Great udon. Horrible staff and cleanliness issues. The tall caucasian cashier has a major attitude problem. I was at the restaurant at about 1:30 pm on a Monday and there were no clean water cups. I asked the cashier for a water cup, and she said all cups were dirty and would need to wait for them to be washed. I waited for about 10 minutes, during which toddler was incessantly asking for water. I again asked and was again to wait. Realizing that waiting would take much longer than I could bear my toddler begging, I asked for one of the plastic cups at the register. The cashier told me that those could not be given for water. I explained that my daughter had been waiting for a long time. The cashier droned endlessly about staff shortages and how no one wants to work anymore. I told her that I just needed a cup so I could get water for my daughter. She told me to use a takeout bowl. I asked again, and she finally angrily gave me a plastic cup only when I insisted on speaking to a manager - which she refused to honor. After walking away, I wondered if she was the manager, and she is, it is not surprising that no one wants to work for her. Prior to leaving, I took my toddler to the restroom and found all stalls without toilet paper or seat liners. This place needs to deal with staff and cleanliness issues. read more

It was my second time here tonight and something wrong happened with this place. When they just opened their location a couple of months ago, I had a very delightful experience. Unfortunately, tonight it was opposite: their spicy chicken udon was the worst noodle dish I've ever had. I think the quality of the ingredients went down, chicken didn't taste fresh. The worst part was their broth that was cold. The flavor was off, it tasted sour and had a puke like smell. At the same moment, udon noodles were extremely hot and just didn't match the whole dish. The place around 8:30 pm was almost empty, the area around the toppings station had a very bad odor. read more

I looooove this udon place! It was about an hour drive from my boyfriend's place but it's soo worth it. After discovering this place I went 3x in 1 week. It's so yummy and addicting to those who love udon/noodles! read more

Marugame Udon - Nikutama - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

One of the best udon places that I've been to so far. I would definitely be coming back for more!

We ordered a regular Nikutama Udon and large Tonkatsu Udon with a side of potato croquette, shrimp tempura, squid tempura, and chicken tempura. We arrived Monday morning 10:58am and started the line. Being first in line we had hoped to have the advantage of fresh hot udon. However, we were sadly disappointed by the readiness of the staff but mostly about the food temperature. I get that there was new staff being trained, and I am always patient about that as I understand the stress and overwhelm of the first day on the job. However, it was the overall preparedness that I thought was poor. We got in line and started to order however, the next five min were spent waiting for the guy to pour all the different broths into the serving pots....being that you are serving soup noodles, that should've been done before opening the doors. The fried stuff was all ready. And the toppings bar didn't have serving spoons-I had to remind one of the guys to put them in. When we finally sat to eat, I realized the broth was barely even warm...like my 3yo could have eaten it right away. That was super disappointing especially since we were craving hot soup in this cold weather. Nothing was hot - not the broth, not the meet, not the fried stuff (thank goodness it was at least fresh). Considering we came when it opened and were first in line, we expected HOT food not lukewarm. We were hoping to have the same experience as the one in Honolulu, but no. Considering how small that one was, it constantly had a line but the food was piping hot. So...ya'll gotta work on that for sure! The food was flavorful and tasty but the lukewarm temps was too great of a distraction. Pluses for a parent: they had a good stack of high chairs and changing table in the bathroom. read more

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I enjoy the selection of tempura and rice wraps. I'm giving this place 2 stars because of the rudeness of one of the managers, Roland. We simply asked for a little more soup to top off the bowl so the soup would cover the noodles. His response was "we don't give away free food". Well obviously we weren't asking for that. We ordered a boatload of food. We had to talk to the general manager who was very kind and make the situation right. Thank you. I would also suggest keeping the dining area a little more tidy. read more

Very good, very tasty. If you're in the mood for soup and noodles be sure to stop by and give them a try. I had the curry noodles and loved it. I suggest getting a small bowl and loading up on side orders, the fried chicken was really tasty only reason for 4 star is because they are expensive. read more

Marugame Udon - Curry noodles. - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Very popular place so I decided to try it. Cafeteria style with a couple udon choices. Went with the curry udon and a few of the tempura items. A lot of the tempura items were room temperature and kind of soggy. Ask for fresh ones if available. Curry udon I felt was overly sweet and the beef they use is almost like trimmings from other cuts. Super thin and clumpy. I'd come back but probably only for the tempura items. read more

I really enjoyed everything I ordered- I got the kake udon with egg, green onion, shredded nori and ginger, shrimp tempura and squid tempura. Everything was fresh, light and well prepared. A great meal if you are sick or want comfort food without feeling weighed down! read more

If you are into McDonalds but want to try udon and tempura for a change, this is your place. If you love tons of grease and sodium, jump in line! But if you care about food quality, don't bother. This is a massive chain that has dialed in their formula for consistency at the expense of quality. It's cool that they make the noodles in view of the customers, and the noodles are the main thing. I don't know that they use dough conditioners and whatever other chemicals in the noodles but I wouldn't be surprised. The tempura is some of the greasiest you'll find. They seem to use whatever the cheapest, least digestible oil is for frying. And no vegetables in sight. Unless you count the green onion garnish. read more

A very popular place amongst students for "fastfood udon". Sometimes the line is ridiculously long.Seems very spacious inside, lots of seating, aesthetic touches were nice. There were seats around a fake tree and little roof decorations over the food/kitchen area. The place smells very strongly of yummy fried food WHICH will make you smell very strongly of oily food afterwards, be warned. The price of a regular size is generally affordable. A bowl of noodles was 5.20 pretax and it only had broth and noodles. You can add scallions/cilantro/sauce/fried topping on the side, but that's about it. The noodles were sadly overcooked and too soft. I like my udon noodles to be chewy and have some firmness to them, but they kind of broke when I picked them up with a strong grip on the chopsticks. Broth was good but got pretty salty later on as I got full. They have a good selection of tempura you can choose from. I got a big piece of chicken breast tempura that was surprisingly not too dry, but the cashier counted it as two pieces so I paid double the single price (1.80) for that piece ;_; Overall a good place to eat with family/friends, but slightly overhyped imo read more

Ordered tonkatsu udon and the flavor did not taste like tonkotsu at all it was more miso, and the taste I wasn't a fan of.. Very oily too but the price was pretty reasonable. This place is ok not the best, or wasn't bad just good if you're hungry it'll fill you up. read more

Marugame Udon - Tonkotsu didn't taste like tonkotsu - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

My opinions about Marugame are kinda mixed -- I'd say it's a solidly mediocre place to eat considering all factors (options, sides, price). The ambiance of Marugame is pretty chill -- it's a tell the waiter which type of noodle bowl you want + grab whatever sides you want + pay at the counter + seat/help yourself kind of setup. It usually goes pretty quickly, and especially after the initial hype as dies down, you can get from door to table with food to eat in a pretty reasonable time. The prices are also average. Anything above a basic udon (ie. just noodles + soup/dipping sauce) trend towards the $10+ range, with the large size being a couple of dollars more. The basic udons are pretty cheap, with the noodles being only $6-7 for the regular size. Portion size is also pretty good for the regular size + large size, so I'd say it's pretty worth in terms of that. My qualms are with respect to the vegetarian options, which apparently is none :,( According to my friend who asked the staff, none of the soup/sauce bases are vegetarian, so if you're strictly vegetarian/vegan, you can't really eat here unless you get the dipping noodles with hot water. In my opinion, the sides are also just kinda okay. The tempura isn't that great for most of the types (ie. the broccoli tempura is massive but usually undercooked? i usually get chunks of raw tempura batter still within the stems of the broccoli and got a stomachache after finishing one once), and in general don't have the Best Quality tempura. I'd say if you eat meat, then the non-basic(!) noodle bowls can be pretty worth, and would just be wary of the sides (some are ok -- tho in general the price definitely stacks up. It's easy to spend closer to $20 if you're not aware of which and how many sides you're picking up). For a non-meat rated though, I'd probably stay away. read more

Marugame is one of my favorite chain restaurants to go to whenever I'm in Japan, so I was very delighted and thrilled to hear that a location had opened in Berkeley! Having just run a half marathon, I knew I would be craving something filling and hearty, so my friends and I decided to grab lunch and catch up there after the race. I was eager to see how it would compare to the Marugame's that I have been to in Japan, and was happy to find that my favorite parts of Marugame were still to be found here! Food: - Bukkake Udon--$5.20 I usually order udon that doesn't come already in a broth or a dashi sauce poured on top because I like to control the saltiness and flavor. Since they didn't have that type of udon here (the menus at the Marugame's in Japan have a lot more options including that) I decided to order the bukkake udon with the sauce on the side, and instead added some dashi sauce to taste using the bottles provided at the condiment station. The udon noodles were thick and chewy, and the warmth was very hearty and satisfying to eat. My favorite condiment to add to the udon is the tempura batter flakes--the crunchiness and butteriness are addicting! This also pairs well with the freshness and slight spice from the green onions and grated ginger. - Tamagoyaki Tempura--$1.80 I had never seen a tamagoyaki tempura before and was excited to try it. It was delicious beyond what I was imagining and expecting! The tamagoyaki was lightly sweet and the texture was so soft and almost custard-like. I love tempura so much, so making the already yummy tamagoyaki into tempura was the icing on the top. - Fried Fish--$1.60 The breading was crispy and the fish was tender and flaky. It was nice to enjoy bites of the fish in between the bites of the udon! Tips: - The line can get super long so make sure to arrive early! My friends and I arrived 10 min before they opened at 11 am on Sunday and there were already 10 people in line. - If your entire party is not present to order food and find a place to sit, I would highly recommend that you order for your friends and save a seat for them. Otherwise, they will have to wait in line to order and get food while the rest of you are already enjoying your meal if they arrive late. - Don't forget to add condiments such as tempura batter flakes, green onions, grated ginger, etc. They can be found right after you pay, and you can also find dashi sauce and tempura sauce. - If you want to control the flavor and saltiness of the broth or sauce of your udon, ask for the sauce on the side, and add dashi sauce from the condiment station to taste to your liking. read more

Marugame Udon - Bukkake Udon with Tamagoyaki Tempura and Fried Fish - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Yay, I was glad to see that a Marugame opened on the East Bay, as I'm never near Stonestown and the queue makes it too much of a trek to head out there! I decided ahead to time to stop by Marugame after an work event on campus at UC-Berkeley; it was late enough (~9pm) that I figured the line would be minimal at best, and I was famished. Thankfully for my hungry taste buds, I was right--no queue at all. I ordered the #13 large to-go (Curry Nikatuma). They packaged it up pretty nicely--the noodles, beef, and egg (still in a shell, to preserve its soft-boiledness, which was a nice touch) separately, and the soup in another. I also got the shrimp, chicken and sweet potato tempura. I put in some scallions, cilantro, and tempura bits into the soup and packaged it on up for home. The udon was great, even having it twenty minutes later at home--it stayed warm, wasn't sticky, and had a nice chew. The soup was absolutely delicious, if not on the salty side (but perfect for me). The beef was sweet and tender. The tempura was generally good, but I did find the chicken to be on the drier side, and so I wouldn't get that one again. But they all had a nice crunch on the exterior. Some smaller caveats: A) Cashier wouldn't give me an itemized receipt to reimburse for my work event. He was in a hurry to print my receipt, and when I asked for an itemized receipt, he said "okay", but didn't do anything. I asked him again, and he did the same thing...eventually he started to help the next guest to pay. So I'm still standing there after the next person pays, and then he asks what I need yet again...I say again, "an itemized receipt" and describe in some further detail whatI'm looking for. Shiftily-eyed, he says "we can't do that", but he's struggling to maintain eye contact and swaying from side to side so I'm a bit suspicious and wondering if he just didn't know how. In the end I just drop it and leave. B) The counter space to get the scallions and cilantro and tempura is kinda small; actually, too small for the trays. So hold on to your soup tray well, otherwise the bowls can slide and cause some minor spillage. Gotta save all that soup! But yeah, even despite those two things, I would definitely be willing to come back and sit down for a bowl of hot curry nikatuma udon another day. read more

Great lunch spot - easy and fancier options. Good price and atmosphere. It's always a bit cold inside but otherwise it's a solid option for a decently priced lunch near UC campus. read more

So good! I love coming here with my friends and family, best place to go on a rainy or cold day!

Very tasty and well priced. The udon is made on premises and everything is fresh. Plenty of choices. Nice interior and exterior spaces with tables. Self serve water and condiments. One stands in a type of cafeteria line and orders and the dishes are put together right in front of you. The cafeteria may sound off putting to food snobs but it was not offensive (and my wife and I are food snobs, I confess). Special orders, like shrimp tempura, are brought to your table, piping hot. We have eaten there twice, both times good. read more

Came here today for lunch. Been going to the one in SF for a while now so when i first heard they were opening up in Berkeley i was exited. From the outside this location is nice on the main street with plenty of street parking (at least today it was). Walk inside and it is tons of space with a-lot more options. Thank You Marugame I'll be back! read more

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I just though the udon was just ok. The beef is really sweet. The spam mitsubi was terrible. The best thing was the tempura, crispy and not greasy. The line moves pretty fast except when you get to the ordering part and that's where it gridlocks. read more

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This is a chain and I think if you like the chain concept and the idea that like Chipotle, you can customize ramen, you will like this place. I just needed a quick bite in between errands so I was not looking for anything fancy, just fuel that doesn't taste too bad. Well, this place attracted me with the Ramen sign but when I got inside, I saw something I had been wanting to try. They have these sandwiches made out of Japanese style milk bread (thick slices of soft white bread with a fine crumb). Inside, you could have egg salad (my favorite) with 2 halves of an almost hard boiled egg - softer than hard boiled but more boiled than soft boiled - the center was orange and oozed but wasn't runny. Perfection. The filling went all the way to the edge. Then I had the chicken katsu sandwich with the same bread. It was delicious perfect crunch to the chicken. My only gripe was that they didn't flatten the pieces of chicken so you got a lump of chicken on shredded cabbage but after biting the chicken there was just the sandwich bread and cabbage which was not so great. I took a couple of stars off for that. It's a pet peeve of mine to have bread without filling in a sandwich. Service was great since there was hardly anyone there after 2PM. Yeah, I had a very late lunch. It was fine. I am debating whether to go back and try the ramen.... read more

This place is so delicious! I love how you can customize your udon with all the add ons. If you want the bare minimum, the price is still really good! I love the atmosphere and it was very clean. I will definitely come back again. It can get expensive with all the add ons, though, so be careful! read more

Good choice of udon noodles and tempura. They can even do the beef udon cold which is perfect for hot days.

Good when you need to scratch that itch for udon and tempura. Don't come at night if you don't want scraps.

This was my first time here and not being a big fan of udon noodles itself, I can say this place was worth the try. I've only heard good things and they were all true. We expected a big line, but getting there in the evening wasn't so bad. You walk in and it's cafeteria style which I liked. Everything is also made and prepped in front of you which is always an eye pleaser for me. I ordered the tonkatsu udon because I like my food spicy and it was delicious, my side shrimp tempura was also fresh and great. I wish I could've tried more sides but my appetite was low. This is the only place I will ever eat udon :) will definitely be back ! read more

Marugame Udon - Tonkatsu udon and side shrimp tempura - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Ate here after the Berkeley Half. It's was I think the highlight of the day! Ordered the Nikutama Udon and Green Thai Udon, both were excellent. Tempura items are of high quality and not greasy at all. There a long line but moves fairly fast. read more

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Very good Udon. Flavor was spot on. Nice staff. Kind of pricey though. Also, parking sucks. I'd go back once in a while, but it wouldn't be a huge priority. read more

Really good food!! Everything is fresh! Great selection!love the fried squid tempura the most!

Tasty udon but they almost always cancel my DoorDash or UberEats order. If you can't provide orders to go then don't be on the platform!

The food is decent but the service is terrible. The manager of this place was rude to me today for picking up a skewer of mushroom tempura with my hands that I was holding by the skewer. The way he spoke to me was unacceptable. read more

This place is okay. Nothing special about it. It's cheap. I make udon at home and have tried udon back home in asia so many times, it does not reach up to that expectation. Maybe other stores are better but this one is .. eh. read more

I've been wanting to come here to eat because it reminds me of the Marukame udon place in Hawaii (not sure if they are related). I was very impressed by my experience at Marukame for fast, organized and cheap it was (Waikiki is not a cheap place!) Marugame in Berkeley seems to adopt the same concept, with a few options for Udon, and tempera goods between the Udon and cashier. However, it doesn't seem to be as fast and efficient. Food is a bit more pricey as well. I ordered the #9 udon, which has sweet beef and a spring egg. It was generally good, but the broth was on the salty side and the spring egg was a bit cold. Despite minor disappointment, this was a fast and comforting meal. read more

Marugame Udon - #9 udon, squid tempera and chicken tempera - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

The best udon place in the US. They make everything from scratch. Highly recommended! Also very affordable read more

Marugame Udon - Beef udon with poached egg and some tempura. - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I got the tan noodles which had bland, non spicy broth which was disappointing because it was supposed to be spicy. The soy meat had an awful taste and it did not seem fresh . I give this dish 1/5 and waste of $10. read more

ordered tonkotsu udon for takeout, and it was good, but would really recommend outdoor dining because it's just much better. had the nikutama udon with outdoor dining the week before and the egg, tempura flakes, broth was very good. however, with takeout, the egg is just a hard boiled egg and the food overall is not as good as it could have been. read more

Marugame Udon - Tonkotsu Udon - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I was super excited when they opened a location in Berkeley as San Francisco is a bit out of the way for me. If you're craving udon and want to customize your own toppings this is the place for you! I've gotten the Kake and beef udon before and they are so good just plain on its own but you can add as much tempura as you want. read more

First day soft open I went, everything was on point. Got the Beef and Egg one and the Mentai one. So delicious. 6 stars! 2nd time I got a large Mentai and just wasn't good. The server added the daishi soy mixture for some reason and just turned out way too salty. The tempura zucchini was good. The egg tempura was just okay. 2 stars Avg 4 stars. read more

What a waste of time. After standing in a long line and ordering two dishes, one for my husband, one for my daughter, I was waiting for the musubi to be made. As they we're making it, they decided not to sell any right in front of me. This effectively left me with nothing to eat. I had to sit at the tables and watch my family eat dinner because of their inability to organize their staff for this crowd of people. The staff making noodles additionally clearly had no culinary skills. Smashing the udon (a craft that many chefs take pride in perfecting) into bundles and sloshing water all over the place. A mess of an establishment. It reminded me of my high school cafeteria - the lack of service and consideration for customers, the inexperienced staff and mess of an ordering a system. Oh the food you might wonder? Soggy, over battered and cold tempura, salty and sloppy udon. Next time I'll pass. read more

I had been trying to catch this place open for weeks and it was well worth the wait. I got the #8 beef large, all toppings, and 2 shrimp tempura. The broth alone is absolutely delicious. I saw my noodles being made while I waited in line. This place is friggin delicious. The sweet beef, with the onion and the broth, omg. I'm glad I waited for this place to have my first udon experience. I am a lifetime customer. read more

The first time I went here I loved it so so much. I got the tonkatsu broth and it was just magical. The second time I went here wasn't as good sadly. The soup wasn't very very warm and somehow wasn't as flavorful even though I got the same thing. It was still good! Just wasn't as amazing as my first time trying marugame. I still think this place is with a try!! It's so fun having so many sides to choose from and being able to get it yourself. I had the crab onigiri both times I was here and loved it so so much! Perfectly warm and slightly salty. Just amazing! read more

Marugame Udon - Tonkatsu regular - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California