Sato Yosuke Ginza Inaniwa Udon

The feel of silky Inaniwa udon from Akita without having to travel there. If you're a lover of the craft and texture of noodles, or like cold noodles on a hot day, then all you need to work out is how long is the line and how much wait you are willing to tolerate. Towards closing is usually a smart time, but if the line isn't too crazy at opening that can also be a smart time to go. Generally people are spending maybe half an hour-ish since its not a big or complicated meal, so the turnover is steady. The restaurant space you see through the front to the right of the register is not everything, there is more on the left side of the restaurant with tables and small private rooms for 4 which they happily let 1 person like me take to keep the line moving. Cold udon has the same appeal to me as cold soba on a hot day, simply refreshing. The noodles are not thick and cook quickly, and yet have the desired firm bite of thicker noodles. This is the result of a long hand made process over 4 days. Wheat flour, salt and water are all that is used. Some of that texture comes from the soft spring water that came from under the mountain. A lot of it comes from the careful stretching of the noodles managed by hand over days and allowing some fermentation in between, and the final shape is not cut but is a result of that slow process. This silky smoothness optimises for nodogoshi, the sensation of it going smoothly down your throat. There's two sauces in the standard set up - soy/wasabi or sesame, I think the cold sesame sauce works better on a warm day.

Tried the cold slim flat udon because I wanted to see how well it paired with the sesame dipping sauce. The flavor was unique — the flat noodles perfectly absorbed the rich, nutty sauce, making every bite satisfying. The hot version, however, didn’t seem much different from what you’d find at other restaurants except the slim flat udon.

Went around 7pm on Monday, queue moved pretty fast and we were soon seated. Ordered their signature cold udon that came with tempura and dipping sauces, and let me tell you this absolutely blew my mind. The tempura was fried to perfection and the noodles were amazing. Ordered the rice w chicken as a side and that was tasty as well. Overall a 10/10, would highly recommend to anyone looking for Udon in Ginza.

Really yummy spot for simple but flavourful udon noodles - loved the tempura shrimp set and the tuna set. Friendly staff and very well priced. There was a bit of a wait to get a table, but <15 mins and service inside is fairly quick.

Delicious. Udon noodles fresh and thin. Tempura light. Sauces tasty. Go early to avoid the line.

Randomly came across this spot on our Japan trip and love this place! The cold udon noodles were super fresh and perfectly chewy. They had different broths to dip the udon in and both were sooo good!! Great spot for a comforting meal!

Came here for a weeknight dinner few years ago . No queue was seated immediately but the middle age waiter didn’t seem friendly My friend has blonde hair but she’s actually half Japanese and me although a foreigner is fluent in Japanese so it’s really strange that in this type of setting he didn’t use keigo. As for the udon , it was okay ｡ ordered the udon with two types of dipping sauce but I still prefer sanuki udon especially when it’s a Kagawa produce 😁 Might go back to this place if there’s no queue.

The noodles inaniwa udon is very silky and smooth, but still retains a chewy texture. Unfortunately the part that disappointed me the most is the dipping sauces. They simply felt very watered down and tasted bland the flat. The tempura was fine, and nothing special. I came right before closing at night so there was no wait, but I keep seeing long lines during the day when I walk past. I think I would be quite livid if I had to wait more than 15 mins under the scorching sun for this...

Sunday. March 24, 2024. Lunch. We were in Ginza on a Sunday. Most of the restaurants were closed. We noticed a line outside of this one and decided to wait. We waited about 15 minutes before going inside. Note: ask for the english menu or else you will be stuck trying to decipher Japanese. Sato Yosuke serves Inaniwa Udon, which is thinner than the regular udon noodles that we're all used to. They serve these noodles both hot and cold. My wife and I couldn't bring ourselves to try a cold noodle, so we ordered hot. Specifically, mine was the Nameko udon noodles (1500 Yen), which come with nameko mushrooms. The soup stock is made with bonito fish and it tasted good. In addition, I ordered the tempura plate (1000 Yen) with fish, 2 shrimp and 2 vegetables. I also ordered an extra shrimp tempura (300 Yen) for my wife. The noodles were al dente, and they served a generous amount of mushrooms. Not sure I could have stomached cold noodles. I do prefer the thicker udon noodles as they are more filling. The tempura shrimp, fish and vegetables were good, although I would have preferred a much lighter coating of batter. Shrimp are large (a plus) and the fish blew away both the vegetables and shrimp for taste. Service here was good and they suggested cold and warm sake, which we bought. I liked the cold better as it contrasted with the warm noodles. Forgot to get pictures or brand names for the sake. Altogether we paid 5830 Yen for a decent udon noodle lunch. This is about 38 dollars in the United States.

I decided to visit this place after seeing it in a vlog, and perhaps because of that, it was already incredibly popular. The wait was quite long, and we ended up having lunch around 2 PM. Unfortunately, the food didn't quite live up to my expectations. Maybe my anticipation grew too high after waiting so long under the scorching summer heat.

Spacious and clean udon spot with great service. The noodles were perfectly chewy and fresh, and a bigger quantity than they look. We got the green curry and it was fun dipping the udon so you can really take your time and appreciate the flavor for each. The creamy curry pairs well with some high ball!

Found on yelp, but the line also gave this spot away... after a 15ish minute wait, service was quick and food was good - I got the mushroom udon and an Asahi. Not the absolute best udon/ramen I've ever had, but it hit the spot and felt more authentic than most of the nearby options out of about a dozen tables, maybe one other group of tourists). Certainly worth a stop if you are in the area. Bonus: they have a small shop inside where you can buy various combos of broth/noodles.

OK/fine (for Japan standards). Known for cold udon. The udon was interesting bc super thin, looks more like ramen, I prefer thic. Wasn't particularly impressed, still good tho. Popular (long lines) but I wouldn't wait past 20 min tbh. Come if you're in the area. If you get #2, portion size is large, I ate only half which is rare

Cool. Rain outside and cold weather, still long line outside. But good taste really good.

This restaurant in the heart of the Ginza neighborhood of Tokyo specializes in a type of udon called Inaniwa Udon, which originated from Akita Prefecture and is thinner than the regular udon that we're all used to. They have both cold and hot udon options, but the most popular item on the menu is their green curry udon, where you get a side of cold udon noodles with green curry dipping sauce. They also have the curry option that comes with two types of curry - red curry and green curry - for 300 yen more (1700 yen). Since it was my first time here, I decided to try the udon that comes with two different types of curry. While I enjoyed both and the green curry is the more popular of the two, I personally liked the red curry slightly better. It is spicy and has a variety of seafood. The restaurant also has other options (I heard that the standard cold udon with the regular dipping sauce and the sesame dipping sauce is another popular menu item) so I definitely want to come back and try the other ones. The service is great and if you come during lunch hours, you can upgrade your udon to a large portion without extra charge. I would highly recommend this place if you want to find a lunch spot away from the crowded areas of Ginza that is still affordable and delicious.

A diamond hidden away in Tokyo! I came right at opening and was probably one of the first people... like 15 mins later, the place was filled! Decor - traditional japanese Service - super helpful and attentive. They notice if you might have a question. You also pay at the table Udon Noodles - so good! I tried to take my time eating them since I wanted to appreciate the flavor Dipping side - perfect complementary to the noodles Definitely check out this place. It took me a while to find this location, but keep your eyes peeled and don't give up!

This is probably the best udon restaurant that I've ever been to. I arrived in Tokyo in the evening, and was looking for some food after checking into my hotel. This place was about a 15-20 minute walk from my hotel, but it was so worth it. The interior looks like a traditional Japanese restaurant. After sitting down, they brought some fried udon chips, and hot towels. The hot towels was a nice premium touch. They also have an English menu which is a big plus for tourists. The udon is a fresh made thin udon. From a glance, it looks like ramen. It's not the super thick kind that I'm used to. I tried a cold udon with cold broth which really highlighted the texture of the noodle. It's interesting trying it cold. My cousin got the udon with the Thai curry which was AMAZING! You can call it fusion, but the super flavorful curry paired extremely well with the udon. Wash it all down with a cold beer, and it's pretty much a perfect meal. It was so satisfying that I wanted to come back and eat it again before leaving Tokyo!

Casual, cozy and reasonably priced spot that specializes in Inaniwa udon. It's thinner, chewier and less dense then the more commonly known udon. Reservation are not required (you might get seated in a private room) but most of the other parties seemed to have them. The cold dipping udon is the way to go in order to appreciate the chew, texture and taste of the noodles. There are the more traditional dipping sauce of soy and/or sesame (really good) or the more exotic Thai green and red curry. The warm soup version came with a hearty broth that was deep in umami with a touch of acidity.

Was walking around ginza and stumbled upon this gem. This place had a line and was quite poppin. We decided to commit and wait in line. The main dining area was pretty noisy but our server took us to the back where it was more private and quiet! The back dining area is tatami floor seating so you need to take your shoes off~ I got the hot noodles and my brother got hot and cold dipping noodles. Both were excellent choices. We got the combo with the tempura rice, order it.

So was looking for a last meal in Tokyo before heading back to the motherland for part 2 of our korea trip. I already knew that the night would end at my favorite whiskey bar in Tokyo but wanted to load up on some carbs. At this point, we had made sushi breakfast a thing so the options really came down to curry/katsu/izakya/udon. I had already had a few helpings of curry/katsu and wanted to keep the drinking to the whiskey bar so the natural selection was udon. Ginza is of course always packed with options but after a quick search I found this place. I usually don't search for udon that often but this place seemed unique as it offered hot/cold varieties. They have an English menu so don't hesitate to ask and the service is impeccable as with any Japanese joint. There does seem to be a line as you get into the evening but it didn't impact us as we got there for a 5 or so dinner. When we showed up, there was no line and the humidity was killing me so I ordered a cold udon with spicy dipping sauce (kind of like tsukemen) that came with an egg. The place inside is really nice and pair that with service, definitely makes it one of the nicer udon joints I have been to. The Udon itself is unique here as it is a bit thinner than what I traditionally see but they do not skimp with two handful portions of udon along with the egg and dipping sauce on the side. It was easy to tell that the udon was fresh and homemade and the sauces were refreshing and absolutely delicious. The noodles were the right texture and the cold really brought out the dip and noodles for me personally. Honestly probably one of the best udons I have had so far. If I had this type of udon in the states it probably would have made Udon one of my more favorite things. Another 5 star home run in Japan which unfortunately now ruins my udon experiences in the states

There are so many noodle places in Tokyo, it's hard to remember mediocrity. Luckily Sato Yosuke is that good, here I am writing a review almost 6 months later. Here in Hawaii we relate udon with Jimbo's or Marukame Lol. But you never have had good until you tasted GOOD udon. This is Sato Yosuke. Noodles are al dente, firm and bouncy. Dipping sauce has just enough umphhh without drowning the noodles in shioness. The tempura is light and crispy, perfect to go with the udon. Located in busy Ginza somewhere behind our hotel, Imperial Tokyo. 2 stories high with semi private rooms. Our servers were so friendly, as many are in the service industry in Japan. Such a different animal from American service. If you want a cheap and delicious meal, definitely check this place out.

After a long day of shopping, I was craving some delicious udon for dinner. Thanks to Yelp, I found this place! There was a short wait, which is always a good sign for a restaurant. Since the first floor main restaurant was full, they took me to the upstairs restaurant that was all private dining rooms. They gave me, a solo diner, a small private room to enjoy my noodles! I opted for their sesame sauce dipping udon, which I have never seen before. This was SO GOOD! The sesame sauce mixed with their udon broth created this creamy flavorful dipping sauce. And the udon noodles were the thinner flat type (and not the thick round type), which were perfect to grab onto all the sauce when you dipped it in the seasme sauce dipping broth. Now I wish I could find this style of dipping udon back home!

Looking for some chewy udon? This is a MUST GO in Tokyo! This place specializes in Inaniwa Udon - a special type of udon from the north of Japan that is flat instead of round. Harder to find in Tokyo so I was so happy to find this restaurant. Highly recommend getting the udon cold with a cold or hot dip since you'll be able to taste the chewiness of the noodle better when it's cold. My favorite dip was the hot dan-dan noodle dip (peanut sauce). Second favorite was the cold soy sauce dip and then the cold sesame dip. ***No reservations needed but go early to avoid waiting*** I wouldn't recommend getting the tempura, it's just average and the amount of noodle you'll get with each meal will be more than enough to fill you up.

I wanted to love this place but it just didn't do it for me. I took some newbies to japan and toured them around all the different Japanese cuisine. When we walked in they were reluctant to seat us and not sure why. Once we got seated it took them 30 minutes and me flagging them down to get a drink and order. We ordered the set udon dish with tempura. The tempura was outstanding but the udon was less than appealing. The noodles were tasteless and the broth was basically water. Overall disappointing.

Japan doesn't use Yelp too much, but if you're American and rely heavily on Yelp like me, it's certainly useful to see some reviews on here! So let me tell you about how this place made all my dreams ~come true~ one night as my boi and I were wandering, hungry (and slightly lost), in search of udon or shabu shabu in Tokyo. A friend of mine who often visits Japan highly recommended I check this place out so we took a walk and came across this place fairly late at night. After seeing the line for a sushi place was way too long and that most udon places were closed/shabu shabu places were out of our budget, we checked this place out and BEST DECISION OF THE TRIP. How lucky were we to find that they had an udon+shabu shabu combo on their menu?! For 2200 yen a person (about $20) you get a pork, mitzuna, maitake, and negi hot pot with a strong dashi base. This was the best dashi and shabu shabu I have EVER had--my boyfriend and I are normally pretty talkative, but we could not talk because we were too busy crying while eating one of the best meals we've ever had. While shabu shabu normally is pretty light and it takes a lot to get me full, the heaviness of the dashi stock helped to fill me up; however, the meal was not complete until a tray of udon was brought out for us to finish our meal with. They do give the fixins for dipping the udon in standard tsuyu with ginger, negi, and wasabi, but I have to say that dipping it in the remaining dashi broth was probably the better choice. I ended up being super full and beyond satisfied. We went fairly late at night--past 9PM--so the place was delightfully empty. I am DEFINITELY coming back here next time I'm in Tokyo!!

We ordered the green and red curry set that comes with udon noodles, toppings, veggies, green tea, and a small udon "chips" appetizer. We also ordered a additional sesame dipping side. The noodles come cold and are meant to be dipped in the sauces right before eating them. Everything tasted absolutely fresh and of high quality for an extremely reasonable price. The green curry has veggies at the bottom and the red curry had fish. What stood out to me most was the service. We didn't make a reservation so we waited about 15 minutes for the next available seating. The host at the front was so polite and kind to us, updating us on how long it would take and apologizing for the inconvenience, even though we didn't mind at all. I wish I got his name to give him credit on here.

Wowwww is all I have to say about Saito Yosuke Ginza! My family and I were on our last day of our trip in Japan, so we were a little down on the fact that our trip was coming to an end. We were having a walk around Ginza after shopping and I decided to Yelp to see if there were any restaurants to have a last lunch in Japan and found this place. We were seated immediately and like everywhere in Japan, the service is next level. But let's have a talk about this udon! It was nothing like the udon I have eaten before: the noodles were thinner and cooked perfectly! I chose to order the dipping style of udon and I tried both of the dipping sauces. It was an absolutely amazing lunch and we all left so full and happy. They have a variety of combinations and options if you want dipping style or hot udon and all of the sides as well. I am so glad that we found this place, and it is definitely somewhere we will come back to on our next vacation in Japan.

They serve a uniquely thin Inaniwa-style udon, and it's incredible. You can get either hot or cold (or both), but I definitely recommend the cold dipping udon for maximum chewiness and bounce. The noodles are fresh, firm and al dente, and fantastic at soaking up the dipping sauce or broth. Like many other reviewers, best udon I've ever had in my life! ps -- English menu available but you have to ask for it. It was mostly all locals when we visited at night.

We came here for our first dinner in Tokyo. Sato Yosuke Ginza was a good choice! I ordered a wakame udon and a draft beer. The udon dish was in no way special, but I have absolutely no complaints about it. The same thing goes for the beer, an unremarkable "dry" beer. (I had a refill.) Although I seem to be describing a three-star establishment, these points tipped me over to four stars: 1. Prices seemed reasonable. 2. Great starter salad! 3. Friendly personnel. You can come here in confidence. I'd be happy to return.

Omg. THE best udon I had while in Tokyo!! Was coming back to the hub of Tokyo pretty late (about 10:30pm) and looking for a spot opened that was fairly close to the Tokyo train station. SO glad this spot came up on Yelp bc it was by far one of the tastiest noodle dishes I had during my trip (if not THE best)! Japanese food is known for their simplicity...no frills. And the dishes here are the epitome of that! As soon as you walk in, you're entered into a super clean and sleek interior. More than a handful of booths wrap around the dining area, with tables filling the center. The server spoke limited english, but just enough to take our order and understand our basic questions. There's also an English menu available (ask for it)...with pictures to go w each dish. I ordered the fresh udon dish with red seafood curry dipping soup/sauce. Omgggg. It was heavenly! I didn't think it would be bc it was just red curry and we're in Japan, and man was I wrong. The seafood was perfectly blanched and added to the red curry. The red curry had just the right amount of thickness to it, coating the udon when you dip into it. The udon...oh, the udon...al dente to the bite! I'm a fan. A big, big fan of everything they had going on here! Easily 5 stars!

I wanted some authentic udon while on my trip to Tokyo and I had heard wonderful things about this place. We stopped in for early dinner and were seated right away. I ordered the cold dipping udon which came with two sauces - one a miso sesame and one a soy sauce based sauce. Both were fantastic! The texture of the noodles was perfect and you could tell they were fresh noodles. I would definitely come back and recommend this place to friends!

You can't go wrong with anything in the Ginza area, but this udon spot was a gem to find after a 11 hour flight. I definitely recommend trying to hot and cold udon combo if you're indecisive like me and want the best of both worlds. I do agree that cold is better and more refreshing! The broth is more pronounced in the cold variation and just the act of dipping the noodles in makes the whole experience more satisfying. Do get the tempura! The batter is so light and crispy, it will change your life.

Came at 10pm in Friday night and there was a 20 minute wait. It was worth it! Great flavors and such great service. I ordered the cold dipping noodles with green curry and a side of tempura. The noodles were a great texture, chewy and thinner than the typical udon noodle. (One of the servers said the cold noodles were better than the warm.) The green curry has great flavor and a touch of spice. Tempura was perfectly light and crispy. It was my first time having fish tempura and it did not disappoint - juicy and flavorful. I would definitely come back!

The udon is perfect. Came a bit later at night so was able to be seated quickly. They have an English menu but it didn't have the sukiyaki/udon set that I wanted so I just pointed at the picture. So yummy. The broth was just right--flavorful enough to dip the noodles into but not overwhelming when eaten on its own. The texture of the udon was on point and I love how they curl it up into a little blob. Try this place if you're in the Ginza area!

I got the double curry set- you get to try the green chicken curry and the red seafood curry! DELICIOUS! Since it's summer and it's so hot outside, it was nice that the noodles were cold and if you'd like the noodle to be hotter, you can just dip it in the soup/sauce for longer!

If you don't try this place out... your missing out. I first want to start off and say. They have a English menu and they take credit cards. Next the food! I have the green and red curry. It was so good! The tempura on the other tables looked great as well, but will have to try the next time I am in town. The green curry was chicken based and as pretty yummy and was not spicy. The red curry was seafood based and was spicy but had the right type of spice. Let me say, if there is no line, try it! I recommend it!

My friend picked this place to eat for lunch. It was really good udon! I had the one that comes with two different dipping sauces. They were both very tasty. My friend got the green curry dipping sauce. It was unique, but it actually worked! I guess that's why curry udons exist.

Wanted Udon and found this place during our searches... not far from the Imperial Hotel and down a very small street. This place is easy enough to miss if you aren't specifically looking for it. We were looking for it and it was not the easiest place to find. Thankfully other reviewers posted photos of the exterior. Walked in @ 6.30p and there were people waiting to get in. Didn't take us long to get to the host and we indicated we didn't have a reservation. Thinking that we'd be turned away, we were already formulating our plan b. The host said that he had a small table, and could seat us immediately. Score ! Seated at a small table in the back corner, which was fine. The table had a nice little blind as a separator between tables. Our server provided us we some english menus and took a drink order. From the outside the place isn't much to look at. Inside this is a modern, intimate and chic place. Our server was quick with the drinks and then took our order. We ordered the Omelette to start and then a Green Curry Udon for my wife, and a had a soy and sesame sauce udon. The food came out quite quickly considering that the place was very full. The omelette was fabulous. Still nice and warm and cooked to perfection. The udon wasn't far behind and I don't think I've ever had udon this good. Noodles were done perfectly and the sauces were amazing. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Once we were done our server was quick with removing the plates and with the bill when requested. Overall, Food was fantastic, service was just as you'd expect and the ambiance was great. If you are wanting to try some fantastic udon, in an upscale space, but not with upscale prices. Don't miss this one. The only gripe is that locating the place can be a bit of a challenge as it's down a very small non-descript street and the outside does lend itself well to be found.

Amazing freshly made thin udon noodle!! The texture is perfect the soup is light and refreshing yet still flavorful. I had the soup udon my sister had the curry dipping noodles. I can't want to be back to try the dipping curry sauces. The curry is similar to Thai style and it's delicious

Walked around the neighborhood to find something quick and simple for dinner. Came across this place with pictures of an elderly Japanese man making noodles. It looks legit and quite convincing so I walked in. They speak some English and was helpful giving me English menu. I got the cold udon with tempura. Udon texture was good.. had a chew to it and was al dente. I dipped it into the sesame sauce and each slurp was refreshing and yummy. The tempura was fried lightly. It was crispy yet so light. You do not see the batter at all! Good meal and good way to end the night!

4.5 stars -- unique type of udon noodles with great dipping the sauce. We ordered different starter dishes, which include a beef, pork, chicken, and egg omelette which were all extremely tasty. The chicken and egg rice dish along with the tempura with the noodles were only ok, nothing spectacular which is why it lost half a star. The cold udon is what I will be wanting to get again! Yummmmm...

Nice store with a pretty good price or it's noodles. The noodles are thinner for udon than traditional Houdon. They serve food on cold in the hot months which some of us didn't care for. Clean nice presentation on the food but we felt it lacked some heart.

I've never had udon like this before. The noodles were thinner and firmer than what I'm used to, but it was really delicious. You can really taste the bonito in the broth and tempura sauce. The place is very popular so I'd recommend making a reservation.

Ginza Sato Yosuke is an Inaniwa Udon place with a long history. They serve pretty good Udon meals and the seats in the restaurant are spacious and relaxing, located in central Ginza. This type of place comes in handy when you need to take your parents or elderly people for a meal. You can take your time here even for lunch and the location is very convenient too. They have a few different types of Udon, but my recommendation would be the cold one with the soup that comes separately (you dip the Udon noodles in the soup and eat them). If you have a chance to hang out in Ginza, this is one of the places I'd suggest you check out.

Outstanding experience at Sato Yosuke. The service, food, quality were all excellent.

Inaniwa Udon! First time trying it, really loved it! If you like soba and you like udon, then inaniwa udon is like a happy mix of both noodles. Thin, chewy, great for dipping or served in a hot broth. Lunch sets are about ¥1500 to ¥2000 each and you could order extra noodles for no extra charge. The normal menu is in Japanese and has photos, but you can ask for an English menu which will also offer the descriptions in English as well. This restaurant is part of a small chain that seems to be well-known around Japan for being one of the original creators of this type of udon.

Excellent noodles. Very friendly to foreigners. Have us directions on how to eat noodles properly. Noodles were delicious, we had cold and hot with tempura. Highly recommend

Can here by accident and wow was the udon the best I had...ever! If your in the area and want something warm come here.

We wanted udon and so I found this place on the Michelin guide as a Bib Gourmand restaurant. It did not disappoint. We barely made it in time for last call. We ordered their tempura, their cold dipping sauce with udon and the green curry with udon. The tempura was cooked well, as expected. The udon was perfect. I've never had such fine udon before. Then the cold dipping sauce was delicious. The green curry was as good as any Thai curry I've had. The price was reasonable for the quantity and quality of the food. I would definitely go back if I had the chance.

The food was pretty good I have to admit, but I felt scammed when our waiter put two bowls of chicken meatballs in front of us (thinking they were complimentary) when we never ordered them. They then tacked 1000 yen onto our bill (for 2 people) for those when we were never told or never gave consent to that. Not the biggest deal in the world, but enough for me to avoid coming back to this place in the future

Inaniwa udon, regional variety, thinner, loved it. lunch meal with some tempura. even bought some to take home. tabelog 3.54