On the way back from touring, I happened to stop by a restaurant. The name of the restaurant was familiar, but I didn't know how it was different from Marugame Seimen, so I decided to try it out. The ordering system was similar to Marugame Seimen, but the noodles were priced the same whether you ordered one serving or three servings. I ordered two servings, but it felt like eating about 1.5 servings of normal noodles. The noodles were softer than Marugame Seimen. I debated whether to order a set, but I ended up ordering a kake udon with two types of chicken tempura (Oita Nakatsu Karaage and kashiwa tempura) because it was cheaper than the meatball udon. The kashiwa tempura was juicy, while the Oita Nakatsu Karaage had a completely different texture and taste. I thought about ordering squid tempura or vegetable tempura, but they were sold out. It seems they only make them upon ordering. The green onions were clearly frozen, so the freshness was lower than Marugame Seimen.

Great value for money! It's so nice that 1, 2, and 3 servings cost the same. It's wallet-friendly and you can have a satisfying lunch. I prefer the kettle-cooked udon. I like to have a little bit of the udon broth too, so I ask for a small cup. Looking forward to collecting points and using coupons.

It's hot, scorching hot, no, sweltering hot... I want to eat chilled udon noodles. I revisited Kanokawa Seimenjo, where you can get up to 3 servings for the same price using the Marugame method. - Ume-scented chicken and grated yam bukkake udon (2 servings) 550 yen - Soft-boiled egg tempura 130 yen [Udon] The udon is delicious despite being low-priced. It seems to have less stretch and a more powdery texture compared to last time. Even though you can get up to 3 servings for the same price, 2 servings is still the limit. [Broth] It seems like the broth is not evenly distributed as only a small amount is poured at the bottom. As a result, it's lukewarm... quite disappointing. [Ume] There was too little of it, disappearing in just one bite. [Chicken and grated yam] The chicken is like canned meat, with a jelly-like texture. It has a ginger flavor. While grated yam goes well with soba noodles, it doesn't seem to match well with udon. Perhaps if there was more broth, it would have been different. [Soft-boiled egg tempura] Either it was left out for too long or the batter was too hard, as the tempura coating was crispy. [Tenkasu and green onions] Self-service and plentiful green onions are nice! Overall, it was a notch down from the last visit. There were no visible COVID-19 prevention measures in place. The affordability and portion size are still great. Thank you for the meal.

A popular udon restaurant similar to Marugame Seimen, but with the key difference being its extremely high cost performance. You can have up to 3 servings of udon for the same price. The review praises the texture and quality of the udon noodles, the toppings like tempura, and the flavorful broth. The reviewer also mentions the self-service condiments and utensils provided, as well as the thorough measures taken for infection prevention. Overall, they enjoyed the udon and the lively service provided by the staff.

When it comes to udon, I usually go to Marugame, but today it wasn't nearby so I came here for the first time! There seem to be a lot of stores here. I got a discount with the LINE first-time registration coupon, so I decided to try the Mentaiko Kamatama Udon that I often eat at Marugame. The best part is that udon is free for up to 3 servings! Amazing! I of course got 3 servings and also ordered chicken karaage and chicken tempura. With the coupon, I got one fried item for free! The udon noodles here are a bit softer than Marugame's, but getting 3 servings for free is incredible. I will definitely come back again!

A few years ago, I was served with a shocking, rough wheat flour dumpling noodle that was clearly lacking in kneading, aging, and boiling time, which made me think this place would surely go out of business soon. However, every time I passed by, the parking lot was always full. And ever since they started offering up to 3 servings for the same price, the business seemed to be thriving even more. I had ignored this place since my disappointing first visit, but I thought maybe that was just a bad timing and they actually serve decent food on a regular basis. I decided to revisit and chose the "Curry Udon" from the menu. When I checked the price on this site, it was listed as 380 yen (410 yen), which seemed cheap especially if there was a free extra serving option. But when I checked the official website, the price had indeed increased to 480 yen (518 yen). Although I wanted to go for 3 servings for better value, I decided to stick with 2 servings and made my first revisit in years. I confidently ordered "Curry Udon, 2 servings!" at the counter. To my surprise, they brought out two servings of reheated noodles in a bowl and poured what looked like curry rice sauce on top. I then noticed that they also sold curry rice on the menu! So, it was a dual-purpose sauce that you could pour over the noodles and add dashi broth from the server if you wanted. Disappointed, I paid 626 yen at the counter. I was a bit shocked by the price, so I asked and found out that the regular curry udon was not on the menu, it was all "Meat Curry Udon." They had added meat without me asking for it. Feeling a bit frustrated, I added the dashi broth and tried to make it into a curry udon, but the curry sauce was too thin, resulting in a watery soup curry udon. The noodles were better than my previous visit, but I had imagined a thick curry udon, so I was disappointed and a bit angry (you'd expect a thick curry udon at a udon specialty shop, right?). So, my rating is based on this disappointing experience with the curry udon. If you stick to something like 3 servings of Kama Tamago with your choice of 2 tempura for around 600 yen, you'll get a satisfying and cost-effective meal.

I went to the Kawano River Seimen Hirakata Tsuda store in Hirakata City on April 21st this year. Originally, it was a family restaurant called Friendly Hirakata Tsuda, but it was renovated a few years ago and became an udon restaurant. It is still part of the Friendly chain. I usually go to the Akeei store in Neyagawa, but what surprised me when I went there after a long time was that you can increase the amount of noodles (up to 3 servings) for the same price. Marugame Seimen doesn't do this, so I think it's a great deal. I actually saw customers with 3 servings of noodles, and I also saw women and children eating with 2 servings of noodles. I also had 3 servings of noodles and it was satisfying, it was quite good. If you haven't experienced it yet, please visit a nearby "Kawano River Seimen" at least once.

I went to this restaurant to have a light lunch. It's a chain udon restaurant that I sometimes see around. Like other chain restaurants, I ordered my favorite udon, picked some tempura, and paid at the counter. This time, I had kake udon with croquette and chicken karaage. The noodles were a bit soft, and the broth was strong. The croquette and chicken karaage tasted pretty average. The prices seemed a bit higher compared to other places. Lately, you can get decently sized and tasty udon for around 1000 yen at many places, so I hope they can step up their game a bit.

I can't show it to others, but when I go alone, I order three portions and eat very cheaply. I am satisfied.

Zaru Udon (Regular) with Eel Tempura

Kake udon =========== It was delicious.

It's great that you can get 3 servings of kettle-cooked udon for only 350 yen!

"Niku Tamago Udon 480 yen"

While driving in the city of Moriguchi, I came across a self-service chain restaurant serving Sanuki udon, which I had never seen in the Shiga area. My friend, who loves udon even more than I do, insisted on going there. I was a bit reluctant since we had plans to eat something delicious in Osaka later on, but ended up being dragged there. I ordered the kake udon for 290 yen (tax included) and added lotus root tempura for 130 yen (tax included) as a topping. I was pleased to see that you could add the udon broth, green onions, and ginger yourself. The udon noodles were thin with a slightly moist texture, reminiscent of Sanuki udon, but not as chewy. The broth was a bit sweet and had a rich flavor from the bonito flakes. It might be a hit or miss for some people, but I personally enjoyed it. It's a different taste compared to Marugame Seimen, but I would definitely go back again.

This is the Kawano Kaseimen Hirakata Tsuda store. It's a popular noodle shop known for its handmade noodles. This particular location is part of the Friendly chain of restaurants. I visited for dinner this day. The restaurant is located along Route 307, near the intersection with the JR Katamachi Line viaduct. It's a large suburban-style store, similar to Marugame Seimen. The interior is designed with separate entrances and exits to create a smooth flow. There are many counter and table seats, accommodating a large number of customers. The system is to order udon, choose toppings like tempura and onigiri, and then pay at the end. An interesting feature is that for the kake udon, just like in Kagawa, you pour the broth from a server. The menu offers a variety of dishes typically found in Sanuki udon restaurants. Prices start at 280 yen for regular kake or bukkake udon. On this day, I ordered a regular kake udon and a variety of tempura including chicken, sardine, and fish cake. The portion size of the kake udon was quite generous even for a regular order. I added the broth to my liking from the dedicated server and my kake udon was ready. The udon itself was surprisingly delicious. It had a chewy texture and a strong wheat flavor. The noodles were firm and well-shaped. The broth, made with kombu and other ingredients, had a Kansai-style taste, slightly firm but light and easy to drink. The tempura pieces were large, but the sardine tempura lacked the freshly fried crispiness, which was disappointing. The fish cake tempura, on the other hand, was perfectly crispy. The chicken tempura had a generous portion but lacked juiciness due to the lean meat used. Overall, the udon was tasty, the tempura portions were great, and I left feeling very satisfied. Although there isn't a chain store near me, I would definitely visit again if there was one nearby to try more of their offerings.

I passed by the Tsuda branch of Kanokawa Seimen, which reminded me of Kagawa, the Udon prefecture, and decided to visit for the first time. It is a friendly chain restaurant. The meat double portion with egg (regular) is quite delicious! The salmon onigiri and kelp onigiri are also tasty! It's convenient and delicious udon! It's simple, but also quite challenging??? I also thought about trying the tempura! Next time, maybe I'll try the kettle-boiled udon??? I want to bring my family next time!