Marugame Udon

"Standing in line to eat is a fact of life on Sawtelle, and Marugame Udon is no exception. (If you’re in a rush, it’s best to hit this spot outside prime lunch hours.) This udon restaurant is set up cafeteria-style, where you wait in a theme park-style line before picking your bowl of udon—we like the one with sweet braised beef—and then slide your tray down the counter to grab your choice of crispy tempura. It’s affordable, filling, and a great quick meal in a pinch." - brant cox, sylvio martins, arden shore

"Marugame Udon has grown its presence around Los Angeles with five outposts. The Sanuki-style nikutama bowl comes with a scant amount of sweetened broth, shredded beef, and chubby udon noodles. Ask for it to be served cold for the ultimate antidote to a hot day." - Cathy Chaplin, Matthew Kang

"With a few locations across Los Angeles, including Sawtelle Japantown, Torrance, and Downtown, this cafeteria-style udon shop offers a good range of quick-cooked wheat noodles that accommodate a wide range of palates. The slightly sweet beef marinade lends well to potentially picky kids, who will wolf up the tender udon and savory broth. There’s also chicken katsu, tempura, and curry in case beef udon soup isn’t something kids favor. Ample portions make sharing dishes easy for families. The best part is that staff are prepared for all ages, always ready to bring over high chairs and help clean up noodle messes." - Eater Staff

"When it comes to bang-for-the-buck, few places can do it better than Marugame Udon, which has a flagship outpost on Sawtelle in Japantown, as well as locations inside the Beverly Center and in Downtown’s Financial District. Expect to wait in lines at the Sawtelle outlet, where diners can customize udon bowls with fresh tempura on the side." - Eater Staff

"After opening the first location on Sawtelle location in 2017, with plans to open in the South Coast Plaza in November, Japan’s Marugame Udon is staying on its rapid expansion track with another Southern California location coming to the Beverly Center on August 23. Marugame Udon established itself with noodle-making machines, quick service, and by keeping prices low. Customers grab a tray and customize an udon or rice bowl, and add one of Marugame’s 12 tempura-fried vegetables, or proteins, a selection of musubi or rice balls for toppings. There’s also bowls with Thai spicy chicken or curry." - Mona Holmes