Ishin Udon — Attraction in Houston

So I've fully specced into just commenting on Japanese food for quite a while now and am not pretending anymore lol.

(Not to say I never eat from other cuisines anymore, just that whatever prospective reviews I have for them would be lower on the priority list.)

That said, is Ishin Udon amazing? No, not really. My bar for "A-tier" is higher than that. But this one is a solid B+ and has all the hallmarks of what a good udonya should be - cozy, tasty, filled with amusing graphics honoring Tokyo's golden age of the 1980s, and catering specifically to tired salarymen and women such as myself. It's not a place you'd bring your friends and family into, but after a bad experience at the TxDPS, it really hit the spot.

(For some context, my 4 stars is a "recommend" / "better than expected" / "better than most".)

This is actually the first time I've had Chuka Idako and even though their cold appetizers come boxed so it's unlikely any of these was made in-house, it's become one of my favorite small dishes ever. Cold octopus with sesame and raw egg on a searing hot day in Houston (record high temps this year, too!), what's not to like? Wasabi tako is also good. Nothing super special, but they use a Doraemon nori and it's these kinds of little things that do put a smile on my face.

Another thing I've tried for the first time is the Niku Tama Ankake, which is a mouthful but is basically a niku udon in egg drop soup. Funny story, I was actually quite sick of udon for a while after coming back from my trip to Japan. Not because ramen is usually the "obviously correct" choice considering how well-regarded it is abroad and in anime, but because I had udon basically every day for 2 weeks straight when I was in Tokyo. Ramen might be the nation's best-known noodles, but udon is a more heartwarming and "authentically" Japanese experience, that's for sure. Whatever that might mean to you.

In any case, I WAS having a craving for professional udon considering how hard it is to find an udonya around here, and the Niku Tama Ankake combined both udon and another of my hard-to-find favorite dishes in Saigonese crab soup (which uses a very similar base), so I couldn't pass it up. And I must say, my expectations were met. The dish came out piping hot, in a slurpable bowl that's not too Texas-sized, and every good thing I wanted from the two aforementioned dishes - the mouthwatering, slippery beef and thick, supple noodles in niku udon together with the slimy, eggy sensation of Saigonese crab soup all came out at once. And if none of those adjectives sounded appetizing to you, get the hell outta here.

Chikuwa ten was average, could use a little more crisp and mouthfeel.

TL;DR Great place to eat up and chill off after work or meet-ups with the local government. A rare nice thing to have in this economy.

P.S. I REALLY should've visited the Morii café next door before going home so soon... oh well,...

With the recent cold front, my girlfriend and I were really craving a warm bowl of soup. She mentioned wanting to go to Ishin and I had never had authentic Udon so we decided to head over for dinner.

There are a lot of good-looking, busy restaurants in this strip so it was a little challenging to find parking, but we eventually found a spot far down from the door. The lighting, decor, and overall ambiance of the restaurant were overall very warm and cozy. It seemed relatively busy and while the place was relatively full we were seated immediately and the wait staff were very friendly throughout our time there.

Since this was my first time having udon, it took me a second to look through the menu because everything looked and sounded amazing. Eventually, we decided to start off with the takoyaki which came out hot and was delicious. The filling had the perfect ratio of octopus to sauce. Next, we ordered our main courses, she had the sukiyaki udon and I had the kitsune udon but I wanted some sort of meat so I got a side order of chashu. The broth in both of the soups was incredibly flavorful and rich and just what we were looking for. We finished the meal off with the banana tempura which was the perfect way to end the the meal.

Even though this was my first time trying Udon Ishin made a very good first impression on me and although it seems very authentic I think the menu, staff, and atmosphere make this a very approachable spot for anyone to try. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Ishin and I am excited to return and try a few more of their dishes in the...

I’ve had two unacceptable experiences at this restaurant due to the same waitress, and her behavior is completely unprofessional.

Most recently, while I was still eating my Tantan noodles, the noodle was the only reason I came back this place for second try. the waitress (a Hispanic woman) came over and tried to grab my bowl before I had finished. I clearly told her I wasn’t done, but she ignored me and continued reaching for the bowl. I had to physically stop her, only for her to accuse me of being rude and roll her eyes. This level of disrespect is appalling.

It’s clear she has no interest in providing proper service. She spends most of her time rushing customers to pay, while her coworker (a male waiter) handles the majority of the responsibilities, including seating guests, cleaning tables, and taking orders. She was walking around, not cleaning the table and tell the group behind had no seat has wait additional 20 minutes. But there were 2-3 tables empty but not cleaned.

Two weeks ago, she rushed my friends and me to order at the entrance without even offering menus. When we asked for menus, she became visibly impatient. Once the food was served, she practically threw the check at us, signaling we needed to pay immediately.

Her lack of care for customers and blatant disregard for basic service standards are unacceptable. If she is unwilling or unable to perform her duties respectfully and professionally, management should seriously reconsider her position. This kind of behavior reflects poorly on the establishment and drives loyal...