Marugame Udon picks Spitalfields for its London noodle expansion

Gavin Hanly 24 March 2021

marugame udon liverpool street

Updated 24/3/21 with opening date and more info

It seems the pandemic isn't stopping plans for big new openings in London. Among them will be the huge Japanese udon noodle chain Marugame Udon which has taken a site just opposite Liverpool Street.

The restaurant is all about Sanuki Udon, popular in the Kagawa Prefecture of Japan (and the name Sanaki was what Kagawa was called in the past). Using a wheat that was once specific to the area, it has a more chewy texture than other udon varieties and can be served in a number of ways. The noodles are made in house and being able to see that being done is part of the restaurant group's USP.

Mains will start at a purse-pleasing £3.45 with promised dishes including

Beef Nikutama - sweet short-rib beef and a soft poached ‘onsen’ egg on udon and broth,
Pork Tonkotsu with chashu and spicy miso pork
Chicken Katsu Curry Udon.

There will be some dishes that are exclusive to the UK, notably a whole new vegan section which is a world first for Marugame. Head Chef Kouhei Honkawa has come up with a vegan version of their traditional Kake Udon, plus a stir-fried Kimchi Yaki Udon, Curry Udon and a vegan Tempura batter.

Desserts sound just as enticing with the choice of unlimited soft serve (there'll be two flavours to choose from - vanilla and vegan Matcha along with dorayaki pancakes and TikTok favourite Little Moons mochi.

For drinks they'll employ that technical wizardry that allows them to pour a pint of Asahi beer in just four seconds, plus canned sparkling sake from London sake brewery Kanpai, plus refillable Coca-Cola freestyle, ginger kombucha, green tea and Japanese Ramune lemonade.

As for the location, they're taking over the old Wahaca site in Spitalfields. The restaurant will have space for 100 people to dine in along with offering takeaway, click and collect and delivery options. We're looking forward to heading with our bowl of udon to the ‘build your own’ condiment station where we can add fresh ginger, chillies and - crucially - ‘tenkasu’ (tempura batter pieces) to our heart's content.

marugame udon liverpool street