Jonathan Gold

"But like a fine violin, the udon is merely a vehicle for the purpose to which it is put — not even a Stradivarius can make a Miley Cyrus ballad sound musical. You moisten the noodles with a drizzle of chilled broth, but the flavor comes mostly from the sharpness of the garnishes, probably pickled plum with shiso leaf and a sac of seasoned roe."

Jonathan Gold

"An extra buck or two will get you good-enough tempura to dip in your bowl; the usual pumpkin, eggplant and fish cake, but also baby octopus, nori seaweed and soft-boiled onsen eggs whose oozing yolk thickens the broth. The tempura-fried pickled ginger, bubbling and scarlet, is so delicious I can’t believe I haven’t seen it before — the sensation is a bit like an onion ring that mysteriously refreshes your appetite instead of killing it."

Jonathan Gold

"Served hot, ideally as kake udon, sprinkled with crunchy droplets of fried tempura batter that float on the dashi-based broth, the noodles soften and become a bit jollier. You could add fried tofu (called kitsune, or fox, because fox spirits are said to enjoy it), or fried chicken, or slices of rare duck breast, which don’t do much for the udon but are tasty enough as additions."

Jonathan Gold

"Monzo’s udon are even in their rectangular profile, dense but not grainy, elastic more in terms of flexile strength than in actual stretchiness. If you twined enough of these udon around itself, you could probably hang a modest suspension bridge from them, but you would still be able to bite through the noodles in a single go. The noodles taste like wheat, salt and clean water. They also taste of the liquid in which they are immersed after boiling, but not too much. The hot udon are supple; the ... Read more

Lonely Planet

"If you care to step up from ramen to udon, slip into this special udon emporium, where the noodles are made fresh in the open kitchen."

LA Downtowner

"Marugame Monzo’s approach to udon hangs deliciously in the balance between the old and new; their tireless dedication is an echo of the generations before them, and the creative spirit infuses a modern dexterity in their dishes that simply cannot be matched."

LA Downtowner

"Traditionally, the simplest preparation is the kake udon, which is made of a hot Kakeiru broth of dashi, soy sauce, and mirin, then finished with floating isles of thinly sliced scallions and fried tempura bits. Monzo could easily stand as a top contender in the udon game with this dish, solely based on their ability to craft exceptional noodles."

Garrett Snyder

"After the thick, chewy noodles are cut and bathed in boiling water, they are transformed into a variety of sumptuous soup bowls like the cold bukkake udon, smothered in crispy tempura bits, bonito, shaved radish and scallions."

Joshua Lurie

"Plum shiso bukkake udon is one of Marugame Monzo’s better cold variations, teaming cool noodles with tart plum paste, shiso leaf, scallions, and bonito shavings, served with raw grated ginger and a tiny pitcher of cold broth, fish-based dashi."

Fiona Chandra

"Trust me, having freshly made noodles of any kind (soba, pasta, and yes, udon) makes a huge difference! Great udon in the middle of downtown LA."