Marugame Udon — Restaurant in Arcadia

Hmm… Where do I even begin..?!

I recently just moved back to LA from Hawaii 9 days ago & have been craving the udon like crazy since the moment I got back!

👉🏻 This is my 3rd time been to this location & it was the most awful experience from the moment I grabbed my food to done eating and finally left the restaurant! 🤦🏻‍♀️ Nightmare!

✨ Note: I went with my friends for the previously two times I’ve visited this restaurant / The first time we went is on the first week for the their grand opening!

4/29 @ 12:05pm is when I arrived the restaurant. Honestly I was expecting for it to be super busy & probably has a super long line, but luckily not at all.

It took me just a few mins to look at the menu (which I’m already standing in line as looking at the menu). All the sudden, 6+ people showed up and lined up behind me.

There’s a Caucasian male standing behind me which I think it was his first time & he clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing - which is fine. But then this guy tried to cut in front of me/reached out to inside the counter and grabbed a small plate THEN put it back within few seconds after he grabbed it / AND THEN again moved backwards to stand behind me AND acted impatiently as I’m moving forward along with the people in front of me (super slow) - it was VERY uncomfortable/unbelievable, what a mess! ✨ Bad Start - I should’ve known! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Forgot to mention above👆🏻 so I ordered the Tonkotsu (L) / was expecting the egg to be like shown in the photo BUT IT IS NOT! So when I was standing in line, after the employee placed the egg in my bowl along with the broth/noodles/everything else - I wanted to check out the eggs from inside the counter to see if they’re all overly cooked ✨ The guy behind me was EXTREMELY impatient & I was just disgusted by his behavior completely! 😡 Anyway, eventually I was able to visually see what I wanted to see, and yep - all eggs are overly boiled 💥

Meaning: False Advertisement!!!!! ✨

👉🏻 My question is: I’m sure thousands consumers have seen the menus in ALL locations, yet nobody ever noticed it?

I’ve checked through all the reviews/photos from ALL locations via Marugame locations here in Los Angeles or nearby areas (6 stores total), obviously there were people ordered the same thing before BUT nobody noticed it?! 💥

👆🏻 Should they change the photo(s) instead?

Bad spacing between all the tables & isles! ✨ I understand the space is limited: to keep it an open space for the walk-in AND separate the seating area / but they should’ve arrange all the tables/chairs spacing AFTER carefully calculated it - to see how the layout should be as far as seating goes for all dine-in customers under all circumstances! ✨ Isn’t that a part of the planning/business strategies? 🤔

I was sitting on table #3 - which was against the wall on the right side facing the main entrance (first two tables are both a 4 top - 2 tables combined together).

Since it was only me by myself, I looked the entire area (which I didn’t realize how packed it was when first walked in) and the seat I selected was the ONLY available seating for 1 individual (2 max), which is fine, I don’t care, as long as if I can sit and eat!

But then I only realized after sitting down - I was blocked/trapped from all tables & people surrounded me in EVERY SINGLE DIRECTION!!! 👉🏻 Table of 4 on both my left & right side / Table of 6-8 on my left front & right front ✨ My direct view facing front was the poll - connects the ceiling and the floor (besides my table & opposite side of chair of course).

✨ I was not able to walk anywhere after placed my tray/food on my table, but had to squeeze (moving physically sideways) to go between the spaces & the tables from all other customers that were also dine-in at the restaurant, which is it feels absolutely awkward, uncomfortable, and extremely frustrating!

I ordered 4 fried add-ons besides the dish. ✨ I do agree with other customers who said “too salty” & “not healthy”. I guess it’s how it was prepared, I felt sick afterward for the rest of the...

Marugame is located right outside of the food court, where Paris Baguette used to be. The ordering style is the same as the other locations. They ask that you order before grabbing a seat to prevent there from being lack of tables for customers (but definitely saw lots of guests forgoing that policy and sitting down while other members in their party ordered food). Order at the counter and they'll make the bowl. You can add on any tempura items before paying at the cashier. It's open kitchen and you're able to see the chefs making the udon - super cool!

Came around 7:30 on Friday evening and we waited about 40 minutes to get through the line before we got a table. I went with a regular Curry Nikutama (regular is $13.95 and large is $15.95). This comes with sweet beef (think Yoshinoya type of beef) and a soft boiled egg. You can also add on green onions and tempura flakes. At first I thought a regular might not be enough since they give you a handful of udon, but the broth was super heavy - I was pretty full about halfway in. I really liked the udon; it was chewy and cooked well. The curry broth was a bit too heavy and slightly oily. Beef was also on the fattier side. I also added on a shrimp tempura ($2.25 - seems like it was only about $1.95 the first time I went to a Marugame many years ago haha); tasted really good - the batter was light and didn't overpower the shrimp taste.

My sister ordered the regular Tonkotsu ($12.25; large is $13.95). This comes with a chashu pork, miso ground pork, and seasoned egg. I only tried the broth, and I do think it's much lighter and sweeter, especially if you're craving a soup on a warm day. And another friend ordered the large Nikutama ($13.45; regular is $11.95). No complaints about the overall udon/broth.

We saw almost every table have a matcha latte, so we also ordered one. He had asked for no ice; the latte was nearing the end and I thought the worker would pour in a new batch before filling up the cup, but he ended up filling the cup with the bottom of the batch. For $4.50, ehh, I thought it was okay. I don't like matcha but I can see why people might enjoy it. It was too sweet for all of us and we probably will not order it again.

After you pay, you pretty much trek off to find your own table. Workers are walking around and cleaning up used tables, but I don't know what would happen if there aren't any available tables and you have multiple bowls on your tray - luckily, that hasn't seemed to have happened yet.

tl;dr - Overall, really happy with the udon noodles from Marugame. I would definitely not mind coming back and ordering another bowl of udon, but I'll probably wait until the hype dies down and the line is no...

Marugame Udon – Fast, Flavorful, and Filling (Mostly)

I stopped by Marugame Udon with a buddy for a quick Friday lunch after hearing great things about their freshly made udon and build-your-own-style setup. The line was long but moved fast, and I was curious to see if it lived up to the hype.

🍜 What I Ordered:

Nikutama Udon (Regular) – $10.95 A savory-sweet bowl of udon topped with tender beef, soft-poached egg, and green onions.

Tempura Shrimp, Pumpkin, and Egg Omelet – ~$2 each

🌟 Highlights:

Nikutama Udon Broth & Noodles: The broth was rich and flavorful, with a slight sweetness that paired well with the sweet beef. The udon noodles had that perfect bouncy chew. Comforting and satisfying without being too heavy.

Tempura Batter: Crispy and well-seasoned—but the pieces themselves (especially the shrimp and pumpkin) had clearly been sitting under the heat lamp too long. The texture was dry and lacked that fresh-fried punch.

Quick & Efficient Setup: Despite the lunch rush, the cafeteria-style ordering moved quickly. You grab a tray, pick your udon, add sides, and pay at the end—great for a fast casual meal.

✨ Other Notes:

Toppings Bar: Free green onions, tempura flakes, garlic, and sauces let you customize your bowl to your liking.

Affordable for the Quality: Under $20 for a filling lunch with multiple items—good value overall.

⚠️ Areas for Improvement:

Tempura Freshness: The batter was on point, but the holding time under the lamp affected the texture and flavor. Would love to see higher turnover or made-to-order options during off-peak hours.

Though the portion of beef felt a bit sparse for the price. Still tasty and well-marinated.

Limited Seating During Lunch Rush: It was tough to find a spot during peak lunch—expect to hover a bit before you can sit down.

💡 Tips:

Credit cards and Apple Pay accepted

Self-serve water and condiments available

Try to go before noon or after 1:30 PM to avoid the worst of the lunch crowd

Free parking in the shared mall parking lot and structures

Indoor/Outdoor seating and tables turn over pretty quickly

I’d definitely come back to Marugame Udon for a fast, reliable meal. Next time, I’ll try the curry udon and maybe skip the tempura unless it looks freshly made. If you’re in the mood for a customizable, satisfying bowl of noodles without the long wait of a sit-down spot, this is a...