The 46 best casual restaurants in Tokyo (2024)

Long queue even during odd hours.They have an electronic queue system so you can get a queue ticket and return to the shop when it’s your turn.We probably waited for 1 hour… I think patrons were mostly foreigners like myself.I enjoyed the texture of the noodles. I tried both fry and soup version, both tasted good. I believe they fry their tempura fresh and the oil tasted clean, if you know what I mean.Cheese tempura and shrimp tempura were my top choice.Payment in cash only.Pro tip: There’s a pub next door that has pretty good draft beers so you can wait there while having a couple of beers.

Delicious udon but come prepared! To avoid queues, get a ticket at the door a few hours in advance. You’ll get a notification to join the physical queue, where they take your order. We waited 2.5 hours from getting the ticket to being seated from 18:00 to 20:30 on a Monday.Overall, food is good and very filling. The noodles were bouncy, broth was tasty and tempura had a clean and crisp texture. Not sure if it’s entirely worth the hype but still a great meal.

Delicious noodles, freshly made in front of you. We took both cold and hot noodles, cold dish emphasis more on the noodles which makes it slightly better (thogh the fresh egg doesn't add much).Place is small, only 12 seats, with a huge hype. But instead of having a long line, they have a cool system of scheduling:You take a number telling you what time you are supposed to be seated. Meanwhile, you can go on your business.It took us 4 hour to be seated (!) and we were quickly seated when arriving on scheduled time.Totally worth it.

I wouldn't wait for more than 15 minutes.The food is decent, but not worth standing in line for hours.Cold udon has a better texture and taste, but if you're not a fan of cold noodles, go for the hot one.However, be cautious as it can get a bit slimy with the raw egg.Good luck trying!

Went there at around 6pm on a Tuesday, wait was a little over 20 minutes. The ordering process was seamless. The staff are friendly and helpful. Once we arrived into the restaurant, we received our order within 10 minutes.The noodles was nice and chewy, the beef was only average but the tempura was very good.Probably not worth a 2 hour wait but if the wait time is around 40 minutes to an hour or under, I would definitely recommend.

Most delicious udon I have ever had in my life. When we arrived at the restaurant, we had to grab a ticket and come back after about an hour or so. Then we waited for 30 minutes in line but it’s totally worth it. Place is tiny but service and food quality is the best. They accept only cash

I tried number 9, the beef is so good and the udon is chewy and tasty! The pork tempura is also a must try. After getting your number, you need to wait 2 hours before coming back to stand in line. I went at 9.45am and got called back at 12 noon. I got my food at 12.30 and once inside the staff were friendly and warm.Do plan to go shopping or sightseeing during the 2 hour wait :)

A famous Udon place, located in the backstreets of Shinjuku. It is a tiny place with a just a few seats, that is why there is often a line. We had to wait about 15 minutes to get in. You will get a menu to make your choice while you're waiting. The hot Udon with Shrimp tempura was amazing (you can ask for 1.5x or 2x Udon noodle).

Came at 9.38am and took a ticket for 11am. Had a coffee nearby. Wish every place in Tokyo had a ticket system so that people don't have to waste their lives waiting in line. In terms of the food, the tempura was surprisingly the standout. It was light and tasty. The Udon was fine - obviously handmade, etc, but not miles and miles better than any other Udon I've had.

During our initial visit to Japan a few years ago, we had the pleasure of trying this udon dish. Impressed by its taste, we decided to return for another visit recently.This time around, they had implemented a queue system. Unfortunately, the system proved to be quite dreadful. Firstly, you receive a queue number from their machine, along with an estimated waiting time. When the designated time arrives, you are required to join another physical queue outside the restaurant, enduring an additional 1.5 hours of waiting. The total waiting time amounts to 2.5 hours just to be seated.While the food itself was decent, I personally feel that the experience does not justify such a lengthy wait. As a result, I am uncertain whether I will return in the future.

Many options for unique and delicious udon.The best part about this shop is that they do quite a lot of different styles of udon, all really well. All of the ingredients are high quality. The udon noodles are chewy and have a really nice texture. The tempura is really nicely done. Everything served at this shop seems great.How to queue:Pretty much, they have a digital queuing system. You simply get a ticket from the digital ticketing system. You can scan the QR code on the ticket to be notified by LINE or email, for when your spot is coming up and to return to the shop. This is great because when we showed up, we got a ticket and went to YYG Brewery just a few buildings down the street and had a couple nice beers. It made waiting much more enjoyable 😊I ordered the Parmesan cheese and bacon tempura udon. It’s quite out there and definitely not an authentic udon dish. It also came with an egg. They staff called it a “Japanese Carbonara”. It was absolutely delicious. Very, very good. I was pleasantly surprised. The noodles pick up the eggy, cheesy broth so well. The bacon tempura was surprisingly not too fatty or greasy, and tasted great.We also order a side of sweet potato tempura. My favorite type of tempura and it was so soft and sweet. It was a perfect dessert 😋

Hotel was close so I arrived at 9am (Thurs) to make reservations. Was 3rd in line. Got email around 1010 to comeback and was seated around1030. Google says it opens at 11Shop is small and it was cool seeing them make the hand made noodlesCold noodles - you can feel how springy the noodles are but less tasteWarm noodles - more taste but noodles not as springsI enjoyed warm noodles moreIf there weren't electronic reservation im not sure its worth the wait but since there was I didn't think it was a big deal. I think it lives up to the hype more or less

The udon was freshly prepared and delicious; you can tell the staff are all dedicated to the craft. I ordered the hot udon with battered bacon, egg, parmesan cheese and cultured butter. The dish was a little too rich and too reminiscent of carbonara. I recommend something fresher. The space is small, which results in long lines almost every night. We tried to visit twice before getting in - both times waiting over 2 hours.

Food was fantastic. But customers need to be mindful not to take their own sweet time in the venue when done eating. I say this because the girls seated beside me were taking videos of themselves doing make up and hair (that was rathee unnessary and inconsiderate, considering how so many people were waiting outside for their turn.)Expect at least 1.5 hrs waiting time. Best to arrive early to get your queue number via Line.

Worth the hype. We took a number at 1pm and roamed around the area (got a massage nearby, highly recommended to kill time).Finally got to eat around 4pm and it was all worth it. The noodles with the butter and raw egg along with the beef just hits the spot. They do get your order even before you get in so be prepared for that (once they hand you the menu when you are outside in line). Would totally go again when it's less crowded probably earlier when they open up.Loved the food!

This is a must visit. The noodles were cooked to perfection and both broths were sublime. The cheese tempura and the bacon tempura were also delicious. The cheese tempura was gooey and crunchy at the same time - so good.It’s definitely an intimate space but that adds to the vibe. When you first get there, you’ll have to get a ticket from the ticket machine (which is near the entrance) and then come back at the allocated time and queue up again. We waited for about an hour and a half but the food is definitely worth the wait.

the staffs was so nice and they assisted us kindly!! the wait time usually an hour so make sure you come early to get the waitlist number. the food worth all the wait!it was a bit rainy and the staff offered me an umbrella. i order the hot udon with butter+black pepper+beef+soft-boiled egg and shrimp tempura.p.s. it’s cash only 🙌🏻would definitely come back and try another menu 💕

I went to get my queue card at around 9:20 a.m. and then went for a walk around there. Then come back to the shop a little before 11 a.m. to join the queue. I didn't wait very long, about 30 minutes, and got in. While waiting in line, There will be employees coming to take orders. I suggest you order whatever you want right now. Because if you go and order more after you eat in the restaurant, You will wait for quite a long time. All udon dishes are delicious. Choose the style you like to eat. But don't forget to order the sweet potato tempura. It was very delicious. The seats in the shop are narrow. But you can forgive it because it's so delicious haha.

Udon Shin was truly incredible. We arrived around 8:30am to get a ticket (there is a QR code to scan that allows you to view your place in line/estimated wait) and then explored the nearby Meiji Shrine until it was time to return. We got shrimp tempura, cheese tempura, the cold citrus broth udon and the warm udon with beef. The noodles were perfectly cooked with a good bit of chew. Everything was so flavorful! I would highly recommend this place to anyone coming to Tokyo!

Scanned the QR code and waited approximately two hours (we hung around the area and walked back when it was our turn). Wait was super long but that’s part of the Japanese experience right? Tests your patience. As for the food itself, I got the Carbonara Bacon Tempura one (recommended on the menu) and it was an absolute banger. The taste was amazing and I slurped the whole thing down. I would suggest you make a reservation ahead of time so you don’t need to wait in line. Watching from the outside and seeing them make the noodles from scratch was also a sight to see. The dedication and craftsmanship in each bowl they make, is truly something astounding!

Living in Tokyo for 30+ years I had never been here, but I’ve eaten tons of Udon all over Japan including Shikoku.I was a bit skeptical of this place because so many foreigners had been here prior to the pandemic. I figured it was a chance to go since it would be less crowded.Certainly a little bit more expensive than other Udon shops, but in my opinion it was well worth it. The volume was nice and the noodles are super chewy. I had the cold udon with tempura on the side. Tempura was crispy with four pieces of vegetable and two shrimp.I would definitely come back here again as long as I didn’t have to wait too long. Even without tourists, I had to wait about 20 to 30 minutes today

Waited for an hour in the rain yesterday. The line has no shelter so a little extra or anywhere to sit so for elderly that could be a concern. We ordered hot soba and fish and shrimp tempura. They were delicious. The shiitake mushroom we ordered was good but too much breading. Chicken was good too but lots of fat. Staff was nice and service was friendly. You order outside in the line so once inside it’s pretty quick. Not sure worth a hour wait but fun. Good prices

Came by at 9am and got queue no.5 then went to have a coffee and back again around 10:30 (you can scan the QR to check how long is the wait/get a notification when to return) and was first in line!Even we got queue no.5 but we were the first to come back to line up so we were the first to get in. They opened early even before 11am as stated. So practically only waited in line for 10minThe udon was good but do yourself a favour and order the cheese and pork tempura!!! So goooood!

***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!

First of all, you need time :D the food ist super delicious! You have to take a number at the station before you stand in line. Make sure to show up earlier since the waiting time can be up to 2 hours. After you have your number, you can track it online so you can go somewhere else and come back when there are only 3-4 table before you. That’s very convenient. I recommend the spicy one. The taste of sooo yummy and different. The noodles are made freshly and the portion is big enough even if you are very hungry.

Take a queue number from the machine before standing in line, you can track the estimated time once you scan the QR code on the queue number ticket. But after my second trip I don’t think this is accurate anymore. When the automated website prompts you to come to the venue as it is time and there are “0 groups in front of you”, it’s inaccurate. After 3.5 hours I arrived and there were another 8-10 still waiting in front of me. In my first trip, the chewy non-soggy texture from the cold udon was amazing. Udon made in house, English menu too. However on my second visit where I also brought my parents, the queue was 4 hours. I took a ticket at roughly 6pm and only sat down to eat at 10pm, in 16 degrees with the wind. Also overheard the people behind in the line saying they’ve waited for 5 hours.. Uhm… 😳 this is not OK. This time I ordered their hot and non-soup udon and gotta say… standard dropped, or was it just sloppy at 10pm? In the last picture this was how the food was presented and arrived to us. The yolk already broken and the non-twirled noodles were the exact opposite of what was advertised in the menu and what other reviewers have shown. The noodle texture was disappointing. Food is decent especially since I had a good experience the first time and would like to hope this is a one-off event. But after my second experience I wouldn’t recommend. Q at your own risk!

Came early to take a queue number, and when they emailed me to make my way back, there was another 1h queue in front of us. Not really suitable for groups of 4 and more as the space is really small.I had the Carbonara Udon (1,480yen) which had a raw egg and parmesan cheese to mix with the udon to make a creamy sauce. The whole package was really good, surprisingly almost like those cream-based carbonara pasta, but it can be cloying halfway through. I really liked the bacon tempura, which was actually more like thick ham.Heard from my friends that the Udon with Hot Soy Sauce was really good too. We also had the Cold Udon with Tempura to share, and I would say that having the udon cold really brings out the freshness and bounciness of the udon more. Truly one of the best udons I've ever had.However, we were pretty disappointed by the tempura which were quite lacklustre. You'll find better elsewhere, but i mean this was an udon specialty shop. Overall, pop by early to get a queue number and stroll around the nearby Shinjuku shopping district first. If you're a group of two, i would say get a small bowl of cold udon and a hot udon of your choice, so you can try both worlds. Tempura is skippable.

We waited 3 hours to try this viral udon spot in Japan!When we first arrived at 7:30, we received a ticket instructing us to wait for 100 minutes. We spent some time exploring the neighbourhood.. Upon receiving notification that our turn was approaching, we returned to the restaurant, only to encounter an additional 1 hour wait.When we finally got in, we ordered the soy sauce, butter, pepper, tsumande goran egg with pork & cheese tempura (¥2280) with the upgraded takachiho fermented butter (¥190). Additionally, we ordered the udon noodles in soup with tempura (¥2380) and a special item, the big fin squid tempura (¥490).The udon was exceptional, a chewy texture that only freshly made udon can provide. Particularly noteworthy was the creamy consistency of the butter udon, which was amazing. The tempura perfectly complemented the udon dish.Now was it worth the 3 hour wait? Frankly, I wouldn't endure it again knowing the lengthy wait. The ticketing system, in particular, proved misleading, as being notified "first in line" actually meant returning to queue behind another group, resulting in two separate hour-long waits—not fun.While the food unquestionably deserves a 5/5 rating, the ticketing system warrants a deduction, resulting in an overall rating of 4/5.

The queue system is very complicated. But the tempura is outstanding (like the tempura restaurant standard)and i am a big fan of udon, so i think it’s worth to try if your travel plan is not rush. We got the paper ticket at 9am then we came back to queue at around 11:35am, finally we had the udon almost 1pm.

If you plan to eat here, expect a wait of two hours or more; on both of our attempts, we waited for 2.5 hours. Fortunately, the queuing system is quite simple: you arrive, take a ticket with a QR code, and it directs you to a website indicating the remaining wait time. You can then go about other activities until your turn arrives. Everything here is homemade. The udon noodles, sides, and tempura were excellent, well-seasoned with perfect textures. I was hesitant about the cheese tempura, but it turned out to be surprisingly good. We had a fantastic meal for about 1600 yen per person, which is very reasonable considering the quality and quantity. It's no wonder so many people want to eat here!

The shop was incredibly small. That’s why they can take people 10-12 people at a time. If you want to have it as lunch, come early and pick up the queue card since 9am. Then, you can drop by at some coffee shops around there to wait. The queue card has QR code for you to check your queue and waiting time. Mine is 3hrs of waiting. Overall the queue management is good given the capacity of the shop space.When it was 30minutes before our turn, we got back to the shop and waited in line. Staff will take order from there so order whatever you want in the line. Not sure if its a one-time order but it’s high likely so. to be safe, order all you want to get from there. When our turn was called, the food was served almost right after we took a seat.Udon was nice, chewy. I love the tempura the most. The prawn/squid/fish was fresh and the outside was crispy, not oily.Highly recommend if you have time.

Udon will never be the same after this!! Loved it so much we came back a second time. I had no idea that this place was viral online, but I liked the classic hot soup udon over their viral carbonara udon. The udon is just so chewy and the perfect texture, while the broth is like a comforting, warm hug. We waited around an hour both times. Love it but I would not wait more than an hour, so best to time it right!

We arrived around 11am to pull a ticket and had a two hour wait. Luckily you don’t have to wait in the line so definitely recommend going to Meiji shrine area while waiting. This spot definitely felt very touristy and while the udon was nice and chewy and fresh I don’t think I would wait next time. We ordered cold udon which was very nice and bouncy texture. You can see the cooks making the noodles in front of you if you sit at the bar. Small shop with very limited seating, you order before entering and pay with cash. This was the second time visiting this spot (first time was in 2018) and the shop has definitely gotten a ton more crowded. I feel you can go somewhere else for still delicious udon at a more local spot.

Honestly, I REALLY enjoyed the Bacon tempura udon (1830¥). Thought it would be cloying (jelat - in Singlish) but I rly enjoyed this. Udon was thick and slurpy, nicely al dente, not soggy. Sauce was neither too wet nor dry. Only downside is the queueing system - be prepared to queue for at least an hour. Then when you return, you might needa queue again. The store might not let you queue outside you might to go back and forth several times. Would totally return!!

Cash Only. We arrived there at 5:25 PM and waited for almost three hours to get our table, and it was not worth the wait after we tasted the noodles and tempura. You have to get a ticket number first, and then you have to wait for the reminder. After you receive the notification, you need to go back and line up there and get your table.We ordered the udon noodles with beef and shrimp tempura and cold bamboo tray of noodles with tempura (2 shrimp + 4 vegetables + fish + squid). I’d say the udon noodles were fair, not surprisingly good. And we ordered the crab tempura and chicken tempura, they were just fine. If you want to try out this place, be prepared for the wait. And be honest, I don’t think it’s worth going to this place.

Excellent udon, not sure it was worth the 2-hour wait.At arrival, you take a ticket (that has a QR code you can scan) which will alert you on when you can stand in line.We waited about 80 minutes with our ticket, then an additional ~40 minutes in the actual line.Would recommend the beef and carbonara udon; the queen crab tempura was pretty good but nothing exceptional. The tempura cheese on the carbonara was pretty great!

The udon noodles are heavenly. My cold udon bowl was simply a delight.However, the wait was incredibly long. Customers need to have a ticket(issued by a machine sitting at storefront) on which waiting time and waiting number are shown. It took us two whole hours to finally sit down to enjoy the food. That was some precious time out of a traveler’s itinerary.Still if you have a chance, don’t miss out on this place.

I tried the cheese butter fried bacon udon. The combination of butter and cheese is great, the fried bacon is unbeatable. 1 thing that can be improved is the queue system which is very unreliable and the waiting time can easily be stretched from the estimated waiting time.