Marugame Udon - Beatty Street — Restaurant in Vancouver

Visiting Marugame Udon in downtown Vancouver is rather like meeting an old friend from Asia who still wears the same shirt and orders the same drink no matter the city we are in.

Anyone expecting a Michelin-level performance from what is essentially the Japanese equivalent of Popeyes or McDonald’s is setting themselves up for the kind of disappointment that is almost comedic. Complaining that a quarter pounder does not taste like a Gordon Ramsay burger is rather like being shocked that the sun rises in the east. Well yes of course but you are also not paying for his kitchen wallpaper.

In Asia Marugame has never claimed to be refined. It is convenient inexpensive and consistently serviceable. When I lived there I would occasionally stop in for the same reason one goes to a fried chicken chain here it is quick and it does the job. My first visit to the Vancouver branch was therefore a pleasant surprise. My tan tan udon and my wife’s beef bowl were entirely on par with what I have had in Japan or other parts of Asia.

The noodles are made in-house which is no small thing. Right at the entrance one sees sacks of flour dough in progress and the machine quietly churning out udon. A reviewer somewhere grumbled they were worse than frozen supermarket noodles which makes me suspect either a fondness for the freezer aisle or that the cook that day had been up late watching the game and misjudged the boiling time.

Another critique said they did not warm the bowls before serving. This time I watched and they did. The young woman handling my noodles was not Japanese nor East Asian in appearance yet carried out every step with quiet precision and politeness.

The noodles were exactly as they should be. The tempura and other fried items were perfectly adequate. My daughter’s chicken karaage was slightly overdone and had cooled by the time it reached the table but frankly that mirrors what one often finds in Asia where fried trays can sit for a while.

For the price $11.49 for a beef-on-rice bowl or beef udon in downtown Vancouver is almost absurdly fair. I have no idea what the reviewer claiming the prices were high was comparing against unless perhaps Fujiya was their benchmark.

Cleanliness is not flawless but certainly respectable. The dining area is bright spacious and pleasant enough.

If they were to open branches across Greater Vancouver perhaps even in Metrotown I would be pleased. It is not haute cuisine it is dependable honest comfort food and for that...

We finally got to visit Marugame Udon in Vancouver and wanted to compare the food here at this branch to the Oahu, Hawaii location. We arrived 15 minutes before opening and there weren't that many in front of us. However, it quickly got busy. Unfortunately, there was a sign that they didn't have some foods that I wanted to try even before they opened. Such a shame. The line moved quickly. Three of us ordered the curry nikutama and one of us ordered the beef udon. I'll leave it to you to guess who that might be coughmywifecough. Ok let's get to it. The price for the bowls of noodles was quite reasonable but they get ya on the sides. You can see what we ordered. Now the curry udon was outstanding. Full of flavour, mild, slightly sweet and full of umami. The beef was tender. The onions were soft and good. The udon noodles were bouncy and firm. The tempura was OK. The zucchini were and mushrooms were a bit mushy because the oil they fried these in wasn't hot enough maybe? The pumpkin croquette was excellent. The best tempura side was the Kakiege. This grouping of onions with some others things deep fried was big and tasty. I'd love to go back and hopefully they'll have the other things available. Overall, a great experience. I wish the other members of my family were with us. Next time. By the way, it should be noted that the floor was extremely slippery and I'm sure that it should've been attended to. It wasn't just one spot, it was the whole area. Very dangerous in my opinion. I'll say that they also have an area for getting rid of your dishes and garbage and as long as customers know to do this, then it'll work. But it isn't obvious. Put some friendly signs to remind...

Counter Service. Everything is self serve. You order udon/rice with the staff while in line and they give you the food in a minute or less and then you select the tempura from a warmer station. The cashier will tally up your total and you pay and have a seat. THERE ISN'T A TIP OPTION ON THE MACHINE. Because when I use my card, it already goes directly to the tap screen. I don't remember seeing a cash tip option or a sign saying gratuity is included. There is a water station with cups right before you pay for free water (saw a comment in here that said they don't provide water and this is simply not true)

You bus your own table as well by bringing your tray to their counter and stacking that dishes and throwing the garbage.

Udon is great and the tempura options aren't bad - been here a couple times and they rotate the options. Personal favs are zucchini and squid. Prices are per piece and start from $2+.

My only issue is they almost never have proper soup spoons available. I have to watch the cutlery/sauce station like a hawk for them to restock. When I ask for a spoon they'll tell me to use a disposable which 1.) is wasteful and 2.) it's a wooden disposable spoon so it's FLAT and useless to drink soup and hold noodles. They also only provide disposable wooden chopsticks and forks. I get that it's easy but it's so wasteful for the amount of traffic that they get. The spoon situation isn't a new thing - I over heard the tables around me comment on it as well.

Funny thing is they don't do take out but they use so much disposable /...