Udon Shin

Great food, udon was springy and cooked to perfection, they even have their own special butter. However the main star of the show would be their tempura, the cheese and kakuni pork tempura were exceptional. And left me wanting for more. Having to queue for more than 3 hours in total left a bitter taste my mouth though. For the uninitiated, there are 2 ways to go about getting the food here. Firstly, you can skip most of the queue and get in immediately if you paid 2000 yen. Secondly, you can join the normal queue without paying and mind you there will be 2 legs to queue from. Firstly, you will have to get a virtual queue ticket that tells you how many groups of people are in front of you before it’s your turn, and during this period, you will be unable to queue at the storefront to avoid overcrowding. When the virtual ticket mentions it’s time for you to get into the restaurant, you start queuing again at the storefront. Mind you while queuing at the storefront it took about a good 40 mins as well. From my own personal experience, came here at 1030am, half an hour before opening time at 11 and was told to get the virtual queue ticket first. By the time I got in it was 1:45pm. This is where the bitter taste comes in, 2 points, first, when you’re told you’re able to come to the storefront via the virtual ticket one would assume you’ll be able to enter straight and not wait for another 40 mins. Upon arrival, you start to realize that it’s first come first serve to queue at the storefront, meaning that virtual queue lets people know that they can come to the storefront and whoever rushes over first gets to go first. Meaning there is no proper numbering of your so called “queue”. Secondly, having to watch people who paid to “reserve” and just cut in before you while queuing at the storefront for another long stretch of time is just tasteless. Basically it’s just people who paid 2000 yen per person to skip and cut your queue. Resulting in longer waiting times. Upon entering, while respectful, I could feel how cold this restaurant was. There was no smile and everyone was just sardined and shoehorned into this small place. It almost felt suffocating. The food while great, is not worth the experience one will feel at all. You’ll blow half a day just for lunch. Sure, everyone needs to make a living and it’s their choice on how they run their business, but it’s lost on me.

This review needs to be divided for better understanding. Regarding the udon noodles of course they are delicious. We saw the chefs cooking it and it’s amazing to see and delicious to taste. But the service… we’ve wait more than 4 hours to eat. Yeah! It’s too much time to wait for a meal without knowing exactly when it will be served. In summary the food it’s not worth the time that we need to wait. The guy that was managing the queue doesn’t know more than a few words in English and he was a bit rude with a few people in the line that don’t know how it works.

Social media brought us here. They open at noon, but we need to take queue number (by email) as early as possible. After that, we can leave the place and monitor the queue line thru our phone. Kalau nomor antri sudah dekat, kita datang lagi ke resto nya. Lokasi exact nya ada di jalan kecil gitu. Tried their famous udon with pork bacon, egg yolk and cream sauce. It tastes so good, creamy, umami, unique! We also ordered the cold udon with raw egg and mentaiko. Unique, not fishy. The key is their udon quality. Fresh, chewy, feels clear and clean in mouth. Definitely a must try near Shinjuku area. Place is so small.

The udon was really chewy. I got the original noodles and they were creamy and delicious. The Parmesan cheese noodles on the other hand was too overpowering and you could only taste the cheese. Tempera had a light and fluffy batter and the shrimp was very fresh. We didn’t have to wait at all as it was a weekday so it was worth it. We saw a queue forming tho when we were leaving. The restaurant was quite small and packed which was a bit uncomfortable imo.

Udon Shin – Come for the noodles, stay for the… 3-hour queue? If you’re planning to eat at Udon Shin, do yourself a favor—grab a virtual ticket in the morning unless you enjoy spending the better part of your day standing in line, questioning your life choices. I waited three hours just to devour my meal in 15 minutes. Honestly, it felt like I was training for a food-themed endurance sport. The restaurant only has 10 seats, which adds to its charm… and its chaos. There are technically two ways to get in: 1. Pay 2000 yen per person and skip the whole queue. VIP treatment. Walk in like a boss. 2. Or, if you like to suffer like I did, go the free route. First, you pick up a virtual queue ticket that tells you how many groups are ahead of you. Sounds efficient, right? Plot twist: it’s not. Once your ticket calls you back, you then join another queue at the storefront. That second line took me a solid 40 minutes—and that’s after already waiting 3 hours. I arrived at 10:30 AM (they open at 11), was told to get a virtual ticket, and didn’t actually eat until 1:45 PM. The kicker? The virtual queue isn’t actually a line—it’s a free-for-all. When your number gets called, you race back, and whoever shows up first gets in first. So yeah… not a real queue. To make things spicier, people who paid the 2000 yen just casually stroll in and get seated while you’re still outside, reevaluating your patience and life choices. Inside? It’s cramped. Cold. Not just temperature-wise but in vibes too. No smiles, no small talk, just a sardine can of hungry strangers silently shoveling noodles. But the food? Oh, it was good. The udon was springy, cooked to perfection, and they even have their own signature butter. But the real stars were the tempura, especially the cheese and kakuni pork—absolutely divine, and honestly made me consider queuing again (just for a second). Still, I can’t say it was worth the half-day investment. I get it, they’re popular, and people gotta make a living—but unless you’re paying to skip, prepare to lose several hours of your life for a brief but tasty moment. Pro tip: Snag that ticket early in the morning so you can enjoy a nice, early dinner without the emotional damage. You’ve been warned.

Waited almost 2 hours for this. It’s not that it’s not worth the wait, it simply isn’t worth it. If you have an Asian palette that’s used to strong flavor, don’t even bother. Honestly my least favorite restaurant in Tokyo out of the numerous times I’ve been over the years. Staff is very kind though, and the ambience is good for a casual place. The Westerners we encountered seemed to love it though.

Amazing udon noodles. 2hour wait time, affordable and tasty. They do not Jam Pack the restaurant and allow a seat in between customers in different parties, which is great. We also tried to order the egg omelette; however, it was sold out so wasn’t able to try it. But overall the meal was great.

It's a bit away from the station in a small street. You will find people in a queue. There was a staff who attend to you as you join the queue. At the front of the line, there was an aircon!! What a nice surprise in a hot day. I was shocked by the price when I saw the menu. To be honest, I won't come again because im sure I can find other great Udon at less cost, without walking so far. However i did enjoy my meal very much. Also they only take cash, which i only realised after I was seated. There are about 15 seats in the restaurant.

This is the best udon I've ever had. This udon is definitely unlike any udon I've had. These in house made in the front window slurpable wheat noodles are fantastic. These universal favorite Udon Carbonara is coated with gooey soft-boiled egg, parmesan, butter, and black pepper, accompanied by a thick slice of legendary bacon in a crunchy tempura coating. I finished all that was in my bowl and left completely satisfied it was worth the effort to visit. Now regarding the wait, I definitely debated whether it was worth the effort to head out at the crack of dawn while on vacation to get a reservation for lunch. There are only about 12-14 seats in the entire restaurant and all the news I read basically stated get here for the first seating or wait forever for your number to come up. I opted to be one of the first and waited an additional 45 mins after opening. The nearby Shinjuku area was about an eleven minute walk and provided an opportunity to hang out while I waited for my number to be called.

We'll start with the food, the Bacon Tempura Udon w/ Parmesan Cheese and Egg was 9.5/10 Never had bacon tempura and its a big piece really good different flavor. The noodles are soft and when you mix up the bowl the flavors all combine for cheesy/green onion/ udon implosion. I personally made a mistake in ordering cold/dipping noodles not fond of the fish & chicken soup as well as dipping the noodles in for that matter as they were cold but thats for me. The fork tempura it came with was super delicious nice tender fatty pork inside the tempura breading. Okay the service was great but there is a wait if you walk up, we had done so and were told 30 min but it ended up being a little over an hour. (Well worth the wait) just a heads up for those who are on a schedule. We came at night around 7pm. The spacing in there is also small but not an issue once you're seated

Amazing food and a must stop place for Udon noodles in Tokyo. There will always always be a line here (there are only 10 seats), so I recommend making a reservation. The food is fresh, delicious, and authentic. We both got their Udon Carbonara with Bacon Tempura. Enjoy!!

I've had this place on my list for years! Shin Udon is something everyone talks about when visiting Tokyo. I hear about the carbonara udon all the time. I had to have it. I booked a reservation online which costs $15 per person. I couldn't risk not having it and had small children with me. When I arrived the system to check in is a bit confusing. The space is really small. A few seats at the counter and two small tables on the side. We quickly ordered a few dishes and watched them make everything fresh on hand. From the noodles to the tempura items. The food itself was incredible. Some of the best udon texture I've ever tried, but that wasn't my favorite part of the meal. It was the tempura items. That crunch was amazing. The best tempura I've ever tried. The carbonara udon is good but it's also very rich. Something to eat only on occasion. but I would definitely come here again

My partner chose this udon establishment saying she has heard it's really good. The food did not disappoint as well as the service. I got the udon that had Parmesan cheese, raw egg, and butter as well resulting in a delicious rich dryer style udon that did not disappoint. My partner got the beef udon that was also very delicious. The homemade noodles really are the star of the show with how the texture and just overall chewiness of them keep you wanting to eat them forever! I highly recommend coming here .

This is the time when you give in to the social media hype and leave disappointed. We arrived before lunch time on a weekday and there was already a queue. The ticketing system is a bit unreliable as they give you an estimated time to return to queue up in front. For us, it said to return in 90 min. Thinking that we had time, we planned to visit the nearby shrine while waiting. When we periodically checked the current wait time online, the minutes would drop sporadically. We had to rush back and kill time closer to the restaurant. However, the waiting did not end there! We ended up in the queue for at least another 1.5 hours (or even more). At this point hangriness was settling in. To help get customers in and out, the staff took orders while we were in line.. so the food arrived when we got our seats. When we finally sat down, the orders arrived fairly quick. I had #4, which was a hot udon soup with thin beef cuts and added on shrimp tempura. Noodles were fresh and chewy but the whole dish was a little underwhelming. The tempura was crispy but unseasoned. Perhaps we ordered the wrong udon (we didn't opt for their signature carbonara/ cold udon), but shouldn't the basic udon be really good at the minimum? I understand it's a small spot that seats less than 15. However, I do not feel it's worth sacrificing 3+ hours of your day for average udon. I'm sure there are equally good or better udon spots in Shibuya/ Shinjuku. Sadly, it's not a meal I'd wait and go out of my way for. (3.5/5)

Great experience. I failed at this last week. It was complicated and other things were calling me in Shinjuku. We never made it back after the smart phone take a number dance. I had more time and was a solo diner this week. Mission accomplished. 34 minutes was the wait just to make it to the line...I went for a sushi appetizer..after that, another 30 minutes to make it inside. They take your order while waiting outside, so once you sit down the food comes right out. This is an epic cool place, oh and the Udon is pretty fantastic. Jump through the hoops and join those who did before you. It's worth it.

What We Ordered - Hot Soy Sauce Udon + Butter + Black Pepper + Soft Boiled Egg - Tempura Bacon, Fish Cake and Shrimp - Side of Green Onions and Beef - Cold Udon with Citrus, Ginger and Sesame Seeds Ticketing System: We arrived (forgot the time) to get a ticket and was told to come back around 11AM. They do not go by the order of the number on your ticket, they go based on who is in line. So there were numbers that were after ours being seated first because they were ahead of us in the physical line. If we would have known this, we wouldn't have even walked around as long kill time. We had to wait another 30+ minutes to be seated. Food: I enjoyed my dish (Hot Soy Sauce Udon) but my fiancé's dish was not good. It was refreshing and unique but not something that you would want to devour after waiting in a long line. Highly recommend sticking to the safe udon dishes instead of the seasonal ones. It is worth a try if you have the time but not something I will squeeze into my schedule as there is nothing nearby to visit.

This is what you call top tier udon. Freshly made as you walk in to this small but aesthetically pleasing restaurant. They are a well-oiled machine that pumps quality udon and tempura in a timely fashion. Highly recommend.

We came here to try their famous hand made udon. We came at 10:40, 20 minutes before it opened. Per the instructions we signed in and were given a QR code and a ticket with a number. You can't stand in line just yet only when the link tells you can start to line up. The place is small, only 10 seats, so be prepared to wait. Despite arriving 20 minutes before opening we still had to wait over 1.5 hours! When the link says you can line up there's still at least another half hour wait. It's like Disneyland when you're outside the building then finally get inside only to find the line snakes around before you finally get on the ride. Another thing is, they don't go in numerical order, the number on your ticket is just when they say you can line up, if the person with a higher number beats you to line up they are in front of you. They also give priority to those with reservations so it might seem like some people are cutting but they have a reservation which I suggest you do. After about 1.75 hours of waiting we finally got in I ordered the #11; hot shoyu, butter, raw egg and pepper with cheese and pork tempura. The noodles were very chewy and tender. The sauce mixed nicely with the shoyu and butter. The Bri tempura was nice and gooey inside while still crispy outside, I've never had cheese tempura before. The pork was thick cut and very tender and amazing. Service was quick and efficient, they took your order beforehand while you were in line outside. I can honestly say it was the best udon I've had. But is it worth waiting almost 2 hours for? Since it was raining outside I'd say no. But it's your call. I'd make a reservation and show up when it says and avoid all this mess. Also my friend went back a few days later to a bar nearby at night and the place was empty! So maybe the trick is to go after dinner, or maybe they ran out of udon, not sure. It might also depend on what you order. My friend ordered the #23 dipping udon with a chicken and seafood soup and upgraded with pork and egg tempura. He loved it as I did. My friend who ordered the standard hot udon in broth with tempura thought it was good but said he's had better. I think if you come to a place like this you should order something out of the ordinary. While standing in line we asked a person who was leaving how it was and what he had he said it was amazing. He ordered the sirloin with yuzu and added on the firmented butter and ordered it hot. Guess you can order any dish hot or cold. I suggest you make a reservation or take a chance go late after dinner. Not sure if they run out late in the day or not. Oh yes CASH ONLY

I will forever be dreaming about these noodles! Hands down the best udon I've ever had--I'm literally drooling just remembering it. This tiny spot does have a LONG wait, but it's worth it. We sat at the bar, and it was perfect. 11/10, you *need* to go. Heads up: it's cash only & just be prepared to wait if you want to eat here.

We listened to all the social media hype and were left underwhelmed. To be fair, the udon itself was very good and we loved the different options but it wasn't worth the wait for us. WAIT TIME: We showed up around 5pm on a Tuesday and the wait was 70 mins. We grabbed a ticket and got back to our hotel to wait. The ticket has a QR code to scan where it tells you what place you are in line so that was helpful. After about an hour, we saw that we were 2nd in line so we walked over and as we got there, we received a notification to come to the store and line up. The line took about another 30-40 minutes before we actually sat down but the waitress took the orders of everyone in line. INSIDE: Super tiny and cozy with about 3 tables and rest were bar seating. It was obvious why the wait time was so long. FOOD: I ordered the cold udon with cod roe, egg, butter, scallions, and pepper. The noodle texture was perfect but very comparable to other udon restaurants in Japan. My partner ordered the carbonara and liked his dish but also thought the noodles were similar to Yume.y favorite part of the meal was the chicken and fishcake tempura. OVERALL: While we think Udon Shin has very good noodles and the different bowl options are great but we don't think it's worth the 2+ hour wait. We were underwhelmed especially since it was hyped up so much.

Hidden in a little alley, it has a huge reputation that the small amount of seating simply can't handle. We got there around 7 pm, but had to wait for over an hour and a half to get seated. It's a 15 minute walk to downtown shinjuku, and since they will notify you by email or text when it's time to get seated, you can walk on over and shop for a bit while waiting. The Udon was absolutely delicious! We got the cold beef bukkaku Udon with soft boiled egg, and the kamatama cheese and bacon warm Udon, and both were great. The Udon was definitely hand made, and the soup bases were very flavourful. The cheese and butter really made the Udon nice and creamy, and the contrast with the bacon made that dish our favourite. Definitely worth the wait!

Udon is delicious!! All 5 of us got our own and licked the plate clean. Honorable mention was the carbonara udon with bacon tempura (thanks TikTok).

Watery udon. Rude and racist service. I was pretty excited to try this place and wanted to skip the lines because of the heat in August. I paid 2000 yen to skip the line and arrived 15 min earlier than my booked time for a 1pm seating. There was a long line of people who have waited over 1.5 hours when I arrived. (Staff lied and said they would be in within 15 min. But i never saw them for the 45 min i was there.) And I discovered there was 2 lines. One for walk ins and another for reservations. I was first in line for 1pm seating but I was dining solo. The waiter proceeded to make me wait. 2 separate groups of 2 and 3 people arrived after me. They were Japanese and told me they also had a 1pm seating. These 2 groups were seating before me despite me arriving 15 min before either of them. I'm assuming this is because they were Japanese. Anyways they finally seated me at the bar last. Everyone else got their food before I even ordered. So I ordered my food. 5 min after arriving. The 5 people seated before me that arrived AFTER me were finished and left. The rude staff proceeded to give me dirty looks because I was still eating. I found the udon carbonara with tempura bacon Tobe extremely watery and I felt like I was eating raw egg soup with udon noodles. The texture was wrong in every way possible and I'd definitely skip this for sure. Supposedly the udon noodles are freshly made. But they were mid at best. I found the prices to also be extremely over priced with all dishes ranging from at least 2000 to 5000 yen. I felt completely ripped off when there are so many other good udon places in Tokyo. Anyways. I continued to watch as the staff let Japanese locals jump the line while tourists were left waiting outside. I felt like this was very racist and I think all foreigners should avoid this place!!! Avoid! I'll gladly spend my money elsewhere and so should you!

For a restaurant with the hype and viral social media presence that shin udon has, I have to say I expected more. There were lines of people outside but luckily since we had a reservation we were able to be seated fairly quickly. The udon noodles themselves were top notch - you could tell by the chew and uneven cuts that the noodles were handmade. The area where this bowl of noodles fell a little short was the broth. The broths tasted pretty standard and I wish as much attention was paid to the broth as was paid to the noodles themselves. However, the tempura was extremely excellent, especially the pork tempura which was among the best we had in Japan. Would probably visit again because I love udon noodles but don't know if it's totally worth the hype, I was expecting this bowl of udon to be the best I had in Japan. Really busy and small inside but a very cozy restaurant.

Waited 2 hours just to eat here and it was well worth the wait. Never been a huge fan of Udon but these fresh hand pulled noodles were bouncy and delicious. They are definitely masters of their craft. Small hole in the wall restaurant with a capacity of 10 customers.

Food: The best udon that you will get to try in your lifetime lol Some faves: carbonara and cold yuzu (huge portions- no sharing) Service: fast and efficient Get ready to wait if you want to do walk in Ambiance: cozy, casual, busy Tip: make reservations

Read the other reviews about the wait time first before you commit to this. I foolishly thought that we would be called in order of number on our ticket but they didn't have a system or couldn't be bothered to call people in order. We already showed up early so it's possible that we 'cut' the line unknowingly. The udon was good. The carbonara was one of the better sauces I've had. The udon itself was up there but not the best- I prefer even chewier. Please come with CASH. There was a guy who was short and he claimed that his credit card wouldn't work to get a cash advance. They took his camera as collateral and he left to get cash. If you're coming to Japan without enough cash, just stay home.

If you want to eat here, you must plan accordingly. We arrived an hour and a half before they opened at 11am to get a ticket in line, left to go get coffee. Wandered around and got tsukemen, then were prompted to return. When they tell you to return, you still have to wait in life so we left again slightly confused. Returned after 20 minutes and we were able to be put back in line (there's a guy that organizes the queue in numerical order), placed our order, then waited for our seat. Upon being seated, our food came out immediately and it was by far the best udon I've ever had, and I consider myself well versed in the realm of noodles. I literally ordered the basic hot udon dish, with nothing in it, and it was fantastic. The noodles were perfectly chewy and delicious. I ordered this since it's handy to have a husband that I can share meals with so we can try more things. He ordered the hot udon noodles with pepper, butter, and an egg. It was heavenly, I had to take a moment to process how good it was. Absolutely worth the wait, and I wasn't even hungry eating this meal because I had just eaten tsukemen an hour prior.

This place is a top ranking udon place in Tokyo and incredibly popular! Whilst they open at 11am, they started issuing numbered tickets from 9am to 6pm (the ticket machine is inside the shop). I'd advised you to arrive by 9am (lunch) or by 5pm (dinner) to get the ticket. There is a QR code on the ticket telling you the estimated wait time, and will notify you when it's your turn. So you don't have to wait at the shop, instead you can go grab a coffee or even do some sightseeing! I got the ticket at 9, and my seat was ready at about 12:30pm. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 冷しょうゆ＋温泉卵＋めんたいこ (Cold Soy Sauce Udon + Soft-boiled Egg + Cod Roe) ¥1,580 Damn they do not disappoint! The noodle is sooo chewy and springy, mixed together with simple soy sauce and mentaiko, absolutely delicious! Rating: 4.5/5 海老天 天ぶら Shrimp Tempura ¥530 Tempura batter is so light and crispy, wrapped around a fresh and bouncy shrimp, it was *chef's kiss*! Rating: 5/5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Will I be back? Yes I don't think it's worth waiting over an hour for a bowl of udon, but since I have already planned the day out and managed to do some sightseeing in between, my total wait time is only like 15mins, so it was totally worth it!

Super popular udon and tempura shop near Shinjuku Station, although technically it's in Shibuya. It was a two hour wait when we arrived on a weeknight, but they do have a ticket machine for queueing outside. You can take a ticket and check the QR code on it for approximate wait time. You can then go somewhere else and come back when it's 20-30 min before your estimated time to get in. It's a small shop where you eat at the counter. I got a combo with a bowl of butter egg udon, paired with a plate of pork and cheese tempura. The udon is has a piece of butter and orange raw egg on top. You mix it before eating. First time I've had udon of this style, and it was so buttery and creamy. Very easy to slurp. The tempura have a nice shell on them. The pork is juicy and not over-fried, the cheese is pretty decent as well. I had to add a little bit of salt which they have at the counter. Overall price was 2000 yen-ish. I would give the food 5 stars, but not a fan of multiple-hour wait times. It's one of those shops that got too popular for its size

Kiosk in front of line. Get ticket first, scan QR code and enter email to be notified to come back. Wait was 2hrs at 7p on a Tuesday. Wait is not bad because you can go explore during the wait. Estimated wait time was about correct, I got seated a bit over 2hrs later when I got back and actually waited in line after being notified. Ordered in line. 9/10 Udon Carbonaea Y1640 - a bit salty but still hella bomb. Tempera bacon was not great as at all and the batter was so light, crispy, and flakey. Udon was chewy and made well! Flavor was great overall.

This place is a MUST try. Thank you to the kind person on Google reviews who wrote how to Queue. This udon spot is popular, but their ticketing system is so convenient and user friendly. Basically how to get a spot in line: 1) There will be a line outside, do NOT get in that line. Go straight to the front door and the outside will have a kiosk with a screen where you type How many people in your dining party. 2) You will receive a receipt, which has a QR code that leads to a website showing how many people ahead of you in line / the estimated time for you to come back. ***** Keep this handy and refresh the page often! 3) Go explore! It's awesome because you don't need to stand there in line (until it's close to your time). I recommend refreshing the QR page often though, and coming back within 45 minutes of your estimated time because we were seated early, and a person working takes your order while you stand in-line. I timed it so we could get a dinner spot (go a few hours early). We arrived around 3pm and I went up to the kiosk to grab our spot / ticket in line. We came back around 5 and were seated around 5:30pm. FOOD: This place is famous for their carbonara udon: fresh noodles, parmesean, raw egg, TEMPURA BACON. YES it is as delicious as it sounds. So good. But I recommend if you're with another person, also order a more traditional udon flavor: like beef udon to balance it out (since it can be super savory and heavy). I I got to try both the carbonara and beef udon with my boyfriend, and it was a good balance. I did prefer the carbonara. We also got tempura sweet potato and a tempura shrimp. It had a clean taste, and not super oily. Next time, I would like to try the cold udon. Enjoy! and pay attention to how to queue and you will have a great meal here.

It is a 5 hour wait virtually and a 1 hour wait in person. Lines are very strict and you won't be able to do anything about it if you don't make it there before the cut off time which I believe was around 8pm. However the wait was not an issue as the noodles were one of the silliest I've ever eaten. It had an amazing bite and they recommended the carbonara and the hot soy sauce udon with the butter and pepper and soft boiled egg, it was heavenly in every bite and after leaving Tokyo I still think about this meal. - - - - - Carbonara Udon - - - - - I'm usually not one to order this but since the man in the front recommended this one, I decided to try what it's known for since I waited so long. The noodles in this ramen was extra creamy because of the cheese. The ham was very lightly breaded and added a fresh taste to the udon as a break inbetween the slurpings. I feel like the udon itself gave me a sense of the texture and I feel like probably all the dishes in here will bring it to life since the bouncy and nice chewy texture along with how it melts in your mouth is all about the udon. The cheese and the butter and the ham is just to contribute to its own glory. - - - - - Hot Soy Sauce Udon With Butter and Black Pepper - - - - - This one has an amazing taste because of the soy sauce, a great balance from the cheese udon. This one was so good I almost regretted not ordering another bowl of this one but I think we were full already so we couldn't fit anymore. I enjoy this one for a more basic taste compared to the carbonara and I would definitely get this again with another udon dish to try if i ever come back here! I really enjoyed both udons and I definitely think the way they make their udon here is super special.

***CASH ONLY*** This place had a line without us knowing. They open at 11 AM and only seat maybe 11 people. There are some bar seating in front of the kitchen. There are maybe 2-3 tables by the wall. It's a really tight spot. The queue system is neat because you can put down your name and party size in the machine. Then you get a ticket with your party number and an approximate time to come back AFTER opening. I arrived at 10:30 AM and was already 17th in line. The ticket estimated a 49 minute wait. However, I came back early like around 11:05 AM, and they were able to seat us. I guess the other 16 groups ahead of us were no where to be found. Lunch for two people cost me ¥4050. We had two different udons, one with tempura. The noodles were delicious. The broth was tasty and didn't give me any weird after taste. I would come back and try to sit at the kitchen to watch them make the food!

When you get here, put your name on the wait list right away! You will then get a QR code that you can scan on your phone to check how long your wait time will be. Once it tells you to come to the restaurant, you have 40 mins to get there which is plenty of time to leave the area to shop and come back. We were wondering if this place could really be worth it after a 4 hour wait time... and it was so worth it. We had one udon dish with broth and one warm udon butter egg dish without broth (carbonara style). They were both so good!! Highly recommend this place because of the efficient QR system! Must try if you have some time.

This place would pop up on my IG search feed, and so when I was wandering around Tokyo, I had to check this place out to see if it was all that it was cracked out to be. First, be prepared to wait quite a while if you don't play your cards right. I didn't know you could put your name down on their computer system WAY early. I arrived around 10/10:30, expecting to wait in line, but you actually just put your name down and receive a ticket that lets you know what number you are in line, and what time you should expect to come back. The great thing is there is a QR code that is on the ticket, so you can scan it to periodically check on your place in line and when to come back to the restaurant. So you can roam around freely until then. I waited about 1 hour? Came back and got seated. The place was small. They o Ly seat about 11 people total, but that's expected for many restaurants in Japan. But the workers were nice! Now, the food. Many people have said to try their creamy carbonara style udon, but I knew it would be too rich for my liking, so I got their cold Szechuan chili udon noodle with extra beef. The flavor profile was delicious! The egg added just the right amount of creaminess to the dish, and the chili oil provided the perfect spice level! The beef was tender and the noodles were chewy. Overall, it was a delicious and refreshing lunch meal that kept me satiated for hours!

Small establishment with a total of 10 seats. 6 at the counter and 2 tables that seats 2. The wait on a Friday night was insane. I took a ticket at 5:20 as #175 and it gave me an ETA of 170 minutes. You can scan the QR code they provide and sign up for notification via Line or email. The notification told me to come back in 2 hours instead of the 170 minutes. If you get called, you have 40 minutes to come back to wait in line. The line then took me another hour to get seated for a table for 1. The waitlist actually closed at 8pm with a total of 197 despite the restaurant being opened until 12am. They take your order while you wait in the actual line (they won't give you a menu if you aren't called yet). I ordered the #6 which is the 'Udon noodles with raw egg and beef' for 1540 yen and 1.5x the size for an additional 100 yen and upgraded the egg to a Tsumande Goran Egg for 200 yen. The meal was absolutely delicious. The udon noodles were out of this world - fresh, soft, and just right amount of firmness. The egg was amazing (making sure to let them know not to mix it if you want to mix it yourself!). The normal beef was delicious as well. I did not upgrade it to the sirloin beef for another 2,000 yen since I want to see how the normal beef tasted like. I would say the broth towards the end of the bowl was a tad too salty, I'm not sure if the upgraded egg had any impact to that. Overall, I highly recommend if you can time the waiting right and if you enjoy udon.

The wait sucks. Period. That's really it. What can do you do about the wait? Get here early. The machine was open before the store - just get here early, grab a ticket at 9AM and put your name down. You'll get a number which you can track on a link and it'll tell you when to return. Be careful of the timing - it's not THAT accurate. We came rushing back when it said we were 20-30 minutes away, but come back when it states to "come back" instead. You'll still be placed in a line where you'll then pick from the menu, but still be forced to wait for a seat outside. Food! -The udon selection with raw eggs were our favorite. Mixed together, it was just PERFECT. -Soup udon was okay, but wasn't particularly amazing -Tempura - It was hot and fresh, but I don't think it was amazing. The bacon was also not what I expected (was thinking more of an American bacon). Anyhow - was the food good? Yeah. Was it worth a 2-3 hour wait? Not for me. Luckily for us, our hotel was nearby so we grabbed a ticket and got to chill in our room while we waited to be buzzed for dinner.

I've heard amazing things about this udon place and knew I had to check it out despite the preposterous wait times. Luckily, my friend had already come in the morning to pick up a ticket and so we were able to walk around while waiting for our turn. Our return time was estimated to be around 2:15pm and when we were notified via app to return we lined up for another 20-30 minutes. Within the cozy little shop, there were only a few seats so there definitely wasn't much ambiance. I can see the dining culture in Japan is very in-n-out especially for places like this so people were eating quite quickly. We all ordered the butter cheese udon with tempura on the side. The udon texture is top notch, I can definitely credit this udon noodle as some of the best I ever had. However, I found the rest of it a bit lacking. It was still good but I surely thought I was in for something more special flavour town wise. The tempura was also very mediocre, I had much better later on during the trip. Perhaps I should've tried a different menu item, there were so many delicious looking options so maybe I chose wrong. Overall, I'm glad I tried this place to say that I tried it. However, I'm not sure if I would return, especially when there's just so much more amazing food in Tokyo!

I don't think I picked the right dish for myself, but this place still deserves 5 stars. You can tell these noodles are fresh, and I love how dense they are. My soft boiled egg was cooked perfectly. I thought it was over-peppered but that could be my personal preference. The tempura was good too; I was surprised that two of our veggies were peppers, which I haven't had in tempura before (normally prefer onion, sweet potato, etc.). We did have to wait, but this restaurant has a ticket/check-in process, which was nice because we didn't have to just wait in line in the heat. We used a small kiosk to "register" with our group size, got a ticket with our place in line, and an estimate wait time. Our wait time was 70 minutes, so we grabbed drinks nearby and came back after about an hour and were able to essentially cut the line relative to everyone else's ticket numbers. They took our order in line and we got our food within 5 minutes of sitting down. If we had arrived hungry and ready to eat, I would've been frustrated and may not have waited, but we were on the earlier side for dinner time anyway so it worked out. Now that we know about it... think this is a good process! Would definitely come back here again.

Incredible meal! Go to the machine to get a ticket by bypassing the line that is waiting to get seated soon. When we got our ticket, the wait was three hours but since we recently ate (this is our second lunch), we decided to wait by going to the metropolitan government building for a view of Tokyo! Surprisingly, the wait time was much shorter as people canceled their reservations, so we only waited about an hour and a half before needing to head back to the shop. While waiting in line, you can take a look at the menu to see what you want to order. The waiter told me that the best selling was the carbonara-like udon (#21), but I didn't want something so heavy. The pepper with butter and sirloin udon (#9) was also a popular order, and while the idea of a slice of butter in udon sounded heavy as well, I decided to bite the bullet and order it. I'm so happy that I did, because it was delicious! This was a soupless udon but there is still some soy sauce to help coat everything. The udons were cooked perfectly and the butter slice worked! We also got an order of tempura, which was very well battered and fried. I recommend getting it to supplement your meal. Amazing meal, one of my favorites in Japan. Don't be daunted by the long wait time, waiting is the name of the game in Japan! Go explore, have a little snack to hold you over, and come back to enjoy an amazing meal.

Wow, by far the best udon I ever ate! Make sure to read the directions: Step 1: Go to the front of the line and get a ticket to come back later via machine. QR code tells you how long the approximate wait is (2.5 hrs for us)... but go 30 minutes before timer is up. (Remember to bring cash!) Step 2: Come back and line up! ETA in line is 30 min. Step 3: Order toward the front of the line. (Know what you want as this is not one of the add on type places.) Step 4: Sit and eat! Itadakemasu! Step 5: Take bill and scan on the way out. Pay in cash at the machine. Gochisosama deshita!

This is one of those you have to get ticket just to get in line before getting called. Got here before store open like an hour early. Number was 13. Store open at 11am. Got called 11:30am to wait in line. By that time, number was up to 62 and wait time 190 mins. Store is small with bar seats and 2 group tables. Got the udon with beef and eggs and some tempura. Can see the tempura being fried from the bar seats. The udon itself is just amazing. It was creamy and chewy. One of best ever! Wait time certainly worth the while!

This place is very overhyped and the experience is uncomfortable. It's a long wait and very cramped, as far as restaurants in Japan go, but that's not really a big deal if the food is good. Unfortunately the two udon dishes we ordered (one broth and one egg Parmesan some call the "carbonara") were kinda sour and tasteless, and the latter was just so so, sort of bland and goopy. We have had much better udon (for cheaper, surprisingly) in California and Hawaii. That goes for the tempura, too. Heads up to anyone with finicky stomachs, the raw egg may be difficult on your tummy. We thought the egg came poached but it's truly raw. If the wait weren't so long (people were truly suffering in the cold) and the prices were reasonable (it cost 50% more than usual and someone mentioned the English menus rip you off but not sure if it's true) I would give 3 stars for the so so food.

My first meal in Japan was Udon Shin and this place was delicious - it's a small eatery with about 10 seats and the good thing is you can put your name down and come back when it's time for you to eat. The wait lines are looong - we put our name down at 7 pm and didn't eat until 10pm so be aware of that! We ended up ordering: * carbonara udon with tempura bacon - this was thick and creamy, and the bacon tempura was delicious * beef udon - I forgot the name but this had the sweet thin pieces of beef and I got a tempura shrimp and egg on the side which was delicious. This is made in front of you and so fresh I would highly recommend! Awesome meal and definitely try it out!

Highly recommend to get there early and get the token from machine front of the store. You can track status online of estimated seat in time. Expect a long wait time and do not come 30 mins before closing. Its shocking how many hungry visitors show up last min and get turned back as they are sold out for the day. Its worth the wait for the Udon. One of the best we had in Tokyo. The owner is very kind and accommodates customer requests. It was raining on the day of and he was handing umbrellas to everyone waiting outside to be seated. The food arrived quickly and fresh. The udon is perfect soft and chewy. The cold broth adds so much flavor (they also serve hot udon). The setting inside is tiny. Highly recommend to check them out on your visit to Japan.

Found this udon place on yelp - I love udon - and had to try. Getting a table is easy but you must still go in person - you follow the instructions on the electronic machine outside, which then prints out a QR code, which you can scan and then see live what your wait time is. When the QR code tells you your time has arrived, you return to the restaurant and get in line. There, a staff member will provide you with a menu and then take your order. From there, it was less than 10 minutes to getting your food delivered. I opted for the warm mentaiko, egg udon, topped with bonito and nori and a vegetable tempura. TBH, I wasn't a huge fan of this preparation, even though I was looking specifically for the more contemporary udon preparation. I think I would have liked the traditional version better. I can't say I found this so much better than what I eat in Hawaii, but I'm glad I went.

Mmmmm heard so much about the butter udon that I HAD to try it! First, I was very surprised as I was waiting in line, I got to see inside and watch them make the udon noodles. They were folding and pounding the dough and running it through a streamer and then boiling, great to know they make their own noodle in house. This explains the extremely fresh and chewiness of the udon. If you eat fast, you might be eating this udon much slower as it has A LOT of chew and bounce to the noodles! MMMMM fresh noodles! Definitely got the butter udon to try and it was cool to try butter and raw egg in the udon, it definitely added a creaminess to the dish. It didn't have a lot of soup like I expected with regular udon, the button udon has less soup which is more concentrated, came out to be more of a pasta than udon soup. It was tasty, but wish I had extra soup. The cold udon noodles with tempura on the side was delicious. Instead of the traditional udon soup, got the cold noodles that you dip in the soup, similar to tsukemen. It was so good and you really got to taste the freshly made udon! I'm sure udon lovers will give udon shin a 5/5 rating. Others in my group gave it 4/5 stars as the udon may have been too chewy for them. Overall, it was an excellent udon meal!!!

I used to think this is a restaurant for tourists... I was wrong! Walking distance from Shinjuku station, located in a narrow street. Be sure to follow order line instruction. You have to wait as a group. You can't have one person to wait in line and others to come back later. Be respectful, this place can get really busy. I recommend everyone to try cold udon to enjoy the chewiness. Dashi is lovely, full of flavors. Simple yet amazing!

This place is definitely worth the hype and the wait. We arrived Thursday at 5, got a ticket from the machine that told us the wait was two hours, then came back and stood in line for another hour before finally eating. The wait didn't bother us too much as Shinjuku is just steps away so we had some dessert and had drinks at a bar while we waited (just check your place in line periodically). I loved seeing the chef in action while waiting in line. He was making the dough in front of our eyes, rolling it out, pressing it through a machine and repeating over and over again. You could see how the udon is made from scratch! The staff also hands you an English menu while you wait so you can order ahead of time. The udon here changed my mind about udon completely! I seldom order it, and when I do as a side at a sushi restaurant. But the noodles here were bouncy, chewy and also tender at the same time. We got a spicy one with brisket and raw egg. The egg made the noodles creamy and luxurious. The spice level was perfect with Sichuan peppers. The beef was juicy and tender - like the kind you would get at a Korean BBQ. We also ordered tempura - AMAZING. The batter was so light and the vegetables really delicious. Also try the pickled shallots - tangy, sour, sweet and crunchy deliciousness!

Wow this place was amazing. Lucky my wife paid extra to get a reservation. The place is tiny so it going to be a long wait without reservations. We got there when it opened and the wait was already 1 1/2 hours. The udon was really good and the soup was great.

One of the most hype udon restaurants in Tokyo. It was on my must-eat list! They introduced an electronic ticketing service in which you are able to get a ticket and come back when the table is ready so you don't queue outside. In fact, they won't let you stay outside if it's not your turn. I would recommend coming around 1 hour before opening to grab a ticket as we came only half an hour before opening and had to wait 2 hours. Something to keep in mind is that once your table is "ready", you will still have to queue outside. The worker will then take your order outside the store so that your meal is ready once you enter. It is quite a small store with only two tables and bar seating that sits six. As for food, the udon was delicious! The noodles were super bouncy but soft at the same time. Soup was light and tempura had a nice outer shell that was not too thick. The beef udon came with a chili sauce that was pretty spicy but very tasty. The sauce accentuated the flavor of the meat. Overall, I would recommend to try this restaurant but I would definitely come an hour earlier to get a seating ticket so you don't have to wait as long.

Truly exceptional! Their housemade udon is made from scratch and freshly prepared. Udon Shin is situated in a nondescript alley near the northern edge of Shibuya. If you're using public transportation, stop at Shinjuku Station. There's not a lot of seats inside and it's a very popular restaurant. I went on a rainy day, and that deterred no one. Fortunately they use a virtual queue so you don't have to stand around all day. Sign up on the tablet near the door, grab your receipt, and scan the QR code for updates on the airWAIT website or the LINE messaging app. I joined at 2:30 PM, walked back to my hotel to rest, was called back at 4:45 PM, and was placed in another line to physically wait for a seat to open up. They'll give you a menu and take your order outside so that your bowl of udon will be ready once you are seated. There are several cold, hot, and broth-less options to choose from. I chose the special parmesan kamatama udon. This dish has a stellar combination of fantastic flavors and tantalizing textures. The bounciest, silkiest, chewiest noodles you'll find. Mixing together the raw egg, grated parmesan, and black pepper, you get a buttery, creamy, rich sauce that reminds you of carbonara. The dish is topped off with a perfectly fried strip of bacon tempura that enhances it with another component of savoriness. Do you believe in love at first sight? How about love at first bite!

This place .... Wow this place.... I'm not even being dramatic when I say I almost cried tears of joy at the first bite. I've never had a more delicious (non steak) dish in my life! The udon here is delectably soft yet perfectly chewy. The butter and pepper... oh emm gee... it's literally to die for. The egg was perfectly soft boiled and blended so well with the bowl. Omg here I go I'm about to cry again remembering the deliciousness of this bowl. The way to get seated could be a bit challenging so here goes. Upon arrival you see a line of about ten people long. Not a bad wait, right? Don't be fooled! You must go straight to the door and on the right side you will see a machine to grab a ticket. It will give you a number and a QR code. Scan the code and it will give you an estimated time for you to return. I've been twice and the wait was an hour to an hour and a half each time. The good news is you don't have to wait in line! Feel free to walk back to shinjuku to shop or grab a drink at a nearby restaurant ( keep in mind most restaurants around don't open till 5 or 6) so if you're their for lunch the only place to stop by is Starbucks. Once you get the alert to come back keep in mind you will still be waiting probably 30 minutes or so. They are very efficient here so they take your order before you enter. Don't forget to order tempura and or a drink with your udon! And please please please if you're a fan of cheese, their cheese tempura is a MUST! Friendly staff that are very helpful and accommodating. One thing I did notice that not many have mentioned. I went on a Friday night and grabbed my ticket at 7pm. I ended up waiting about to hours and left by 9:15. The hours of the restaurant say 12am (last call at 11pm) however by the time we came back (maybe 8:30) they were no longer giving out tickets and we ended up being the last party to be served. I'm not sure if they sell out or how it works. But keep this in mind in case you were thinking of having a late dinner!

The cold udon with assorted tempura was refreshing for a hot & humid summer day. I came here a little before 10am to get a ticket for lunch. When I got there I was 18th in line. I was sat a little around 12pm (1 hour after opening). They take your order before you are sat so your food is immediately served. By the time I was done eating at 12:30pm there was a 5.5 hour wait. A lot of people stand in the small looking line not knowing you have to get a ticket & wait. So when the staff tells them they are shocked to see such a long wait. Moving on to the food, I thought it was delicious and the texture of the udon was bouncy. I don't think I would wait 5 hours for this but one hour was doable for me since I came early to get a ticket & shopped around the neighborhood.

I mean... I don't need to say much about Udon Shin, but god... why it is SO GOOD. You go there and get a ticket. You can not stand there and wait- but you grab a ticket and come back later. Go in the morning, grab a ticket and shop, roam around Shinjuku. If you need to work, there is a nice starbucks super close too.

Udon Shin in Shinjuku, Tokyo. A must visit place for udon lovers. This restaurant is small, there are only 11seats. Make sure you go closer to opening time if you don't wanna wait for few hours. But good thing that even you arrive later they open, you don't have to stand in line. You get a ticket from a machine and scan a QR code to get notification. You will know when your table is almost ready. And then they will let you in after your order is taken. Their tempura udon was delightful as expected. And the udon noodles itself was so fresh and chewy.