Marugame is best udon in the SoCal area! If you've had their udon when you were in Hawaii, this is the same exact thing! Located in the South Coast Plaza, so parking will be easy if you park in the mall parking lot. If you see the line against the flower wall of South Coast Plaza, you are in the right spot. The line may seem long, but surprisingly moves quickly. We were in line for about 20 minutes and got a table after we ordered. We got the classic #6, the Nikutama Udon. It has a sweet broth and egg. We also got #9, the Tonkotsu Udon. The broth is more similar to ramen. If this is your first time at Marugame, it is without a doubt to try #6. The wait is well worth the ramen. But If you don't like the wait, there is a Marugame in LA with almost no wait times. read more

Marugame Udon - Nikutama Udon #6 - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Always great food and excellent service. Great texture on the udon noodles. There's usually a line, but it moves really fast. read more

Marugame Udon is an absolute delight and truly deserving of a glowing five-star review. From the moment you step inside, you are greeted with the aroma of freshly made udon noodles and the bustling energy of this authentic Japanese eatery. Here are the reasons why Marugame Udon has captured my heart and taste buds: As soon as you walk in, it was an experience I've never had before. You walk cafeteria style where you can see the fresh udon being prepared. Once you past the display, there is a person that takes your order. I ordered the cold udon noodles and once that is prepared, they hand you the food on a tray and you move down the line to choose what type of add-ons you want. These are all fried options from tempura to katsu. Each item is price individually and you can add as much as you want. Overall, the experience was fun and fast. The food was delicious and the udon sparked a noodle craze for me and my friend. We have been going around trying to find udon that would subside the craving that Marugame Udon left. This place is delicious and worth a visit. It will get busy during peak hours so go at an off time to ensure quick service and a place to sit inside the restaurant. read more

Marugame Udon - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

So delicious! The Tan Tan has such a great flavor it never disappoints! Love the green tea matcha

Probably the best udon noodles I have ever tried! Definitely umami-rich! The broth/sauce was on point. read more

Marugame Udon - Nikutama - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Heard about this place from Hawaii awhile back, found out that they opened one in South Coast Plaza. We were lucky that we killed the line because it could get really long. This feels like a school cafeteria where you follow the line with a tray to get food. We got the Kake Udon with a poached egg, the Nikutama, and some tempura. Noodles were definitely fresh, thick and bouncy. Poached egg was cooked to perfection. The soup is the highlight, very light and smooth, just a tiny bit salty. Tempura were not so fresh as expected, a bit soggy, but pretty expensive adding all together. Overall, the quality of the udon bowl is very consistent, tempura can be a hit if you're lucky enough to get the fresh batch. I would come back again for another shot with different choices. read more

Marugame Udon - Kake with poached egg and Tempura - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Yummmm! Came here for a Yelp event & will definitely be back! I've heard so many great things about this place & im so glad I got to try it. Location is right under Din Tai Fung at South Coast Plaza, super clean and new! Love this location :) Lots of parking, weekends can be tough tho! PSA: I know eating in a Parking structure might seem weird but it was empty & the flow of traffic was very slow. No cars going back and forth, the bottom of where we sat was totally sectioned off away from cars. As of 1/25/21....I think outdoor dining is allowed again and no indoor dining. Anyways, I'm not sure how long the parking lot dining will last cuz covid lol. The food layout is so efficient and fast. It's kinda like cafeteria style, you look at the menu then go down the row & choose your broth, tempura, musubi, drink, then pay! I can't explain how great this concept is, you get your food SO FAST. I tried the curry and tonkotsu broth, both delicious and flavorful but I prefer the tonkotsu. The curry was a bit too strong in flavor for me. Udon noodle texture is spot on, sooo good! The musubi is also FANTASTIC! Can't go wrong with whatever you choose. The price is decent. FRIENDLY, friendly, friendly staff. They all seem to love their job and are so friendly. Covid compliant w masks and social distancing :) read more

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I'm my goodness!!! I saw this on Orange County's Yelp page and as a elite helper, I had to try it out I had their fried beef with homemade noodles and it may have been one of the best combination on the planet. I had never had crunchy but juicy fried beef. The noodles had a never unique taste to them. They were a massive upgrade to your typical Noodles. I also had their Hamusuki ( eggs and spam) for the first time and that was bomb .com. Although a bit too oily, I enjoyed it. Customer service: the cooks were very approachable and interacting with every customer. The cashier was very friend and made sure we had everything we wanted. This place is a must go to for me. Good is delicious (or should I say bomb) and not expensive at all. read more

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WIsh the place was a tad larger but it's inside SCP so yea....i understand. It gets very busy here during cool winter days and lines form like no other. However it's not crazy wait like DTF bc it's fast service. Food is already made to serve and it's made to eat quick and leave. I do wish the soup was hotter though but this probably makes it easier for ppl to eat fast and go. But then I do wish they can make it less saltier bc normally soup/food in general taste saltier when it's less hot/warm. And plus only Asians can have hot soup. I'm sure other people will have a hard time. Do try their onigiri! It's the best! And as a meat eater, I have their kake udon which is their basic basic and I love it. It has fried flakes which is also their basic standard. I think you put in your own flakes and green onion. I put tons lol. Anyways a delish place to grab a bowl of hot udon while shopping. read more

Came on a Tuesday at 3pm. Line was long, but moved very quickly. Gave my order and moved down the "assembly line." Ordered the Nikutama Udon, the Kake Udon, and the Tonkotsu Udon. Everything was cooked to perfection! Absolutely delicious! Literally devoured my whole bowl. We had a big group and still found seating easily. Will definitely return when back in town. read more

Marugame Udon - Nikutama - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Came here do the first time yesterday and the udon was delicious but the most interesting was Reid tempura selection! They have this tempura that is the tamago egg which is usually used in sushi and it's tempuraed and tasted really good! Would definitely recommend! read more

I've been to marugame udon a couple of times, everytime we go to south coast plaza we come here! Their food is so affordable and great quality. The service is fast, there is usually a line so be prepared! Their udon is delicious and the tempura is also delicious. Definitely a spot to hit up after shopping. I'm from SD and I'm so happy they opened one closer to me! read more

Another phenomenal meal at Marugame. The udon and the tempura is beyond reproach. I really appreciate and respect the authenticity, high-quality, and consistency. I've been to Marugame in Asian and there is no difference. We will definitely be back. read more

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Last time we had this was in Hawaii and we enjoyed it so much that I was thankful they opened in Costa Mesa a few years ago. I got to try it before and it wasn't as memorable for some reason. This time around I actually got to savor the flavor and the chew of the noodles. And they had new flavors, the tan tan spicy noodles and new beef noodles---the only thing I would change about that is the meat for the tan tan was tofu meat and pork would have been more appropriate. The service was fast and the options were great. read more

Marugame Udon - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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I remember seeing this place a while ago and a long line out the door. It's located on the first floor of South Coast Plaza. Came by during the week waited in a line that moved fairly quick. The menu offers a good variety of udon options and toppings. The staff from servers, cashier and clean up crew were all masked and very friendly. Tables were spaced out far enough to observe covid precautions. Food was served promptly and great. Broth was flavorful, the noodles had a good chew and overall savory with a nice contrast in texture if you ordered any tempura. Marugame is worth a stop if you enjoy udon. read more

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This is my favorite place to go to. Great Service. Amazing Food. The line can get pretty long but it's worth the wait in my opinion. I usually dine in, but my first experience doing pick up was done with amazing service. I wish I remembered the guy's name who was doing pick up orders. He was very nice enough to offer me a free tempura when I noticed my broth was missing from my bag. I wasn't upset about it at all either. I was just glad I noticed it before I left. I told him he didn't need to give me a free tempura but he insisted to make up for the mistake. read more

I first tried Marugame in Hawaii and it was dope! Hearty bowls of broth with chewy, freshly-made udon and a bunch of freshly prepared sides/toppings to go with it. This location is smaller, but they pretty much have the same menu. The line went around the corner when we arrived, but staff was pretty efficient moving it along and it took about 15-20 minutes of waiting and watching udon BTS. Once you get your order in, they prepare the bowls pretty quickly and the tempura selection is free to pick up to your liking. I also appreciate the katsu sauce, shichimi, to-go containers and water available for customers. Everything tasted great, but broth was just kinda lukewarm and not hot and steaming for us. Glad to see marugame in the area and if you're a fan of udon, definitely check this spot out! read more

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This was such a pleasant surprise! I discovered this while checking out the holiday displays at South Coast. I was amazed. The culture. The showmanship. The respect for the art of culinary. I HAD to come back the very next day with my husband. He had no idea where we were going. For lunch, I spent a bit more than my normal price point. But I really wanted to get a taste of everything. I went with the non spicy suggestion. And my husband got the spicier suggestion. I trusted the artisans completely. So much so I'm not even sure I know what I ordered. I was in heaven! My hubby got the largest Bowl humanly possible. I had to try their matcha green tea latte. It was creamy delicious as well. I couldn't finish my smaller portion. So I easily granted some to go containers and took my remaining udon home. The best! Must try!!!! read more

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Good flavors and a quick meal to get. Great for carb loading for the amount of noodles they give you. The chicken katsu was tender but was sitting for too long by the time I tried it. The fried squid was good. The curry nikutama, kitsune, and nikutama were all good. My favorite was the curry nikutama since it seemed to have more depth of flavor and I was in the mood for somethjng curry based. Overall, good quality but in general not my most favorite ever either. read more

Marugame Udon - Nikutama (top), curry nikutama, kitsune (right) - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

The food was fantastic, ambiance was great and service was off the hook. I definitely recommend giving this place a try.

I came here because the line for Ding Tai Fung was soooo long and I was starving! This was the only other option downstairs that's fast if you can't wait to eat. Needless to say, I wasn't too fond of any of the Udon noodles. I tried to give this place 3 chances to try and see whether or not the item I ordered could be better but they all failed in taste and quality. I ordered : 1. Beef noodles- TOO sweet! And broth wasn't hot enough. It was lukewarm. 2. Tonkotsu -pork wasn't very fresh tasting hard to bite with no flavor broth. 3. Dan Dan. Also the bok choy was COLD. That was a HUGE disappointment. The meat was strange tasting with no flavor. I should have waited an hour for the other location instead. read more

The udon here is good, the tempura shrimp is fantastic. I hate to add a big BUT..... but I've been here 3 times and literally every single time there is drama among the employees. I understand quarrels are human nature BUT maybe resolve off the clock or in the back ? I'll still come back for noodles though read more

We just had to stop by on our way home from Anaheim to San Diego! The broth is so good and the noodles are freshly made. I also love the rotating tempura options. Make sure to come 15mins before open to avoid waiting in a long line! read more

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This place has the best udon around, and it is generally pretty cheap. I usually like ordering the beef udon, because it is usually very filling, with a sweet and salty vibe. The soft boiled egg in this hood really pulls the dish together, and overall it is a very satisfying dish. The one drawback of this place is the line. It usually takes around 30 to 40 minutes to get your udon because the line for this place is ridiculously long. If you're willing to wait, then you'll be in for a great bowl of udon! Be aware of the tempura that they have on the side. These things are very good, but they definitely make your price go higher, so once you get to the cash register, you don't realize how much more you've actually spent! read more

Think Chipotle. Or Subway. But instead of building your own burrito or sandwich, you get to craft your own delicious bowl of noodles at Marugame Udon! The concept is fast casual dining, but the line is anything but fast. Expect about a thirty minute wait just to get through the door during busy hours. Online ordering and pick-up is available if you're short on time: marugameudon.olo.com Simply select your udon of choice, the temperature (some can be made cold), and your preferred bowl size. The menu contains symbols letting you know which ones are spicy and/or contain pork. They also have a vegan option with tofu and miso broth. Additional sides include extra noodles, sauces, eggs, etc. So far I've tried the Mentai Kamatama, which is a broth-less udon with a light but flavorful combination of Dashi shoyu sauce, soft boiled egg, and spicy cod roe. Nikutama is a very popular choice, served with a sweet and savory beef. They have a regular Beef udon, which was less enjoyable because the broth was too salty, and there wasn't enough of it. Overall the noodles were thick but soft to chew. You then set your tray on the counter and wait as the staff freshly prepare your bowl. Next, order add-ons such as tempura, croquettes, misubis, and other various a la carte items. Some look crisp, while others look like they've been under the heat lamp for too long. Then, you slide on over to the register to pay for your meal and pick out any accompanying drinks. After that, stop by the self-serve station for water cups, to-go supplies, sauces, utensils, condiments, and more. Seat saving before ordering is discouraged. I'm sure it's a bit anxiety-inducing for some, seeing the steady stream of patrons going in and worrying there will be no spots left when you finally have your order in hand. You can be rest assured that one always seems to be available. But they definitely need a larger space. Great food combined with great value. Hard to ask for more! read more

Marugame Udon - Beef (Top), Nikutama (Left), Mentai Kamatama (Front) ⋅ South Coast Plaza - Costa Mesa, California - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Love the food for the most part, HATE the seating!! Sometimes workers assist in finding a table and other times we are left to fend for ourselves. Tried to sit while my family member was grabbing food and was told I needed to get up until my food was ready... yet many others were doing the same and weren't told anything! read more

A great casual lunch spot after a few hours of shopping! I've always noticed the super long lines here and one Saturday afternoon, the line didn't seem too outrageous, so we decided to give it a shot. And wow, the 15 minutes spent waiting were totally worth it. Plus, we got to see the noodles being made through the windows. Our party of three ordered the beef udon, tonkatsu udon, curry rice bowl, and an assortment of tempura. Everything was delicious and the soup portions are very generous. The noodles in my tonkatsu were perfectly chewy and the broth was super tasty. The shrimp tempura was wonderfully crisp. My only slight complaint (if you can call it that) is that the sweet potato tempura was a touch undercooked. I was worried that we wouldn't get a seat but there were a few free tables in the way back. People eat quick and leave so the system works. I can't wait to go back and try other dishes. Top tip: this is a cafeteria style eatery where you grab your tray and tell the staff what you want and get it immediately. Choose from udon noodle soups or rice bowls, add some tempura sides, chose a beverage if you wish, pay for your food, sit, and dig in! read more

Marugame Udon - Tonkatsu and tempura - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

We pass by this place every time we visit the South Coast Plaza mall. The line is always so long & we have kids that have literally no patience to wait, that's also including my husband! Haha! We came here on a Saturday afternoon during lunch time & decided to finally check this spot out, the line was not crazy long, so I had my husband wait while we shopped at Uniqlo - across from Marugame. It's very small and tight seating, but good for small and groups of 6 max. As soon as you walk right in, your senses are greeted immediately with fresh Udon noodles being made and different flavors of broth being simmered to perfection. They have a nice menu with udon and rice dishes, but omg the star that day for me was all of their fried tempura options!!! I was blown away with the freshness and how lightly the batter was! I ordered the Tan Tan Udon noodles that had this sesame chili oil flavor- it is supposed to have a kick, but it really didn't. It was still so delicious, spicy or not. The depth of that broth was fire! The udon noodles were so fresh and had a delicious chewiness to them that I can't stop thinking about it! I want to go back! read more

Marugame Udon - Tonkatsu Udon - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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What an amazing and rememberable first time experience! I heard of this place from the one in Hawaii, which i never got to try bc of that insane wait and long line. Came here on a Saturday around 630PM and waited for less than 30 mins. We stood in line on the escalator side. My bf got the Tonkatsu(L) udon and I got the Nikumato(S) udon along with tempura sides of squid, shrimp, sweet potato and chicken. Lets talk about everything: Tonkatsu- thick and creamy broth with tender pork Nikumato- sweet beef and it was very flavorful I think it is my fave broth! (we had every topping on it: tempura flakes, ginger and green onions) Tempura sides- Omg they were all so fresh and crunchy, not one that we did not like. the udon noodles you can see the chefs are making it from scratch and honestly it tastes so fresh and good! I don't think I can eat udon noodles anywhere else now, I am hooked. Anyway, the wait wasn't too long. I think after we finished around 730PM, the line got really short. I rec to come around 7ish if you dont want to wait toolong. read more

Marugame Udon - Tonkatsu and nikumato - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

YUMMMM first meal after sitting in an IKEA for four hours trying to write an article hurray!! I ordered the large curry nikutama and it was good but i would not order it again! I'll stick with the beef sanuki-style udon yup! we came at a very bad time it was crowded af around 1pm on a MONDAY. like don't you guys have work??? oh well it was lunch hour so we were asking for it. we waited in line for maybe 30 mins and i was scared there was no seats but there were plenty of seats! i also grabbed the gyoza which was 5 pieces for $4.50 and they lowkey suck so don't order that. my friend paid and it was a bit much cuz i was only expecting $15ish for me but it came out to $20 so now I feel bad I should pay them back! my friend got a regular beef udon with shrimp and squid tempura and said it was good! 4.5 stars rounded down because the gyoza disappointed me :( read more

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September 2022 After trying the location in Hawaii I knew which items I wanted to get. the only thing different here is they don't offer the spam musubi or the combo specials. I place the order online and was able to select a pickup time. The location opens at 11:00 and has one stand line. After asking the worker whether the pickup line is the same they redirected me around the rope to wait near the register. Since my order wasn't ready yet due to being early they took the initiative to start working on my order. The staff here are friendly and tentative. All food items are made daily and well stocked so that the customers can select anything off the menu. I opted for the Tonkatsu Udon and it was not only has a creamy umami broth it came with plenty of toppings. I would definitely come back to try the other items. read more

This is my 2nd favorite udon place ever. (first place goes to Sanuki Udon in Japan). Fun fact: I was never a really big fan of udon before I visited Japan because thick noodles just never appealed to me. Everything changed when my girlfriend and I stopped by Sanuki Udon on our last day in Japan. Ever since coming back from that trip I've been searching for a good udon place until now. I've eaten here in person twice and I've gotten it delivered via DoorDash a few times and every time the food is consistently good. The noodles have a nice elasticity to them, their broth is always flavorful but not overly salty or anything. They have a great selection of tempura that is fried perfectly and don't taste like a mouthful of grease. I even got my coworkers hooked on this place! I know this place is a chain but they are a good chain with consistent quality and great flavor! I will usually order the Nikutama (beef udon) or Kitsune (plain udon with sweet fried tofu) or get Nikutama with a side of kitsune. As for the tempura I've only tried the tamagoyaki, chicken katsu, and potato croquette. The croquette is my top pick and like I said above, I've got all my coworkers hooked on it too! read more

If you go during an off time, like 2PM, the wait isn't so bad. I think their service is quick and I like that you can just grab your own tempura sides while going down the row. It's efficient. It's also a lot of fun looking at the selection! Overall, I think the quality of their food is good and consistent. Despite not typically enjoying udon, I do come back here for their curry udon! I also like their tempura sauce as well. And despite how busy it can seem, there's usually dining space. read more

Marugame Udon - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I typically am not a big fan of udon, but I'm a big ramen fan. I came in on a Thursday night and ordered the tonkotsu udon. It was absolutely delicious! There was plenty of seating and just a short line. I wouldn't recommend coming with a big party though. It's really meant for groups of 2 or 4. I also really liked the fact that you can order a la carte pieces of tempura. I think they were about $1.95 each. The prices are a little high for an udon place, but it's expected at South Coast Plaza. read more

Marugame Udon - Tonkotsu Udon and Shrimp Tempura - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Every time I would shop at south coast plaza there was always a line and for good reason. I will be honest, I am not familiar enough with Udon noodles but this place was delicious. The broth, noodles and the tempura I order on the side was great. I came here in the middle of the week, around 1pm, so the line wasn't too bad. You can see them making the noodles as you're standing in line. It's a well oil machine of a restaurant and judging by the line, every day of the week, you can tell Marugame Udon is doing something right. If you're in the area, check them out, but be prepared to wait a bit. read more

5 star is hard to hand out as it needs to be pretty superb to receive that...but this place was really close. It definitely gets crowded pretty quickly. We showed up 10 minutes before their 11am opening and we were definitely not first but part of at least the first 20 to get seated. Very, very I repeat VERY limited seating. Should be like Japan where they slurp up their udon and move out of the seat. But lol that doesn't happen in the states. People talk n' talk totally unaware and very disrespectful of people trying to find a seat. This is one of those places you need to eat and leave! Save talking for later. Cafeteria style so it's nice you get to see what you are ordering. The tempura you can get a la carte and they were delicious. I had the shrimp and potato (but their was a lot of other choices) and all of them were crunchy. It's advertised they have a special tea, but they said they no longer carry it. Maybe you should think about taking that off your website. I was really looking forward to that, so I ended up just having a cup for water (self service). The udon was delicious. You can see them prepare the entire udon from scratch. It's nice to be able to see everything behind the clear glass as you are standing in line. All in all great experience we will be back soon. My daughter went to the one in Hawaii so she was excited they built one that we can drive too. So excited to eat it that we forgot to take pictures, but remembered to check in read more

Curry Ramen 9/10, japanese curry-like taste. mine didn't come with much broth (not sure if all are like that) loved the umami taste of the curry and onions Beef Miso 7.5/10, not very miso-y, o-k flavor. not bad but wouldn't get again. noticed that the PROTEIN in the ramens were more fatty cuts . NOODLES were house made and delicious!! had a TEMPURA BAR w lots of options- super fresh and hot the whole time! service style: grab and go with dine in option. ambiance is good- people come and go so i didn't have a problem finding seating on a saturday night even though the line was out the door (moves fast though!) read more

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One of my go to udon spots! Very delicious and generous portions for the price. The location is small but never really had trouble finding seating due to their amazing service. read more

Marugame Udon - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I thought this place was just ok. I like the idea of the "assembly line" layout where you order your type and size of udon, then move on to pick any tempura you wanted, spam masubi, salmon masubi and a roe masubi. There were four of us so we ordered 3 types of udon to share and fry different dishes: tonkotsu, teriyaki crispy beef udon bowl, and the curry udon. Also got shrimp tempura, imitation crab tempura, potato tempura, potato croquette, squid tempura. The tonkotsu was the best of the three udon dishes. However, I felt the broth needed more depth, it was more on the sweeter side which was odd, but the seasonings and light thickness of the broths was good. I thought they could have given more of the chasu pork and it would have been better if the egg was marinated instead of just boiled because There wasn't any flavor. Teriyaki crispy beef bowl was eh. The breading was too overwhelming and oily, couldn't really taste the beef. I tasted mostly the breading. To be honest, i ordered this not knowing the beef was fried, I thought it would just be normal grilled teriyaki beef. It was my fault because they clearly state it's crispy fried beef in the description but i Missed it. The sauce for this dish was a sticky sweet soy sauce but it was too salty probably because it sticks onto the udon. I think it might be better with rice instead of udon. Curry udon had good flavors but too salty for me. The beef that came with the dish was really really good though. I believe it was a fatty brisket with the perfect amount of fat to lean meat ratio! Very soft. I think the curry would be good on rice. The udon noodles were too thick and there was no fresh flour taste that I've had elsewhere. All tempuras were mediocre, too much breading, little seasoning. The best one was the potato croquette because it was seasoned well. One thing they should change is for the imiatation crab tempura sign. Their sign says "crab tempura" but when we bit into it .. it was imitation crab. We ordered two thinking it was crab. They should change the sign to "imitation crab". The service was just ok. I felt like they were rushing us a lot. There were 4 of us and we ordered tons of tempura but she only gave us 1 small cup of tempura sauce. We asked for 4 small bowls to share but she came back with 1 so we had to ask for 3 more Bowls and more tempura sauce and the person seemed annoyed. Overall- I don't think I'd come back. My brother and his girlfriend really like this place so we thought we'd try it. They were really busy with a long line so it seems a lot of people like this place but it just wasn't for me. read more

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The first time I had Marugame was in San Ramon and I was super excited when I moved to Irvine and learned there was one nearby. The flavor was amazing and this continues to be the best udon I have ever had in the US read more

Marugame Udon - Japanese Near Me - Costa Mesa, California