About Marugame Monzo

Udon Made in Front of You

Marugame Monzo makes its udon by hand in an open kitchen at 329 East 1st Street in Little Tokyo, in the Little Tokyo Hotel building. From the counter you can watch a cook roll out the dough on a wooden board and stretch the noodles by hand.

The Menu

Hot udon comes in broth: kake, kitsune with fried tofu, wakame seaweed, beef, duck nanban, curry, and shrimp or chicken tempura. Cold udon includes zaru with dipping sauce, bukkake, plum and shiso, and a bowl with grated daikon and soy sauce.

The signature dishes are where the kitchen leaves tradition: miso carbonara udon, mentai squid butter udon, seafood tomato cream udon, champon udon and an udon gratin. Reviewers mention the creamy mentai udon and the carbonara most often. Tempura is ordered by the piece to add on top, from shrimp and kakiage to pumpkin, lotus root, shiso and a soft-boiled egg.

Before You Go

Lunch and dinner run straight through: 11:30 AM to 9 PM Monday through Thursday, and 11 AM to 10 PM Friday through Sunday. Expect a line at peak hours. The dining room is small and the tables are close together, so one or two people may find a bar seat easier.

Little Tokyo has pay lots and metered street parking all around 1st Street.