うどん
Thick, chewy wheat noodles in light broth, and the cheapest great meal in Japan.
Udon are thick wheat noodles with a chewy bite, served in a light dashi broth or cold with dipping sauce. It is the most regional noodle in Japan: Sanuki udon from Kagawa is springy and firm, Hakata udon in Fukuoka is deliberately soft, Osaka's kitsune udon comes topped with sweet fried tofu, and Nagoya's miso nikomi udon is simmered in a clay pot of red miso. Good udon costs under ¥1,000 almost everywhere.
Osaka is the home of kitsune udon, the thick noodle in light dashi with sweet fried tofu, and of soft Kansai-style udon generally. The historic shops are in Namba and Senba; the new-wave hand-made udon shops are around Umeda..
Namba · Senba · Umeda
Fukuoka claims to be where udon entered Japan, and Hakata udon is proudly soft rather than chewy, served in a clear dashi with burdock tempura (gobo-ten) or sweet fried tofu. The old shops near Hakata station and Canal City are cheap, quick and highly rated..
Hakata · Tenjin
Nagoya has two noodles: kishimen, flat ribbon udon served at the stands on Nagoya Station platforms, and miso nikomi udon, firm noodles simmered in a clay pot of red miso with chicken and egg. The historic miso nikomi houses in Sakae and Osu are among the city's top-rated restaurants..
Nagoya Station · Sakae · Osu
Five cheap eats near Osaka Castle around Tamatsukuri and Morinomiya: ramen, udon, soup curry and okonomiyaki under ¥2,000, with Tabelog ratings and payment info.
Pick hot (kake) or cold (zaru or bukkake), then toppings: kitsune (fried tofu), tempura, egg, or niku (beef). Many self-service shops have you pick tempura pieces from a counter and pay at the end. Slurping is expected.
Self-service udon shops are among the easiest places to eat in Japan: you see everything before you pay.
Udon scores cluster around 3.2 to 3.5 and even a 3.3 is very good. Above 3.6 is rare and marks a shop worth a detour.
Pick hot (kake) or cold (zaru or bukkake), then toppings: kitsune (fried tofu), tempura, egg, or niku (beef). Many self-service shops have you pick tempura pieces from a counter and pay at the end. Slurping is expected.
Lunch: ¥500 to ¥1,000. Dinner: ¥800 to ¥1,500.
Udon scores cluster around 3.2 to 3.5 and even a 3.3 is very good. Above 3.6 is rare and marks a shop worth a detour.
Never. Walk in.
Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya each have a dedicated page. Osaka: Osaka is the home of kitsune udon, the thick noodle in light dashi with sweet fried tofu, and of soft Kansai-style udon generally.
Open TabeDog, pick udon, and see Tabelog's top-rated shops around you with hours, prices and payment methods in English.
Find udon on the map