MARUGAME UDON — Restaurant in San Diego

The first (and until recently, the only) time I ever went to a Marugame Udon location was nearly a decade ago in Hawai’i! When I found out that one had opened in San Diego, I made sure to visit the next time I was in town.

I recently went here two times: once with a group of friends, and once by myself. Both times, the staff were extremely friendly and helpful with any questions! Safe to say that the service is great, and I will definitely feel welcomed to come back just for that alone.

However, it’s not just about the service - it’s about the food too. I am happy to report that my fond memories of Marugame back in Hawai’i are not just due to nostalgia - the food absolutely holds up. I got the Nikutama Udon during both my visits, as well as various different tempura sides. Everything was great! I was pleased to find out that the Gyoza was beef as I do not eat pork; on the other hand though, I do wish that there was a non-pork way to enjoy the curry sauce as I usually enjoy Japanese Curry dishes and was sad that I couldn’t! I’m hoping this becomes an option one day. Still, as mentioned, the food was wonderful and I see myself as a returning customer for sure.

From the wonderful service, to the tasty food, to the consistently maintained clean dining area, thank you for the great experience!!!

Edit: After visiting another time, it reminded me that I wanted to once again add emphasis that the team here is wonderful!! And yes, the food is still very much great :) The amount of people who come here should...

We had an extremely unpleasant experience at this restaurant. It’s not suitable for dining with young children. The music was excessively loud, the staff rushed us out before we finished eating, and the dining space was cramped. The food was subpar.

We brought our 2-year-old child and faced multiple issues. My husband was made to wait inside with our food even though we had a table outside. Our personal belongings were moved and damaged. We were then placed at a cramped table meant for two, despite being a party of three. A family of three was seated at a four-seat table right after we were told it was reserved for four.

The restaurant is unfriendly to young children, providing only a chair for our child and neglecting other needs. They didn’t notice our child hadn’t finished eating before rushing us out.

After reading other reviews, we realized this restaurant is not safe or hygienic, with multiple complaints of food poisoning. Their hygiene issues remain unresolved. Despite receiving an apology card, we won’t risk our health by dining here again.

Such poor treatment is unacceptable, especially with a service fee. We’ve never experienced this at any other establishment. It felt like they just wanted to rush customers out. Even McDonald's offers a better environment and service.

Health-conscious individuals should avoid this place. They prioritize profit over customer well-being. Parents with young children, be warned: the loud music might make your child...

I have been wanting to come here for so long and I'm glad I finally got to before I moved!

Came in starving really needing some soup so we stopped here after seeing a movie and it was pretty good udon. When we walked it there was anime on the walls and bags of rice everywhere which made the place feel really authentic and they said "Ohayou gozaimasu" when you walk in. The servers took our order right away and were more than patient with us while we figured out what we wanted.

We ordered the #1 Nikutama, the #6 Tonkotsu and the #22 Gyudon. The Nikutama had a perfect broth, perfectly cooked udon and a beautiful egg on top that made for a perfect bowl of udon. The Tonkotsu was also very good with tender cooked chasau pork. It also had a soy marinated egg which was a nice touch. And the Nikutama was also tender, perfectly cooked and well seasoned steak over rice and sauce on top. The flavor of everything mixed into the rice so nice making everything well balanced. All three dishes had tempora flakes on top which was not described on the menu, nor was it in the pictures on the menu. They got soggy after 5 minutes so the dishes definitely didnt need them.

We also got the tempora squid and shrimp. They had a selection of tempura cooked appetizers which was nice too, both were cooked perfectly.

Overall, Marugame Udon is a really authentic Japanese Udon restaurant and...