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When in Oahu: Marukame UDON Waikiki

On our first day in Honolulu, Jared and I walked from our downtown hotel over to Diamond Head — we figured, since the volcano itself was a short and fairly easy hike, we’d get some extra urban hiking miles in beforehand and see a little of the city on our way. Now, it wasn’t that we had to go all that far, but it turns out that it’s not just the climb up Diamond Head that’s an uphill journey — it’s the entire trip from the beach to the base, too.
So, by the time we’d reached the monument, climbed to the top, and gotten back to the base, we decided we’d hiked enough for the day and grabbed a bus back to our hotel. And it was a good thing we did, because we discovered a local gem on the ride: Marukame UDON.
Marukame-Udon
Wondering how we discovered it from our air-conditioned bus seats? Fair question. We noticed it because, although it was probably 4:30 p.m. (not quite dinner time, but later than lunch), there was a line waaaay out the door. Jared quickly Yelped it and, sure enough, it had an enviable 4.5 stars after more than 2,300 reviews. For those of you who don’t speak Yelp, that is a big freaking deal, and there was no way we were going to miss out. (The fact that most reviewers commented on how reasonable the prices were didn’t hurt, either.)
The next day we popped over for a late lunch having little clue as to what to expect, other than a long line (which there was). We waited 20 minutes or so just to get in the door, but that was okay, because there were serious choices to be made.

Marukame Udon Waikiki line

This is just part of the line, and the picture was taken after we’d stood in line for five or 10 minutes. It’s not for pansies, this famous Udon.


After much deliberation, I opted for the Kamaage Udon, which doesn’t go through the standard cooling process and leaves the noodles a bit more textured, and Jared went with the Niku Udon, which came in a broth and was topped with beef and onions.
Marukame Udon

Once inside, you really got a good look at how your food was made. So much noodle stretching!


But the choices didn’t end there — after selecting your noodles, you still have to choose your tempura! Knowing we wouldn’t have a chance to eat there again since we were flying home the following day, we (fine, I) might’ve gone a little overboard with the tempura choices, but I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to miss out on trying something spectacular, you know? So I sampled some pumpkin, some purple sweet potato, a hard-boiled egg and a shrimp.
udon choices

Not all Udon is served the same way — there were various bowls and cups and such for the various types of Udon served.


Why are these noodles so special (and so delicious)? Now, I don’t know much about Udon in general, but according to Marukame UDON’s site, they specialize in Sanuki-style Udon, which is seriously labor-intensive (no, really — read about it) and requires a experienced eye to reach perfection.
udon

My Kamaage Udon and sundry tempura. I regret nothing (except my lack of a doggie bag).


I would love to tell you that we cleaned our plates (erm, bowls), but, nope. Not even close. Although this might’ve been our least expensive meal of the trip, there was just so much food — I’m not even sure I hit the halfway mark, and that is not normally how I roll.
udon

Clearly, Jared didn’t shy away from trying a variety of delights, either. Neither of us would’ve done it any other way.


I had some restaurants I knew would knock my flip flops off planned for our vacation, but I never would have expected a cafeteria-style Japanese restaurant from our second-to-last day in Hawaii would’ve been such a standout meal. Maybe that’s part of what made it so damn cool.
Have you ever been blown away by a random restaurant find while traveling? —Kristen

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