Udon Shin

Went with a friend for lunch. We arrived, got a ticket, and returned several hours later. We still had to wait in line. While we waited, a staff person took our order. The menu has pictures and descriptions in Japanese and English. After we were seated, the food arrived quickly. I was impressed by their organizational system. The staff are efficient and helpful but not overly friendly. The space is tight, with lots of squishing against each other. It was all good, and a little pricey. The tempura bacon was nice. The udon was chewy. The parm cheese really did something good. The rest of the tempura was light and crispy. The crab tempura was also really good, but maybe a little overcooked. The meal was good, but I don't think it was worth the price or the effort to get in. I won't return.

Awesome udon! You must come. The broth was oily and delicious. We also got it with some tempura, which was also very good. It's a small place, so you either wait or make a reservation like we did. The reservation costs about the price of the meal, but the meal is not expensive. So to me it was worth a few dollars to save an hour or so waiting while on vacation. Either way come and get some great udon.

The queue was insane. We went on a Friday night, it was raining but that didn’t stop the patrons from coming. You have to get the QR code from the machine first and wait to be called. We waited for about half an hour before being called to stand in line with the queue. And another 1hr 15 mins to get to the food. Inside is just a 12 seater restaurant, very small. Can see from kitchen that the udon is freshly made, udon is good and serving is good for an adult too. But whether is it worthwhile to wait this long, I’m think not. 😅 Nevertheless it’s a memorable experience.

Food was absolutely bomb. It’s very well known to be terrific, and they have like 8 seats in the whole place, so it’s a bit of an ordeal to get seated. You need to arrive at the property, take a ticket from a machine which will give you a QR code to scan, that QR code will put you in a virtual queue, and basically will tell you when to show back up at the property. For us that was a ~85 minute wait. During that time you can walk around town. Then when indicated, you will show back up at the property and will stand in line for another ~30 minutes before getting seated. During that time, the staff will provide you a menu and take your order so that when you’re seated you can be served almost immediately. It’s a long wait but the food is great and it’s very easy to join the queue and enjoy yourself for the bulk of the waiting period, you’ll just want to plan in advance so you’re not starving. Pricing is extremely affordable.

Man oh man, Udon Shin was well worth the wait. I tried to come last May but the wait was too long so I was so happy to learn that they started taking reservations!! We booked an early reservation at 6pm, but it was so amazing to just walk right in! We were seated at the counter and ordered 3 different noodles. The tempura bacon, cheese and egg was everything I hoped it to be! I’d gladly come back (if I could get another res)! *Buy a t-shirt for memories of this incredible Udon spot!

This place is very small like all typical Japanese restaurant. Around 12 seats. The line up is ridiculous. You first come get a ticket number and then it’ll give you a QR code for when it’s your turn. Once it’s your turn you still have to line up for another 30 minutes before you can enter the restaurant. The food was good but there’s better udon with little to no wait time elsewhere. Side note if you want to eat at 5 pm then go get a ticket at 3 pm and go shopping for a bit.

Food was a 5* but service was 1*. Food - Freshly made udon in-store. Noodle texture was very chewy, perfect texture! Udon broth was light yet flavorful. I liked how the tempura was served separately so it doesn’t turn soggy. Tempura was good too with a verity available. We also tried the carbonara which was recommended by many. Surprisingly bacon tempura was super good, not as oily as we expected! Cream sauce was also interesting. The menu items are pricey but I found it justifiable as the portion and quality is good! Queue - It was terrible! We waited over 2 hours, after getting a queue number at around 6pm. It’s a small joint too. Food was really good but I wouldn’t queue 2hr+ for this. And also because of my next point (service). Service - The reason why I wouldn’t go back. We (group of 4 adults) were forced to squeeze in a small table which looked more like it was meant for 2. If you see my top view table pic, yes, my party of 4 squeezed in there. I could barely life my arm and eat properly as the person beside (although family) was so close! The guy at the queue was super persistent and did not let us split into 2 groups of 2. I think they wanted to clear the crowd quick, but this isn’t the way to go. Plus, it’s not a spacious eatery… next to us was either another table or the cashier already, with narrow walkway. Ruined the experience for me despite the great food. We still sat at we already queued 2hr+. However, I won’t be returning… I had the impression that it’s a profit oriented and not service oriented place, surprising for a Japanese eatery!

Out of respect for japanse grading system i give them a 3 star, however european american system i would give them 5 stars. It was delicious. I made new friends in the waiting line (which took 1,5 hour) because there are only 10 seats in total but my god was it worth it. Highlight of my trip! Also vegitarian options if you dont eat meat. I recommend also trying the cheese tempura

Went with a friend for lunch. We arrived, got a ticket, and returned several hours later. We still had to wait in line. While we waited, a staff person took our order. The menu has pictures and descriptions in Japanese and English. After we were seated, the food arrived quickly. I was impressed by their organizational system. The staff are efficient and helpful but not overly friendly. The space is tight, with lots of squishing against each other. It was all good, and a little pricey. The tempura bacon was nice. The udon was chewy. The parm cheese really did something good. The rest of the tempura was light and crispy. The crab tempura was also really good, but maybe a little overcooked. The meal was good, but I don't think it was worth the price or the effort to get in. I won't return.

Awesome udon! You must come. The broth was oily and delicious. We also got it with some tempura, which was also very good. It's a small place, so you either wait or make a reservation like we did. The reservation costs about the price of the meal, but the meal is not expensive. So to me it was worth a few dollars to save an hour or so waiting while on vacation. Either way come and get some great udon.

The queue was insane. We went on a Friday night, it was raining but that didn’t stop the patrons from coming. You have to get the QR code from the machine first and wait to be called. We waited for about half an hour before being called to stand in line with the queue. And another 1hr 15 mins to get to the food. Inside is just a 12 seater restaurant, very small. Can see from kitchen that the udon is freshly made, udon is good and serving is good for an adult too. But whether is it worthwhile to wait this long, I’m think not. 😅 Nevertheless it’s a memorable experience.

Food was absolutely bomb. It’s very well known to be terrific, and they have like 8 seats in the whole place, so it’s a bit of an ordeal to get seated. You need to arrive at the property, take a ticket from a machine which will give you a QR code to scan, that QR code will put you in a virtual queue, and basically will tell you when to show back up at the property. For us that was a ~85 minute wait. During that time you can walk around town. Then when indicated, you will show back up at the property and will stand in line for another ~30 minutes before getting seated. During that time, the staff will provide you a menu and take your order so that when you’re seated you can be served almost immediately. It’s a long wait but the food is great and it’s very easy to join the queue and enjoy yourself for the bulk of the waiting period, you’ll just want to plan in advance so you’re not starving. Pricing is extremely affordable.

Man oh man, Udon Shin was well worth the wait. I tried to come last May but the wait was too long so I was so happy to learn that they started taking reservations!! We booked an early reservation at 6pm, but it was so amazing to just walk right in! We were seated at the counter and ordered 3 different noodles. The tempura bacon, cheese and egg was everything I hoped it to be! I’d gladly come back (if I could get another res)! *Buy a t-shirt for memories of this incredible Udon spot!

This place is very small like all typical Japanese restaurant. Around 12 seats. The line up is ridiculous. You first come get a ticket number and then it’ll give you a QR code for when it’s your turn. Once it’s your turn you still have to line up for another 30 minutes before you can enter the restaurant. The food was good but there’s better udon with little to no wait time elsewhere. Side note if you want to eat at 5 pm then go get a ticket at 3 pm and go shopping for a bit.

Food was a 5* but service was 1*. Food - Freshly made udon in-store. Noodle texture was very chewy, perfect texture! Udon broth was light yet flavorful. I liked how the tempura was served separately so it doesn’t turn soggy. Tempura was good too with a verity available. We also tried the carbonara which was recommended by many. Surprisingly bacon tempura was super good, not as oily as we expected! Cream sauce was also interesting. The menu items are pricey but I found it justifiable as the portion and quality is good! Queue - It was terrible! We waited over 2 hours, after getting a queue number at around 6pm. It’s a small joint too. Food was really good but I wouldn’t queue 2hr+ for this. And also because of my next point (service). Service - The reason why I wouldn’t go back. We (group of 4 adults) were forced to squeeze in a small table which looked more like it was meant for 2. If you see my top view table pic, yes, my party of 4 squeezed in there. I could barely life my arm and eat properly as the person beside (although family) was so close! The guy at the queue was super persistent and did not let us split into 2 groups of 2. I think they wanted to clear the crowd quick, but this isn’t the way to go. Plus, it’s not a spacious eatery… next to us was either another table or the cashier already, with narrow walkway. Ruined the experience for me despite the great food. We still sat at we already queued 2hr+. However, I won’t be returning… I had the impression that it’s a profit oriented and not service oriented place, surprising for a Japanese eatery!

Out of respect for japanse grading system i give them a 3 star, however european american system i would give them 5 stars. It was delicious. I made new friends in the waiting line (which took 1,5 hour) because there are only 10 seats in total but my god was it worth it. Highlight of my trip! Also vegitarian options if you dont eat meat. I recommend also trying the cheese tempura

Hidden in a little alley, it has a huge reputation that the small amount of seating simply can't handle. We got there around 7 pm, but had to wait for over an hour and a half to get seated. It's a 15 minute walk to downtown shinjuku, and since they will notify you by email or text when it's time to get seated, you can walk on over and shop for a bit while waiting. The Udon was absolutely delicious! We got the cold beef bukkaku Udon with soft boiled egg, and the kamatama cheese and bacon warm Udon, and both were great. The Udon was definitely hand made, and the soup bases were very flavourful. The cheese and butter really made the Udon nice and creamy, and the contrast with the bacon made that dish our favourite. Definitely worth the wait!

Read the other reviews about the wait time first before you commit to this. I foolishly thought that we would be called in order of number on our ticket but they didn't have a system or couldn't be bothered to call people in order. We already showed up early so it's possible that we 'cut' the line unknowingly. The udon was good. The carbonara was one of the better sauces I've had. The udon itself was up there but not the best- I prefer even chewier. Please come with CASH. There was a guy who was short and he claimed that his credit card wouldn't work to get a cash advance. They took his camera as collateral and he left to get cash. If you're coming to Japan without enough cash, just stay home.

We listened to all the social media hype and were left underwhelmed. To be fair, the udon itself was very good and we loved the different options but it wasn't worth the wait for us. WAIT TIME: We showed up around 5pm on a Tuesday and the wait was 70 mins. We grabbed a ticket and got back to our hotel to wait. The ticket has a QR code to scan where it tells you what place you are in line so that was helpful. After about an hour, we saw that we were 2nd in line so we walked over and as we got there, we received a notification to come to the store and line up. The line took about another 30-40 minutes before we actually sat down but the waitress took the orders of everyone in line. INSIDE: Super tiny and cozy with about 3 tables and rest were bar seating. It was obvious why the wait time was so long. FOOD: I ordered the cold udon with cod roe, egg, butter, scallions, and pepper. The noodle texture was perfect but very comparable to other udon restaurants in Japan. My partner ordered the carbonara and liked his dish but also thought the noodles were similar to Yume.y favorite part of the meal was the chicken and fishcake tempura. OVERALL: While we think Udon Shin has very good noodles and the different bowl options are great but we don't think it's worth the 2+ hour wait. We were underwhelmed especially since it was hyped up so much.

For a restaurant with the hype and viral social media presence that shin udon has, I have to say I expected more. There were lines of people outside but luckily since we had a reservation we were able to be seated fairly quickly. The udon noodles themselves were top notch - you could tell by the chew and uneven cuts that the noodles were handmade. The area where this bowl of noodles fell a little short was the broth. The broths tasted pretty standard and I wish as much attention was paid to the broth as was paid to the noodles themselves. However, the tempura was extremely excellent, especially the pork tempura which was among the best we had in Japan. Would probably visit again because I love udon noodles but don't know if it's totally worth the hype, I was expecting this bowl of udon to be the best I had in Japan. Really busy and small inside but a very cozy restaurant.

I will forever be dreaming about these noodles! Hands down the best udon I've ever had--I'm literally drooling just remembering it. This tiny spot does have a LONG wait, but it's worth it. We sat at the bar, and it was perfect. 11/10, you *need* to go. Heads up: it's cash only & just be prepared to wait if you want to eat here.

Wow this place was amazing. Lucky my wife paid extra to get a reservation. The place is tiny so it going to be a long wait without reservations. We got there when it opened and the wait was already 1 1/2 hours. The udon was really good and the soup was great.

Food: The best udon that you will get to try in your lifetime lol Some faves: carbonara and cold yuzu (huge portions- no sharing) Service: fast and efficient Get ready to wait if you want to do walk in Ambiance: cozy, casual, busy Tip: make reservations

Watery udon. Rude and racist service. I was pretty excited to try this place and wanted to skip the lines because of the heat in August. I paid 2000 yen to skip the line and arrived 15 min earlier than my booked time for a 1pm seating. There was a long line of people who have waited over 1.5 hours when I arrived. (Staff lied and said they would be in within 15 min. But i never saw them for the 45 min i was there.) And I discovered there was 2 lines. One for walk ins and another for reservations. I was first in line for 1pm seating but I was dining solo. The waiter proceeded to make me wait. 2 separate groups of 2 and 3 people arrived after me. They were Japanese and told me they also had a 1pm seating. These 2 groups were seating before me despite me arriving 15 min before either of them. I'm assuming this is because they were Japanese. Anyways they finally seated me at the bar last. Everyone else got their food before I even ordered. So I ordered my food. 5 min after arriving. The 5 people seated before me that arrived AFTER me were finished and left. The rude staff proceeded to give me dirty looks because I was still eating. I found the udon carbonara with tempura bacon Tobe extremely watery and I felt like I was eating raw egg soup with udon noodles. The texture was wrong in every way possible and I'd definitely skip this for sure. Supposedly the udon noodles are freshly made. But they were mid at best. I found the prices to also be extremely over priced with all dishes ranging from at least 2000 to 5000 yen. I felt completely ripped off when there are so many other good udon places in Tokyo. Anyways. I continued to watch as the staff let Japanese locals jump the line while tourists were left waiting outside. I felt like this was very racist and I think all foreigners should avoid this place!!! Avoid! I'll gladly spend my money elsewhere and so should you!

If you want to eat here, you must plan accordingly. We arrived an hour and a half before they opened at 11am to get a ticket in line, left to go get coffee. Wandered around and got tsukemen, then were prompted to return. When they tell you to return, you still have to wait in life so we left again slightly confused. Returned after 20 minutes and we were able to be put back in line (there's a guy that organizes the queue in numerical order), placed our order, then waited for our seat. Upon being seated, our food came out immediately and it was by far the best udon I've ever had, and I consider myself well versed in the realm of noodles. I literally ordered the basic hot udon dish, with nothing in it, and it was fantastic. The noodles were perfectly chewy and delicious. I ordered this since it's handy to have a husband that I can share meals with so we can try more things. He ordered the hot udon noodles with pepper, butter, and an egg. It was heavenly, I had to take a moment to process how good it was. Absolutely worth the wait, and I wasn't even hungry eating this meal because I had just eaten tsukemen an hour prior.

This place is a top ranking udon place in Tokyo and incredibly popular! Whilst they open at 11am, they started issuing numbered tickets from 9am to 6pm (the ticket machine is inside the shop). I'd advised you to arrive by 9am (lunch) or by 5pm (dinner) to get the ticket. There is a QR code on the ticket telling you the estimated wait time, and will notify you when it's your turn. So you don't have to wait at the shop, instead you can go grab a coffee or even do some sightseeing! I got the ticket at 9, and my seat was ready at about 12:30pm. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 冷しょうゆ＋温泉卵＋めんたいこ (Cold Soy Sauce Udon + Soft-boiled Egg + Cod Roe) ¥1,580 Damn they do not disappoint! The noodle is sooo chewy and springy, mixed together with simple soy sauce and mentaiko, absolutely delicious! Rating: 4.5/5 海老天 天ぶら Shrimp Tempura ¥530 Tempura batter is so light and crispy, wrapped around a fresh and bouncy shrimp, it was *chef's kiss*! Rating: 5/5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Will I be back? Yes I don't think it's worth waiting over an hour for a bowl of udon, but since I have already planned the day out and managed to do some sightseeing in between, my total wait time is only like 15mins, so it was totally worth it!

Super popular udon and tempura shop near Shinjuku Station, although technically it's in Shibuya. It was a two hour wait when we arrived on a weeknight, but they do have a ticket machine for queueing outside. You can take a ticket and check the QR code on it for approximate wait time. You can then go somewhere else and come back when it's 20-30 min before your estimated time to get in. It's a small shop where you eat at the counter. I got a combo with a bowl of butter egg udon, paired with a plate of pork and cheese tempura. The udon is has a piece of butter and orange raw egg on top. You mix it before eating. First time I've had udon of this style, and it was so buttery and creamy. Very easy to slurp. The tempura have a nice shell on them. The pork is juicy and not over-fried, the cheese is pretty decent as well. I had to add a little bit of salt which they have at the counter. Overall price was 2000 yen-ish. I would give the food 5 stars, but not a fan of multiple-hour wait times. It's one of those shops that got too popular for its size

Kiosk in front of line. Get ticket first, scan QR code and enter email to be notified to come back. Wait was 2hrs at 7p on a Tuesday. Wait is not bad because you can go explore during the wait. Estimated wait time was about correct, I got seated a bit over 2hrs later when I got back and actually waited in line after being notified. Ordered in line. 9/10 Udon Carbonaea Y1640 - a bit salty but still hella bomb. Tempera bacon was not great as at all and the batter was so light, crispy, and flakey. Udon was chewy and made well! Flavor was great overall.

This place is a MUST try. Thank you to the kind person on Google reviews who wrote how to Queue. This udon spot is popular, but their ticketing system is so convenient and user friendly. Basically how to get a spot in line: 1) There will be a line outside, do NOT get in that line. Go straight to the front door and the outside will have a kiosk with a screen where you type How many people in your dining party. 2) You will receive a receipt, which has a QR code that leads to a website showing how many people ahead of you in line / the estimated time for you to come back. ***** Keep this handy and refresh the page often! 3) Go explore! It's awesome because you don't need to stand there in line (until it's close to your time). I recommend refreshing the QR page often though, and coming back within 45 minutes of your estimated time because we were seated early, and a person working takes your order while you stand in-line. I timed it so we could get a dinner spot (go a few hours early). We arrived around 3pm and I went up to the kiosk to grab our spot / ticket in line. We came back around 5 and were seated around 5:30pm. FOOD: This place is famous for their carbonara udon: fresh noodles, parmesean, raw egg, TEMPURA BACON. YES it is as delicious as it sounds. So good. But I recommend if you're with another person, also order a more traditional udon flavor: like beef udon to balance it out (since it can be super savory and heavy). I I got to try both the carbonara and beef udon with my boyfriend, and it was a good balance. I did prefer the carbonara. We also got tempura sweet potato and a tempura shrimp. It had a clean taste, and not super oily. Next time, I would like to try the cold udon. Enjoy! and pay attention to how to queue and you will have a great meal here.

I've heard amazing things about this udon place and knew I had to check it out despite the preposterous wait times. Luckily, my friend had already come in the morning to pick up a ticket and so we were able to walk around while waiting for our turn. Our return time was estimated to be around 2:15pm and when we were notified via app to return we lined up for another 20-30 minutes. Within the cozy little shop, there were only a few seats so there definitely wasn't much ambiance. I can see the dining culture in Japan is very in-n-out especially for places like this so people were eating quite quickly. We all ordered the butter cheese udon with tempura on the side. The udon texture is top notch, I can definitely credit this udon noodle as some of the best I ever had. However, I found the rest of it a bit lacking. It was still good but I surely thought I was in for something more special flavour town wise. The tempura was also very mediocre, I had much better later on during the trip. Perhaps I should've tried a different menu item, there were so many delicious looking options so maybe I chose wrong. Overall, I'm glad I tried this place to say that I tried it. However, I'm not sure if I would return, especially when there's just so much more amazing food in Tokyo!

It is a 5 hour wait virtually and a 1 hour wait in person. Lines are very strict and you won't be able to do anything about it if you don't make it there before the cut off time which I believe was around 8pm. However the wait was not an issue as the noodles were one of the silliest I've ever eaten. It had an amazing bite and they recommended the carbonara and the hot soy sauce udon with the butter and pepper and soft boiled egg, it was heavenly in every bite and after leaving Tokyo I still think about this meal. - - - - - Carbonara Udon - - - - - I'm usually not one to order this but since the man in the front recommended this one, I decided to try what it's known for since I waited so long. The noodles in this ramen was extra creamy because of the cheese. The ham was very lightly breaded and added a fresh taste to the udon as a break inbetween the slurpings. I feel like the udon itself gave me a sense of the texture and I feel like probably all the dishes in here will bring it to life since the bouncy and nice chewy texture along with how it melts in your mouth is all about the udon. The cheese and the butter and the ham is just to contribute to its own glory. - - - - - Hot Soy Sauce Udon With Butter and Black Pepper - - - - - This one has an amazing taste because of the soy sauce, a great balance from the cheese udon. This one was so good I almost regretted not ordering another bowl of this one but I think we were full already so we couldn't fit anymore. I enjoy this one for a more basic taste compared to the carbonara and I would definitely get this again with another udon dish to try if i ever come back here! I really enjoyed both udons and I definitely think the way they make their udon here is super special.

***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!

When you get here, put your name on the wait list right away! You will then get a QR code that you can scan on your phone to check how long your wait time will be. Once it tells you to come to the restaurant, you have 40 mins to get there which is plenty of time to leave the area to shop and come back. We were wondering if this place could really be worth it after a 4 hour wait time... and it was so worth it. We had one udon dish with broth and one warm udon butter egg dish without broth (carbonara style). They were both so good!! Highly recommend this place because of the efficient QR system! Must try if you have some time.

This place would pop up on my IG search feed, and so when I was wandering around Tokyo, I had to check this place out to see if it was all that it was cracked out to be. First, be prepared to wait quite a while if you don't play your cards right. I didn't know you could put your name down on their computer system WAY early. I arrived around 10/10:30, expecting to wait in line, but you actually just put your name down and receive a ticket that lets you know what number you are in line, and what time you should expect to come back. The great thing is there is a QR code that is on the ticket, so you can scan it to periodically check on your place in line and when to come back to the restaurant. So you can roam around freely until then. I waited about 1 hour? Came back and got seated. The place was small. They o Ly seat about 11 people total, but that's expected for many restaurants in Japan. But the workers were nice! Now, the food. Many people have said to try their creamy carbonara style udon, but I knew it would be too rich for my liking, so I got their cold Szechuan chili udon noodle with extra beef. The flavor profile was delicious! The egg added just the right amount of creaminess to the dish, and the chili oil provided the perfect spice level! The beef was tender and the noodles were chewy. Overall, it was a delicious and refreshing lunch meal that kept me satiated for hours!

Small establishment with a total of 10 seats. 6 at the counter and 2 tables that seats 2. The wait on a Friday night was insane. I took a ticket at 5:20 as #175 and it gave me an ETA of 170 minutes. You can scan the QR code they provide and sign up for notification via Line or email. The notification told me to come back in 2 hours instead of the 170 minutes. If you get called, you have 40 minutes to come back to wait in line. The line then took me another hour to get seated for a table for 1. The waitlist actually closed at 8pm with a total of 197 despite the restaurant being opened until 12am. They take your order while you wait in the actual line (they won't give you a menu if you aren't called yet). I ordered the #6 which is the 'Udon noodles with raw egg and beef' for 1540 yen and 1.5x the size for an additional 100 yen and upgraded the egg to a Tsumande Goran Egg for 200 yen. The meal was absolutely delicious. The udon noodles were out of this world - fresh, soft, and just right amount of firmness. The egg was amazing (making sure to let them know not to mix it if you want to mix it yourself!). The normal beef was delicious as well. I did not upgrade it to the sirloin beef for another 2,000 yen since I want to see how the normal beef tasted like. I would say the broth towards the end of the bowl was a tad too salty, I'm not sure if the upgraded egg had any impact to that. Overall, I highly recommend if you can time the waiting right and if you enjoy udon.

Truly exceptional! Their housemade udon is made from scratch and freshly prepared. Udon Shin is situated in a nondescript alley near the northern edge of Shibuya. If you're using public transportation, stop at Shinjuku Station. There's not a lot of seats inside and it's a very popular restaurant. I went on a rainy day, and that deterred no one. Fortunately they use a virtual queue so you don't have to stand around all day. Sign up on the tablet near the door, grab your receipt, and scan the QR code for updates on the airWAIT website or the LINE messaging app. I joined at 2:30 PM, walked back to my hotel to rest, was called back at 4:45 PM, and was placed in another line to physically wait for a seat to open up. They'll give you a menu and take your order outside so that your bowl of udon will be ready once you are seated. There are several cold, hot, and broth-less options to choose from. I chose the special parmesan kamatama udon. This dish has a stellar combination of fantastic flavors and tantalizing textures. The bounciest, silkiest, chewiest noodles you'll find. Mixing together the raw egg, grated parmesan, and black pepper, you get a buttery, creamy, rich sauce that reminds you of carbonara. The dish is topped off with a perfectly fried strip of bacon tempura that enhances it with another component of savoriness. Do you believe in love at first sight? How about love at first bite!

The wait sucks. Period. That's really it. What can do you do about the wait? Get here early. The machine was open before the store - just get here early, grab a ticket at 9AM and put your name down. You'll get a number which you can track on a link and it'll tell you when to return. Be careful of the timing - it's not THAT accurate. We came rushing back when it said we were 20-30 minutes away, but come back when it states to "come back" instead. You'll still be placed in a line where you'll then pick from the menu, but still be forced to wait for a seat outside. Food! -The udon selection with raw eggs were our favorite. Mixed together, it was just PERFECT. -Soup udon was okay, but wasn't particularly amazing -Tempura - It was hot and fresh, but I don't think it was amazing. The bacon was also not what I expected (was thinking more of an American bacon). Anyhow - was the food good? Yeah. Was it worth a 2-3 hour wait? Not for me. Luckily for us, our hotel was nearby so we grabbed a ticket and got to chill in our room while we waited to be buzzed for dinner.

Incredible meal! Go to the machine to get a ticket by bypassing the line that is waiting to get seated soon. When we got our ticket, the wait was three hours but since we recently ate (this is our second lunch), we decided to wait by going to the metropolitan government building for a view of Tokyo! Surprisingly, the wait time was much shorter as people canceled their reservations, so we only waited about an hour and a half before needing to head back to the shop. While waiting in line, you can take a look at the menu to see what you want to order. The waiter told me that the best selling was the carbonara-like udon (#21), but I didn't want something so heavy. The pepper with butter and sirloin udon (#9) was also a popular order, and while the idea of a slice of butter in udon sounded heavy as well, I decided to bite the bullet and order it. I'm so happy that I did, because it was delicious! This was a soupless udon but there is still some soy sauce to help coat everything. The udons were cooked perfectly and the butter slice worked! We also got an order of tempura, which was very well battered and fried. I recommend getting it to supplement your meal. Amazing meal, one of my favorites in Japan. Don't be daunted by the long wait time, waiting is the name of the game in Japan! Go explore, have a little snack to hold you over, and come back to enjoy an amazing meal.

I don't think I picked the right dish for myself, but this place still deserves 5 stars. You can tell these noodles are fresh, and I love how dense they are. My soft boiled egg was cooked perfectly. I thought it was over-peppered but that could be my personal preference. The tempura was good too; I was surprised that two of our veggies were peppers, which I haven't had in tempura before (normally prefer onion, sweet potato, etc.). We did have to wait, but this restaurant has a ticket/check-in process, which was nice because we didn't have to just wait in line in the heat. We used a small kiosk to "register" with our group size, got a ticket with our place in line, and an estimate wait time. Our wait time was 70 minutes, so we grabbed drinks nearby and came back after about an hour and were able to essentially cut the line relative to everyone else's ticket numbers. They took our order in line and we got our food within 5 minutes of sitting down. If we had arrived hungry and ready to eat, I would've been frustrated and may not have waited, but we were on the earlier side for dinner time anyway so it worked out. Now that we know about it... think this is a good process! Would definitely come back here again.

Wow, by far the best udon I ever ate! Make sure to read the directions: Step 1: Go to the front of the line and get a ticket to come back later via machine. QR code tells you how long the approximate wait is (2.5 hrs for us)... but go 30 minutes before timer is up. (Remember to bring cash!) Step 2: Come back and line up! ETA in line is 30 min. Step 3: Order toward the front of the line. (Know what you want as this is not one of the add on type places.) Step 4: Sit and eat! Itadakemasu! Step 5: Take bill and scan on the way out. Pay in cash at the machine. Gochisosama deshita!

This is one of those you have to get ticket just to get in line before getting called. Got here before store open like an hour early. Number was 13. Store open at 11am. Got called 11:30am to wait in line. By that time, number was up to 62 and wait time 190 mins. Store is small with bar seats and 2 group tables. Got the udon with beef and eggs and some tempura. Can see the tempura being fried from the bar seats. The udon itself is just amazing. It was creamy and chewy. One of best ever! Wait time certainly worth the while!

My first meal in Japan was Udon Shin and this place was delicious - it's a small eatery with about 10 seats and the good thing is you can put your name down and come back when it's time for you to eat. The wait lines are looong - we put our name down at 7 pm and didn't eat until 10pm so be aware of that! We ended up ordering: * carbonara udon with tempura bacon - this was thick and creamy, and the bacon tempura was delicious * beef udon - I forgot the name but this had the sweet thin pieces of beef and I got a tempura shrimp and egg on the side which was delicious. This is made in front of you and so fresh I would highly recommend! Awesome meal and definitely try it out!

Highly recommend to get there early and get the token from machine front of the store. You can track status online of estimated seat in time. Expect a long wait time and do not come 30 mins before closing. Its shocking how many hungry visitors show up last min and get turned back as they are sold out for the day. Its worth the wait for the Udon. One of the best we had in Tokyo. The owner is very kind and accommodates customer requests. It was raining on the day of and he was handing umbrellas to everyone waiting outside to be seated. The food arrived quickly and fresh. The udon is perfect soft and chewy. The cold broth adds so much flavor (they also serve hot udon). The setting inside is tiny. Highly recommend to check them out on your visit to Japan.

Found this udon place on yelp - I love udon - and had to try. Getting a table is easy but you must still go in person - you follow the instructions on the electronic machine outside, which then prints out a QR code, which you can scan and then see live what your wait time is. When the QR code tells you your time has arrived, you return to the restaurant and get in line. There, a staff member will provide you with a menu and then take your order. From there, it was less than 10 minutes to getting your food delivered. I opted for the warm mentaiko, egg udon, topped with bonito and nori and a vegetable tempura. TBH, I wasn't a huge fan of this preparation, even though I was looking specifically for the more contemporary udon preparation. I think I would have liked the traditional version better. I can't say I found this so much better than what I eat in Hawaii, but I'm glad I went.

This place is definitely worth the hype and the wait. We arrived Thursday at 5, got a ticket from the machine that told us the wait was two hours, then came back and stood in line for another hour before finally eating. The wait didn't bother us too much as Shinjuku is just steps away so we had some dessert and had drinks at a bar while we waited (just check your place in line periodically). I loved seeing the chef in action while waiting in line. He was making the dough in front of our eyes, rolling it out, pressing it through a machine and repeating over and over again. You could see how the udon is made from scratch! The staff also hands you an English menu while you wait so you can order ahead of time. The udon here changed my mind about udon completely! I seldom order it, and when I do as a side at a sushi restaurant. But the noodles here were bouncy, chewy and also tender at the same time. We got a spicy one with brisket and raw egg. The egg made the noodles creamy and luxurious. The spice level was perfect with Sichuan peppers. The beef was juicy and tender - like the kind you would get at a Korean BBQ. We also ordered tempura - AMAZING. The batter was so light and the vegetables really delicious. Also try the pickled shallots - tangy, sour, sweet and crunchy deliciousness!

I went to the shop when it opened at 11:00 am. At first I was happy because no one was lining up in front of the shop. After I was informed to scan the QR code to line up in queue, I was astonished to see that I would have to wait for 145 minutes in queue. I could not believe it!!! So I went to walk around in the mall nearby to kill time until the alert on my phone said "please come to the venue". After I was seated with my companion, I ordered a cold udon noodles with tempura and one with soup. The udon was so chewy and the tempura was so crispy. You could experience different textures of taste in one meal! Excellent experience!!

This place .... Wow this place.... I'm not even being dramatic when I say I almost cried tears of joy at the first bite. I've never had a more delicious (non steak) dish in my life! The udon here is delectably soft yet perfectly chewy. The butter and pepper... oh emm gee... it's literally to die for. The egg was perfectly soft boiled and blended so well with the bowl. Omg here I go I'm about to cry again remembering the deliciousness of this bowl. The way to get seated could be a bit challenging so here goes. Upon arrival you see a line of about ten people long. Not a bad wait, right? Don't be fooled! You must go straight to the door and on the right side you will see a machine to grab a ticket. It will give you a number and a QR code. Scan the code and it will give you an estimated time for you to return. I've been twice and the wait was an hour to an hour and a half each time. The good news is you don't have to wait in line! Feel free to walk back to shinjuku to shop or grab a drink at a nearby restaurant ( keep in mind most restaurants around don't open till 5 or 6) so if you're their for lunch the only place to stop by is Starbucks. Once you get the alert to come back keep in mind you will still be waiting probably 30 minutes or so. They are very efficient here so they take your order before you enter. Don't forget to order tempura and or a drink with your udon! And please please please if you're a fan of cheese, their cheese tempura is a MUST! Friendly staff that are very helpful and accommodating. One thing I did notice that not many have mentioned. I went on a Friday night and grabbed my ticket at 7pm. I ended up waiting about to hours and left by 9:15. The hours of the restaurant say 12am (last call at 11pm) however by the time we came back (maybe 8:30) they were no longer giving out tickets and we ended up being the last party to be served. I'm not sure if they sell out or how it works. But keep this in mind in case you were thinking of having a late dinner!

One of the most hype udon restaurants in Tokyo. It was on my must-eat list! They introduced an electronic ticketing service in which you are able to get a ticket and come back when the table is ready so you don't queue outside. In fact, they won't let you stay outside if it's not your turn. I would recommend coming around 1 hour before opening to grab a ticket as we came only half an hour before opening and had to wait 2 hours. Something to keep in mind is that once your table is "ready", you will still have to queue outside. The worker will then take your order outside the store so that your meal is ready once you enter. It is quite a small store with only two tables and bar seating that sits six. As for food, the udon was delicious! The noodles were super bouncy but soft at the same time. Soup was light and tempura had a nice outer shell that was not too thick. The beef udon came with a chili sauce that was pretty spicy but very tasty. The sauce accentuated the flavor of the meat. Overall, I would recommend to try this restaurant but I would definitely come an hour earlier to get a seating ticket so you don't have to wait as long.

Mmmmm heard so much about the butter udon that I HAD to try it! First, I was very surprised as I was waiting in line, I got to see inside and watch them make the udon noodles. They were folding and pounding the dough and running it through a streamer and then boiling, great to know they make their own noodle in house. This explains the extremely fresh and chewiness of the udon. If you eat fast, you might be eating this udon much slower as it has A LOT of chew and bounce to the noodles! MMMMM fresh noodles! Definitely got the butter udon to try and it was cool to try butter and raw egg in the udon, it definitely added a creaminess to the dish. It didn't have a lot of soup like I expected with regular udon, the button udon has less soup which is more concentrated, came out to be more of a pasta than udon soup. It was tasty, but wish I had extra soup. The cold udon noodles with tempura on the side was delicious. Instead of the traditional udon soup, got the cold noodles that you dip in the soup, similar to tsukemen. It was so good and you really got to taste the freshly made udon! I'm sure udon lovers will give udon shin a 5/5 rating. Others in my group gave it 4/5 stars as the udon may have been too chewy for them. Overall, it was an excellent udon meal!!!

Hands down the best thing I ate in my life. Waiting five hours for this place is no problem. I go here everytime I'm in Japan.

I used to think this is a restaurant for tourists... I was wrong! Walking distance from Shinjuku station, located in a narrow street. Be sure to follow order line instruction. You have to wait as a group. You can't have one person to wait in line and others to come back later. Be respectful, this place can get really busy. I recommend everyone to try cold udon to enjoy the chewiness. Dashi is lovely, full of flavors. Simple yet amazing!

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The cold udon with assorted tempura was refreshing for a hot & humid summer day. I came here a little before 10am to get a ticket for lunch. When I got there I was 18th in line. I was sat a little around 12pm (1 hour after opening). They take your order before you are sat so your food is immediately served. By the time I was done eating at 12:30pm there was a 5.5 hour wait. A lot of people stand in the small looking line not knowing you have to get a ticket & wait. So when the staff tells them they are shocked to see such a long wait. Moving on to the food, I thought it was delicious and the texture of the udon was bouncy. I don't think I would wait 5 hours for this but one hour was doable for me since I came early to get a ticket & shopped around the neighborhood.

I mean... I don't need to say much about Udon Shin, but god... why it is SO GOOD. You go there and get a ticket. You can not stand there and wait- but you grab a ticket and come back later. Go in the morning, grab a ticket and shop, roam around Shinjuku. If you need to work, there is a nice starbucks super close too.

This was our first Ramen spot we tried while visiting in Japan. The line was not long - BUT the wait was almost 2 hours. Which we decided to take, there were a few events that was happening around the area that we wanted to check out while waiting. The girl came out, helped us check in, AND spoke good English which was super helpful. Then we left to venture for an hour and a half. When we came back the same girl who was checking in other customers, saw us, had directed us to stand in line as she went to grab a menu for us. She helped us with ordering and what to try - which we went with what she mentioned was good. When we were done ordering we were next up in line. As we got called in - the place had seating up at the bar I say it sat around 7. And up against the wall were tables that can seat 4 which had 3 tables. There were also dividers, so customer can sit individually - I thought that was really good. When our food came, I ordered the Udon Ramen which came with shrimp tempura, an egg, pork portions which was ALOT, was really tasty. The udon was fresh and bouncy and the soup base was omg - soooo good. Our server was so attentive and kept our sake and water filled the whole time. Super friendly staff. Once we were done eating, we paid for our meal which was I believe came out to 5200 yen. Can't go wrong with that. Udon Ramen, Dipping Ramen and sake? I'd go back again lol. If you're ever in Japan....give this place a try.

Want the best udon in Tokyo? Carve out some time here! Saw this on social media a bit and heard about the wait being about 2 hours. Got here at 3, got my reservation from the kiosk, and it said 2 hours. Perfect! Went to shop a bit at the malls less than a mile away and when done, saw we would be seated in 17 minutes. Got back and waited another 10 because we had a bigger party size, 4 people. This spot seats no more than a dozen at a time. 5 stools and 2 tiny tables. This is part of why the wait is long. The other may be that they make their noodles fresh per order. Do yourself a favor and get the butter add on. Never had such a creamy soft udon noodle in my life. Everything is great here.

Udon Shin in Shinjuku, Tokyo. A must visit place for udon lovers. This restaurant is small, there are only 11seats. Make sure you go closer to opening time if you don't wanna wait for few hours. But good thing that even you arrive later they open, you don't have to stand in line. You get a ticket from a machine and scan a QR code to get notification. You will know when your table is almost ready. And then they will let you in after your order is taken. Their tempura udon was delightful as expected. And the udon noodles itself was so fresh and chewy.

Excellent udon just some tips on how to queue up for this restaurant since it was somewhat confusing. 1. Go early like before 9am if u intend to eat around 11:00-12. Go to the machine to obtain a QR code , when the ticket is generated it immediately gives you a estimated wait time 2. The QR code scans to a website which tells you how long you have to wait before your number is called . This refreshes constantly so you can see if your place in line moves up in case ppl cancel 3. Feel free to roam about while u wait 4. When you have around 20-30 min left it's best to return back to the restaurant and then go into the line 5. The restaurant will let you in based on ur number so no need to stress out about where u are standing in that particular line. So a specific example is when we went at 9:10 and was the 16th party in line. It gave us an approx wait til of 70 min .. which I'm assuming meant 70 min after the restaurant opens at 11. I think we got seated pretty close to that estimation . I have to definitely recommend getting the QR code early if possible otherwise just to give you an idea of how popular it was..when we were there at 11:45 they were already at a 5 hour wait time for anyone getting a QR code.

If you don't mind waiting this place is a must! My daughter and I went early around 9:30 to get a ticket from the machine. They texted me back in an hour to let us know that our table was ready. We waited extra 15 to 20 minutes to get inside the restaurant to be seated. I love their udon so much. You can choose small to large portion of noodles for free. I went with a small portion. Tempra was crispy and you can tell that they used the freshest vegetables. The udon noodles had a chewy texture that I loved. Only drawback is that it's in Japan and not USA.

If you're looking for the real Japan experience then this tiny udon shop is one of the many. Food: Udon was delicious. Depending what you're in the mood for, you won't be disappointed. Restaurant: TINY! Only seats about 10 people. Go early and grab a ticket from the machine right outside the door. You can the barcode on the ticket to see your queue in line. Wait can be long so plan accordingly. Popular place!

Incredible!!! Worth the wait. Best udon I've ever had!! The tempura bacon was mouth watering!!

Udon Shin seats only about 10 & serves freshly made udon. You see them rolling the dough through the front window if you peek in as you continue to wait in their relentless line post queue time. Pull a ticket early in the morning before they open & come back closer to your time slot. I got there around 9:30 am on a Thursday & pulled ticket 24. They open at 11 am & I finally got to eat at around 1 pm.

Next level and worth the wait!! Once we arrived we took a ticket that said it would be an 80min wait. So we walked and shopped in the area and went back with about 20 min left. Perfect timing as we were offered a menu while waiting. We ordered while in line so once seated, we had our food served right away! Noodles were freshly made and the tempura was perfection. I was surprised about how tasty the cold noodles and cold broth were, I would definitely order it again!

We arrived at 10am and got a ticket from the machine outside the restaurant. Then you have to scan the QR code onto your phone to see where are you in line and estimate wait time. This restaurant is in a narrow street that cars drive through. They do not know allow you to wait outside the restaurant or across if you time is not close. It about 10-14 seater restaurant. 2 tables which might accommodate up to 4 each table and 6 seater at the counter. We were next in line when we return to restaurant but the guy told us to come back. I think it like about 20 mins more before we were in the queue to order and get in line. At that point, we were given the menu and the server took our order. We didn't get seated until 12pm. I ordered udon with butter, pepper, soft boiled egg and cod roe and shared the assorted tempura. The udon was chewy and bouncy and the flavors were so good. The tempura was light, crispy and delicious. I would definitely come back if ever in Tokyo.

Super famous udon spot in Shinjuku with a well-known queue. The menu has a wide assortment of different udons (hot, cold, traditional, carbonara, spicy, ect) making it great for groups with different tastes on a trip. The udon is super bouncy, and all the options are high quality. My first time here, I tried the carbonara udon, which came with delicious bacon tempura, and my most recent time I had the cold noodles with beef, egg, and mala. I highly recommend the mala for those who like spicy with a hint of sweet - it pairs perfectly with the cold broth on a hot day! The additional tempura are all tasty too - highly recommend ordering anything ala carte to pair with your udon. It's a small restaurant with large popularity, so the queue is essentially unavoidable. Fortunately, the queue system allows you to spend the bulk of your waiting exploring the surrounding area before getting called back to the restaurant. My tip? Eat a pastry for breakfast and forget about your ticket until you get your notification to avoid annoyance about the wait times.