Udon Shin

Udon Shin is a small shop in Tokyo that is known for their fresh, handmade udon noodles. The noodles are cut and boiled to order. We had a delicious meal here and would definitely come back again.

The shop is less than a 10 minute walk from Shinjuku Station. When we arrived, there was already quite a long line and the restaurant only seats ten. However, one thing you’ll quickly learn when in Japan is that the people don’t really linger over these fast meals. Menus are handed out while you are in line and your order is taken as you get closer to the front of the line. When you are seated, your food arrives almost immediately. Most Japanese spend about 10-15 minutes eating their food and then they are out the door. So the turnover is quite quick.

Shin serves two styles of udon: hot and cold. The hot is served in a hot broth with various toppings. The cold is served in a bamboo basket with a separate bowl of concentrated broth for dipping in your noodles.

Cold Udon with Tempura

This seemed to be the most popular item to order and once I tasted it, I understood. First, the noodles. The fresh noodles were chewy, with a great bounce to them. There was something so lovely at seeing the coil of noodles on the basket. I loved the simplicity of the plain noodles with just a little broth.

However, the real standout was the tempura. Nearly everyone in the restaurant had ordered at least one order of tempura and I wish we had ordered more than one. The batter was crispy, very light and airy. Each plate was just out of the fryer, ensuring that the tempura are enjoyed at their optimal moment.

Hot Soy Sauce Udon + Butter + Pepper + Soft Boiled Egg

This hot udon dish was quite delicious as well. It looked deceptively simple, but once the egg yolk was broken and everything was mixed, it was a very rich dish, full of butter and creamy yolk. Mr. K found the black pepper a little too spicy but I thought it was just right. Though it is a lot of black pepper so if you’re not a fan of black pepper, you should probably avoid this one.

Overall, we had a really enjoyable meal. While the menu has English, the staff speak very little English, so all talking was done through gestures. Like most small shops, it’s cash only. I would definitely come here again and I recommend coming on the weekdays. There will likely still be a line but it should be a bit shorter compared to the weekends.

Menu:

Udon Shin
代々木2-20-16
相馬ビル 1F
Shibuya, 東京都 〒151-0053
(About a 7-8 minute walk from JR Shinjuku Station)