Udon Shin

TLDR; elevated my perception of udon forever. The noodles are bangin’, MUST try. Best meal of my Japan trip by a long shot.

This is what defined udon for me. If I ever think of udon, I will be reminded of this restaurant.

Got the beef udon. The udon noodles were cooked perfectly and the texture had a very slight mochi-like chewiness to it. I know nothing about udon noodles making processes but from the first bite, I could tell it was made with high quality wheat flour as it had a very light but refreshing flavour. Truly amazing, to say the least.

The beef and broth was cooked to perfection too. The melted fat from the beef coated the udon noodles and clung onto it, adding another layer of savoury delight. The broth itself was also infused with the fattiness of the beef and slightly thickened with the starch from the udon.

This bowl of udon was truly unlike any other udon I've tried before! I had my doubts while queueing in line but my expectations were blown out of the water when I took the first bite. I’ve had a handful of dishes in Japan which ended up defining said dish for me, and this is one of them. Compared to what I’ve had from other udon shops, what Udon Shin serves is really in a league of its own.

Now, for the other aspects:

Portions per bowl is just nice. I wasn’t too full and neither was it too little. Just enough to savour and appreciate, without it being too heavy of a meal which would dull the experience.

I also tried the cold udon, but my take was that the udon’s flavour potential wasn’t maximised. Personally, the umami was much more pronounced in hot broth.

And the not-so-fun part (queueing):

Expect the queue time to be insanely long. Personally, I queued for a whopping 3.5 hours. Note that you’re supposed to take a queue number first. You’ll be notified of the estimated duration before your turn. Note that you’ll have to periodically refresh the timer, and once it gets to 30mins remaining, head down to the shop. You’ll then be allowed to join the queue and the staff will be facilitating this part of the process. IMPORTANT NOTE: expect to not be slotted into the physical queue in sequential order; just show up 30mins before your turn and ask the staff if you can join the queue.

Not sure if I was unlucky, but my digital queue took 2.5h and physical queue took 1h. Overall, took my queue ticket at 4.30pm and entered the restaurant at 8pm.

Note that it is possible for the shop to close off their queue far before closing time, as the queue backlog can run for a few hours, and it would not make sense for them to open the queue system all the way till closing time. Hence, HIGHLY recommended to grab a queue ticket before 6pm at least.

That being said, in spite of the somewhat painful queue, Udon Shin draws in waves of people daily for a reason. It only took one bite and I was convinced. Given the chance, I would queue for this again without a doubt (maybe with a bit more strategy 🤪).

If I could give a 6/5 I would. Highly recommended. For my fellow foodies out there, this is a place you will need to stop by even if it’s out of the way.

Thank you for the mind-blowing meal 🙇🏻‍♂️ Leave it to the Japanese to make something so insane out of...

I stumbled upon Udon Shin while searching for handmade udon in Tokyo, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my entire trip. If you're a fan of chewy, fresh noodles and authentic, honest cooking, this place should be at the top of your list. It’s small, it’s unpretentious, and it’s phenomenal.

First things first: yes, there will be a line. I arrived at around 10:45 a.m. (they open at 11), and there were already a few people ahead of me. By the time the doors opened, the line had doubled. But honestly? Totally worth the wait. The staff are efficient and friendly, and even though the space is tight, they keep everything running smoothly.

Once inside, the vibe is very local – counter seating, a short but focused menu, and chefs right in front of you kneading and cutting the udon by hand. You can actually hear the rhythmic thwap-thwap of fresh dough being worked behind the counter. That’s when you know it’s going to be good.

I ordered the tempura udon (cold noodles with hot dipping broth) and added an onsen tamago (soft-boiled egg). The noodles came out glistening, thick, and perfectly chewy – the kind of texture that lets you bite into the udon but still gives that satisfying elasticity. The broth was rich and full of umami, with just the right amount of smokiness from the dashi. And the tempura? Perfectly crisp, light, and not greasy at all. My shrimp tempura was golden and juicy, and the sweet potato tempura was probably the best I’ve ever had.

The onsen egg added this wonderful silkiness when mixed into the dipping sauce. I didn’t expect something so simple to elevate the whole dish that much, but it really brought everything together.

They also offer a hot bowl option, and I’m already planning to come back and try that next time. Their seasonal items looked interesting too — I saw someone get udon with sudachi (a type of citrus), and it looked refreshing and bright.

What I appreciated most was how focused everything was. No gimmicks, no shortcuts. Just expertly made noodles and well-balanced flavors. The staff don’t speak a lot of English, but they were incredibly kind, and there’s an English menu available. You won’t feel lost.

One heads-up: this is not a place where you hang around after eating. It’s eat-and-go, out of respect for the line outside. But that’s part of the charm — it’s a quick, delicious experience done the right way.

Price-wise, it’s super fair. I paid under 1,200 yen for my meal, and I walked away completely satisfied. It's incredible how something so simple can leave such a...

I arrived at the restaurant at 9:12 AM and entered my name on the waiting list using the keypad provided. At 10:40 AM, I received a notification via email (you can also choose to receive notifications through Line) instructing me to return to the restaurant. I didn't want to stray too far away, so I walked around the Shinjuku area and the shopping malls for an hour and a half.

Upon returning, I stood in line for about 30-40 minutes. This second queue ensures they do not have to wait on you. I appreciated that they had water available outside. During this time, the staff brought menus outside and asked us to make our selections before entering the restaurant. This process helps expedite service once you are seated. When I finally got a seat, I was promptly served water. However, I noticed that my food arrived a bit later than some of the people who were behind me in line. This seems to be due to the kitchen's effort to prepare and serve all dishes at once, given the high volume of customers.

The seating area is quite limited and a bit uncomfortable and cramped with only 12 seats (six counter sites and 2 tables available), so the turnover is quick, and people have to eat relatively fast. This is part of the Japanese experience. I did feel rushed because of this setup, and I saw a couple getting asked to leave so the next set of customers could enter. I hope that if I were to return, there would be more seats or the restaurant would be able to expand. After finishing my meal, I paid by scanning the barcode on my receipt, which was a convenient process.

As for the food, the portion sizes were generous and the presentation was beautiful. The homemade udon was thick and very chewy, and the umami butter added a wonderful depth of flavor to the dish. The egg was perfectly runny. The meat was a bit underwhelming, though. I wish there had been a little more flavor, as the flavors kind of blended together after a while.

Overall, while the waiting and dining experience can feel rushed due to the limited seating, I would recommend coming here if you haven't had udon before. I've had a lot of udon before so I wasn't blown away by it. I personally would not go out of my way for this again just because the wait was so long and it was too rushed. The staff definitely work hard, but the design of the restaurant is too minimal for the number of customers that would like...