. The dipping sauce was full of ingredients and had a good amount of pork belly in it. The flavor was rich, but not very fishy, more like enjoying the pork belly and udon together. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal!

Yesterday, I purchased a tempura pass for 400 yen and for two days in a row, I went to Namaaru Udon for a warm egg over noodles, large shrimp tempura, and salted pork bowl set for 690 yen. I like to add plenty of tempura flakes and squeeze the lemon from the pork bowl into the noodles - it's a fun way to enjoy it like a regular. It looks like my life will continue to be filled with Namaaru Udon until my pass expires.

This is Hanamaru Udon located at the west exit of Shinjuku Station. It is in the basement of a building, with a prominent sign at the entrance on the first floor. Even though you can see the kitchen and counter, you still need to prepare your tray at the narrow corridor, order your udon, pick up your tempura, and then pay at the counter. The seating area includes a counter facing the wall behind the register. There is also a slightly larger space behind the register with table seating. The place has been renovated since my last visit and now has a slightly more stylish impression. During a limited time period from March 16th to 22nd, they had a campaign offering a 100 yen discount on kake and hiyashi kake udon, which is why I visited. I had the following: - Kake (small) - 190 yen (regular price 290 yen) The price has more than doubled compared to 2015 when kake small was 130 yen. This inflation is tough on economically disadvantaged people since their income hasn't doubled. Despite being a limited-time offer, the fact that it's 190 yen shows that Hanamaru Udon is making an effort. The broth is delicious, and the udon has a good texture. - Hanamaru Karaage (140 yen) In a previous review, I had the geso tempura, which I liked for its volume and taste, but it's no longer available. It must have become difficult to maintain the price. The karaage is not bad, using chicken thigh meat, making it juicier and tastier than toriten. It's a fried dish for those who prioritize quality (taste) over quantity. If you're on a healthy eating route, you might want to go for the chicken breast toriten. Prices and menu items have changed quite a bit over time. It's still cheap, but you can feel the rising prices. While it's out of our control, we hope that these cheap chain restaurants can continue to provide affordable and delicious food.

This is an udon restaurant located near Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. It is a self-service udon restaurant that specializes in Sanuki udon. They use only the highest quality flour for the udon noodles, mainly Australian wheat flour, and domestically produced flour. The broth is made from dried bonito flakes, with a unique quality standard to ensure consistent taste throughout the year. Their menu includes spicy tantan udon, chicken tempura, and vegetable tempura. They offer three sizes of udon noodles, with the option to increase the amount of meat and sesame. The spicy tantan udon is recommended for those who enjoy a rich and creamy flavor with a spicy kick. It is visually appealing and stimulates the appetite. The restaurant is known for its popular cold tantan udon in the summer and spicy tantan udon in the winter.

Limited time sukiyaki udon. I thought it was strange that there was a long line even though it was past lunchtime, but it turned out that a new staff member was preparing the udon alone, causing the line to back up. The seats were empty (laughs). They kept confirming the orders multiple times and even got them wrong (laughs). It's better to have them confirm than to get the order wrong without checking! The sukiyaki udon was quite flavorful. And I was surprised to find out that what I thought was onion was actually cabbage (laughs).

The large portion of Kake Udon (550 yen), set Curry Rice (350 yen), and extra large portion (110 yen) at Hanamaru Udon are fast, cheap, and delicious! It's really helpful to have a Hanamaru Udon nearby. Personally, I love the crispy tempura bits, especially the ones made fresh at the store, separate from the bulk ones. I really enjoy sprinkling tempura bits on rice to make tempura rice! Plus, the dashi soy sauce at Hanamaru Udon goes really well with it. While the udon is good, my favorite is the curry! Among chain restaurants, this might be my favorite type of curry - it's thick and sweet like homemade curry. I come here just to have this curry, that's how much I love it. Getting a set makes it 100 yen cheaper, so a large Kake Udon and a large Curry Rice or a large Kake Udon and a regular Curry Rice both stay under 1000 yen, offering a great value for the generous portions. Even if you get extra large portions, it's only 1010 yen, which is a unique and economical deal. So grateful for this! ♡

For a late lunch, I went to Hanamaru Udon at Shinjuku Nishiguchi. The store is located underground, so I use it maybe once or twice a year. When I arrive underground, I first order the noodles. I still get flustered about it, I want to take my time a bit. If I want to take my time deciding, I should do it in front of the menu a bit earlier, but when I find out that the rice set is cheap, I feel like I want to eat less udon. Next, I decide on the tempura, of course, it's okay to have no tempura. There are options like chicken tempura, mixed vegetable tempura, croquette, all look delicious. After deciding on the udon and tempura, I pay. After paying, I have to put the seasonings on the table before sitting down. The interior seems to have been renovated, with a counter facing the wall with 10 seats. There are 7 tables for 4 people, and 2 tables for 2 people, totaling 42 seats. On the table, there are shichimi pepper and soy sauce. Shortly after, I received the Ginger Egg Ankake (small) for 490 yen, and the 4 kinds of vegetable tempura for 140 yen. The udon broth was slightly warm, well, they poured it into the bowl and then added the toppings, so it makes sense. Besides the temperature, it was very delicious, with the spiciness of the ginger and the flavor of the green onions. The udon was a bit soft, but similar to the broth situation. The tempura had become cold and hard, but since I don't eat it as it is, it's not a problem. I ate a little udon first, then put it in the broth to soak it up. They are open all year round, every day, so whenever I feel like eating, I can always go there and have delicious udon. Thank you for the meal.

Indulging in a beef topped udon, medium size!! It's warm. It's a limited-time menu, and if medium and small are the same price, I'll definitely go for medium. It's a bit extravagant at 790 yen. But still, medium is a lot... Eating this much finally satisfies me, but I really wish there was a size between medium and small...

On this day, I decided to lighten the burden on my stomach and treat myself, so I chose udon for lunch! Initially, I went to a certain store in Keio Mall, but since their autumn menu wasn't out yet, I ended up here. The restaurant this time: Hanamaru Udon Shinjuku Nishiguchi Store. At the entrance of the building where it is located, there was a sign for a meat fair that stimulated my appetite. Going down the stairs beyond that, I found the typical sight of a udon chain restaurant. First, I ordered my udon, received it, then picked up tempura and other items along the counter before paying. Finally, I chose a seat I liked. This time, I chose a table seat towards the back. - Beef Sukiyaki Udon (Medium) 790 yen I chose this from the meat fair options, and since the small and medium sizes were the same price, I naturally went for the medium. When I told the kitchen staff my order, they asked if I wanted it cold or hot, and I requested it hot. They skillfully prepared the dish in a bowl, and it was ready in no time. When it was brought to my table, it felt quite heavy. Despite my initial intention to be gentle on my stomach, this turned out to be the complete opposite. After carrying it to my seat and getting some cold water, I started eating. First, I tried the beef. It was nicely simmered, with a good texture. The more I chewed, the more the sweet and savory flavors of the meat and sauce came out, making it taste like a delicious sukiyaki. When I lifted the udon from under the meat, it was quite substantial. The Hanamaru Udon, which I hadn't eaten in a long time, was chewy and delicious. The vibrant green onions generously sprinkled on top enhanced the flavor of the udon. As a big fan of green onions, this made me very happy. In the second half, I cracked a soft-boiled egg over it. The yolk melted, adding sweetness to the udon. It was really good. Overall, this udon had a generous portion, making it satisfying to eat. I sprinkled some shichimi pepper for a bit of spiciness, and enjoyed finishing it all. My stomach was now completely full. Ah, I'm so satisfied. It's nice to go all out with udon once in a while. Thank you for the meal.

I sprinkled grated daikon radish, cold sesame seeds, and tenkasu on top. The amount of grated daikon was surprisingly small for a cold dish... It might be just right for a small portion of udon noodles, but for a regular portion, it felt lacking. The flavor was also very subtle, almost like I forgot to put soy sauce.

The onsen tamago with tororo and bonito flakes, where you can pour the egg over yourself, is delicious. I was curious about the baked sweet potato tempura, and I couldn't tell the difference between it and the chicken tempura. The cashier even asked me, "Chicken?" but I answered sweet potato. When I tried the baked sweet potato tempura, I was surprised. It was moist and unmistakably sweet potato, very delicious. The slightly salty batter goes well with it. Highly recommended.

The salted pork warm egg udon with bukkake sauce was served cold. The salted pork was like pork with salt sauce poured over it. The sauce coated the noodles, giving it a unique flavor compared to other udon dishes. However, I found that the small size was not enough while the medium size was too much.笑

Today is a day for luxury! Beef and soft-boiled egg udon noodles, served cold!! It costs 710 yen! Such a luxury!! I had to get a medium size, otherwise I wouldn't feel satisfied. Beef is definitely delicious~~ However, I choked halfway through and thought I was going to die because it went down my airway. Tears were flowing uncontrollably...

The small-sized Zaru Udon for 340 yen seems a bit expensive. I would be satisfied if it was 240 yen. Also, the presentation... doesn't look appetizing at all (laughs). The udon had a good texture, but the noodles were stuck together in some parts.

The cold noodles and free croquette order with a coupon at Namaru Udon are delicious, especially the Kansai-style broth that I always finish drinking. However, I was a bit concerned when the topping staff spilled some of the broth because they were holding the bowl at an angle. I wish they would sell cold noodles year-round, not just in the summer.

I got splashed with soup when cutting noodles or serving them from the kitchen. My clothes were from GU, so it was fine, but it was a bit surprising. On that day, there was a 100 yen discount coupon, so I had the black sesame tantan udon. The cold tantan was delicious but spicy! The meat miso had rough meat and was delicious.

I went to Marugame Udon after a long time and tried their limited-time menu with grated yam. I decided to treat myself and ordered the beef udon with cold tempura made of pumpkin. The tempura was not very crispy, so I boldly put it into the udon and dipped it in the broth, which turned out to be delicious. The restaurant was crowded, but each table had partitions, so I felt safe.

The broth is delicious, the udon is delicious too. It doesn't need to be any better than this. Going below this level would be a little disappointing. Hanamaru and Marugame seem to hit that perfect spot. Eating at places like these makes it impossible to choose anything other than soba. It's a great option for breakfast and the cost performance is amazing. Having a small size of cold dipping udon and then going to Yoshigyu on the other side or downstairs could be interesting. It's like a ladder within the group. (laughs) I like cold dipping udon the most. The tempura is also great. For the sake of health, I also had some boiled spinach. I added some sesame dressing to the spinach halfway through. And then I dived in some ginger as well. That's how I completed my house style cold dipping udon. Thank you for the meal.