Udon Yamacho Ebisu

Cozy udon restaurant tucked in an alleyway. We queued for 30 minutes. We ordered the set menu for ¥3500 - 4 small appetisers, 2 small side dishes, udon noodle with tempura. Food presentation was great, the atmosphere was dim and cozy. Udon noodle was slightly undercooked. Tempura was crispy battered and great. There was a long waiting time in between dishes were served and it took us 2 hours to finish the meal. Price are on the mid-higher range and quite average food quality.

We arrived right before opening time, and there was an queue around 30-minutes long. I had the tempura udon set which was tasty. It came with appetisers and three pieces of tempura. Service was polite, yet pushy to leave when we finished our meal. We basically spent just as long on the queue as in the restaurant. ¥2,000 was just an OK price for tempura, I think. Overall, OK every for now and then.

The tempura & udon set is very tasty. Since their tempura is freshly made after they take your order when you are queuing outside for a table. Please expect the line up is going to be 30 mins or more after they open.

Joined the line about 11:42, was maybe the 12th person. The line more than doubled after that, so not everyone got in at opening. They take your order in line, so food comes out fast once you get in. There are two 2000 yen sets and a 3000 yen course. The difference is hard to tell from the menu, but basically with the course you get more appetizers. However, you get the best appetizers in the sets anyway, and the course doesn't get the big shrimp tempura. Not sure why the course is 1000 yen more, and would recommend one of the 2000 yen sets. Everything was good, especially the sashimi you get with the appetizers. Ironically, the actual udon was probably the weakest dish, so if you're just after udon you might look elsewhere. Very busy, so not suited for getting comfortable and chatting for a long time.

Went for the udon noodles (which were good), stayed for the appetizers, what a refreshing surprise. Do order the meals set, it won’t disappoint you :)

I've been going to this restaurant for years and I always find it a reassuring place to eat good Udon (which is not always easy to find in Tokyo). They also have a selection of other small dishes that are always very tempting.

Be prepared to wait in line a bit as this is a small space but the staff was super efficient and patient. I recommend getting either of the set menus for more bang for your buck (3 meals plus dessert for ¥4,000 is not bad) The amount of food PLUS the amazing quality makes it more like a tasting menu at a fancy restaurant but with a casual laid back but sophisticated vibe. Come hungry though coz the portions are surprisingly huge. The tempura was the star here even if this is an udon place. Come hungry!

I had a very good experience. the tempura and the ingredients used are high quality and the udon are amazing too. Due to its success, expect to wait in the line outside. The waiting time is acceptable even on weekends and your order is taken while you are in the queue.