Anne C.

This udon chain is worldwide. First one in Canada so the hype is real. Long line ups since theyre open. Its fast food like. Pick up a tray, order your noodle base and choose your self serve add-ons. Then pay, grab a table and enjoy. However, that was not the case for my experience. We ordered our udon, picked a few add-ons. The tempura shrimps were out, so they were making it. Instead of waiting in line, they asked us to pay first and they ll bring it to our table. We waited, waited, and waited. Our udons got cold. Check with staff and there were like its coming. We saw people in line got them. We saw staff bringing it to people at tables. I went to ask again, and guess what, they out. Impatiently started eating my now cold udon, half done and my tempura shrimp is no where to be found. Checked with staff again and they saw how annoyed i was and it finally came. It should not get to that. Asked to speak with the manager and ofc the manager wasnt here. Unless they figure out a better system, i will not be returning.

Faiza K.

Having visited the Hawaii location many years ago, I randomly think of this place at least once a year. The original location in Hawaii, you can watch the staff making the hand pulled noodles in the window and then you can the absolute freshest noodles for your ramen (I assume this is still the case) I'm happy this restaurant has made its way to Toronto . They don't do the hand pulling noodles in the window here , but I believe the noodles are still made fresh, day of Open concept seating, free water station, all the sauces to your delight. It operates as a cafeteria style - grab your tray, bowl, tell the staff which ramen option you want, move along. Next section is where you can choose if you want any tempura items (all prices clearly marked). Pay. Portions are Regular or Large . Several choices in regards to broth (fish, dashi stock for example). I chose the dashi option, regular, with green onions. The broth is yum - that perfect umami flavour, the noodles have that great chewy texture that you just want to slurp up Already planning on heading back

Zi C.

Came here after seeing all the hype on the internet about it. It was an interesting concept. It was like an expressed udon take out place. You choose what noodles you want and they prep it for you while you wait in line. You can also grab any side dishes or tempura you like on the side. The place itself is pretty big, however it does feel like a self serve food court rather. Usually you would have to wait for someone to leave before you can seat yourself. Everything t is self serve, ranging from utensils to various different sauces to water. Overall it's not bad to try once. But definitely not a frequent return place for me.

Kai-Wen L.

Yet another popular Japanese chain restaurant has come to Toronto! This time, it's Marugame Udon (丸亀製麵) . I've never had it in Japan, but it's very common to see in Taipei, and I've had it several times there. You can find it in almost every department store food court. We happened to be in the area near this newly opened udon restaurant. Although there was quite a long line, we still decided to wait. It's always exciting to try out a hyped-up new store! The store is spacious; however, it still couldn't accommodate the long line of eager customers. The decoration is very Japanese. You can see a giant Japanese-style lantern with the Kanji 丸亀製麵 on it. It makes the waiting time less boring because the place is very Instagrammable, and you also have enough time to decide what you want to eat later. Once you get to the counter, the workflow is pretty smooth: get the udon, get the broth and toppings, pick up the fried items, grab a drink, and then pay. It really shows Japan's efficiency. The prices were fair compared to other udon restaurants in the city. I have to admit, it felt a bit funny watching a non-Japanese person making udon, but I actually liked it. That's one of the reasons we're in the GTA -- one of the most multicultural regions in the world. I felt that my udon was a bit too soft, but the flavor was pretty much the same as what I had years ago in Taiwan. It may not be the most delicious udon you've ever had, but it's kind of like McDonald's -- wherever in the world you order a Big Mac, it tastes almost the same. Their QA team really does its job well. Great job, QA! It definitely deserves the hype .

Maggie G.

Finally got to try Marugame Udon, we came on a weekday around 2pm, so there was no line and plenty of seating, which made the experience even better. I really like the Japanese fast food/food court style setup. We ordered the Beef Udon and Kitsune Udon and the noodles were made fresh and served quickly. We also tried a variety of tempura, including shrimp, squid, chikuwa, veggie ball and karaage. The shrimp and squid were definitely the highlights crispy and flavorful. The chikuwa and karaage were a bit on the dry side and the veggie ball was quite oily. I also thought the soup base was a tad too sweet. Overall, the food was tasty. The noodles weren't quite as bouncy as what we've had in Japan but still very enjoyable. With two drinks , the total came to about $53 for two people.

Alex H.

I've been back 3 times already to try different things on the menu! It's delicious udon and worth the long wait! The line moves fast and it's pretty easy to find seats as there is a constant flow of people.

Michelle W.

I was so excited to have this in Toronto but it tasted a lot better in LA. Overall better udon places in toronto, however it's fast and convenient here.

Fanny S.

I finally tried this viral fast food udon chain from Japan on a Friday night where the line up is no longer extending out the front door. There is a line up but you are moved along quickly. There is a menu of the udon offerings and I chose number 5, the Nikutama udon (beef slices, onsen egg in broth). As you place your order, the udon is scooped into your bowl and the onsen egg is cracked on top of the udon bowl. Talk about efficiency! You move along the line to the tempura area and you can grab them and place it on your tray as you move further down to the cashier. There were two drinks in the machine available (orange and matcha) or there's a fridge with Japanese bottled drinks. Love that there's a self serve water and sauce station. The udon was chewy and the broth is slightly on the sweeter side and it was exactly what I would expect from this udon chain. The tempura was freshly fried and was decent. I would come again for a quick bite if I'm craving for udon/tempura. Remember to return your trays and dispose the waste after you're done eating!

Lisa C.

I was here shortly after their grand opening and was so excited to try this out! I've heard of this place from social media and that this was the first location in Toronto, so of course I had to try it it out. There was a wait when I arrived for dinner but the line moved quickly. I waited about 20-25 minutes in total. At first glance, this ramen shop is different than your usual sit down place. This is a fast food/buffet but still gourmet haha. You line up and order your food while seeing it all in action on how it's made and prepared. The next station is the tempura and you self serve there. I ordered the curry nikutama udon and it was quite tasty! The flavours were good and the noodles were chewy. I think for the price that you pay ($13.99), it was a very fair price for the value of food you're getting. I thought the regular portion size with tempura was more than enough food for me. As for the ambiance, this was a simple Japanese fast food style place. It was clean and it had a station where you could pick up cutlery or water if you needed. Overall, a solid place at a great location.

Ada L.

Marugame Udon located along Yonge St. near Grosvenor St. is a fast-casual Japanese udon chain with locations all around the world. This location is their first location in Toronto. The first time I had Marugame Udon was actually in Japan many years ago and I enjoyed that experience. The Toronto location has been extremely busy (extremely hyped!) since they opened mid-March but I was finally able to eat there recently. The concept of the store is fast casual and the system of ordering and paying is efficient (it's like how their stores are like in Japan!). As soon as you enter the restaurant you decide what udon you'd like to order by looking at the menu. You grab a tray and you let the staff know and your bowl of udon noodles are quickly prepared (takes less than a minute!). Once you have your noodles, you walk over to the tempura station where you can choose any amount you want (prices are listed per tempura item). You can opt to get a drink and then pay at the end (there is no option for tipping!). Once you finish ordering you take your tray to another station to grab chopsticks, condiments (tempura sauce, chili oil, etc.) and water. Afterwards you just choose a spot to sit (you must order before sitting!). I must say that the Toronto location does not have as many udon options as the Japanese locations, which is kind of a bummer (the udon I had in Japan years ago isn't offered on the Toronto menu sadly). Service and staff are friendly! You see that staff are hard at work preparing food items as well as cleaning tables once customers leave. The flow of the foot traffic is also well thought out. Washrooms are fully accessible. I stopped by Marugame Udon on a Tuesday afternoon around 2:30pm for a late lunch. The place was still busy, however, there was seating available and no line. Glancing at the menu, the prices are extremely reasonable (you can get a meal for less than $10!). I opted to get a regular beef udon (sweet flavoured beef in their signature kake soup), a zucchini tempura, and a shrimp tempura. Total was around $16 which is pretty great! Food wise, the udon noodles were cooked perfectly and the broth was comforting. The beef was tender and had a sweetness but it wasn't overpowering. The noodles were el dente but they didn't have that chewy texture that I prefer. The tempura was great, especially the shrimp tempura - the batter on the shrimp was light. After you finish eating you return your tray to the counter where the bowls, chopsticks, and even tempura plates are sorted. Everything is labelled for you to sort. Overall, a great place for a reasonably priced meal in the Yonge and College area. Definitely will be back during off-peak times to grab a quick meal if I'm in the mood for some udon and tempura.

Hank K.

Oh man... it still absolutely hits. I was a little worried it wouldn't live up to the Hawaii locations, but Marugame Udon Toronto fully delivers. For me, it's still hands-down one of the best noodle experiences anywhere. It's also incredibly nostalgic--it instantly took me back to layovers in Honolulu when I was a flight attendant. I'm a huge longtime fan. I ordered the nikutama udon, and everything just came together perfectly: the rich, sweet onsen egg, tender beef simmered in dashi, and those freshly made udon noodles--soft, chewy, and smooth like angelic silks. All of it soaked in a rich, deeply umami bukkake broth (and no - STOP thinking about that. Funny that the western minds are so corrupted that they needed to shorten the name of the sauce to "BK" on their menu), topped with tempura bits and shichimi. It's a full-on flavour bomb; to me, there are very few noodle soups come close to that kind of balance and depth. Absolute divine intervention... On the tempura side, the kakiage (shredded vegetable fritter) and chikuwa (fish cake) were standouts--light, crisp, and not too greasy. They paired beautifully with the soup. The karaage was also solid, with well-marinated, juicy chicken. For drinks, I got the strawberry yuzu, which was super refreshing--bright, fruity, and not overly sweet. I can already tell it'd be perfect in the summer alongside a piece of chikuwa tempura. The only downside is the crowd--no surprise for Toronto. The space is clean and well-organized for now, but I can see the self-serve sauce station getting pretty chaotic without constant monitoring and maintenance overtime. Also, bigger containers for the tempura sauce would be a nice upgrade. All in all, Marugame Udon Toronto did not disappoint. It's still one of the best noodle spots in the world for me, and I'm genuinely so glad they chose Toronto for this location. I will come back very often, even though I have to wait in line...

Rachel S.

Great udon, very fair prices for how hype it is. Around dinner time it is guaranteed there will be a line, but it moves quickly. You lineup to order before you find a seat, but at no point were there people holding trays standing around aimlessly, so this system seems to work well. I got the beef udon while my friends got the BK sauce udon. Both were good! I actually preferred that mine had soup. The sweet beef was amazing. The udon texture was just okay, but I didn't mind. Overall I would definitely come back. I would not recommend coming with a big group as the seating may get difficult.

Sally L.

This place is much like a Japanese Food court style or workers cafeteria line up. I loveee the concept. I ordered the #2 beef udon and my partner ordered #7 katsu curry udon. And I grabbed 2 shrimp tempura for $2.99 each. Both of the udons were tasty and delicious. The price is unbeatable. On top of that the friendly and fresh handmade noodles you get. I absolutely loved this place and will definitely be back for its tasty udon, affordability and service !