Came for their soft launch, it was busy but the service was still rly good. My fav was the flat udon noodle texture, I wanna come back for the cold version w the dipping sauce. No reservations tho, only waitlist, we waited around 1 hour but it was very much worth it. The food was very light and clean tasting despite how big the portions are. Side note: they sell the cute bowls that they use for the udon in store!! read more

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A friend and I tried this place during their soft opening day. We opted to sit outside, and since there is absolutely no shade, it was very hot under direct sunlight. It would be great if they could install shades so that outdoor area could be utilized well. The servers were very friendly. One thing that could be improved is for the servers to mention explicitly that one can use the QR code or order with the server as I noticed some tables were confused. My friend and I both got the cold udon set and the sauces were the highlight, flavorful but not too overpowering and delightfully refreshing. The black sesame sauce is something I'm still thinking about days later. We were only given one tempura dipping sauce. But overall, it was a delicious meal and I look forward to coming again. Hope they will work some of the kinks out! read more

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I love the udon here! Especially the Bacon cream udon carbonara, it was so good! The servers were so nice and quick to seat us. There was room temperature water on the table when we arrived already but it was really hot inside the restaurant, so the server changed the water to ice cold water immediately. Food came out quick also. This place is still in the soft opening phase so there is no take out orders yet. Also the hours are currently 11:30am-2:30pm and 5:00pm-9:00pm. I think it will change once they officially open! read more

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Ever since my Japan trip, I've been craving those flat udon noodles... I can't believe I finally found them in SoCal at The District in Tustin! Love this newly opened Japanese spot featuring udon and Japanese fried foods. IG: socalhkfoodies read more

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I came because I saw a bunch of ig post about this new udon place that opened in district place! Line was not bad but when we came around 5pm, there was already so many people there so we had to wait about 15 minutes. Checkin on Yelp first so you don't have to wait! This restaurant was SO HOT! The AC I guess was very weak so I kid you not I was sweating eating here. We got the cold udon set and the mentaiko gochujang udon and they were ok...please note that during their soft opening, the price on the menu is already 10% off 1. Cold udon set (3/5): at $27 regular price, $25 with 10% off, i would consider this not worth the price. It came with 10 strands of udon, salad and assorted tempura. It is an interesting concept because it came with 2 sauces: standard sweet sauce and sesame sauce? Both are good but a tad too salty. Good for first timer but I would not get this again. 2. Mentaiko gochujang (4/5): great flavor but leans more on the spicy side! Pretty good ans tastes very well balanced. The portion is a bit small for the price but I'd come back for this since it is a bit unique. Not sure if I'd come back again since it was a bit overhyped for sure. read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Cold udon set - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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Came here on a Sunday evening around 6:30PM, and the wait was about 45 minutes. Definitely expect a bit of a wait during peak hours, but it's located in The District, so it's easy to walk around and kill some time while you wait. Once we were seated, our server (a young male) was incredibly welcoming, friendly, and attentive, which made for a great start to the meal! Our food also came out fairly quickly, which I appreciated. However, my friend's didn't arrive until about 10 minutes after mine, so it made for a bit of an awkward wait since I didn't want to start eating before they had their food. The main reason for my 3.5 review is the value. I ordered the cold noodle set, which was about $25 before tip. It came with 10 thick handmade noodle strips, two dipping sauces, a small salad, and tempura. While everything was fresh, I couldn't help but feel it was very carb-heavy for the price. I wish the set included some protein or meat to make it feel like a more complete meal. The two dipping sauces were very different. The yuzu sauce was light, refreshing, and especially delicious once I mixed in the green onions. Nothing crazy though, just good old yuzu. The black sesame sauce was unique and flavorful, but personally it was a bit too rich and intense for me to want with every bite. I enjoy black sesame in general, but this particular sauce became a little overwhelming after a while. One small tip: I actually ended up cutting each noodle strip in half. The noodles are very long and thick, and I found they were easier to dip and eat that way. It also helped each bite pick up more of the sauce. Overall, it felt like an overpriced, elevated version of udon. The handmade noodles were undeniably fresh, chewy, and well made, but I don't see myself craving this enough to justify the price. If I'm in the area and just want good udon, I'd probably choose Marugame Udon nearby, which offers a much better value. I'd recommend this spot if you're specifically looking to try thick handmade udon and don't mind paying a premium for the experience. read more

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WORTH THE WAIT!! I've never been a fan of udon but this place changed my mind & I'm already making plans to go back asap :') My friend and I ordered the himokawa cold udon set & mentaiko gochugaru creamy udon, which ended up being the perfect amount to share. The black sesame dipping sauce tasted exactly how you think it would & made for an interesting experience! But we still preferred the cold citrus yuzu dipping sauce, which was lighter & paired perfectly with the noodles. The mentaiko udon was also well seasoned & not too spicy, loved the topping of the lotus flowers which added a lil crunch. Overall, thoroughly satisfied with our meal :-) Make sure to come before or by 11:30 am opening to get seated shortly, otherwise it's around a 45 minute-1 hour wait. Btw there's only an in person yelp waitlist & seating is somewhat limited. P.S. 10% OFF YOUR ORDER DURING SOFT OPENING! read more

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Came here during their soft opening - great service, super friendly staff! I waited around 30 min on a Friday evening, which isn't bad. The space is very cute inside and I liked that there's outdoor seating as well. I think the food is just okay. The chicken karaage was a bit bland and unseasoned, and the portion was small for $9. The Sukiyaki nabe udon was also okay. The beef portion was thin and there was a bit much going on with all of the different veggies in the broth (carrot, napa, zucchini, mushroom, etc.) - I feel that there was more veggie than meat to save on cost. The Himokawa cold udon set caught my attention - I liked the flat noodles (which were super slippery! haha) with the yuzu & black sesame sauces. I opted for the individual bowl (without tempura), but looking back, this dish definitely needs some sort of protein. Without tempura, it's basically noodles with dipping sauce for $19. Not sure how generous the meat portions are for other menu items. I'd like to give this place another try sometime, maybe I ordered the wrong things. read more

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Both the hot and cold set were really good here with the flat noodles. Appreciated the many variety of veggies in the hot bowl of noodles. Also that the water was replaced with cold water half way through the meal due to hot weather. That was a thoughtful touch by the servers. Being an avid chopsticks user growing up, I still had some trouble picking up the flat noodles due to its weight & slippery texture with super short chopsticks. I would definitely recommend them upgrading to longer chopsticks as it gave me a hand cramp from trying to pick up my noodles. Also, a few additional strands (3-5) of cold noodles would feel like a better deal instead of just 10 strands. The wait-list suggested it would've been 25-38 min, but it took almost an hour to be seated. If they can tweak it to be a better wait-time, that would definitely help as well. We didn't get offered the 10% off for soft opening either, but it's okay, the staff was trying their best to figure out the kinks during this new adjustment period. So far, not too shabby! Would come back to try their other options on the menu in the near future. read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Hot set with flat udon noodles - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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been seeing all the viral videos of this place so i def had to stop by. i visited on a tuesday night around 7:30 pm with about a 20-30 min wait. my order: -himokawa cold udon individual $19 i got the individual bowl instead of the set ($25, comes with salad and side tempura). i like the sauces: one black sesame, one yuzu but overall this dish is pretty basic. it's nice to share but i wouldn't get this just for myself since it's very carb heavy with no protein. the presentation is fun but taste is just simple. -bacon cream udon carbonara $17 yum + definitely very creamy and cheesy. we ate the flat udon first and then this one and it was surprisingly still very hot! -veggie tempura $9 menu says it's supposed to come with 2 broccoli, 2 potato, 2 pumpkin, and 2 eggplant but they substituted the eggplant with peppers? not sure why this was the case since they didn't explain if they were out of stock or not i do have to say that the 2 people table is very very small for 2 big dishes and an appetizer + a case of utensils, water cups, and a whole water pitcher :( we had to eat carefully since we were struggling with space lol. a different server saw that our table was so packed that he offered to change the tempura plate to a smaller one which was nice of him. some small points but there were no napkins or no small bowl for sauce for tempura until i asked the waiter. there was also no ac and no ice in our water until asked for (i did hear that they were short on ice that day) they are still in soft opening (10% off your order) so i do believe that they can improve the dining experience! service was nice and they were pretty busy so i understand. overall for dish/taste wise, it's good to try once but not sure if i would come back or wait over an hour for it read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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Came on soft opening day and there are still lots of kinks to work out but the food was good. Some things to note - We put our name on the waitlist before the store 'opened' and our wait time was 2.5 hours. My group messaged the store on IG to ask when they opened and they said 11:30, but when we got there at 11:15, the restaurant was fully seated and people were eating already :| So don't arrive at 11:30 expecting it to open at that time. We were seated around 1:45 and inside the restaurant is very warm because the AC is weak. If you order a hot udon, it'll be even warmer. They were low on ice when we were seated because the cold udon needs a bed of ice so the drinking water they give is lukewarm with no ice. The menu says flat udon is +$2 but the top 2 signature sets already come with flat udon so it's priced in. Would adjust that portion of the menu calling out the +$2 for flat udon and remove the callout. Didn't realize you can order the sets by itself without the tempura/salad/accompaniments but don't think the udon would be worth the individual bowl cost. Despite all those kinks, the udon was really good - chewy and flavorful. The black sesame sauce with the cold noodle was my favorite. The hot udon soup was also very flavorful, would be great to eat in the winter. Cold udon portion was a little small though. Overall, would come after the popularity dies down or be prepared for a wait. The Tustin District has some shopping areas, TJ Maxx/Whole Foods across the street and boba stores close by to hang out at if you are waiting! read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Cold udon (foreground) hot udon soup (back) maje udon (right) - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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I'm giving 3 stars because I liked the himokawa cold udon and their yuzu and goma dipping sauces. Service was slow and terrible. They're definitely understaffed when we went there for a late lunch on a weekday afternoon. Our orders were left on the counter for at least 10 minutes before they finally came to our table. The servers weren't accommodating to the customers' needs. read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Signature Udon Set - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

Really lived up to the hype! Mentai udon was super flavorful and slightly spicy & the flat udon had a great texture! Could definitely be a bit thinner but overall had a great lunch! Tempura was solid as well :) read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Flat udon - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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Prepare for a long wait times. It took us about 1.5 hours to get seated on a Thursday night around 7pm. The food is a bit pricey, but the udon is delicious. I got the cold set and the black sesame sauce really made everything stand out. It definitely filled me up and the flat udon was unique. I thought it would have been thinner but it was kinda thick. My boyfriend and friend got the Sukiyaki Udon and they said it was good, but it was really hot so it was hard for them to eat. They wanted to replace the regular udon with the flat udon, but were told that they aren't doing that right now since it's soft opening. They also gave us plastic spoons to use initially but it was hard to use so we asked for actual soup spoons and it was then given to us. My bf ordered the chicken karaage and was disappointed. For $9 you get about 6 small pieces of chicken. Definitely not worth it. I am unsure if i'd come back. Maybe sometime in the future when the hype dies down. read more

SO YUM! Still in soft opening but there were still a decent number of people on a weekday for lunch. Tried out their cold noodle set. Not usually a fan of black sesame but the sesame dipping sauce was great!! Also yummy tempura and salad. No complaints will be back :)) read more

Tsurukawa Udon - cold set - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

This was my first time visiting after my friend saw this place on a Facebook ad and wanted to try the cold flat noodles. I ordered the creamy noodle dish instead. The fresh noodles were definitely the highlight. They had a great texture and tasted homemade. My only feedback on the food is that the sauce was a little too thick and creamy for my taste. It reminded me more of mac and cheese than a noodle dish, so I think it would be even better if the sauce were a bit lighter and less cheesy. The service was excellent. Our food came out quickly, and the staff were friendly. One thing to keep in mind is that the tables are quite small, and there aren't any booth seats. If you're dining with a larger group or family, seating may feel a bit cramped, and you may have to wait for a table during busy times. The atmosphere was decent overall, but I think booth seating or larger tables would make the dining experience more comfortable. Overall, I enjoyed the fresh noodles and the quick service, and I'd be interested in coming back to try some of the other dishes. read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Mentaiko cream Udon - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

Honestly, the flavor profile is good! Not tryna hold anything against them since they're still in soft opening. The maje cream noodle was soooo overwhelming flavorful, we had to ask for extra cream on the side to lower the intensity. Would definitely recommend fishing out the noodles first and adjusting the sauce on the side so it's tolerable to eat. The flat noodles were also made extremely well! Loved them. Service still needs a lot of work. Had to flag them down to order and get the check after waiting too long. When they dropped off my food, I got like a 5 second explanation on how to eat the noodles, and the server straight walked away. Left me a little confused. Can't substitute in different noodles types at the moment, so beware of that! Overall, would be down to try again and just learn from our mistakes. It truly was tasty! read more

Bravo influencers I guess you did your job in hyping up this place on IG. I heard the wait was 2-3 hours long at opening. Sadly, I don't think Tsurukawa Udon is worth the hype or the wait. We came looking for something comparable to what we had in Japan and this place isn't it. Thankfully we arrived before the dinner rush at 5pm and didn't have to wait. Although, we like many others came with expectation to try the flat udon noodles and they had completely ran out earlier in the day and never replenished. They also never bothered to tell anyone until we sat down to order and we still never got a full explanation as to why there wasn't enough on opening day. My husband and I both ordered the cold udon set anyway and at $25 I find it pretty pricey. It comes with cold udon, two dipping sauces, a couple pieces of mediocre tempura, and simple salad. If not for the flat udon noodles I don't think alot of people would come. We literally saw a couple get up and leave. Sadly, there wasn't even a sign or warning they had ran out outside. Additionally, the menu is super confusing. The description mentions the set comes with flat udon, yet it says the flat noodles is $2 extra, so what is it?! Also since it's a pretty hot day, I would've expected them to turn up the AC and serve ice water, and we didn't get either until later when we were about to finish our meal. I don't know how anyone can enjoy boiling hot soup in this environment. They did leave the doors open but we definitely felt uncomfortable inside. If you didn't order the cold udon, it seemed like people waited a long time for their food. As we sat near the kitchen, we heard the servers confusing table orders and it seemed like major disorganization. The table next to us waited forever for one item to arrive and we left before the second person even got their food. Hopefully they get things in order, but I don't think I will be coming back anytime soon. read more

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Came here for their soft opening on Saturday and wow, what a hot mess. Luckily, my friend got there at 10:30 when there was a short line. We got seated shortly after opening at 11:20AM in the first wave of guests and the line outside continued to grow. Once seated, they brought out some complementary fried crackers and water. Cold noodle set 3/5: interesting concept but a little difficult to eat. I did really like the sesame dipping sauce though! Bacon cream udon carbonara 5/5: rich and creamy, better to share with others. Sukiyaki nabe udon 4/5: solid hot udon dish Overall, the food was good and the servers tried their best -- apologized for the wait and refilled our crackers/water promptly. Even though it was soft opening, the restaurant did not have the capacity to make food in a timely manner. We had to wave someone down to order then waited over an hour for the food to arrive while sitting in a warm/hot restaurant is not ideal on a hot day. I might give it another try in the far future, but this restaurant did not properly prepare for a busy soft opening. read more

Came in during their soft opening and walked right in. Might've gotten lucky as it seems others have experienced long wait times and disappointedly had the flat noodles already sold out. The Himokawa cold noodle set is worth trying if you haven't had dipping udon or soba before. The udon has a satisfyingly chewy texture, but be prepared to test your chopstick skills as it'll get slippery to grip. The two dipping sauces complement each other nicely. The black sesame sauce is creamy and rich, making it the one you'll probably reach for first, while the yuzu sauce is refreshing and light that you can keep going back to it easily. The tempura was fried in fresh oil and wasn't over battered. Pro tip: if you save the salad for the end, the leftover dipping sauces make an excellent dressing. The maje udon is beautifully presented. Once mixed, the creamy sauce slightly overpowers the spice, but adding a little chili oil and chili powder brings it back to a more balanced level. Service was attentive throughout for a soft opening. read more

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Wow! This place reminded me of my trip to Japan. We were so lucky to get the last flat noodle set order during their soft opening. Everything we ordered was delicious! I especially loved how chewy the noodles were. You could tell they were housemade. The service was great. We had a short wait, but were seated as soon as a table opened up. Joanne, our waitress, greeted us and helped us throughout the ordering process. She was attentive and made sure we had a great experience. The restaurant is clean, modern, and inviting. We will definitely be back! read more

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Tldr : overall would come back, good soup base and noodle Wait: went right when it opened. Short line on a Sunday about 5 mins before opening and got first seating easily. Service: Ben was awesome, very friendly. A little slow but considering soft opening, it wasn't horrible. Had a toddler and baby, and it was fine for us. Price: fair for the district Food: better than we expected. Soup flavorful and tasty without being salty. Flat udon good as well with good bite to it. Would come back Carbonara a little too creamy for my taste. Good to try as a group but not eat the whole thing yourself.. Location: inside The district across from bowlero. Nice area to walk around after dinner too and fun water fountain for kids. Also right outside a kids splash pad and plenty of outdoor seating. read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Himokawa hot udon set - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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Me and my husband went here for their soft opening and we were really impressed! We got the Himokawa Cold Udon set and the Maje Cream Udon. The Himokawa Cold Udon Set had tempura and two different dipping sauces (yuzu and black sesame). I loved the having the option to dip my flat noodles into two different sauces. One being more citrusy and the other being nice and creamy. The flat noodles had a very nice bite to it and this set was definitely shareable between two people. My husband got the Maje Cream Udon and it was so flavorful with a bit of a spice kick. The sanuki udon noodles used in it were so bouncy and had a nice mouthfeel. This dish kind of reminded me of a mazemen (would have been awesome if we could add some sort of rice or something afterwards to soak up the sauce). Overall, we would definitely come back here again to try their other udon options! Hope this place stays at The District for a long time :) read more

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We were a little nervous about trying this place after seeing the low reviews, but they had literally just opened yesterday, so we decided to give them a shot. We ordered the Flat Udon, Carbonara Set, and Chicken Karaage. Everything was really good! The noodles had a great texture, the carbonara was flavorful, and the karaage was crispy on the outside and tender inside. Maybe we got lucky since we went on the 4th of July and there was no wait, but we had a great experience and would definitely come back. read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Flat Udon - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

I'd normally give a new restaurant a lot of grace during a soft opening because I understand that the purpose of it is to identify operational issues and work out the kinks before the official opening. Unfortunately, this ended up being the worst restaurant experience I've ever had, even for a soft opening. We arrived right when lunch service began at 11:30 a.m. and put our name on the waitlist. We were quoted a 45-minute to 1-hour wait, which seemed completely reasonable, so we spent some time shopping around the plaza. After an hour, there were still around 20-25 parties ahead of us. We ultimately weren't seated until 2:30 p.m. (a 3-hour wait). The biggest disappointment came after we were finally seated. We were informed that the restaurant had already sold out of their signature flat udon noodles, which was the entire reason we came. It was disappointing to learn they had sold out before lunch service had even ended. What was even more frustrating was that there was no notice while we were waiting. Had customers been informed that the signature noodles were sold out, we could have decided whether we still wanted to wait. Instead, we spent three hours in line only to find out after we were seated that the item we specifically came for wasn't available. Once we sat down, we waited around 10 minutes expecting a server to come take our order. No one ever mentioned that ordering was done through a QR code. We eventually noticed it ourselves, scanned it, and realized we'd been waiting for nothing. A simple "Please order using the QR code" when guests are seated would have prevented unnecessary confusion. Unfortunately, the service continued to feel very disorganized. The table next to us had been seated about 10-15 minutes before we were and ordered before we did, yet our food started arriving before theirs. To make matters worse, another table that was seated after us also received their food before both our table and the table next to us. It was clear that orders were not coming out in the order they were placed. We were seated close to the kitchen, and throughout the meal we could hear staff loudly yelling back and forth through the kitchen window. It sounded like the food runner was calling out items while the kitchen was trying to figure out which tables still needed them and food was being prepared for tables that had already been served. The lack of communication was very noticeable from the dining room. The food unfortunately didn't make up for the long wait. My boyfriend ordered the curry tonkatsu udon, and the curry tasted extremely watered down. The tonkatsu was partially burnt, and the udon itself was slightly undercooked. I ordered the sukiyaki nabe udon after having to change my original order because the flat noodles were sold out. I know sukiyaki is meant to be on the saltier side, but this was overwhelmingly salty to the point where I couldn't finish it. The tempura set was also very underwhelming. There also didn't appear to be any air conditioning running despite everyone eating hot bowls of udon, the front door remained wide open, and the complimentary water was served at room temperature without ice. I hope they take the feedback from their soft opening to improve before their grand opening. While I expected a few bumps during a soft opening, the overall experience simply didn't justify a three-hour wait, and unfortunately the food itself did not make up for it at all. read more

Tsurukawa Udon - sukiyaki nabe udon - overwhelmingly salty - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

I'm shocked reading the reviews because I hadn't heard of the hype over this place since I'm not on social media right now. My friends and I went to Activate on a Sunday morning (7/12) and were leaving around 11 when we noticed a line outside of this placed that replaced the old Rakken Ramen. The line basically filled every indoor spot upon opening, so we were curious. FYI they do not have any gluten free dishes so we asked if our friend could bring outside food to join us and they kindly said yes. We were seated outside and there were a few tables open out there, so it wasn't packed at all around this time through noon. Not sure if the hype died down or if it's because they seated people at 11 when their IG hours say 11:30. The 3 of us decided to order 3 different udons to share: Mentaiko Cream Gochugaru Udon, Bacon Cream Udon Carbonara, and Curry Tonkatsu Udon. 2 of us loved them in that order, and the third person said the first 2 were equal for her. The Mentaiko was so rich and flavorful and not too spicy, I could not get enough of it! The Carbonara was very rich and creamy and definitely very tasty but the Mentaiko was just so incredible that it overpowered the Carbonara for me. The Curry was actually a disappointment. I've had the Curry Udon at Meiji and it's very rich and flavorful but this one felt super light and not much flavor, and the 3 of us agreed. Not sure if they're still tweaking recipes since it's their soft opening but hopefully they can enhance that curry one! Overall it was an unexpectedly great experience. We thankfully didn't have the experience that others had having to wait for an hour+, and I think going in with no expectations helped our experience too so we could just enjoy it for what it was and not based on some high expectations. It was nice that they had a 10% soft opening discount too, but I'm not sure how long it will last. I'd definitely come back and order the Mentaiko again. Our server recommended the cold noodles so that might be something I try next time I stop by! read more

First time trying out this spot with my sister and we ordered the carbonara udon and flat udon dipping set. We were seated outdoors and it was nice for the evening at this location, Tustin marketplace plaza has a lot of shops and even a movie theatre here. Our wait at 5pm soft opening was 15mins (party of 2), though it took awhile for our udon set to arrive - approx 40 mins. Service was really good and they were making sure our waters were filled often. Overall taste of the items were good and flavorful, It reminded me of Japan cuisine with the flat dipping noodles. Texture is good and fresh, hopefully when it's grand opening the transition would be smoother for service time! read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Carbonara udon - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

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food is SO good. the mentaiko cream udon was amazing! so savory! the udon definitely stole the show here. the texture was perfect (firm and chewy in a good way). the sauce tastes like a pretty typical mentaiko sauce (very creamy) but i wish there was just a bit more texture in there. overall pretty solid! chicken karaage was lightly fried and very krispy. no excess batter to weigh the taste down. sauce was more on the mayo-y side. their signature cold udon was presented so beautifully! salad was good, very light vinaigrette. the tempura is crispy and lightly battered. super solid and the best i've had in awhile. i'm not the biggest fan of the sesame (personal preference) but the sesame flavor is strong and the texture is good. their yuzu citrusy broth/dip is my favorite! it complements the noodles so well. the flat udon noodles could be a little thinner to help pair with the thinner sauce but still a good texture. not too soggy. staff are super nice, though service might be a bit slower during the busier hours. love this place and would totally go again! read more

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Definitely overhyped. Came right at opening on a Saturday and there was already a line formed for soft opening. We ordered 3 dishes to try: 1. Himokawa Cold Udon Set: the texture of the noodles was fun, but I was not feeling the flavor profile of the black sesame dipping sauce it came with. It just seems like an unusual pairing. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. I did like the consistency of the sauce, since it stuck well to the thick noodles. I much preferred the flavor of the yuzu dipping sauce it came with, but also did not get picked up well since it was so light in contrast to the heavy noodles. The tempura it came with wasn't anything to write home about. I wish the veggies were sliced a little thinner and the tempura sauce was a bit sweeter 3/5 2. Curry Donkatsu Udon: The curry flavor did not have much depth and seemed very one-note. I wish it had a little more sweetness to bring out a little more complexity. Although, it may be because it's a Korean-style curry as opposed to Japanese curry. The katsu was good. There are a lot more places that do a much better curry udon in OC, I'd skip this one 3/5 3. Mentaiko Cream Gochugaru Udon: This might be the best dish out of the 3, but I was still underwhelmed by this. The texture of the udon is nice, like the rest of the udon dishes. But the sauce reminds me of Buldakk, which in my opinion masked the flavor of mentaiko rather than showcasing it. It is also extremely heavy imo, whereas typical Japanese cream style dishes do a better job of maintaining a good balance of creaminess while being light. 3/5 Overall, a solid 3 out of 5 stars for us. The presentation of the dishes was beautiful but the flavors of the actual food was a bit underwhelming. I can think of several places in OC that do much more exceptional versions of each of the dishes we ordered. I'm glad we got to try it, the service for sure was 5 stars - the servers were so nice!! read more

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Delicious food, very similar to its Japan restaurants. Good service and staffs are friendly read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

Daughter loves the noodles!! Had this in Japan and she said it was her favorite meal. Glad they opened one here read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Cold noodle set with flat noodles - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

Not a bad soft opening experience. We showed up about half an hour before dinner opening hours and there wasn't a long line. Got the cold udon set with the flat noodles and it was delicious. The yuzu sauce is better in my opinion than the black sesame one. Chicken karage was good too. read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Cold udon set - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

So knowing this was a soft opening, I hope this is constructive for the restaurant as I'd like to see this place do well. We got there around 5-10 min before their 5pm dinner opening and got in line. We didn't get a table the first seating but only waited about 30 min to get seated. The server was clearly new but was nice. I knew they were out of flat noodles from previous posts but asked just in case. I agree they should've had a sign outside to indicate they were sold out of flat noodles. They gave a free appetizer of some sort of fried cracker that was good flavor but seemed like they fried earlier in the day so it wasn't that crispy. My husband's food came out fairly quickly - he ordered the cold set. I waited about 10-15 minutes for mine and when I asked, my server said they had just opened and they were working on orders. I think maybe a better response would've been that she would go check on it. My point was that they should've timed it so our food came out closer together. The cold set was really good but the portion was very small for what you paid for. I didn't order the set but the cold udon for $19 and the portion was tiny. They gave a lot of dipping sauce which was great except they should've done less sauce and more noodles. It seemed like a waste since I didn't even use half of the sauces. Hopefully they'll consider upping the portion of the noodles and work out the logistics and it could be a good spot. I'll want to come back to try the flat noodles. read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

We arrived right when they opened at 11:30 a.m. and didn't get seated until 2:30 pm. Unfortunately, the experience only went downhill from there. Once we were seated, the service was disappointing. We were handed menus and told we could either order through the QR code or with a server, but no one ever came back to check on us or to take our order. Throughout the entire meal not a single server came by to ask a single question about the meal or taste. The most frustrating part was that we came specifically for the flat noodles, which seemed to be the restaurant's signature dish. After waiting an additional 30 minutes for our food, we discovered they had sold out. No one informed us when we were seated, there was no sold-out notice posted outside, and nothing on the menu indicated they were unavailable. If a signature item is no longer available, customers should be told before they spend hours waiting. Since the flat noodles were unavailable, we ended up ordering the Mentaiko and Curry Tonkatsu instead. The tonkatsu was overcooked and burnt, making it unpleasant to eat, and the noodles lacked the chewy, bouncy texture we were expecting. I understand this was a soft opening, and it's normal to work through some issues. However, after such a long wait, better communication and preparation are the bare minimum. This experience was incredibly disappointing, and I would recommend spending your time and money elsewhere. read more

Found a real gem for udon lovers! The noodles here are exactly what you want -- thick, flat, and perfectly chewy with just the right bite. They paired beautifully with the broth, which had a clean, savory depth that let the noodles shine. The grated ginger and daikon on top added a nice fresh, sharp contrast to the richness of the broth -- such a simple touch but it really elevated the whole bowl. I also tried the sesame sauce, which was a little on the sweeter side, but honestly it worked well as a change of pace from the broth-based bowl. Nice balance of nutty and sweet without being overpowering. Beyond the noodles, the portion sizes were generous and the food came out quickly, even though the place was pretty busy. The service was friendly and attentive -- our server checked in without being intrusive, and the space itself had a cozy, casual vibe that made it easy to relax and enjoy the meal. Prices were also very reasonable for the quality and quantity you get. Whether you're craving something warm and comforting or want to try a unique sesame-based option, this spot delivers. Will definitely be back to try more of the menu! read more

The food was fresh and beautifully presented. The flat noodles had a great texture, and the tempura was crispy. Friendly service and a nice atmosphere! read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Signature Udon Set (with Tempura) - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

My friends and I went Tuesday evening around 7 pm. Once we got to the restaurant, we waited outside until we were notified to check in with the staff. We headed inside to let them know, but no staff would come up to help us for about 5 minutes. We thought they were just busy, so my friends and I waited by the check in tablet. However, another party comes in a couple minutes after us and they got seated right away. Only after, did the staff acknowledge my group and I. Once we were seated, the service only got worse. Although they were nice, it honestly felt like we were forgotten about. I saw reviews saying that they had to order through a QR, but nowhere on our table did it have a QR code nor did any of the waiters tell us. After waiting for about 30 minutes and trying to catch their attention, they came to take our orders. However, our order was taken after the table that was seated 10 minutes after us, even though we had originally waived the waiter down first. When ordering, i showed the waiter the picture from the yelp post to ask which dish it was. He pointed me to the correct dish, yet told me it was going to be different from what i showed him. I asked what was going ti be different, but all he told me was "i dont know". Once everyone's order was placed, i noticed that that same table had gotten their order within 5-10 minutes so i was getting excited. However, another 15 minutes passes by and we still haven't gotten our food, and still no one was coming to our table. Eventually, a waitress comes over and says its last call, so we tell her we placed an order a while ago. When they finally put our order into the system, we got the food within 5 minutes. The food was good, but honestly don't think it was worth all of the time wasted. We also had to rush to finish our meal since it was almost closing time. Service was slow... quite literally because the servers were walking slower than a normal pace while the restaurant was full read more

Went for the soft opening and ordered the Himokawa (Cold), Himokawa (Hot), and Mentaiko Cream udon. The Himokawa (Cold) was the best by far. The flat udon had a great chew and the black sesame dipping sauce was savory and nutty. It also came with a more traditional dipping sauce if you prefer. If you're new to these kind of noodles, don't be afraid to slurp, it makes it much easier to eat. Himokawa (Hot) had a solid broth and a lot of vegetables. I believe since the flat noodles were in the broth vs. the cold one, it soften up more than I'd like. This is a good choice if you want a lighter/refreshing dish. The Mentaiko Cream was not to my taste, but it wasn't bad. If you want something hearty and decadent, this is for you. I prefer my cream-based udon to be lighter. Broth/sauce flavor was good and the standard udon noodles had good texture. I arrived 30min before opening, but there was no line so I waited by some chairs. Realistically you could've come at opening and made it to first seating. Like most restaurants, if you just miss first seating you may have to wait quite a bit, so be careful of showing up ~15min after opening. There was a small line forming after I got my drinks, but it cleared by the time I finished my meal. Tsurukawa doesn't unseat my favorite udon spot, but as a fan of dry/dipping noodles and black sesame, the himokawa (cold) is something I'm glad I tried and will continue to think about. read more

First time trying Tsurukawa after seeing all the hype on social media, and it definitely lived up to it! I can absolutely see why the flat noodles went viral--they have such an amazing texture. The yuzu dipping sauce was refreshing, and the black sesame dipping sauce was surprisingly one of my favorites. I expected it to be rich and sweet, but it was actually light, balanced, and refreshing. The bacon cream carbonara udon was also a hit. The consistency and chew of the udon were perfect. Overall, a really enjoyable meal. We also got lucky and didn't have to wait since we went on July 4th for dinner. Definitely worth checking out! read more

Tsurukawa Udon - Cold Set - Japanese Near Me - Tustin, California

Food was good but unfortunately could not say the same about the service. We came on a Tuesday night for dinner and upon being notified that it was time to check in with a host, we were left hanging awkwardly in front of the check in tablet until another party came in and got seated first. Once we sat down, they gave us our utensils and water right away, but noticed no one was coming back to take our order. After trying to wave down a waiter for 30 minutes, they finally came to take our order. However, they took the order of the table next to us first, even though we waved them down first and that party was seated 10 minutes after us. Once we finished placing our order, we noticed that the table by us got their food within 5 to 10 minutes, so we were excited to get ours since it looked so good. However, we sat there for an additional 15 minutes, still with no food. They didn't come to check up on us the entire time, only 30 minutes before closing, letting us know it was time for last call. How do you look at an empty table asking for last call, when there is no food on the table??? We let her know that we had put in an order about 20 minutes prior, and once she checked, we realized our order was never placed. We got our order 5 minutes after and had to rush to eat since it was almost closing time. read more