<Introduction> The sixth consecutive bowl of curry udon is from Hinode Udon. When it comes to curry udon in Kyoto, many people mention Hinode Udon as a famous place, especially for curry udon. Located in a non-touristy area, this restaurant has been loved by locals for a long time. It was established in 1957 and has been serving curry udon since then, with the recipe being created by the current owner's aunt. The unchanged taste for nearly 65 years shows the dedication to the original vision and tradition of curry udon. <Special Curry Udon> This restaurant is famous for its curry udon, especially the special curry udon. It may seem like a typical curry udon with fried minced meat, meat, and green onions, but the price is quite high. However, the deliciousness of the soup easily justifies the cost. The well-balanced soup is the highlight, complementing the Kyoto-style udon perfectly. Not too spicy, not too sweet, not too thick, not too thin... This curry udon excels in the traditional way and can be considered the pinnacle of Kyoto's curry udon. While udon preferences vary, in my opinion, this was the best among the eight I tried. <Conclusion> The tradition and craftsmanship cultivated for over 60 years are still evident, and it's clear why locals continue to love this place. The dedication to maintaining the original taste and the perfectly balanced soup leave no room for complaints. I hope Hinode Udon continues to preserve the beloved Kyoto-style curry udon that Kyoto residents cherish.

When you feel like having curry udon, I recommend going early as it tends to get crowded, possibly due to its popularity from filming locations. Today, I ordered the special spicy curry udon along with oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl). Many places in Kyoto use potato starch to thicken the curry, but here they achieve the perfect consistency with the curry sauce, which I personally prefer. The oyakodon was delicious as well, with fluffy eggs and tender chicken. It's a shame that it's hard to find this kind of oyakodon outside of Kyoto. I enjoyed my meal, thank you!

I visited during lunchtime on a regular day. It's a popular place, as there was a line since before noon! I ordered the wakame curry udon with tempura on top. The udon noodles were soft with less chewiness. The curry udon was thick and hot. Thank you for the delicious meal.

It was almost no wait, perhaps because it was hot. I ordered the off-menu spicy sweet fried tofu with a regular customer. Normally it comes with minced fried tofu, but with the sweet version, the texture of the fried tofu is firm and the collaboration of sweetness and spiciness enhances the deliciousness. My companion had that with a small bowl of rice. Be careful as the rice portion is quite large.

The curry udon here is famous for being recommended by many celebrities. I arrived 15 minutes before the weekday opening and was the first in line. I ordered the Tok curry udon, which comes with green onions, beef, and fried tofu. The broth, which was thicker than I expected, paired well with the soft udon noodles and was delicious. It was also nice to eat the rice with the toppings, or eat it like a porridge.

【Famous Restaurant (Udon WEST) Selected for 2022】Established in 1957 (Showa 32), Hinode Udon is located near Nanzenji, Eikando, and the Philosopher's Path. This is a favorite spot of Ms. Kuko Manda, and her original menu is featured as a special item here. The movie "What Did You Eat Yesterday?" was filmed at this restaurant, with actors like Hidetoshi Nishijima and Seiyo Uchino visiting. - Location: Nearby coin parking available. Also accessible by bus. - Entry Time: 12:00 PM - Duration: About 35 minutes - Weather: Sunny and very hot - Situation: About half of the seats were empty - Number of Visitors: With my wife - Customer Service: Very friendly - Serving Time: About 10 minutes - Exterior: Traditional Japanese house - Interior: Only table seating, with private rooms at the back near the register - Rating at the Time of Visit: 3.56 **************************************************** A long-awaited visit. Last time there was a long line, but this time we were lucky to be seated quickly. However, there were many foreign tourists, and the place quickly filled up. This place is known for its popular curry udon, and it's one of Kyoto's famous udon restaurants that many celebrities visit. There are other options besides curry udon. Here are some of the curry udon menu items: - Special Curry Udon - Meat Curry Udon - Minced Meat Curry Udon - Minced Meat and Seaweed Curry Udon - Manda's Special Special Curry Udon - Chicken Curry Udon - Sweet Fried Tofu Curry Udon - Seaweed Curry Udon (can be changed to soba or Chinese noodles) [Order] - Sweet Fried Tofu Curry Udon (spiciness: normal) Topping: raw egg - Small Rice (My wife ordered Meat Curry Udon with raw egg) Other fried items are not sweet. I like sweet fried tofu, so I ordered it. Manda's special is spicy. I remember ordering the spicy meat udon last time. I remember that when it's spicy, the focus shifts more to the spiciness rather than the deliciousness of the udon. This time, I planned to adjust the spiciness with shichimi (didn't use it). You can truly appreciate the deliciousness of the udon in peace with normal spiciness. The sweet fried tofu also goes well with the curry. The smooth curry is nostalgic and never gets boring. The dashi is not overly emphasized, and the spices are just right. The sansho pepper on the table is from a shichimi shop in Kyoto. We also use it at home. Lately, there seems to be a shortage of sansho pepper, and we are also running out at home (laughs). Envious. And this sansho pepper goes well with curry. In a separate room, there are autographs of Hidetoshi Nishijima and Takashi Sorimachi, which I respectfully looked at. Looking forward to coming here again. Thank you for the meal.

I arrived at the restaurant but it was not as crowded as the reviews said... Maybe because of the rain? Around 11:30, it was only about 30% full... The seating arrangement was unique, with tables near the entrance... I heard the curry udon is recommended, but there are several types to choose from... I asked which one is the best and was told it's the special curry udon. I ordered it with medium spiciness... The dish was served in about 9 minutes... The curry broth was okay... The udon was the soft type typical of Kansai region, nothing special... The meat was sweet and tender, very delicious... The green onions were ordinary, but the thick fried tofu was not great... Despite the rave reviews, everything except the meat seemed quite average... It's all about personal preference though... Tourists and students started coming in, so I decided to leave... I paid 1100 yen in cash and headed back towards Sanjo area... With this, I have conquered all the udon shops in Kyoto Prefecture listed in the Udon Hyakumeiten WEST 2022, but my highest rating (3.7 stars) goes to Honkaku Temomi Udon Taiga.

I love curry udon♡ I walked from Kemiage Station and headed to "Hinode Udon" in Sakyo Ward. It was a hot day and I arrived all sweaty, missing the lunch rush. Despite a wait for two groups, we were seated in about 15 minutes. The interior of the restaurant had a nostalgic diner feel and was very cozy and relaxing. A kind lady took our order, and we had pre-decided on "Special Curry Udon" with "20 yen extra spicy" and "small rice." I didn't have high expectations for Kyoto udon, thinking it would be soft, but the curry soup soaked into the soft udon just right and tasted delicious! The curry soup with a perfect amount of spice definitely calls for white rice! It was a delicious curry udon that I encountered after a long time. Although the access was a bit inconvenient, I'm glad I visited. Thank you for the delicious meal, Hinode Udon!

[Date] June 20, 2023 (Tuesday) 11:52 AM [Foodlog rating] 3.56 [Waiting time] 4 people in line (9 minutes) [Service] Excellent [Would visit again] Yes [Payment method] Cash [Turnover] Good [Dish: Beef Curry Udon] [Noodles] Slightly thin and soft [Toppings] Beef, onions, shrimp tempura [Curry] Thick with a flavorful dashi broth [Service time] 10 minutes You can add shrimp tempura as a topping for an extra 150 yen. The tempura was crispy all the way to the tail. You can choose the level of spiciness when ordering (I chose medium). The dish had plenty of beef and onions with a thick consistency and a nice dashi flavor. The udon noodles were the classic soft and chewy type. I also ordered a small portion of rice for a satisfying finish. Surprisingly, the table's sansho pepper paired well with the curry. [Beef Curry Udon] 1,000 yen [Topping: Tempura] 150 yen [Rice (small)] 150 yen

I finally visited a udon restaurant in Kyoto that I had been curious about for a long time! The noodles are soft, so it may not be suitable for those who prefer the firmness of Kagawa udon. Be careful as they tend to sell out right before closing time. They have a style where you can mix rice into the udon broth at the end. The staff were very friendly, and when I mentioned that their restaurant is a filming location, they showed me the autograph room.

I arrived around 11:30 and waited for about 20 minutes with 3 groups ahead of me before entering the restaurant. I had the special spicy curry udon and a small bowl of rice. It was spicy but just the right amount of heat. The best part was eating the rice with the curry at the end. The staff were very friendly and provided excellent service.

There was a long line even before the store opened at this udon shop, which was selected as one of the top 100 udon shops in Japan. The curry udon and shrimp tempura toppings seemed to be popular, as most people were ordering them. On a holiday around 10:30 am, there were about 15-20 groups in line in front of me, with the first group already inside the shop. I was able to get in at around 11:30 am. The first 4-5 groups were able to sit and wait, with 6 covered seats outside the shop. The udon noodles were thin and lacked firmness, which could be a matter of personal preference. The curry soup seemed to be the key factor that everyone enjoyed. Overall, it was a delicious soup with a light and flavorful taste. Personally, I don't love udon noodles enough to wait in line for an hour to eat here, but for those who do enjoy it, it may be worth the wait! However, I noticed that within a 500m radius of this shop, there were only 49 registered restaurants on a food review website. This lack of competition may also be a reason why there was such a long line. Thank you for the meal.

The taste is delicious. If you have nothing else to do, it's worth waiting in line. However, be prepared to explore other good restaurants around this area. In early April, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom in Kyoto, I lined up to try it out. My wife and child, who wanted to eat here, waited for two hours while I had some errands to run. By the time I arrived, other popular restaurants like Kobosan, Yamamoto Menjo, and Okakita were also crowded with long lines. As a resident of Kyoto, I wouldn't wait in line like this alone. We ordered the same special curry udon as last time for 1,100 yen, and added a large serving of rice for 200 yen (which we shared among the three of us). The taste is delicious, with plenty of ingredients in the curry soup. The special ingredients include Kyoto-style fried tofu, beef, and Kujo green onions. Adding rice to the curry soup is highly recommended, although it may leave you feeling quite full. I'm not sure why curry udon is popular in Kyoto, but I recently saw it featured on TV (perhaps in a drama, as there was a poster inside the restaurant). In any case, if the person enjoyed it, then that's good.

Bird curry udon with medium spiciness (1000 yen), tempura (150 yen), a little bit of rice (130 yen). The soup is very delicious. It's not very spicy. The noodles are average. The shrimp tempura had a light coating. It was crowded, but we only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table for 7-8 people.

On this day, I visited the second restaurant after "Yamamoto Menkura," which was selected as one of the "2022 Udon Top 100 WEST." This place is not too far away, so I decided to walk there. It's my second visit here since February 2009 when I came during a heavy snowfall and warmed up with a bowl of curry udon. "Hinode Udon" used to be a steamed bun shop, but it was converted into a cafeteria after the war due to the large number of students living nearby. It started operating as an udon shop in 1957 and is now run by the fourth generation, making it a long-standing establishment. Many customers visit "Hinode Udon" today in search of their famous curry udon. The following content continues in photos.

Order: Wakame Curry Udon (950 yen) The curry was quite spicy and hot, making it a challenge for those with sensitive palates. It was a fairly ordinary curry udon, lacking any distinguishing features that would set it apart from other udon restaurants.

I was supposed to go on a trip during the once-in-ten-years cold wave, but sadly had to cancel. The following week, I went to Kyoto. After visiting the Andy Warhol exhibition, I had a slightly late lunch at "Hinode Udon" restaurant. Most people were eating curry udon, but since I'm not a fan, I opted for the traditional Kyoto-style udon with yuba, shiitake mushrooms, and mitsuba. It cost 900 yen. My friend had the special curry udon with fried tofu, meat, and green onions, which was 1,100 yen. We were led to a semi-private room at the back, where we were lucky to see many signed autographs. Both of us finished our meals completely, and the broth was delicious.

The restaurant is famous for its curry udon. I have passed by it several times before, but always in a car so I never had the chance to try it. This time, I was on foot and there were only 3 people waiting. I decided to try the curry udon without hesitation. The broth was rich and flavorful, just as rumored, and it was delicious (*^^*). The atmosphere of the restaurant was also nice, making it a great lunch experience. Thank you for the meal.