First visit. Visited on Saturday at 9:00 PM. No waiting time. It's great that they are open late. Located in the underground on the west side of Ikebukuro Station, more of an izakaya atmosphere than an udon restaurant. Found it on Google Maps and the udon photos looked delicious so decided to try it. Was expecting a udon specialty restaurant, so the atmosphere of the place was not great. The menu includes main udon dishes as well as a variety of izakaya dishes. What I ate: - Cold Sudachi Lemon Udon 1100 yen - Inca Potato Fries 650 yen - Pork Shabu Salad 850 yen "Cold Sudachi Lemon Udon" is a refreshing and sour cold udon, perfect for summer. The taste was okay, not exactly like a udon specialty shop. They have a wide variety of options, good for eating while drinking alcohol. This day's food tour route: Shibuya Station -> Cafe Satella (Cafe/Shibuya) -> Stand Bain Mi (Vietnamese Cuisine/ Gakugeidaigaku) -> Little Chef (Cafe/Tokyo Metropolitan University) -> Coffee Roast Viva Che (Coffee/Tokyo Metropolitan University) -> Gelateria Aquolina (Gelato/Yutenji) -> Gotora (Udon/Ikebukuro)

I went to a hidden gem of a restaurant called "Creative Udon Sakaba Gotora" just a 5-minute walk from Ikebukuro West Exit. I had the Colorful Course for 5000 yen, with an additional 1500 yen for all-you-can-drink. The course included Gotora Salad, a sashimi platter, karaage, dashimaki tamago, grilled stingray, cold mentaiko udon, and cold sudachi lemon udon, with vanilla ice cream for dessert. The taste was great, and the speed of service was impressive. The staff were very attentive and the cozy atmosphere made me lose track of time. The udon at the end was perfect for the upcoming warmer weather, with both types of noodles having a nice firm texture. It was a comfortable and enjoyable dining experience.

The addictive mixed udon noodles that I always crave after drinking are simply the best. It's better to use it as a real izakaya rather than just going for a meal. Since it's open until morning, it's best to go after drinking and use it as a way to finish the night. The seared mackerel and simmered potatoes are also available, making it a perfect match for alcohol. It might be good to increase the variety of drinks too.

Having a girls' night out after finishing drinking, and the mentaiko cheese hot pot was so delicious! There were so many types of hot pot that it was hard to choose for first-timers. We relied on the recommendation of a former employee and it was a great choice! I didn't realize it was an udon restaurant until I saw the name, haha. Every dish here is delicious! ✨

Actually, there are a few Udon Sakaba restaurants in Nishiguchi. However, one of them has been replaced by Agariko Shokudo. The Carbonara dish that is always available at Udon Sakaba is delicious, right? The oden here was also tasty. Thank you for the meal.

-Curry ¥800 tax included * With half-size bukkake udon This is an udon and sake restaurant located about a 5-minute walk from JR Ikebukuro Station West Exit. They used to be open at night until late, but now they have started serving lunch as well. I decided to give it a try. It may be a bit hard to find, but if it were a little closer to Rikkyo University, more people might come during the day. However, since they have started serving lunch, there were only two customers - one before me and one after me. It was just right since there was only one girl working alone. The lunch menu consists of udon with a small bowl or a rice dish with a small udon set. You can choose between curry udon with a mini bowl or curry with a mini udon. I decided to go with the latter this time. So, how was it? [Curry] The curry seemed like the kind you would find at a fancy standing soba restaurant, an industrial European-style curry roux. However, the rice was barley rice. At first, I thought the curry sauce looked terrible, but as I mixed the barley rice into it, it became a satisfying meal to eat. The bukkake udon that came with the curry seemed to be frozen udon. It wasn't the most appealing menu, but I did appreciate the touch of mixing barley rice into the curry. However, in terms of quality, it was similar to store-bought frozen food. Considering the current situation, I'll give it a pass for being priced at ¥800 tax included. Thank you for the meal.

Curry Udon 800 yen. I visited during lunchtime on a weekday. There were 3 customers before me and no one after me, so it was not crowded. The waitress, who seemed to be working alone, was very attentive. There were probably two more staff members in the kitchen. You can choose from 200g/250g/325g of noodles and a side of half rice or a mini salad. Since it was Curry Udon, I chose half rice. The curry was not very spicy, but you could adjust the heat level with the shichimi pepper on the table. When I visited in the morning, they asked for a drink order, but I had to decline as I couldn't drink before work.

Delicious