Don Udon — Restaurant in New York

A lovely little brand new udon restaurant owned by two friendly and kind Japanese staff/chef. The interior is designed similar to a traditional izakaya restaurant where the menu is relatively simple and straightforward. For a brand new restaurant that is still trying to get its bearings, their food and service is pretty good! The udon has a nice bouncy texture and was quite refreshing as a dipping noodle dish with the ikura, shiso leaf and grated daikon! The price ($20) is a bit on the higher end compared to its quantity, so perhaps a little larger portion of udon or ikura would make it more worth it! The unagi don was perfect as it is, with a nice plump portion of eel that's perfectly tender and savory! This quality and quantity of the dish was perfect for its price tag ($18) as well! Highly recommend it if you're craving a simple yet delicious bowl of unagi don! Overall, Don Udon has so much potential of being an affordable yet comforting dining option and I can't wait for them to overcome and adjust to the challenges of being a new restaurant (I.e., with more descriptions of what's in each udon, pictures of each dish, etc). Perhaps in the future they can also add some nice appetizers as well, such as dashi egg omelette, Takowasa, etc!

Please give this new restaurant a shot! Thank you so much for reading and...

Let me start with the positives. Gorgeously designed little udon spot both appealing to the eye and also comfortably, if cozily, fits the number of seats inside. And of course food was great must be said.

Fundamental issue was with the service and the damn QR code online ordering. We are not in pandemic 2020 anymore and we should not be putting up with this nonsense. These folk just don’t want to go to the trouble of producing a little paper menu or even just scrubbing some stuff on a blackboard in the corner? Really unbelievably disappointing.

On arrival they pop a head out the kitchen and say “how many” and point at a seat. No hello or welcome. Then you just sit there all on your phones selecting your dish (and your $2 scallion additions!??) On the online QR platform. Please have some. Please have some more respect for your customers.

I was so excited for Don Udon and this was such a disappointment because it didn’t have to...

Feels closest to an experience in a small local Tokyo restaurant as Ive gotten in NYC. Small space and seats at the counter. Pay on your phone. Atmosphere was good. I got the cold udon which is always my favorite in Japan. You get a good bounciness and chew in the udon this way without it getting soggy in soup. However the udon here seemed to be jussssst a little undercooked. Had to bite through the noodle rather than it having a bounce/chew. So close. Otherwise food was good. Beef bowl is another favorite and it did not disappoint. I'd come back but I think there are other places for me to try before I do. Also I showed up around 12:15 on a Saturday afternoon and there was no problem getting a seat for a party of 4. But shortly after that all the seats...