It was quite a wait for prime dinner time although it was still considerable quick for the amount of people waiting. Mushroom salad- the dressing was delicious Tempura rice - do not recommend Mentai udon - would recommend Uni cream rice- recommend the udon instead. Overall, it was a good experience. Service was good despite how busy they were.

If you're looking for some delicious udon, look no further than Marugame Monzo! During my last visit, my husband and I ordered the mentai squid butter udon and the sea urchin udon and both were sooooo mouthwatering. My husband is usually not a fan of udon but even he was blown away by the sea urchin udon! We came with other friends and everyone absolutely loved their dishes, so I feel like you can't really go wrong with anything here. When coming on a weekend, be prepared to wait. We were here with a party of 5 and it took us about 1 hour to be seated. The restaurant is small but gives off Japan vibes and I loved how you can see into the kitchen and watch the chefs make the udon noodles! Service was friendly and our food came out at a reasonable time. Overall, I highly highly recommend this spot and will be returning in the future!

9.5/10 Overall: The food was delicious and once we got seated, they quickly took our order and there wasn't much wait for our food! The food wasn't very expensive either, being about $20 a person. There is usually a long line but we came around 1:30 and we waited about 10 minutes for a party of 2. Parking is a bit tough though since it is in Little Tokyo so you can either street park or park at a garage. Parking at the garage about a block away was $15. Definitely lived up to its hype!! Mentai cream udon $16.75: 4.5/5 I loved the creaminess and thickness of the sauce and the noodles were the perfect chewiness. I could tell the noodles were handmade which made them especially delish. The baby shrimp and scallops paired perfectly with the sauce and the fish eggs gave it the right amount of saltiness. It also wasn't too soupy which I enjoyed. Cold shiso mentai udon with jumbo shrimp tempura $16.50: 4/5 getting cold noodles was perfect for such a hot day. The noodles were a bit more on the chewy side but they were still delicious. The sauce was perfectly salty and they gave a generous amount of seaweed which added flavor to the udon. Shrimp tempura was super crunchy and flavorful to the point where sauce wasn't even needed.

Came here on a Sunday for a later lunch, and waited a short while before being seated. I've heard such great things about this restaurant and wanted to give it a try! The inside seemed busy but was a great atmosphere. I ended up ordering the mentai squid butter udon, and my friend ordered the udon gratin. The mentai squid udon was really delicious, I always love those two paired together and it made for a refreshing udon! I liked that it wasn't very heavy -- there was plenty of squid that had a great chewy texture, and plenty of mentai that worked well with the soup. It had some onions as well, which I liked! I also had some bites of the udon gratin, which I was tempted to order at first since I have never seen it before! It was creamy and cheesy, and great if you want a heftier meal! I will say that it had LOTS of chicken in it, a little too much for my preference especially because it tasted quite plain, as I would like it to be more udon-focused. That being said, it will certainly leave you very satisfied and full. I like that there is such a large variety of udon, from light/refreshing to more savory and indulgent! There are some unique dishes here so I would love to try more sometime.

Some of the best udon I've eaten, including what I ate in Japan. I had less than 24 hours for my first trip to Los Angeles and was visiting Little Tokyo. I knew I wanted my meal to be a good one, and after taking one look at the menu for Marugame and seeing that the udon was made in-house, I was sold. Despite it being a very warm, sunny Saturday evening, the restaurant wasn't quite full at around 5:00 pm so we were seated right away. I figured one of their signature udons seemed like the right move for my first time here, so I went with the hot dragon ($15.50): paitan broth, spicy ground pork, bean sprouts, and nira (garlic chives). My brother got the duck nanban ($16.75), which was a simple and elegant bowl of sliced duck and leeks in a delicate, clear broth. This was a fantastic meal. Just incredibly delicious in every way, from the udon itself to the broths to the ingredients. Plating was unpretentious and straightforward but still beautiful in its simplicity. I also appreciated that they sold cans of iced oolong, which took me back to my trip to Japan last year. Everywhere, in every restaurant, iced oolong was an option and I got it at almost every meal. Our servers were friendly and welcoming and the udon came out really fast after ordering. Only thing I'd do different next time is to order extra noodles because the udon was so good. Highly recommend coming here if you're in the area.

Whenever I'm at Little Tokyo, I always see a long line in front of a tiny restaurant; couldn't help but to wonder what are the odds of the dishes that make people have to get line for hours? I choose to visit this store during the weekdays to avoid the long line of people and to explore my curiosity! I'm usually not a fan of Udon, I'm more of a type of Ra-Men (get it? Sorry for the bad joke!) But oh boy, this place makes feel like I hit the jackpot! Incredibly flavorful! We have crispy chicken skin to start off! I got the Uni Udon and my partner ordered Miso Carbonara Udon. Both of them taste amazing! I would lean on the Miso Carbonara more since it's strong in flavor in every little bit! The store is very compact so beware of the rush hour! The service is fast and attentive but the flow of food is quite slow due to how busy the store is! It's common and happens to all of the quality restaurants!

It was a good wait before we sat down but it was worth the wait, in my opinion. The staff were friendly and welcoming, they made sure we were taken care of and our experience was excellent. The ambiance was quite lively but kind of a bit cramp. The interior is nicely lit and decorated. The pork curry udon was delicious and certainly filling. I didn't even get extra noodles and I was full. Totally recommend trying if you are in Little Tokyo area.

This is a cute little restaurant in Little Tokyo. Based on other reviews, I was expecting a long queue this past Sunday, but I was seated within five minutes. I was so excited! This place transported me back to my trip to Japan. The menu offers so many great options. Our waitress was so sweet and helped us by recommending popular items. The food came out quickly. The kitchen staff meticulously plated every dish, and we could tell they paid attention to the details. The food was delicious. I ordered the uni udon, and wow! I had only tried raw uni before and wasn't a fan, but this udon had so much umami flavor, and the uni pieces were delicious. I loved the texture of the udon--not too firm or chewy! The beers were great too. I will definitely be coming back!

Wow!! Stopped by Japantown before heading to a Dodgers game and was.craving for some good udon and this place DID NOT DISAPPOINT!! Tried the Uni Cream Udon and it was to die for!! Apparently it is their best selling udon. It was full of umami flavor and good amount of uni. The salmon ikura added a hint of saltiness. This dish is Michelin star worthy!!! We also tried the beef udon and was packed with beef flavor. The appetizers were legit especially the takoyaki and crispy chicken skin. If you ever visit Japantown, make sure to try this place!! You won't regret it. And there's public parking across for convenience!

This is my favorite udon place! I always ordered their seafood tomato cream udon and karaage ( fried chicken ). Udon portion is decent and I am always full. Arrive is friendly, store is small but family vibe. Always a line out the door on weekends, so be sure come early to sign your name up the sign up sheet. Next to little Tokyo so a lot of shops around. The booth seat might be tiny and hard to sit, other than that, everything's good.