Serving through a cafeteria-style setup, Marugame offers a glimpse into the process of creating udon, showcasing the steaming noodles, umami soup, and soft beef/chicken. It also features a tempura station filled with chicken katsu, shrimp, tamagoyaki (sweet egg omelette), sweet potato, and gyoza. To finish the cafeteria setup, the drinks section features classic Japanese drinks, including Iced Matcha, Calamansi and Oolong Tea. Upon entering the restaurant, a large photo of “Ways to Eat Udon” greets customers, guiding them through the process. Surrounding the cafeteria-style setup, the ambiance of the restaurant gives a modern feel, with up to date seating, and serving stations. In the Palo Alto area many asian restaurants such as Ramen Nagi, Dumpling hours, and Fuki-Sushi gives this restaurant a lot of competition off the bat, making it even harder for them to create a steady customer base.
Nikutama Udon – Regular: $12.55 and Large: $13.95
The Nikutama offers freshly made soft, yet chewy udon. Along with the noodles, the soup broth pairs nicely, creating a hearty taste. However, paired with the udon and broth, the sweet beef had a rough texture and felt very average compared to the hype the restaurant received. Finally, with the addition of the crispy onions and scallions, the texture of the udon became soggy and mushy.
Tonkotsu Udon – Regular: 13.29 and Large: 14.99
The Tonkotsu offers freshly made Sanuki-style udon that has a soft yet chewy base. The broth is bold and intensely salty, which may overwhelm some palates. The pork is tender and adds to the richness of the dish, but the portion is noticeably small. The udon noodles themselves lack flavor and rely heavily on the broth to carry the dish. Overall, the strong broth and minimal toppings leave the bowl feeling unbalanced.
Tan Tan Udon – Regular: $12.25 and Large $13.65
The Tan Tan Udon provides vegetarians an option to enjoy the soft udon through their sesame chilli broth, seasonal veggies, and a spicy ground soy. Despite advertising that the udon was spicy, in reality the dish had minimal spice and a light sriracha flavor.
Fried Squid – $2.25 Fried Gyoza – $4.50 (5 piece with beef and veggie + sauce)
Both the fried squid and gyoza fell short. The squid, despite being soft inside, had a doughy texture from the batter and tasted bland with no seasoning. The gyoza was over-fried, creating the texture of a chip rather than a soft and crispy potsticker.