Inside the first Calgary location of a world-famous Japanese Udon restaurant

A world-famous Japanese Udon spot has finally opened its first Calgary location, and we just had to see what the hype was about.

Since opening in December, Marugame Udon has been attracting hordes of hungry Calgarians, with line-ups becoming a regular occurrence at its CrossIron Mills location.

The noodle spot, which first opened in Japan in 2000, now has over 1,000 outposts around the world. Having opened its first Canadian location in Vancouver last year, we’ve been waiting with bated breath for Calgary’s turn.

As with any highly anticipated restaurant concept, we were eager to head out and check out Marugame Udon for ourselves to see whether it’s truly worth it.

The concept

We arrived at around 2:30 p.m. on a Thursday and were thrilled to see that while there were quite a few people sitting and tucking into their meals, there was no line at all.

With one win already in the bag, we were able to take a peek at the menu and get the process underway. If you’re unfamiliar with Marugame, the experience is similar to cafeteria-style dining, where you grab a tray, order your dish of choice, hit up the tempura station and pay at the end of the counter.

All of the Udon and tempura is freshly made, so even though the restaurant was relatively quiet, there were still tons of staff on hand, preparing the Udon, dishing up meals, working the fryers and keeping everything running smoothly.

From arriving at the restaurant to getting ourselves sat down and ready to eat took around five minutes, but definitely prepare to wait a little longer on the weekend or at peak times. You have been warned.

The food

Marugame Udon specializes in Sanuki-style Udon,  a style originating from Kagawa Prefecture in southern Japan.

With bowls starting from $6.99, it’s certainly an affordable choice for many, but we were intrigued to see if the quality is there.

We tried two different bowls, the Chicken Katsu Curry Udon and the Nikutama Udon, as well as an assortment of tempura, gyoza and croquettes.

First up was the Katsu, with crispy breaded chicken and thick udon noodles, served in a housemade curry sauce. It was everything we would want from a Japanese curry dish. The sauce was savoury with a hint of sweetness. The chicken was perfectly crispy, and the Udon noodles were chunky with the right amount of bite to them.

The Nikutama Udon is one of the most beloved dishes at Marugame, so it was only right to give it a go. The noodles this time were served with a thinly sliced sweet beef, a poached egg and BK sauce. It was rich, a little sweet, but delicious. We can see why this dish is a crowd-pleaser.

The selection of tempura, gyoza and more was also a welcome addition to the meal. As a classic accompaniment to Udon, we were thrilled to be able to try a little bit of everything.

All in all, from its affordability to the quality of the food, we can see why Marugame has built up such a following over the years. Catch us right here on our next adventure to CrossIron.

Marugame Udon is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Marugame Udon

Address: CrossIron Mills – 261055 Crossiron Blvd., Rocky View County

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