Boston Restaurant Week | TsuruTonTan

🍜 Tsuru Ton Tan: Boston’s Chain Udon Spot—Decent Value, But Nothing Special After scrolling through my list and finding nothing exciting, I went for the “safe” choice: this chain with locations in NYC and Hawaii. If it survives in competitive food scenes, I thought, it must be decent. Spoiler: It’s… fine. But I’m confused how it thrives elsewhere. 😊 The Silver Lining: Restaurant Week Deal $36 Prix-Fixe : A solid value. It includes udon, 8 pieces of sushi, 3 salmon sashimi slices, a small tempura, and miso soup. The sushi is on par with $20-30 spots—surprisingly, it even has sea urchin and eel, which feels generous. The tempura is forgettable, but the udon? Respectable. 😐 The “Meh” Udon Spicy Wagyu Tan Tan Udon: 🌶️ A large bowl (bigger than your face) with a savory, slightly spicy broth. It’s heavy on sesame oil—my friend joked it tastes like Taiwanese sesame chicken soup. The downside? The udon is too soft, lacking that satisfying chew. Uni Cream Udon: 🐚 A disaster. Avoid this at all costs. The sea urchin tastes like paint thinner, and the flavor seeps into the creamy broth—one sip, and we pushed it away. Oddly, the sea urchin in the sushi was fine—maybe heat amplifies the “off” taste? ❌ The Letdowns Sukiyaki Beef Don: 🥩 The beef is tender and flavorful, but the rice is a letdown—sticky, mushy, and far from the fluffy, high-quality rice you expect at a Japanese spot. Takoyaki (Octopus Balls): 🐙 Greasy, with a dense batter that overpowers the octopus. Skip it. ✨ Final Take At under $50 per person (for two prix-fixe meals plus add-ons), it’s budget-friendly for Boston. But the flavors are unmemorable, and the misses (that sea urchin udon!) are hard to overlook. Is it bad? No. But is it worth seeking out? Probably not—unless you’re craving udon and want a deal. 📍 Tsuru Ton Tan - Boston 512 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215 #BostonRestaurantWeek #JapaneseChain #UdonLovers