Okiboru House of Udon
Udon noodle restaurant · East Village
124 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003
Highlights
Wide, chewy Himokawa udon noodles served with tempura
Wide, chewy Himokawa udon noodles served with tempura
"Chewy, slurpable, double-wide Himokawa-style udon, along with expertly fried vegetables, shrimp, and bacon tempura. This East Village Japanese spot is owned by the same team as Okiboru House of Tsukemen." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah
"There are probably two more seats than can really fit inside Okiboru House of Udon, an East Village noodle joint that comes from the brothy experts at Okiboru House of Tsukemen. But that’s alright, because a pretty serious line forms almost exactly when they open each day, so cramming a few extra people into the tight space just means that you won’t have to wait for quite as long to get your noodles. If waiting in lines causes your neck veins to pop dangerously, you should take your business elsewhere. But, if it doesn’t ruffle your feathers, you’ll be rewarded with chewy noodles paired with silky, delicious savory broths served alongside some very crunchy tempura. photo credit: Okiboru House of Udon photo credit: Will Hartman photo credit: Will Hartman Pause Unmute Once you’re seated, either at the low-slung wood bar, or up on a stool facing the window, you’ll find some loudish pop music playing, and servers shuffling food up from the kitchen. Come hungry, because the Himokawa-style udon is what you’re here for, not the ambiance, and order your choice of meal set—each of their three udon options come with a few pieces of tempura, but you should double down on the shrimp and bacon. The purple Japanese sweet potatoes are a nice option as well. Just know that the earlier you come, and the fewer people you come with, the shorter your noodle wait will be. Food Rundown Himokawa Dipping Udon The first thing to know about these very photogenic, inch-wide udon is that they’re almost too slippery to pick up with a pair of chopsticks, so Okiboru will give you a set of bamboo tongs to aid you in your efforts. The noodles have a wonderful texture, which starts chewy, then gives way to a silky bite, and the broth is nice and salty, but doesn’t overpower the star of the show. photo credit: Okiboru House of Udon Matcha Zaru Udon Whether or not you should get the matcha zaru udon, a vibrantly green iced-down noodle made for dipping, is entirely dependent on the weather, and if you started to sweat while you’re in line. Be ready to work out your jaw—these noodles are nice and chewy, and we love them for it, with a subtle hint of that bitter matcha taste. photo credit: Okiboru House of Udon Himokawa Udon In Broth The same rules basically apply to the Himokawa udon in broth as the matcha zara udon. If you’ve become cold in line, this broth is dashi-forward, extremely savory, and warming. But, since the nuances of the noodles are better found in the dipping udon, we prefer that. photo credit: Will Hartman Tempura The tempura is sneakily our favorite offering at Okiboru. Does one need to deep fry bacon? Probably not. But it works, it’s crunchy and toothsome, and the jumbo shrimp pair very nicely with the noodles." - Will Hartman
"Even if you have trouble spotting Okiboru House of Udon’s nondescript shopfront, you won’t miss the line that winds halfway down the East Village block; the shop doesn’t take reservations or permit takeout, and its cozy quarters (eighteen slender counter seats) plus hype from foodie TikTokers and microinfluencers mean long waits (an aspiring diner said he had been waiting forty-five minutes). If you’re lucky enough to be ushered in you may be tempted to film immediately—the Altoid-like tablet that blooms into a warm hand towel and the three-second menu (three items and one vegan alternative) are irresistibly photogenic. The signature dish is the cold Himokawa udon: served in a ceramic ring bowl that echoes an oversized ring light, the noodles are beguilingly wide Möbius-strip–like ribbons of silk—sleek, slippery, and best handled with the supplied tongs for a bite before dunking in the dipping sauce, which clings pleasingly though is a touch too salty for my taste; it’s also offered in a hot soup. My favorite, and the least featured in the videos I’d seen, was the matcha-flavored dipping udon—a comely mass of wriggly jade-colored “worms” nestled on crushed ice—whose texture unfurls slowly and whose flavor moves from slight sweetness to a surprising savory seaweed note and finishes on a complicated, satisfying nuttiness; noodle sets with tempura are $24. Co-owner Justin Lim (53) told me that udon and tsukemen are all about the noodles, and he and partner Naoki Kyobashi previously opened a hugely popular, similarly minimalist tsukemen shop in 2022 after years of learning to make them." - J, i, a, y, a, n, g, , F, a, n
"Following the success of the Lower East Side Okiboru centered on tsukemen, the team has opened an udon spot. The specialty here is Himokawa udon, a wide, flat noodle, popular in Japan, that has finally arrived in New York. This style of udon is served with a dipping sauce or in a soup, in sets with tempura. Beware: Right now, lines are fierce and the restaurant is quite tiny, with only counter seating. We suggest going early as a solo diner." - Emma Orlow, Eater Staff
"Okiboru House of Udon, which has a sibling on the Lower East Side for tsukemen, debuts a specialty Himokawa udon — a wide, flat noodle." - Emma Orlow
