Yamamoto Menzou

We were a bit disappointed with the overall experience. Since we didn't have a reservation, we were invited to a sister restaurant for standing. We thought it would be the same, except that it was standing. Unfortunately, we received all the ingredients of the meal wrapped in foil. Extremely hot broth and tempura in plastic wrappers are not healthy, sustainable or pleasant. Had we been told that everything was served to-go, we would not have ordered it. Our only options were hot or cold udon, vegetable tempura and optional side dishes (sweet tofu or spicy miso). The flavor of the broth didn't convince us, we didn't like it in general, maybe because we're not fans of udon and prefer meat/soba/sushi.

Not a very strategic location but trust me, it's worth it. Best reserve 3 days ahead on their website, else you increase your chances of only takeaway with limited menu. They have cold and hot udon. The cold udon, where you dipped into their dipping sauce has a firmer texture. Their chicken tempura was so damn good! The soup udon I ordered was with chilli oil broth, and the udon has a softer texture which I prefer. And damn the soup was amazingly yummy. And the burdock root tempura was amazing as well. Udon noodles are super long, you have to cut them using a tool they give. Service was good, quick and friendly. Highly recommended.

No words for this place. The noodles are chewy, the tempura is delicious, the staff so kind (the best!) and even the small dessert is yummy. I came back twice in my 3 days in Kyoto cause I loved it so much. I really suggest the cold noodles with fried burdock and get some fried rice cakes as side! So yum. 🤤

I didn’t have a reservation, so I was directed to the standing bar two doors down instead. The menu was limited, but there were still several appealing options to choose from. I ordered the burdock tempura and a bowl of udon, the noodles were incredibly chewy and bouncy, and made the wait completely worthwhile. I’ll definitely return with a reservation next time so I can experience the full menu in the main restaurant.

My Japanese friend made a reservation for me. I'm usually not a fan of udon, but this was the best I've ever had! the soup was incredibly refreshing, and the noodles had a wonderfully dense texture. I loved it! 🔥

This restaurant has very high tablelog scores and is on the Michelin guide. We came without reservation and ate at the takeout part of the restaurant which have places for you to stand and eat. We recommend you get the original shoyu hot version, we got the curry one (curry with udon was not a great combination as it made the texture quite unidimensional). The noodles were chewy and delicious.

I don't recommend this place. Its hyped up by Michelin guide but they lie to you that you can only sit in the restaurant if you have reservation and if you don't you can only have a meal by standing. A foreigner lady walked with japanese friend by and they didn't have a reservation and had a seating. So staff is very rude by lying to you. With a smile of course. The food itself is not bad but not spectacular. Oh and you get noodles in plastic container and curry in plastic bag that is preheated in microwave oven. But kudos for them for making tourists stupid and to charge them while doing so

I got lucky and was able to eat here without a reservation (which I highly recommend you do). The reason I was able to get a seat by walking-in was because I was solo travelling. They sell out the noodles super fast in the day ! Once you get in, there is an English menu. Try the noodles and the side dishes, they were absolutely DELICIOUS. The texture was on point and the broth was super hot and rich. You have the option to make it spicy if you like it hot. Also the portion is HUGE, you can ask to takeout the rest and finish the meal with an acorn dessert jelly (a local specialty). It's a perfect spot for lunch if you're in the area visiting the Heian Shrine or the Kyoto zoo.

Possibly the best udon I've ever had in my life. My boyfriend and I put our names in at noon on a Saturday, and were given a time of 2:10 PM to come back at. I actually appreciate that they do this, rather than require you to wait in line the whole time. We went to Okakita and La Voiture in between and thus had a very nice afternoon of eating and drinking in the area. Once it was our turn, we ordered the Menzou original noodles with burdock tempura and a small chicken tempura rice bowl. The udon is absolutely insane - top 5 chewiest noodles I've ever had, so 5 stars for those alone. We got it medium spicy, which was a nice kick. Also liked the burdock tempura!

This place was so good. We got lucky and our hotel was able to call for us the morning of to make a reservation. Highly recommend.

I must have ordered the wrong thing because I thought this place was just ok... Google maps led me to the take-out location (you need to arrive earlier in the day to receive a return time if you want to dine-in). We missed the dine-in option and decided to try our luck with take-out. The wait wasn't very long and the menu was very simple - only cold or hot udon options with some kind of root tempura. Since it was so hot outside we decided to try the cold udon. The noodles were super chewy, almost too chewy/hard to eat. The root tempura was dense and lacked any flavor. Broth was decent but nothing spectacular imo. Not sure what the rave was all about, but the dine-in option must be an entirely different experience.

Expect a suuuuuper long wait! * * * EXPERIENCE * * * My friend and I arrived at 11:50am on a Sunday, saw the line and I was like oh it's not that bad, turned out that line of people were from those who got an A4-sized ticket way earlier that day and just came back waiting to get into the restaurant. Then we were handed a ticket to come back at 14:45..... Came back at 14:30ish and didn't get in until 15:00. As expected it was fully packed inside, and we were seated at bar table where we could see all the actions in the kitchen, including the udon processing! There were chefs and helpers in the kitchen preparing bowls of udon. * * * FOOD * * * Koumiabura Beef and Slice Burdock Noodles, cold: A First off, the udon was suuuuuper chewy! I have definitely not had such chewy udon before. The dipping sauce/soup looked rich and salty but it's not, it tasted like they added some fish stock inside, and of course with other ingredients flavor like garlic, ginger, beef and burdock. It was super tasty. The udon noodle was super long too and they provided scissors for us to cut into smaller portions. Almond Tofu Jelly: A The almond flavor was very heavy, the texture was a bit harder than tofu, it's hard to describe but it was just very good. I like the fact that we didn't have to actually wait in line and instead given a ticket to come back later. The time was long enough we could have just gone to Shijo for some shopping then come back! My advice is just go early and hopefully get an earlier ticket, otherwise an expected lunch would actually become your afternoon tea.

Not far from Nanzenji/Eikando and Kyoto Zoo off the 32/5 Bus line, you'll find this place with an English friendly staff that even provides warm tea to you while you are queuing. On a weekday at 6pm, you may have to wait 15-20 minutes but they take your order while in line. Inside, it's a tavern of fire with an intimate cooking setting with the staff and chef all in proximity of your food. The staff are really on top of your experience and will politely see you out the door as if you're leaving a friend or relatives' house after dinner. Pretty fun experience. Would come here again.

I was in search of an Udon that would set the bar for all other Udons... I came to the right place!. First off there's nothing like some spicy Udon on a rainy day . So this place is quite popular and located near the museum and performance center as well. You will be in line but it does move fairly fast. The lady at the front was a bit pushy for someone like me who likes to take their time when they order les they pick the wrong thing. I ordered a large bowl of their spicy Udon. When you sit down it's bar style and you'll see them cooking right in front of you. There's a very of spices for you to add if you so choose and they're all in handmade little saucers with Japanese Kanji on them. The staff was sure to point them out to me and let me know what they suggest and what is what. The Udon came out and it just looked beautiful. They use handmade bowls here which just adds to the beauty and presentation of this incredible bowl of Udon. I got the largest bowl and I was a little overwhelmed haha. The broth is incredible, not spicy by the taste buds of spicy lovers but still very enjoyable. The Udon wash so obviously fresh the moment I snapped into a bouquet of Udon noodles I knew this is was cream of the crop Udon tastes like. So tender and so fresh, right away you will know that all the other udon before this were hardly passable compared to this. They top it off with a fried square cheese ball inside which is so good and adds an interesting texture to the Udon. This is quite hefty a meal so either order the smaller bowl or come with an appetite!. Accompanied with your Udon you'll get tempura vegetable. And it's so so so so gooood!. Comes with a seasoning on the plate try it without but definitely try it with its crispy perfection. This place gets 5 stars even with the rush outside, the quality of their food speaks for itself, this is the best Udon I've ever had!.

Would be a five star rating for me if not for the wait! We showed up on a rainy day at what we thought would be an off-hour (330pm) and still waited over an hour and a half to be seated. The food is truly very good, but not sure to me if worth that long of a wait, especially if you're visiting and have a long list of things you want to see/do. I will say though that the staff was really great (gave us an umbrella when they realized we didn't have one), and they're quite efficient (takes orders while folks are in line so there's minimal wait once you're seated - note, they have English and Korean menus). Just as an FYI, the restaurants seats ~8 people at 2 four person tables and then there is a bar area that seats maybe 8-10? We were lucky and were seated at the bar. I got the beef and burdock hot noodle soup and added an egg- udon noodles were phenomenal, broth was very good too though on the heavier side so I wasn't able to finish. I also got a side of vegetable tempura, which was so so good! Fried shiso leaf was my fav, and you also got fried eggplant, yam/sweet potato, mushroom, and more!

We tried to dine here twice. First time we arrived at 6:30pm on Sunday, they'd already given out all the slots by the time and they turned us away. Second time we came here around noon on Monday, they gave us a ticket to come back at 2:30pm. We came back around 2:15, they told us to come back at 2:30 and that we couldn't wait outside their restaurant yet. So we walked some more to go back at 2:25, and were finally seated a little after 2:30. I had the pork udon with the original broth, hubby had the beef udon with the fragrant oil broth. They both were good, but we both preferred mine. We also each ordered a vegetable tempura, that was a mistake. The noodle bowls were quite big, and you'd likely want to drink all the broth. Sharing one tempura would be enough. Now, we did enjoy our udon bowls. The broth was very flavorful and pleasant; the waiting experience is the reason I took off one star. We went to Arashiyama after the meal, which also wasn't the best idea. The meal cut too much into our time at that area, which is very nice. Final verdict: the meal is definitely tasty, but if you don't plan to spend several days in Kyoto, you would not be missing the meal of Kyoto if you use your time elsewhere.

I usually eschew waiting for restaurants, but the 2 hour wait here was worth it. Although the interior of the restaurant is dark and cramped, the service was wonderful, starring from the moment we got in line. It was a hot day, and the hostess offered cold barley tea to everyone outside, along with shade umbrellas. When we (finally) were seated, we were offered iced towels to cool us down. The udon was incredible. I had the curry udon with sweet bean curd strips, which was delicious. I also tried the spicy udon soup with fried burdock, tempura mochi, and egg.

This Udon is utterly sensational. If what I read is true (which everything I read online is true so go fuck yourself wiki haters) the chef developed a Udon noodle that soaks up lots of the broth but will fall apart if made ahead of time. In other words these noodles aren't only cooked right before served, they are made right before served! Besides the noodles being perfectly shaped and consisting of a flawless texture the broth was a tasty Miso. Tasty miso? Ya, I dislike miso and I'm saying this miso was delicious. Add some fried cheese curds that melt in your mouth and you have a Udon that is my favorite noodle dish in japan so far. Better than any of the ramens and really anything I've eaten period. The chicken tempura was moist and delicious as well. The line is long but relax if you get there and don't want to wait there is another Udon location next door that is supposed to be really good too. If you are in kyoto you have to come here.

Absolutely the BEST udon ever! Noodles are chewy in a flavorful broth with yummy mochi! The wait was 1 hr 45 min, and I would wait again!!!

I perhaps follow tabelog too religiously. Despite warnings from a couple friends who had previously been here about their wavering quality, previous experience has taught me that any establishment that has a rating over 4.0 is usually worth waiting in line for, and this one was no exception. First of all, the service and 志し of the employees here is just outstanding. As I was standing out in the sun, one of the employees came out and handed us all parasols and complementary green teas so we don't die from dehydration while waiting. The head chef greeted and thanked everyone individually, and even came around to ask if my spicy dish was spicy enough; just for that alone, this place is worth the wait. I ordered the Akai Menzō Special, which is Yamamoto's signature seafood/bonito-infused dashi mixed with a spicy mixture of shichi and ichi-mi togarashi. It also comes with a side of their famous gobō (burdock root) tempura, which I thought was better than the udon itself. The noodles themselves was a tad bit more chewy and softer than I would have expected, but it was a good contrast in texture with the mochi tempura topping and the more chewy gobō tempura. I think I prefer the udon from the establishments further south in Osaka over this one, but the gobō tempura here is to die for.

Line up! You will notice Japanese and tourists alike queuing up for this place. A worker passes out menus based on your language preference (Korean and English menu available) and your order is taken while you are still in line, so get ready. Arrived at around 12:15 on a weekday and waited about an hour. Shared a table with 2 locals who both got the regular cold udon. We ordered the house special udon with burdock tempura and a regular cold udon too. Noodles are super, super chewy. While the house special was interesting and tasty, for me, the regular cold udon beat out the house udon. The hot soup continues to cook the noodles as you eat; the cold ones stay super chewy throughout. Both broths are flavorful but I was blown away by the complexity and umami of the broth that came with the cold udon. If only all udon places tasted this good! P.S: Don't forget to try the different flavored salts at the table with your tempura.

You cannot miss this while in Kyoto, it is a MUST-TRY!!! I've read on blogs that the line for place can get pretty insane so go early (super early) if you want to avoid it. Needless to say, we got there 15 minutes before it opens and the wait was 45 minutes. This was on a weekday so I can't imagine what it would be like on the weekends. There was quite a line already when we got there but keep in mind that because the restaurant is small and seats are limited, the wait obviously longer. While in line, one of the staff will take down your order and offer hot tea and throws (it was cold the day we were there). I would assume maybe water or iced tea during the summer months. Now let's get to that UDON. I've eaten plenty of udon in my life and nothing comes close to what I've had here at Yamamoto. Since we don't know when we will be back in Kyoto, my husband and I want to try both their warm & cold udon noodles for comparison. We ordered the original Udon and Tsukemen Udon with Chicken Tempura. The original udon has a spicy broth with rice cakes in it and a side of burdock tempura. The broth was sensational and the udon has this thick yet soft texture to it, you can taste the freshness of the noodles. As for the Cold Udon, the cold noodle is served on the side with a bowl of sauce and chicken tempura. This is the 1st time eating cold udon noodles like Tsukemen, it was delicious. The cold udon noodles has more of a chewy texture and dipping it in that sauce was absolutely divine! The chicken tempura was also to die for, slightly battered where I can actually taste the chicken. Both hot & cold are dishes are exquisite but if I have to choose one, it would be their Original House Udon, everything about it is perfection. Sadly to say, there will never be anything close to this in Los Angeles [heartbroken] Bookmark this place fellow yelpers, you can thank me later ;]

Despite the ridiculous long queue, I find myself coming back every single time I come to Kyoto and will continue to do so in all my future visits. (3rd time and counting) My first visit dates back to October 2012 (before it got insanely popular) and everything else was history. It's cliché but the udon did had me at hello. I was mesmerized by the dedication of the chef who washes every single batch of the udon in ice water. (His hands were all red from the cold.) His hard work paid off - the udon remained one of the bounciest I have ever tried. Hence, I always ordered the cold udon - regardless of the weather outside. I also love their tempura burdock, which comes with a curry powder dip. Because of the long wait time, I always justify myself to order a side order of the tempura vegetables / chicken. Both of which were very good and I would get both if there is more room in my stomach. Just a word of advise, don't come with a big group. There are only about 20 seats inside.

Udon like I've never had before!! I had their special (forgot name) which is rather pricey but totally worth it! Their noodles here are chewy but soft and gooey(?) all at the same time and it is heavenly. Their special was a bit on the spicy side but it was a good change from traditional udon I was thinking of - I was thinking udon with red sauce or flakes but the broth itself is red. I'm back in the states now dreaming about these noodles Oh, and the chef comes out of the inner kitchen to greet each guest as they pay before walking out; +1 for that extra attention!

one beef and one curry udo. Get the reservation in 11:00 for 14:15 slot. And then wait for 15 minutes to get in and eat. Total cost 2000.

The waiting was killing. Literally waited for 2 hours. My friend finished the beef udon with the whole soup. The sticky rice cake in the soup is amazing and the udon is also fabulous...! Just the waiting time was killing me....

Cuisine: 9 Service: 9 Decor: 8 Value: 8 Overall: 9 I am not a udon fan, but being in Japan, I had to try one of their best offerings to know for certain. Well, if all udon tasted like this, then call me a convert. It is like no udon I have ever experienced ... ... so damn delicious! I'm sure you have already read about the likely hour long wait. Don't let that detour you from possibly the best udon in the world (at least in my book lol). What's so different you ask? The noodles are bouncier, the broth is more intense, and the toppings are super awesome. Definitely order their special noodles with the original dipping broth (cold), that was amazing. The hot udon in pork curry broth was out of this world as well. Lastly, a side of chicken tempura will round out this crazy good meal that's well worth the wait. As for service, we sat at the bar watching all the staff and chef interact. It was busy, but never chaotic. The chef is handling the cooking of the udon noodles and rinsing them in ice cold water to ensure proper consistency, while the servers were just insanely friendly. Can't express how much I loved this place. One last thing, go early since they close when they sell out of udon. On the week night we were there, they shut the door around 7:30pm. You really don't want to miss the opportunity to try what really great udon taste like in Japan.

I feel cheated by all the hype. Was it a tasty bowl of udon? Yes. Was it better than every other bowl of udon I've had in Japan? No. Be prepared to bake under the sun waiting outside for over an hour, to finally walk into a very underwhelming interior with no AC. The restaurant is about the size of a chinese takeout place in the US, and about the hygiene level of one too. The staff was nice, but no nicer than again, every other restaurant in Japan. Admittedly, building it up in my head didn't help. But that's exactly the part that bugs me. This isn't a hole in the wall start up, they have long been famous, so the whole make you bake under the sun at the side of the street part is very much a choice. I get it not every place wants to expand, but they could at least accept reservations, or get more covered wait area. Wouldn't put myself through it again.

Very delicious udon- the noodles were great, and the original options comes with an egg, fried mochi, and fried burdock root on the side, in a spicy soup broth. Very tasty, and unique combination I haven't had before. It's awesome watching everything being prepared so freshly right in front of you. Only bad thing is that line...2 hours is no joke!

Got the Akai Menzou Udon Noodles: the rich broth was deliciously flavorful and slightly spicy; the noodles were extra long, especially thick and chewy; the tempura mochi on top was one of the best new toppings I ever had in a hot noodle dish; the raw egg yolk on top was 美味しい being slightly cooked on the outside because of the hot broth but beautifully runny when it was time to eat it; the side of burdock tempura with curry powder was The entire staff was on top of everything and I believe it was the main chef who had even asked us if the spiciness level of our dishes was ok. Highly recommend coming here. They run efficiently by giving you menus to look at outside while you wait in multiple languages and when you get near, they already take your order so that by the time you sit, your food is out in a couple minutes fresh without getting soggy noodles and without waiting too long.

add a sticky rice cake to your udon and thank me later. PERFECT TEXTURE ALERT. i got the cold chicken tempura udon and my friends and i shared various hot udons as well. the cold noodles were beautiful and perfectly textured. the hot udons were all spectacular. get there early. we waited 2 hours since we arrived at 1pm but it was well worth the wait.

I came here due to the amazing reviews this place had on yelp and google and have to say it's pretty good, but not good enough that I would wait 2 hours on a regular basis. I came around 12:30 on a rainy day and there was already a line out the door. The good thing is that they give you a ticket with a time to come back, so this allows you to explore a little around the area and then head back. My ticket said to be back at 2:15. That was a long time from 12:30 since I already saw the Heian shrine which is next to it and I wasn't interested in seeing the Kyoto zoo. I ended up taxi'ing it to Gion center to try another dessert place and come back here with just enough time to spare. The restaurant is a little bit on the smaller side but it has a very authentic and traditional feel to it. I sat at the bar where many others were slurping their noodles. I had the spicy noodle version with the chewy mochi rice balls inside it. It definitely was on the spicier side and maybe I would've enjoyed it more if I ordered the original, but I saw how many people said the rice balls were good so I ordered this one and it was good! The burdock tempura that they also give on the side is interesting, but I didn't have the stomach to finish all that. It had an interesting taste to it. The udon noodles were very nice and chewy and the broth was good despite the spice. I would come here more if there wasn't such a long line. This is just one of those things I had to try before i left japan so I waited on this line, but otherwise, I'd say you can probably find just as good udon place elsewhere. It wasn't amazing, but definitely nothing to complain about either and the price was right. Just so you know, they stop taking in people after 2:30PM. They'll have a "closed" sign but people will still be dining in there to finish up, so get here early or at an off time to ensure your seat.

Besides the delicious noodles, the chef is super friendly and nice, not to mention he is super handsome!! He came out from the busy kitchen to ask each guest if the food is ok and says goodbye in person when guests leave. Definitely a must go place, though u need to be patient, cuz we queued for almost an hour UNDER the sun. But the food (and the chef )totally worths it.

Well worth the wait! Got there an hour before opening and was one of the first served. Chicken tempura udon was sublime! Juicy chicken, broth full of good bonito flavor and delicious udon......heaven

This was the mother of all Udon! I ordered the Original. It was out of this world. The staff is very very courteous. Genuinely excited about you enjoying your meal. There is an English menu. They have seating down to a science. I went on a Tue just after noon and waited outside 15 mins for a table. My food arrived minutes after I sat down, as they take your order in line. Not bad. Close walk to philosophers path. Must go if you are a fan of Udon.

The wait is too long but we waited anyways. I had tempura soba, the tempura is so much different and tasty then other places. Yes you definitely don't want to miss this place!

Indisputably phenomenal. Service was fast, English menus were extremely helpful, and the Kyoto style curry udon was hands down one of the best dishes I've had in my life. If you're in Kyoto, this is a must stop place. There have been a few comments on long lines here, but my wife and I went in at 515pm on a Saturday night and were seated within less than ten minutes, and eating in 20. Line Definetly extended afterwards though, so I assume timing is everything here.

I can't believe I waited for three hrs!!! The udon was good but not worth the wait. The workers are super friendly, they would pass out cold tea a few times , and an umbrella while you wait .

The best Udon in town. Simply delicious!!!! It is just one of those places I'll miss a lot when back home. Don't even think twice!

My favorite meal of my entire two week trip in Japan! I ordered the Original Noodle I believe and my gosh everything about it was perfection. First off, the portion they give you is huge. The broth had a perfect balance of spicyness that I enjoyed. And the most important part, the noodle.... How do they make it so soft and bouncy? The fried rice cake in the soup was also excellent. I got so full off of the udon, I barely finished the Burdock Tempura which was quite tasty as well. We waited maybe 30 minutes or so but it was definitely worth it. So if you have reservation about the queue, I suggest going early. Hoping to come back on my next visit to Japan!

I want to remember this place forever so I am going to leave a 5 star review. It was a 40 -1 hour wait, which wasn't bad because on busy days it might be a 3 hour way. I couldn't decide what to order because everything looked so good (honestly you can't go wrong with anything on the meal!!). The udon was PERFECT and chewy. I usually don't like to eat tempura, but what I noticed was that it wasn't greasy at all and it had the perfect amount of crisp and crunch. When I finished my meal they gave me a small bite of almond pudding, oh my goodness it was heaven. Afterwards, the chef approached me and asked how my meal tasted and it was thoughtful of him to ask.

I ordered the curry udon. Tasted very good but to me, it's just good udon and I don't think I will wait in long line to try this. There are many good udon places around the city for about the same price or less

Very long wait (more than one hour if you came at the wrong time) - the noodle was good but we were not too impressed by the soup base - flavor was too strong/spicy/korean-style for the aka special udon we ordered and the tsukemen was not particularly impressive either. Maybe we should have ordered sth different.

Delicious Udon! I highly recommend you try their Kyoto Curry Udon (if you're a fan of curry that is) And their Pork Noodle (udon)... Both fantastic meals that will leave you wanting more! Highly encourage you come with time to spare and in no rush to be seated... We passed by this place prior to lunch and their was already a queue... We arrived about 15min before closing time (2:30pm) and we waited about 15min to be seated... But I will assume this isn't the norm... Several people who arrived at the 2:30 mark were turned away. Be there on time and be prepared for a delicious meal! Also, the service was SPECTACULAR!!!

Amazing. Ask for the osusume if you don't know what to order. It is udon served with tempura burdock root. So delicious. Awesome service. Worth the wait.

Best udon we had in Japan. Get there early or late if you don't want to stand in a looong line--we got there at 11am on a weekday and waited about 45 minutes. A staff member came and took our order while we were in line (my husband and I both had hot udon) and it was fantastic. Noodles cooked to perfection with the slight chewiness that every udon noodle needs, broth was delicious, and the side of gobo tempura it came with was also fantastic and light, not greasy at all. We also had some chicken karaage that was fantastic too. Friendly to English speakers. Definitely worth a stop if you're in Kyoto--it's also on the way to the Philosopher's walk if your walking from Higashiyama.

We arrived at Yamamoto Menzo right after it opened and stood in line for an hour for this very popular udon joint in Kyoto. There were only about 20 seats in the house. And I can tell you that it's totally worth the wait. It is hands down the best udon noodle soup I've had in my life. The tempura were served on the side and prepared to perfection. Everything tasted absolutely amazing. A must try if you're in Kyoto!!