Marugame Udon - Japanese, San Francisco

3521 20th Ave, Space 184 (Stonestown Galleria)
San Francisco A 94132
(415) 680-1280
Parking: shopping center parking lot
Hours: Daily 11am-10pm
http://www.marugameudon.com

Last Visited: February 17, 2018

Food: 2 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

This hot spot had a soft opening late 2017 and grand opening in mid-January 2018.  The lines are pretty long as San Francisco flocks towards another trendy chain opening up.  Their other location is in Los Angeles.

If you've been to Marukame Udon in Waikiki, you'll recognize the setup at Marugame - cafeteria style ordering with a tray and watch your udon be assembled. Behind the assembly line, you can see someone preparing the dough and cutting noodles.  In the assembly line, you can see noodles being cooked, rinsed, and plated.  One can order from about ten varieties - some with and some without meat.  Choices include hot and cold noodles, spicy or curry or their house Kake sauce, and chicken or beef.

Then proceed to the tempura section where you can select vegetable tempura (zucchini, sweet potato, eggplant, potato, asparagus, veggie kakiage) or meat tempura (shrimp, fish, fish cake, chicken, squid). Lastly, there are few flavors of musubi to choose from.  Once your purchase is made, there is a side station for adding green onions, chopped cilantro, ground sesame, tempura flakes, and additional spices.  At this station, you'll also find more dashi, sweet tempura sauce, and regular tempura sauce.

Pro Tip - There are actually two sections of the line separated by a space to created a walkway for shopping center visitors.  The line starts as early as 10:20am.  If you come by 10:30 am, you'll likely be in the first seating.

- Nikutama Udon - Sweet flavored beef (a mixture of thinly sliced beef and caramelized onions) as well as a soft-boiled egg top the udon.  Kake sauce is poured on top.  What worked: the udon - it's chewy and fresh.  The beef also tastes really juicy, but don't be surprised that it's due to the quantity of fat.  What didn't work - the broth.  When you watch them assemble the udon, you'll notice that only half of the bowl is dipped in the hot water, so it's not uniformly hot.  The kake sauce is not quite hot enough and it doesn't even top the noodles, so the whole bowl turns room temperature pretty fast.  The broth makes the dish, and since it was lacking, it made it pretty disappointing - hence the two stars.  $8.50 Regular, $9.50 Large

- Tempura Shrimp - Pretty standard.  No complaints. $1.90

- Tempura Fish - This isn't showing on their menu, but is available.  Good. $2

- Tempura Fishcake - Not my favorite as it just seems to be filling and more chewy than tender.  Part of my fishcake was also not thoroughly cooked through as the batter was too thick and the flour was still present in its powdery form.  Avoid. $1.70

- Potato Croquette - This is essentially a mashed potato patty.  If you love potatoes, go for it.  Otherwise, it's more filler.  At least the outside has a good texture.  $2.20

- Salmon Flake Musubi - Not a whole lot of salmon, the price is reflective of what you can expect - more for show, the salmon is well salted, but you might be better off going to an onigiri shop. $1.60

It's easy to order too many pieces of tempura because it's so accessible - just take the tongs and go, but I would suggest two to three pieces maximum unless you've got a huge appetite.  It's quite filling.

I was hoping for a nostalgic experience that would remind me of Hawaii's Marukame and how amazing that experience was, but instead, I left disappointed wanting a hot bowl of soup that would warm me up.  If they don't fix this soon, their reviews on well-known apps will continue to have a mix of praise and those describing people getting sick from the food.  So much potential, and yet they have a ways to go to fulfill it.