Marukame Udon

I was talking to one of my besties who has been trying to get me to come here for a few months. Finally, because I was moving from the island we made time to stop in. I was quite impressed. I have never tried Udon before and even though she went with the Curry Udon that was soup based with onions and shredded beef, I decided to go with a cold udon– the Garlic Chicken Salad Udon. The garlic shoyu dressing was fabulous. I was not disappointed. I also ended up with some shrimp tempura, fried chicken and a croquette. I have to say I was most impressed with the shrimp tempura. The chicken and croquette I could of done without. You sit cafeteria stype here at this restaurant so move over because there will be others next to you at this hot spot. There are a few parking lots and garages in the area, but that is all we were able to find. I never can find street parking in this area no matter where I go.
The employees were super friendly and even ended up grabbing our tray when we were ready to leave. YAY I’m now a fan of udon.

My favorite place to eat udon! I like the paitan the best although some may feel that it is oily. Everything there is very affordable. The croquette and the konbu onigiri is also great. The only downside is that in the downtown location, the air conditioning is weak and it gets a bit hot when we eat our noodles. But I can live with that and there’s always an option to take out. Will recommend this place to anyone!

Japanese fast food cafeteria style joint. Prices are competitively low for the basic udon/​salad/​rice bowl but it’s the add ons that will eat through your wallet. Somehow always end up spending more than $ 10 here.
I like the contrast between the simple broth and udon noodles and the side order deep fried tempura/​fried chicken goodness. Take a bite of my oily, yet satisfying chicken and then straight to slurping my udon. Mmmm…
Parking is impossible downtown so unless you work in town, go to the other location, catch the bus or get dropped off.

I had previously made another review which was meant for this store in downtown and silly me that had not noticed the address was different when i was writing the review for the store in Waikiki. So they have one in downtown and the other in Waikiki, it should not be difficult to mix the two.
Although I do remember going to the store in Waikiki with a friend a super long time ago and several times when i passed by, i had seen long arrays of ppl lining up outside of the store just waiting for the delicious famous gourmet.
Of course the fame was results of hard work and dedication, I thought there was something special and different with the noodle and it turned out to be a great story behind the stunning cuisine after reading about it from the website.
The price of the noodle was very reasonable and the menu was very simple and straight forward nothing overwhelming or stressful. There were vegetarians menu as well which was my favorite. For dine in orders, the customers take the tray and select side orders along the self-​help line and make the payment at the end of the counter. There are chop sticks, forks, environment-​friendly paper bag, napkins, and other condiments available on the table at the further end.

This location of Marukame Udon has a much more manageable line than the Waikiki location. I also think parking is easier because there is WAY more street parking downtown than in Waikiki and you always have the option of the public lot. Their menu is slightly different, but all the favorites are there, like the Sweet Beef (aka Niku) and all the fried goodies to go along with your noodles. Because of the location, it does get very crowded during lunch and they’re closed on Sundays. They also have a take-​out dedicated window. Marukame is some of the best udon you’ll get no matter which location you visit, so just eat some noodles and you’ll be happy.

Yummy! Long line that moves fast like everyone else says…
I ate so much that night. we each ordered a bowl of udon and then picked up a bunch of tempura, and some musubis. Kiddo ate rice and the fried chicken, so that was basically a perfect dinner for her too.
I wanted to go back there again before the trip was done, but we didn’t have enough time. Too much food to eat all over oahu… it’s ok, the next time we’re back we will go again!

OMG… how can you beat a $ 4 made-​to-​order udon?!? Chewy and fresh… one of the best udon i have had!

Paul asked me several times about dinner. I really wasn’t planning to eat as I had to work at 11pm, so my mind was on sleeping after the UYE (Unofficial Unilocal Event). But, if you know Paul, he’s quite… «persistent». So, after thinking about it numerous times (each time he mentioned this place), I eventually concluded that the benefits outweighed the disadvantages in the following ways:
1. I had free parking in Downtown Honolulu since it was after 6pm
2. I had heard good things about this place (tasty and inexpensive)
3. It shouldn’t be crowded at this evening time
4. Travis and Eileen can be the buffer between Paul and me — hahaha!
5. I would get to check off another place on my Bookmarked list
The four of us walked past the homeless, along the pungent, stained sidewalks of Hotel Street, toward Murakame Udon. Its sister location in Waikiki currently has over 4000 reviews and 4.5 stars on Unilocal.This Downtown location should be just as good, right?
The interior is bright and clean as can be for a cafeteria style setup. Go to the counter, grab a tray, place your order and your customized bowl of udon is assembled before your eyes! As you slide down towards the cash register, you can pick up other items such as tempura and musubi. If you want a drink, just pay for a cup and proceed to the self-​serve beverage dispenser. If you’d rather have water, just take a cup and help yourself! There are no lines at this time (6pm) and lots of seats!
I had the Sweet Beef Udon ($ 5.50) and added on the soft boiled egg for 50 cents. It was alright — not outstanding but just okay… Next time, I’d try one of the other combinations.
Service was efficient, but not overly friendly or helpful. Remember to bus your own trays when you’re done. It was quick and easy! I would come here again after 6pm because of the free street parking, convenience and no hassles!

Price is good, flavor is authentic but not my thing. Onion bomb is super greasy and made me a bit sick… Sweet beef udon is too sweet, I like the texture of the noodles and the onsen egg cuz the broth is too sweet I couldn’t even finish my udon. Well, I really like the tempura pumpkin though.

Marukame is located downtown near HPU. It’s very convenient for those who work downtown (me) within walking distance of parking is usually difficult to find, for quite cramped in the parking lot available.
The line can be very long, but the turnover is fast. You order your meal, pick your sides, and then pay. By then people who are on their lunch breaks are finished eating. Seating opens up rapidly. I wouldn’t recommend going there with more than two-​four people if you’re in a rush.
The noodles or the price of the main meal is fairly cheap. It’s about $ 4 for the regular hot udon (kake). I usually get an ontama too. However it starts getting expensive when you buy the sides. There are many types of tenpura, a few types if musubi, and other sides like chicken. So when you’re buying watch out for that if you’re concerned about price.
Will definitely be going there again soon. Especially now that it’s a little colder.

Garlic chicken salad udon!
Nuff said… That’s all I need to say.
But… Since I need to review this Elite style, I will elaborate more.
This cute little Japanese eatery is located in the heart of Chinatown in Fort Street Mall. If you ride the bus on Hotel Street, you will see it is conveniently located on the corner of Fort Street Mall and Hotel Street.
I ordered the garlic chicken salad udon. Make sure u have a napkin while slurping the udon noodles with their sauce! So delicious!
Location: Convenient and easy to find
Price: super affordable! My garlic chicken udon was $ 6 and good size too!
Customer service: everyone was super nice! I felt so welcomed in there.
Atmosphere: casual and super clean and spacious. This place gets busy but it didn’t feel crowded, which I like.
I’m definitely coming back to try their other menu items. I wanted to eat everything in there. They even had mini tempura and musubi selections.

Really like this place. And at $ 3.60 for a bowl of kake udon, how can you not love it?
The udon is fresh. What makes it fun are the «extras.» There’s an assortment of tempura, chicken, and musubi.
For me, I enjoy my food piping hot. Everything seems cold here (especially the egg.) That’s the nature of a cafeteria-​style assembly line.
The seating is clean and modern. Nice way to lunch if you’re in town…

Marukame reminds of being in my high school cafeteria except there weren’t any of the old lunch ladies scolding me for being a punky kid. The setup… you walk along a counter and order things as you go by, like an okazu place but just longer.
I’ve never been to the one in Waikiki because I always see long lines there, I was happy when I found out there’s one in downtown. Udon is my favorite type of noodle and the udon here is really good. The noodles have a nice texture to them and went really well the paitan broth. Along with the udon we also got some fried chicken and a konbu musubi, both were really good. The chicken had a really nice flavor and crunch to the batter. Mark H really liked the tonkatsu sauce they had.
I want to try more of the different broths they have so will surely be back here… probably a lot.

Pros
Sweet Beef Udon: for the soup udon, it was recommended to try out their sweet beef udon first. The broth tasted and smell like sweet onion and the slices of beef made the bowl of noodles more hearty.
Ontama Cold Udon: By far the BEST bowl of udon I have tasted so far. The sweet sauce paired with cold udon was heaven. To make things even better, they had a soft boiled egg that was cooked just right where the egg yolk spilled all over the udon noodles. To add more texture to the dish, they also top it off with some tempura flakes. The ontama cold udon was meal that could be eaten on its own.
Side Dishes: I wish I could have experience each of the side dishes that were offered. They have an assortment of shrimp and vegetable tempura, fried chicken, rice stuffed in bean curd, and different types of musubi. The fried chicken tempura was my personal favorite since the meat was suculant.
Sauces: They have a table just for condiments where you add more garnishments to your udon or make your dipping sauces for your side dishes.
Prices: For the udon soups, udon salad, and cold udon, everything was listed for less than $ 5.70, which is a major steal considering the portions were huge. The sweet beef udon was $ 5.50 and the ontama udon was only $ 4.10. All side dished were less than $ 2.00 a piece.
Overall if you’re in need of a delicious and inexpensive meal, then take a stop by Marukame Udon.

I was never a fan of udon until Marukame; seriously… the dashi (broth) was always too weak or uninspired to be memorable for me, but Marukame is different. Their dashi is simple yet flavorful, and relatively cheap — true traditional Japanese fast food.
The Ala Carte (cafeteria) style is a plus, so you can get your food quickly, and the variety of tempura-​style sides is winnahs… from the Onion Bomb (and it IS bomb!), to fishcake or kabocha — it’s all delicious. When choosing your soup (hot or cold, be mindful you get the right one), you can have them add green onion and bits of tempura batter to enhance the flavor. They use a teeny-​tiny spoon, but don’t fret, and don’t hesitate to ask them to keep scooping the goodies until you’re satisfied.
I also love the free water on premises; again true to their Japanese restaurant roots… it’s the little things ya know?! Anyways, I suggest going to the Downtown, Fort Street Mall location as even when busy, the line goes fast… Waikiki you can expect a wait.

If you’re ever in the downtown Honolulu area and are in the mood for udon, Marukame is the place!
I have tried all of them and they are all delicious! The noodles are made fresh daily! The broth is very soothing… :)
The fried chicken is well prepared; always fresh and tasty! They have a wide selection of tempuras! From the shrimp and fish cake tempuras, and nice selection of vegetable tempuras (pumpkin, sweet potato, croquette to name a few), they are all absolutely delicious! The tempuras are always crunchy, never soggy like some other places. They also offer salads, rice bowls and hand rolls too! And the best part of all this? VERY reasonably priced for the quality of food you are getting!!! All of the udon bowls are $ 5.50 and under! And they even have «specialty» udon a bowls depending on the season! For summer, they offer a chili udon! Yum yum!
They have ample seating inside the restaurant and also outdoor seating on Fort Street Mall, however, this is a very popular place! Marukame has been a hot spot in the center of Fort Street Mall and Hotel Street since the day they opened their doors a few months ago so they are always full! A very good sign! They do offer takeout from a window on Hotel Street if you are eating on the run!
Since I have downtown parking, I am unsure about public parking, however, there are on-​street parking as well as the city and municipal lots in downtown.

A great concept. Fast, hot and delicious udon at a reasonable price. There are plenty of ala carte additions, such as tempura and musubi, to add to your meal.
Service is prompt and friendly.
Nice atmosphere.

I was in the mood for something quick and filling. I was walking around fort street mall, and then I saw it Marukame udon restaurant. I remembered hearing somewhere that they had expanded and opened in another location. The one down in Waikiki is extremely packed and busy with long lines that wrap around the block. I’m always thinking one day I’ll go there. So to my delight, I found my feet walking straight to it.
There was a separate window from the restaurant for takeout with no line! I walked up glanced at the menu and opted for garlic chicken salad udon with a side of one shrimp tempura. I paid and within 2 minutes they were calling my number. I brought my food to one of the tables outside.
I opened up my container of salad, and it looked so vibrant and colorful. The carrots, cucumber and tomatoes were refreshing. The garlic chicken tasted dried out, but the udon was very flavorful and on point. It was hard to eat it with chopsticks as the noodles kept slipping through. The long length of it did not help either. The shrimp tempura was overly battered and greasy. By the time I pulled off the excess an anorexic shrimp was revealed. I did not feel well after consuming that. It felt like I had oil still sitting in my esophagus.
Overall it was not bad fast food takeout. I might be back to try their other offerings that are not fried. Plus the prices are dirt cheap extremely affordable if your on a budget. :)

Simple fast lunch at simple cheap prices!
This was my first time trying Marukame at their downtown location. Service was good and there was no line! We ordered:
–ontaima cold udon
–beef udon
–chili rice bowl
–konbu musubi
–spam musubi
–tofu musubi (like cone sushi)
–onion bombs
It was really hot day so I really wanted their cold udon. The only thing that bothered me was that the egg was full on raw when it’s usually half boiled. But it’s okay because who doesn’t love more protein right? -.-” Everything else was tasty and same just like the Waikiki location except pricing. There’s only a regular size and not small and large. Regular size is reasonably portioned. Overall, I would definitely come to this location again when I’m in downtown!

Marukame in downtown slightly different from the one in Waikiki. It definitely is less busy and crowded and has a different selection of Udon types.
Atmosphere: there is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating available and very clean on the inside. It is located in the Fort Street mall.
Service: self-​service line but very attentive and workers who take orders without fail. The Tempura and udon are all very fresh. They except credit cards of all types. You clean up after yourself.
Food: the udon is made fresh daily and very good. However they are slightly different from the one in Waikiki I could tell today by the thickness of the cut and the texture of the noodles. The tempura are all very freshly made and crispy. The shrimp, onion ball, calamari, squash, and sweet potato were all delicious.
Intangibles: Come here if you want the taste of fresh udon, but not the wait.