Zaru
Japanese restaurant · Orlando ·
Homemade Sanuki-style udon noodles, tempura, and gyoza dumplings.
Homemade Sanuki-style udon noodles, tempura, and gyoza dumplings.
"Stylish and neon-flecked, this Bib Gourmand udon shop lines imperial red shelving with swirly noodle bowls, and you’d never guess you’re dining in the former frozen goods section of a supermarket now reborn as Mills Market." - The MICHELIN Guide
"This sleek, Mills 50 eatery is located in the same strip as the Tien Hung Market. With an upbeat playlist and an attractive dining room, the restaurant specializes in chewy noodles made from wheat sourced from Japan’s Kagawa Prefecture. Ikura, tempura and top-notch ingredients like Hokkaido uni and A5 Kagoshima wagyu pair with broths of wonderful smokiness and depth. Starters like tatsuta-age (fried chicken) and yaki gyoza (pork dumplings) are familiar and reliable, but consider opting for the ikura onsen, which features a softly poached egg crowned with crispy garlic. Either way, expect precision and intentionality across the board by the team that’s happy to guide you." - Michelin Inspector
"For lunch, it’s consistently the most flavorful udon; the attention to detail these guys put into their dishes, and the service and ambience, is 10/10 every time—and this goes for all the businesses they operate." - Nancy DePalma
"Udon is the reason you're eating at Zaru. You can come here 1,000 times and never have the same bowl twice since there are so many ways to customize a bowl. But if you need help narrowing it down, go for the mentaiko tsukimi that comes with an egg yolk, marinated pollock roe, shiso, and noodles that have just the right amount of chew. This casual spot doesn't take reservations, so kill time waiting for the “your table's ready” text at the Vietnamese market next door or one of the nearby boba shops." - cheryl rodewig, gabe bergado, ryan pfeffer, macy johnson
"Udon is the reason you're eating at Zaru. You can come here 1,000 times and never have the same bowl twice since there are so many ways to customize a bowl. But if you need help narrowing it down, go for the mentaiko tsukimi that comes with an egg yolk, marinated pollock roe, shiso, and noodles that have just the right amount of chew. This casual spot doesn't take reservations, so kill time waiting for the “your table's ready” text at the Vietnamese market next door or one of the nearby boba shops." - Ryan Pfeffer
