Cafe Yoto Brings Udon Noodle Soups to North Loop | Eater Twin Cities
"The udon is the specialty of the house; they’re made using a machine from Yamato Manufacturing, a Japanese company with a branch in Houston, which ensures consistency so that every noodle has the right chewy texture. Hasegawa uses a combination of two flours for the noodles, accounting for the Twin Cities’ turbulent weather so the mixture is perfect. "It all depends on the temperatures and the humidity," Hasegawa says. "It changes everything, the water ratio to the flour. So it’s kind of complicated." He would have to fly in a technician from Houston if the machine breaks, a scenario he’s wary of after finally opening following construction delays—the 65-seat counter-service restaurant was announced in August 2024. Hasegawa draws on fond memories of his mother’s cooking in Sendai, Japan; after high school he moved to the U.S., took ESL courses and began his career at Origami. "This wasn’t my dream to be a chef or restaurant owner," he says. "It just came about... I’ve always loved to make things with my hands." He has worked with chef Shigeyuki Furukawa, head chef at Kado no Mise (a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist), and the two launched a Yo Monday Cafe pop-up at Kado in 2024; the new spot expands on that pop-up’s commitment to quality ingredients. For the summer, Soto will serve cold dipping noodles with a different broth alongside the hot noodle soups that customers have praised. They use a filter imported from Japan to triple-filter the broth (a combination of water, salt, kombu, and bonito flakes). Hasegawa sums up the approach simply: "It’s basically: simple, flavorful, I mean — it’s just the best." Noted as one of Eater Twin Cities’ most anticipated restaurant openings of 2025, Hasegawa hopes to pioneer counter-service noodle shops in the Twin Cities: "Not yet, but I’m sure they’ll be here soon," he says." - Ashok Selvam
