Wow, just wow. I was not expecting to walk out of here wanting to rush back, but this place genuinely impressed me. The tempura sets were fried to absolute perfection! light, crispy, not greasy and the noodles, both cold and hot, were on point. I don't say this lightly when it comes to Japanese food in Chicago, but the quality here actually reminded me of what you'd find in Japan. That's a big compliment from me. Now, full disclosure. I came right when they opened, so the fryers and noodles hadn't been run through the wringer yet. That may have worked in my favor. But even so, the execution was there. If you're a tempura and noodle enthusiast, Tempura Man is absolutely worth a visit. Don't sleep on this one! read more

Tempura Man - Cold Beef Brisket Udon - Ramen Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

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8/13/26 update. I tried responding to the owner. I work the night shift so DM would be much easier for me. I DM'ed them on IG and FB. For no reason at all, they don't look at their messages from customers. I know they're active because they keep sharing all of these influencers on their pages. I was going to ask for a refund per the owner's response but at this point forget it. read more

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Love the concept of tempura items and noodles. Went for dinner few weeks ago, and everything was amazing, we loved the tempura fries with the different sauces, the tempura eel and the shrimp was enormous! For main dishes we got different kind of noodles, some got hot broth and i got cold broth, everything was amazing! Price is affordable and it is a complete meal for any noodle lovers! read more

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Cute place and friendly service. We went this past weekend and they were closed until 4:30 for cleaning so we had to wait a bit to get in. Then because a bunch of people came in at and shortly after they opened the kitchen got overwhelmed quickly and it was a little bit of a wait, but I had a Sapporo and didn't mind. We both had the tempura udon - the noodles were perfectly chewy and the broth was delicious. I enjoyed most of the tempura but the squash was a little too oily inside. I really enjoyed the tempura egg - I had never had one before. Also their yuzu garlic sauce is amazing! read more

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This is an udon and tempura place. Next door is their Ramen place. A nice And unique concept so you wont be overwhelmed on what you can order or prefer. I love tempura and saw this place on tiktok. The place is not that big but very nice. The udon was served with the tempura on the side and it is good. My husband likes it but prefers ramen. I love the crispiness of the tempura. Served with one shrimp and different kind of veggies but crispy. My tempura set order came with miso soup and rice. The shrimp is huge and extra one pc will cost you $5. The service is great. After you eat, you have a chance to win food and items thru their spin the wheel. Yay! We won a tshirt! The place is a little far from us but will surely eat here again when we are in the area. read more

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I think because this place is pretty new, maybe they're still working out some efficiencies? The wait can be kind of long, and getting the right kind of seating for your group might be a little tough. With kids, when all the booths are taken, there's bar seating available but it's higher. This might also not be ideal for elderly patrons or those who require wheelchair accessible seating. The food was good. Our kids shared the tempura. The hot udon has a rich tasting but clean broth and the noodles have a nice chew. The shrimp tempura is seriously jumbo. If you get a punch card, you get a free one the next time you go and that's pretty worth it! The yuzu sauce is the standout point for me--I haven't had a tempura dipping sauce like that before, which made it unique. It's mayo based with a hint of bright citrusy flavor, which cuts through the heaviness of fried tempura really nicely. I'd try again for the cold udon. Or maybe order to go? If you want to try it without waiting too long, you'd probably have to go when it opens. read more

Tempura Man - Ramen Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

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My parents and I came here less than a week after they opened, and reading the current reviews, I'm not sure if we were lucky or our standards are more realistic or what cuz I thought the service was on par, the place was clean, and the food? It's solid. Located at what used to be Hong Kong Cafe, we went on a Wednesday, and we were promptly seated and waited on. Our food came out quick, and it was GOOD. Even my parents approved, and let me tell you...when my Japanese parents approve of Japanese food, that's MAJOR. They both got the tempura bowl (my dad with a side of eel, which was HUGE), and I got the jumbo shrimp tempura with cold udon. The tempura? Yes. But the udon? YES. I almost squealed with delight at how much "koshi" they had. They reminded me of the handmade noodles I used to eat in the local shop run by an elderly man in Monaka where I lived in Japan. We also got a side of the sweet potato tempura fries, which I should've assumed would be in fries form, but the picture on the menu threw me off, so we were expecting them to come sliced. No big. Still tasty! I'd def give 'em a go if you haven't already. I'm sure we'll be back. read more

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The dishes were good and we can see why the reviews are great on Yelp! I was a little confused with the branding and service quality. But, if you can look past that, the dishes are definitely work experiencing. read more

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This is the 4th resto in my search for The Ultimate Tendon, or Shrimp Tempura over a bowl of rice. And this 4th resto is the farthest from where I live (Niles), while this place is located on a strip mall in Schaumburg. I had high hopes for this place since I saw someone post it in instagram. And it took me at least a couple of weeks before attempting to drive to Schaumburg, in this heatwave we're currently suffering throughout the whole country, and just yesterday, Chicago had the worst air quality in the nation! Anyhoo, back to my Tendon, as soon as I entered this place, I started taking photos of things that caught my eye, and as soon as I was done I waved at one of the 2 waitresses to place my order: ordered their Tendon, which they call - Tempura Bowl in their menu, but added a side order of shrimp tempura since their dish only had one jumbo shrimp tempura, and a cup of hot matcha. Taste was really good, the bowl had one jumbo shrimp tempura, a couple of broccoli tempura, 2 slices of tempura pumpkin, a single square tempura nori, a tempura soft-boiled egg, and I think there were 2 mushroom cap tempuras as well. What was weird/different from all the other places I went to was that they served the dish with mayo as a side dish, assuming as a dipping sauce for the tempura, but I opted to use the teriyaki sauce on the table. Overall, it was good, crunchy, crispy tempura coating for all the various veggies and the jumbo shrimp. Not too oily! But my gripe is that the usual, traditional way I've always seen and had a Tendon is with 3 large shrimp tempuras, and usually with green beans, lotus, red or green bell pepper strips, broccoli florets, mushrooms, onion slices and sometimes slivers of carrots. So, when I finished my lunch, it took a few minutes of waiting for my wait staff to come and get me my check and a matcha refill, and waited a few more minutes just to give my cash only to find out a few more minutes later that they don't accept cash! And the thing is, the place wasn't even full, or busy. So, to finalize my quest for The Ultimate Tendon, the winner is, my go-to place to gave the best, traditional Tendon is hidden inside the food court at Mitsuwa in Arlington Heights. Hands down the best tasting, very traditional and reasonably-priced dish compared to 3 other Japanese restos near me. read more

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Came here on a Sunday afternoon for lunch and the restaurant was pretty busy but we were seated at a booth pretty quickly. I ordered the tempura udon (shrimp, corn kakiage, broccoli, mushroom, soft boiled egg, and seaweed) while my child had a kid's meal with shrimp tempura udon. The kid's meal udon came in a bento box with corn, edamame, and a mini drink. The udon was dry and not in a bowl of soup to my surprise. The tempura was perfectly crispy and I especially enjoyed the garlic yuzu sauce that came with it. Matcha (hot or cold) was $1 with the purchase of a meal (no refills) and we received free shaved ice at the end of our meal (matcha, strawberry, or blue raspberry). Service was really slow since there was only one server and he was busy running around taking orders, cleaning tables, seating guests, and delivering food to each table. There were ~3 workers in the kitchen but they really needed more waitstaff. There was one bus boy but he seemed to have a language barrier and was kind of staying in the back of the restaurant and would clear tables every now and then. Overall, food is good but service could use some work. read more

Tempura Man - Tempura udon - Ramen Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

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Wanted to try this place and so finally went with my sister and some cousins. The place was small very busy they're so wait line for sure the plaza where the place is at is also small so parking is a bit of a challenge. Service was okay I actually had to ask for water and my drink order three or four times before they brought it to us. For the amount of people and how busy the place is there were only two servers so I think they are a bit overwhelmed. The food was okay it was a bit pricey for one jumbo tempura shrimp is $5. The tempura doesn't have its regular sauce which is the tempura sauce with like ginger in it it has this kind of like a Mayo aioli sauce. I did like my food I was just used to having my temporary sauce. I would definitely come back maybe in a few months when everything is more stable cuz I know that this place is new and maybe there still trying to get a hang of things. Happy eating! read more

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I am SHOOK. I honestly didn't have high expectations for this spot. Thinking that it was just a simple udon spot. It wasn't too busy when I got there, but was definitely greeted right away when I walked in. The ambiance was really laid back. The menu was simple and broken down nicely. There was regular udon with the broth, dipping udon, and rice bowls. I was really intrigued to see tempura eel on the menu so I had to order it and try it. WOW! I was not expecting for it to come out like that. It was nicely fried in the tempura batter and did not fall apart. It was a nice hefty piece too so good to share. I would recommend getting it with the rice bowl instead of by itself. The jalapeño cream cheese tempura was nicely battered and fried as well. The jumbo shrimp tempura....definitely a jumbo shrimp. Hahah. I ended up ordering the beef brisket udon bowl. I love how light the broth was and the texture of the udon was perfect! The beef was thinly sliced but was perfect with every bite. Everything in the bowl was perfection. I really enjoyed it. My friend ordered the tempura udon and got a little basket of tempura of everything with it.....mushroom, broccoli, shrimp, corn, & the egg! It was tempura egg! It was still nice and runny on the inside. Needless to say, I will definitely be back here again. read more

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WOW. I am at a loss for words. I didn't know what to expect from Tempura Man. I saw a good amount of advertisements on social media, but I was still unsure if this place would live up to the hype. It exceeded my expectations! Walking in, you can see all the food being made as if you were at a ramen shop. The seats are well spaced out, but it may not be the best for larger groups. The broth was so light and flavorful. The tempura was cooked perfectly. It was nice and crispy. The jammy tempura egg was my favorite part. I got the eel à la carte but I feel like I needed some rice to go with it. I couldn't believe they tempura'd an eel. I've never seen that before. They also offer dipping udon and rice bowls. The service was friendly and attentive. She advised me that weekends and dinner time can get busy. The wait could be up to an hour or more. If you want to avoid the line, I would recommend coming in on a weekday or off peak hours. This has to be one of the top udon places for me. I will 100% be back. read more

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We came here for a friend's birthday. It was peak dinner time and VERY crowded at 6pm on Saturday, opening weekend. The restaurant is not big and there is not much of a waiting area; just a narrow hallway leading to the front door. Someone at the back of the line kindly informed me there is a sign-in sheet at the counter up front. There is no host/ess on duty. Just a paper sign-in sheet on the bar/countertop. I did as the sheet instructed, writing my name, phone number, and party size. 12 people. The bottom of the sheet said I could go wait in my car and they would call. However, before I went anywhere, I wanted to make sure they could indeed accommodate a party size of 12 people. All of the staff members were very busy, but I noticed someone who looked like she might be in charge. She told me our party size was no problem, as long as we didn't mind sitting at separate tables. Other than bar seating, most tables can accommodate 4 people comfortably, or perhaps 6 people if you don't mind a tight squeeze (or have smaller party members). I was told we probably had a 30-45 minute wait. Our group went over to the the Life Bar Arcade just two doors down (another new business, offering convenient come-and-go privileges after you've paid a cover charge). I checked my phone compulsively to ensure I did not miss our phone call (some other restaurant patrons did miss their call, and were not so happy to be passed over). Nearly 45 minutes later the call came and we rushed back over to the restaurant. Our tables were actually not quite ready yet. First, one third of our party was seated, then eventually the next third, and finally the last. Naturally, we did not all receive our food at the same time. Restaurant staff was very busy and attentive. Even though the ever burgeoning crowd waited in that narrow hallway, we didn't feel rushed. Staff patiently answered any questions we had about the food and the menu. After ordering, it did take a while for the food to arrive at our table, but this gave us time for more conversation with friends. My husband also had granola bars packed in his coat pocket, in case things got too dire... Eventually, the food did come. I ordered the tempura udon. This came with a generous assortment of fried tempura vegetables (and one shrimp/prawn) - almost certainly more than I would usually order with my udon. The udon itself had a nice chew, and the noodles were not too "slimy," like I have sometimes experienced at other restaurants. The broth was also quite flavorful. There is a house blend chili sauce at the table, and while it did pack a punch, I'm not sure if I preferred it to the usual Japanese seven-spice (Shichimi togarashi). Since it was opening weekend, they were offering guests complimentary shaved ice for dessert, so that served as a nice birthday treat for us all. There was also a prize wheel, so most of us left with either coupons or merch. Once the heat dies down a little, I am sure I will be back to try something else from the menu. There are a few unique tempura fried items that I haven't seen elsewhere (such as avocado and prosciutto tempura). read more

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Great food, great service, and great vibes! Food was worth the wait! It took them 2 years to open and we're glad we waited! The tempura udon was tasty! The broth was rich and deep with chewy and fresh noodles and perfectly deep-fried tempura! I loved how they provided several dipping sauces for the tempura! Their homemade green tea was smooth and had a nice aftertaste. We will definitely be back to try their cold udon! read more

Tempura Man - Ramen Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

We visited today August 14. Our 4th time. They have added sushi rolls on a their menu. We ordered tempura roll! 8 pcs of well prepared shrimp roll with fresh wasabi. And as always we had tempura ramen read more

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Went on Friday night. Not busy at all. Tempura was great and so as noodles. It was just too humid inside. The air conditioning was broken?? read more

Tiny little spot, 8 tables 10 bar seats. There was a line out the door but the servers weren't very good and turning tables quickly. One table sat a mess for about 10 minutes minimum; definitely something the owner/manager should address. No AC so it was stuffy inside...not pleasant when eating hot udon. Udon noodles aren't the fat kind you'd normally get but was tasty and the tempura was well fried (made to order, I think) but that definitely hurts when it's busy, gotta find the sweet spot for when customers are getting impatient waiting for a long time. Overall, not a terrible experience but will unlikely make the trip just to eat there (50 minute drive for me)...maybe a side trip if I'm out at IKEA. read more

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Wow tip of the day since it just open please come inside and SIGN your name. We were waiting in line for about an hour and the host told us to go wait outside but it is too cold to do that she was sitting people as your name was being cross out also some people in line manage to sit without being sat on the tables so that was kind of confusing the food is very generous and also we got a complementary hot matcha and one cold match tea. The tables are ok but this place got so crowded. There is a chef and 2 cooks. Not enough help for this little busy establishment. The ambiance very crowded and loud is a very good place for for young crowds to hang out read more

This restaurant just opened on April 16 and is going through some growing pains. The woman server was doing her best, but it looked like she was training two men at the same time, so they weren't as helpful. Waited about an hour at 1pm on a Sunday, since bussing and cleaning the tables was very slow. There was also a sign up list, there's no hostess. Be sure to put your name on the list, my group was just waiting in line without knowing what to do. The inner waiting space is very narrow, many people were waiting outside. Once we sat down and got to ordering, things got better. The udon in the tempura set was warm and flavorful, the tempura a good, though the corn kakiura is wide and a little hard to eat. Don't plan to linger or bring a large group. The biggest they can fit is six in a booth, where you'll be very close to your friends. All in all, the food was good, the service was mid, but I expect that will even out within a month. read more

Tempura Man - Tempura Set - Ramen Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

You know, we're gonna show this place some well-deserved love. It's right next door to Chicago Ramen and is owned by them- the signboard's been outside for years. Lots of delays - over two years -(gotta be those darned building code folks; they seem to be slacking since Covid days; not sure why they aren't able to be more responsive and timely. btw the owners didn't complain about it; it's just my kvetching is all). Anyway, we waited a LONG time for them to open and were happy to see they finally did! We walked in, were warmly greeted, and saw a nice open kitchen and very nicely styled with ingredients stacked on top of the bar running almost the entire length of the restaurant. The ambience was just NICE. I ordered the Tempura Udon (a hot dish with a shrimp tempura and a hot steaming bowl of udon). Wow. The flavors were just nice. Really. I also ordered a side of chicken breast tempura. Oh wow. It really hit the spot. The tempura batter was just perfect- light and flaky. And the flavor- with the available sauces a nice touch- was just perfect. They also gave us a complementary shaved ice at the end of the meal- a really nice touch! Definitely will return. And hubby- a fine Japanese-born man if ever there was one- enjoyed it as well. We'll be back. And you should try it too! read more

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The food here is delicious and the staff is friendly. The menu is easy to manage, not overwhelming. If you're craving tempura and udon this hits the spot. read more

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Food was amazing. Everything made fresh and tasted amazing. Smoky udon broth, crispy tempura and sweet tendon sauce. Only downsides- is it's small, the wait was a bit long but I can forgive the wait. It helped me with my patience, everything everywhere is rush rush, when it's your turn and food comes don't rush enjoy the meal. There are very few places like this. Thank you for the meal and the care that went into making it. read more

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I didn't know Chicago ramen opened a tempura/udon spot. My friend told me about it and I thought we'd give it a try since he said it was good. For starters, I don't know if their AC was down or if that's just how they operate because they're frying tempura...but it was HOT in there. My toddler was so uncomfortable and after awhile, I started to feel really warm too. Occasionally we get hit with a gush of wind, but it wasn't it for us. We got the tempura udon (a hot broth too so it didn't help). The broth was light and has a slight lemony/sour/vinegar taste - nothing bad. Just not wht I expected. The udon noodles are smaller and a little flatter than normal. I'm not sure if they're house made, but they're pretty good. The tempura was lightly battered and not too oily. Especially the vegetables like broccoli and mushroom. Idk I felt underwhelmed by everything I ate. They were also kind of busy and service was slower but we didn't mind - minus how hot it was in there. read more

Tempura Man - Ramen Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

So delicious!! I loved the udon noodles and the menu was great, it explained the differences between hot and cold udon types and what you could add to the dishes--nice touch! The restaurant itself was also super cute! read more

I wanted to love this place but sometimes social media overhype leaves you disappointed. I had the cold udon and my husband had the hot, it wasn't the worst we've had.... Tempura was also OK. If the name of your place is Tempura Man, the tempura should be memorable and it wasn't. We arrived around 5:30, not too busy and there were two servers, one of which didn't seem to have a lot of experience. She sat us, took our drink order, which was water, and we had to ask again for water - when our food arrived! Also, for being open only a month, the place was not as clean as it should be. Floors were dirty and bathroom was not kept up. Maybe wait a few months to see if it gets better. read more

This was the best tempura I've ever had-- it had a light crisp to it and was soft but in a good way. It didn't have a greasy or fried feeling like some tempura can have. The dishes were pretty unique-- I got the chicken udon with #2 spice and felt just right. My wife had a creamy dish (forgot what it was called) and was pretty good too. Service was exceptional! The hosts was super friendly and inviting. We plan on coming back soon! They are part of the Chicago Ramen collective of restaurants so they are authentic Japanese which I think really showed through in their offerings. read more

Food was authentic and good; but one server isn't enough for multiple tables. That one person was more than patient. Service was great and food orders came out fast. read more

Came here with my spouse and we had the same thing: shrimp tempura with udon. The broth had some depth, and the noodles had a nice bite to it. The tempura is what it is all about here. The shrimp was very crispy as well as the vegetables. It's served on the side which is a vast improvement over some other restaurants that add it to the soup. The price is very reasonable and we'll certainly make it a regular stop. read more

Absolutely deserve zero star First of all, we waited 15mins for server take the order. Order two drinks and 3 meals for party of 2 people. Drinks served 30min later .no water served for time being. 2 out 3 dishes we order arrived wrong after an hour of waiting . I told server those are not what we ordered. She took them back but brought them back to my table again Insisting we should just eat what we got. They refused to provide correct ones.... We decided to keep what we got because we don't want to wait another hour for the food Unfortunately the food was equally bad as their service. It was also hilarious watching both servers didn't even memorize the table number so they are carrying the food and hopping from one table to another asking customer " did you order this " Yeah they can't even name of food on their hands on top of not knowing table number.... read more

Went on a Friday night and the place was very busy. Had to wait about 15 minutes to get in. The place is not super big but there is space to sit in front of the chefs and booths along the wall. The worst thing was the food took a long time to cook. I realize it was busy and they are fairly new but the cook time hopefully needs to be a little quicker. I also saw a togo customer have to wait quite a long while to get his to go order. The food was priced about 13 dollars which is not too bad. I was definitely full. Hopefully the cook time is faster but I would still recommend the restaurant. Check out my ig asianprde4ever or my YouTube danielm6340 for videos. read more

The noodles were perfectly al dente, the soup was delicious, and the friendly service made the experience even better. Highly recommended!

The food here really stands out because everything tastes carefully prepared and full of flavor. The broth had a deep rich taste, the tempura stayed light and crispy, and every dish felt balanced without being overdone. You can tell the kitchen puts real effort into quality instead of trying to rush plates out. The space itself is pretty limited, so the wait can feel longer than expected, especially during busy hours. The system for getting seated also wasn't very clear, which made the experience slightly frustrating at first. Still, once the meal arrived, the atmosphere became much more enjoyable and relaxed. Overall, the food and attention to detail made the visit worth it, even with a few small inconveniences along the way. read more

I think they are still in their grand opening stage... it was very busy when we went on a Saturday around 1 pm. After we were seated (It was only about a 10 min wait, but another 10 to submit our order) they put out a wheel to spin for free items due to the long wait lines. I tried the cold dipping ramen tempura set and my mom had the hot ramen set. We ordered appetizers of tempura asparagus and sweet potato fries. My mistake was not asking about the spice level for the dipping sauce, so it came mild and it was the typical kind of bland tempura sauce - but that was MY OWN fault. I did add some Ponzu and pepper to the sauce that was at the table. The tempura was really good and the shrimp was very large. The batter was nice and light and crunchy. The asparagus tempura was also very good. Somehow the sweet potatoes got missed on our order (I always expect something to be missing when my order isn't written down, or entered into a tablet), but when I asked about it, they put the order in right away. We also somehow got a "taco" that I didn't order and I thought might have been an offering for the error, but it was on the bill. Not a problem, I ate it and it was delicious! There was nothing wrong with the sweet potato fries, they just didn't "hit the spot" for me. They are very thin, which I do not care for thin fries - but that is me - NOT any issue with the restaurant. Would definitely come back here again! read more

I went on Monday afternoon. I was seated quickly and the waitress came by and took my order. The udon soap was very tasty. The service and price were good. read more

Love the food love the service these people in their reviews are tripping. I loved it here definitely coming back

First server was clueless. We asked for water, which she didn't bring. Thankfully, the actual person taking care of us did. Tempura was average at best. Heavy on the batter, not light and flaky. Ordered the tempura udon, noodles were eh. It looks like they were in a rush to open this place. Floors were dirty, and the decor was unfinished. In preparation to opening a restaurant, one would think your staff should be somewhat trained and the space should be presentable. Probably won't be back. read more

I went here during the combo breaker weekend. So the restaurant was packed with a wait, which is out of their control. They were super attentive when we got seated and the service was wonderful. We had a seat right at the counter so it was fun to see the food being made. I got the chicken tempura bowl and it was amazing! The food was cooked perfectly and I can't wait to come back. read more

So my family went here tonight for dinner anticipating a wait from the previous reviews I read. We were excited to try the food as the restaurant smelled wonderful of the fragrant noodles. However, the wait staff was the issue. We were not even greeted nor acknowledged although we along with a few ahead of us made it obvious that we were waiting to be seated. There were tables available but the wait staff did not promptly buss the tables to prep them for the several waiting parties. It would have been nice if they had the courtesy to acknowledge us or even give us an approximate wait time. In my observation I believe the primary issue was that the wait staff did not seem experienced or well trained. We didn't feel like waiting since the atmosphere was unnatural for a Japanese restaurant. Being Asian myself, I expected at least a hello or "I'll be right with you" and more professionalism. Maybe we will attempt to go another time but it was disappointing not to be able to try their food read more

Excellent tempura udon, it was delicious, inlcludes a tempura soft boiled egg! Will definitely come back!