It was a rainy holiday morning, so work was slow and by lunchtime all the eateries were crowded. I decided to grab an early meal, and there was a "Hanamaru Kyoto Shinhorigawa Store" nearby that opened at 10 am. However, ever since the male manager took over, the udon there has been lukewarm. I thought about getting the kettle-boiled udon because it's served without being cooled down, so it won't be lukewarm. But really, should a udon shop make its regular customers think that much? - Kettle-boiled Udon Large (3 servings) 590 yen - Croquette 130 yen - Squid Tempura 130 yen - Spicy Cod Roe Rice Ball 120 yen Total including tax: 970 yen Hmm... I really wanted just a regular udon.

I went to the Sanuki udon restaurant "Hanamaru (Shinborikawa branch)" at 11:00 today, skipping breakfast as usual. I ordered: - Large kake udon (3 servings) 490 yen - Nasu tempura 140 yen - Dried shrimp and wakame tempura 150 yen - Small rice 130 yen - Raw egg 80 yen - Extra green onions 60 yen Total including tax: 1,050 yen The soup was a bit lukewarm and there was not enough of it, so I had to walk to the counter with a small bowl in hand to ask for more soup. The male staff at this Shinborikawa branch seem to lack the awareness to serve customers hot and delicious udon. (¬_¬)

It's been a while since I visited Hanamaru Udon (^_^♪ I usually go to the one at Aeon Rakunan, which has a parking lot and offers cheap and delicious udon. Something caught my attention this day. The acrylic panels are fixed in place, but I wonder if they are necessary since the aisle is wide and there is space between tables. They have hand sanitizer at the entrance. They ran out of disposable chopsticks, so they only provide reusable chopsticks and spoons. It was a Saturday afternoon around 1 PM, and there were only 2-3 groups inside the restaurant.

At exactly 3:00 PM, I went to a unique chain called "Hanamaru," which originated in Sanuki, at the Kyoto Shinkawa store. I ordered a Wakame Udon Large (3 servings) for 590 yen and Chicken Sen-no Karaage (3 pieces x 130 yen = 390 yen). The total including tax was 980 yen. The udon and soup at this Hanamaru are truly delicious. However, there is one thing that I don't like about it. It's the size of the bowl. The bowls here are about one size larger than usual. When you put three servings of udon in such a bowl, there isn't enough space for the soup. As a result, the udon ends up lukewarm. Today, the staff even took shortcuts and didn't properly heat up the udon and soup before pouring in the soup. I tried to eat quietly at first, but there's nothing more frustrating than being served lukewarm noodles. I couldn't take it anymore, so I brought my bowl to the counter and asked them to add more soup because it was too lukewarm. After adding more soup, I finally got a satisfying temperature, but whether they serve hot or lukewarm udon is up to the staff's discretion. I hope both the headquarters and the staff at Hanamaru work on improving this issue.

I did my laundry at the coin laundry on Nihorikawa. Nowadays, coin laundries are convenient because they offer washing and drying in one place. The washing took 60 minutes, so I went to have lunch at the nearby "Hanamaru Udon" restaurant. It was around 11:30, and there were customers before and after me, but there were empty seats available. They had alcohol disinfectant at the entrance. Although tongs for tempura and other items were provided, customers were encouraged to use chopsticks. There were disposable chopsticks at the condiment station. Each table had acrylic dividers. The restaurant was bright and clean as always. There were samples of takeout items displayed at the entrance. For those concerned about dining in, it may be helpful to take a look at these samples before deciding. Despite the challenges during the pandemic, it was reassuring to see that this restaurant had taken proper precautions. I enjoyed my lunch. Thank you.

Beef bowl chain "Yoshinoya" has started expanding a new concept as a specialty store for oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl) and karaage (fried chicken) called "Torisen". Even the same group's "Hanamaru (udon)" has started serving the karaage from "Torisen" recently. Similarly, "Skylark" is selling items from the same group's karaage specialty store "Kara Yoshi" at their "Gusto" stores. I tried the following dishes: Kitsune Udon Large (3 servings) for 539 yen, Torisen's karaage for 330 yen (3 pieces at 110 yen each), and Spicy Cod Roe Rice Ball for 121 yen. The total including tax was 990 yen, and I tried the karaage. It was tough! Since it was not freshly fried, it ended up like this. If you call yourself a karaage specialty store, you should serve freshly fried karaage! It was a dish that made me want to say, "Come on, serve freshly fried karaage!"

It's so hot, isn't it? My appetite is low (^-^;). Today's lunch was "Chilled Sesame Tantanmen" with salted rice balls. The cold noodles with a hint of spiciness were just right. I enjoyed dipping the rice balls in the broth. It was the perfect menu for such a sweltering day. Thank you for the meal. *Also, I received a flyer from a dining hall that caters to inbound groups. They seem to have a 500 yen buffet available on weekdays.

Despite the unexpected rainy weather forecast, I visited "Hanamaru (Kyoto Shinkawa store)" for the first time in a while. I ordered: - Large Wakame Udon (3 servings) for 539 yen - Squid Tempura for 132 yen - Vegetable Tempura for 143 yen - Additional Green Onions for 55 yen Among the major self-service udon chains, this is the only one originating from Sanuki. The udon is delicious and reasonably priced. What's more, there is a female staff member here who takes her job very seriously, and I must admit I am a fan of hers (laughs). However, there is one thing about this "Hanamaru" that I don't particularly like. Unlike other chains like "Marugame Seimen," "Ko-no-kawa Seimen," and "Sanuki Seimen," where customers can add their own green onions and soup, at "Hanamaru," the staff members do it for you. It's not that I have a problem with this system, but the amount of soup they put is too little (T ^ T). I have asked for more soup a few times, but I feel awkward doing it every time. As shown in today's photo, when the soup is served with little amount, the udon floats on top. Especially when ordering tempura or additional toppings, I would like them to put more soup. Also, when the soup is too little and you add several toppings, the udon ends up lukewarm. I hope the staff members can pay more attention to this and make improvements.

When we arrived at the restaurant, there were no cars in the parking lot. We thought they might be closed, but then we saw a sign on the door saying that the business hours had changed. Starting from March 1st, they now open at 10:00 and close at 22:00. We were lucky because we arrived just after 10:00. I had a light breakfast with a small bowl of noodles, sweet potato tempura, and spicy cod roe rice ball. The sweet potato tempura wasn't as sweet as usual, maybe due to the mild winter. Overall, it was a satisfying meal.

I went for my first visit of the year to the nearby Jonan Shrine. I received a special limited edition stamp for January and I am very happy about it. Afterwards, I went to "Hanamaru Udon" for lunch. There was one parking spot available and the restaurant was almost full. Surprisingly, there were many young men and women at the Pulse Plaza. I think there was probably a handshake event for a "sakamichi group" (I didn't bother to search it up). Normally, this restaurant is not crowded even on weekends, so I was surprised. The meal cost us less than 1,200 yen for the two of us. I was impressed by how they were enjoying themselves in a sensible manner. Thank you for the meal.

Next to Route 1, there is also a Marugame Seimen restaurant, but our family might actually prefer Hanamaru Udon. The clean and well-maintained interior with spacious seating makes it a good environment for dining. The variety of rice dishes is also a reason why we frequent this place. On this day, I had kake udon with added imo tempura, tamago, and onigiri. On a day with temperatures exceeding 38 degrees, it would be nice to have a cold option for the kake udon as well. However, I wanted to have imo tempura, so I ended up choosing the hot version. I only visit this restaurant on holidays, but even during lunchtime, the number of seats inside is quite large, so there is hardly any trouble with crowds. The parking lot is a coin parking, but if you inform them that you will be using the parking lot, you will receive a one-hour service ticket. This place is recommended for those who dislike waiting in line or noisy environments. Thank you for the meal.

★Torodama Mekabu Bukkake 712 yen ★Kanto-ni 3 items 291 yen Today, before the food, I encountered a terrible waitress. She is a young woman, but extremely grumpy and rough in her work. With her attitude, the taste of the food was also terrible. I felt so bad that I couldn't even tell what was in each dish. (=_=)

It's about a 5-minute walk from Pulse Plaza. There were many families with children, probably because there was an event at Pulse Plaza that day. It's a perfect place to enjoy affordable events. I had curry udon (mild) and inari sushi on this day. Thank you for the meal.

On the last day of a 5-day work streak, I went to "Hanamaru Udon (Kyoto Shinkawa Store)" for lunch. I ordered: ★Seaweed Udon (large, 3 servings) 529 yen ★Vegetable tempura 140 yen ★Chicken tempura 140 yen ★Extra green onions 54 yen. I forgot to ask for it to be served hot when ordering. As a result, the udon was lukewarm and it ruined the overall experience, despite the great texture and delicious soup. This restaurant is important to me, so I have just sent an email to Hanamaru's headquarters requesting improvement.

On a sunny Sunday that fell between days off, I decided to go to Hanamaru Udon (Kyoto Shinkawa store) a little early for lunch. I ordered the Wakame Udon Large (which is 630g, so it's 3 servings), along with Chicken Tempura for 140 yen, Bamboo Shoot Tempura for 120 yen, and extra Green Onions for 50 yen. The total including tax was 810 yen. The udon at this restaurant is usually a bit lukewarm, but today was different. A new older gentleman prepared it and the noodles and soup were piping hot. Thanks to him, I felt a big sense of happiness for only 810 yen. Thank you very much!

I often use Pulse Plaza on weekends and holidays. I have never encountered crowds there except during events. It is located between Shinbori River Street and Route 1, and it may be a hidden gem. There is a coin parking in front of the store, but if you eat inside, you will receive a service ticket so you won't have to pay for parking. Next to it, there is a shop for groups, and if the coin parking is open, you can use it. On this day, I had kake udon, imo tempura, and inari sushi, while my husband had kitsune udon and curry rice. My husband doesn't like spicy curry and "Matsuya" curry is a no-go for him, but he seems to enjoy the curry here (^-^;). Thank you for the meal.

I missed out on the limited-time offer of Taiwan-style mixed udon noodles and regretted it, so this time I visited the restaurant for another limited-time menu item featuring my favorite "mapo" flavor. I ordered the Mapo Ankake Udon (Large) for 700 yen and they informed me that they had run out of chili oil, but I agreed to proceed anyway. Unfortunately, it was the last day for this limited-time item, so I had no choice. The Mapo Ankake Udon had a bit less mapo flavor than I expected, perhaps because there was too much udon with three large servings. The ankake sauce was comforting for the cold winter weather, but it lacked the punch without the chili oil. Despite ordering the large size, the portion did not feel substantial. Overall, I was disappointed with everything. I left feeling regretful for visiting the restaurant near closing time, so this time I will refrain from giving a rating.

There was an event at the nearby Pulse Plaza, so it was a bit crowded that day. However, there was plenty of parking available as usual. From a customer's perspective, I like the peaceful atmosphere of this restaurant without the usual crowds. Thank you for the meal.

Located east of Akaike Junction on Shinhorigawa Street. The parking lot operates on a coin parking system, and you can receive a discount ticket at the register. It's cheap and convenient. The udon noodles have a strong broth flavor, and the firmness is just right for me. My husband loves the curry here, especially the kids' curry (laughs).

I returned to Kyoto from Shiga and stopped by a gas station. The one near Hanamaru Udon is cheap. I also had dinner at Parus Plaza nearby, which was a bit crowded, probably because there was an event going on.