Lunch at TsuruTonTan a Hit with Our Family

Signature Lunch Special

It can be a challenge to find a reasonably priced restaurant with a large enough menu to accommodate a 10 person family with kids with picky palates. On top of that, we like restaurants with ample parking. 

TsuruTonTan is located in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center and opens daily at 11:30am. They offer their happy hour prices until 5:30pm. They also offer monthly specials as well as kama'aina deals. My husband was most impressed with their January $3 draft Sapporo special.

We ordered a variety of dishes and most of us had their in-house daily made fresh udon which was excellent. Service was also great. We all had a great meal and I think this may be our go to in the future!

Takoyaki

Chicken karaage

Curry Udon

Aburi Shime Saba

Spicy Chicken and Cheese

Beef Udon

Taiyaki dessert with ice cream

Parking is validated for one hour at the restaurant, but if you are Kamaʻāina or military, you can receive 3 hours free parking with a purchase of $25 or more. Guests can receive their Kamaʻāina & Military validations from Helumoa Hale Guest Services, from 11 AM through 8 PM, located Building B, Level 1, next to The Royal Grove.

TusurTonTan

Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center

2233 Kalakaua Ave Ste B 310 

Honolulu, HI 96815

 

 

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Udon Yonpachi

My friend and I had tried to have lunch at Udon Yonpachi last month, but after circling the area and failing to find parking, we gave up and ate elsewhere. When we made plans for our next lunch, we decided to try again—and this time, luck was on our side. I snagged a spot right out front, and my friend found street parking just around the corner.

Inside, the restaurant was only about half full, which we suspect has everything to do with the limited parking situation. We both ordered the set featuring their signature dish: dip-style udon noodles served with a hot, mushroom-filled broth and a choice of pork or chicken, along with a mini salad, kinpira gobo, and mixed rice made with hijiki seaweed.

The star of the meal was definitely the noodles. Long, firm, and wonderfully slippery, they had that unmistakable homemade texture that’s hard to beat. 

Everything was flavorful and thoughtfully prepared, and the service was warm and friendly throughout our visit.

If there’s one downside, it’s the parking. Be sure to read the signs carefully—about half of the stalls are reserved for Territorial Savings Bank customers during the day. Still, if you can manage to find a spot, Udon Yonpachi is absolutely worth the effort.

Open Monday through Saturday

Lunch: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Dinner: 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

UDON YONPACHI

1111 MCCULLY STREET

808-949-5959

 

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Udon Gamadashi

Oahu's newest restaurant specializing in udon opened last month in Kapahulu - Udon Gamadashi.  It's located in the Wong Leong Building, which is also home to Mango Mango, Pai Cafe, GNC, and Honu's Kalbi & Sushi.  I will begin by saying parking is an issue during peak meal times, so just be prepared for that when you get here.  

But back to the restaurant, Udon Gamadashi offers Hakata style udon, which is usually characterized as soft, thin udon noodles served in a light, clear broth, tempura, and musubis, in a cafeteria-like setting. First you place your udon order, and as you wait, you can select your tempura (sold by the piece) and musubis.  You pay at the end of the line, then proceed to the counter to the right to get your utensils, tempura sauce, water, etc.

The menu has 10 different udon bowls to choose from, with varying ingredients and toppings. 

I ordered the Goboutem Udon, which comes with gobou (burdock root) coated with a crisp batter.  

They have a great selection of tempura - it's so hard to choose which ones to try!

Musubis are available for sale, but I didn't try any on this visit. 

After paying for my meal,  here's where I got my utensils, water, and tempura sauce.

Only after you get your food, can you find a place to sit. Most tables are 2-tops, with one table for larger groups (4-6 people).

My bowl of udon and two pieces of tempura came out to less than $15 - not a bad price for the quality, taste, and amount of food (I was full at the end). 

While it's a great option for udon without having to go into Waikiki, the parking situation is a significant drawback. 

Current Operating Hours: Monday - Saturday  11 am - 8 pm (closed between 3-4 pm)

Closed on Sundays

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UDON GAMADASHI
755 KAPAHULU AVE
Instagram: @udongamadashi

 

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Take-Out Specials at TsuruTonTan Udon Noodle Brasserie

When the pandemic first hit Oahu in March and the state shut down dining in at restaurants, TsuruTonTan in the Royal Hawaiian Center suspended operations.  Nearly FIVE months later, they re-opened for takeout and delivery, with a limited menu that featured udon sets from $12-20!

The five sets offered on their special takeout menu is as follows:

• Nigiri Sushi Set
• Chirashi Sushi Set
• Sushi Roll Set
• Chicken Karaage Set
• Tonkatsu Bento Set

All sets come with a full size of one of the following:

• Kake Udon (hot)
• Hiyashi Udon (cold)
• Curry Udon
• Cream Udon

They make their udon noodles, dashi, and soups from scratch every day, with ingredients from Japan. My favorite udon is their Hiyashi udon, which consists of cold udon noodles served with cold soup. It's so refreshing when it's hot outside. The chirashi set (pictured above) came with a very generous portion of sashimi - it's definitely adequate for two people.

They receive A LOT of orders for these sets, therefore I highly suggest calling in your order at least an hour in advance of your desired pick up time. 

Picking up takeout from Royal Hawaiian Center restaurants has never been easier now that the Royal Hawaiian Center has stalls on the third floor of the parking garage reserved for those picking up take-out orders (20 minute time limit). Don't forget to get your parking ticket validated.

TSURUTONTAN UDON NOODLE BRASSERIE
2233 Kalakaua Avenue (Royal Hawaiian Center, 3rd Floor)
(808) 888-8559

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TsuruTonTan Udon Noodle Brasserie

At TsuruTonTan Udon Noodle Brasserie, it's is all about udon. They make it fresh, in-house, every day. But what you may not realize is that they also have really good appetizers ...

Seared Salmon Sashimi

Garlic Shrimp

Spicy Tuna Tartare Cone

Hamachi Carpaccio

Soy Garlic Fried Tatsuta Chicken

Select appetizers are discounted during happy hour (11 am - 6 pm; 8:30 pm - closing daily). If you plan to dine here, I highly recommend you come during happy hour!

But try not to go too crazy with the appetizers, because you want to save room for the udon ... hot, cold, curry, sukiyaki, stir fry, spicy ...

Tempura Zaru Udon

My favorites are the tempura zaru, and the beef sukiyaki.

Beef Sukiyaki Udon

There is no cost to upgrade the size to a large, which is the perfect size for sharing. 

Service is outstanding - quick, accurate, and very friendly. Reservations are easy to make (via Yelp or just call), even for large parties (I had no problems making a reservation for 12 people).

TsuruTonTan Udon Noodle Brasserie

Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, 3rd Floor

2233 Kalakaua Avenue

(808) 888-8859

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TsuruTonTan Udon Noodle Brasserie

TsuruTonTan Noodle Brasserie opened its first location in Hawaii in the Royal Hawaiian Center this past summer. Similar to Marukame Udon, they are known for using high quality ingredients from Japan and making udon fresh in-house daily.

We started with the Tatsuta Chicken, which is only $7 during Happy Hour (11 am - 6:30 pm daily), and their top seller, according to their menu.

Since it was a hot day, I ordered the tempura zaru udon off of their "cold" menu. Since upgrades to the larger size are currently free, I opted for the large size.  

Although it doesn't look like a lot of noodles, it's actually a generous portion. I ended up getting half of it to-go.

The tempura was nice and crispy and had the perfect amount of batter on it. 

@WeHeartHawaii ordered the ume shiso shaved ice udon. Interesting concept. All that ice sure does keep the noodles cold and firm.

Although the prices here are higher than Marukame, the menu is a lot larger, they have waiter service, and the wait for a table is not as crazy as Marukame. 

TsuruTonTan Udon Noodle Brasserie

2233 Kalakaua Ave B310

Phone: 808-888-8559

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Iyo Udon Grand Opening June 14 - $1 Udon Specials This Weekend

Iyo Udon in Ala Moana Center will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday June 14 by offering select udon bowls for just $1 between 10:30am to 12 noon this weekend.

I was fortunate to attend a media preview, where I tried the Kitsune Udon with Green Onions, and also had the Fish Cake, Vegetable Croquette, Fried Chicken, and Mushroom Tempura. The freshly-boiled udon noodles were thick and chewy, the broth very flavorful, and the sides and toppings were delicious and filling (my faves were the Fish Cake and Vegetable Croquette).

Center: Kitsune Udon; From top left clockwise: Assorted Musubis, Fried Chicken, Mushroom Tempura, Vegetable Croquette, Jumbo Inari, Mixed Vegetable Tempura, Hot Dog, Pumpkin Tempura, adding the garnishes; sides & toppings; Fish Cake; Asparagus

The restaurant is cafeteria-style - you go to the counter, order your udon (choose from Kamaage, Kake, Kitsune, Niku, Curry, Zaru, Bukkake, Ontama Niku Bukkake, and Kamatama), select the garnishes, and choose your sides and toppings.

The $1 udon bowls on special this weekend from 10:30 to 12 noon include the Kamaage, Kake or Bukkake (must be in line by noon to get the special).

Kamaage Udon

Iyo Udon at Ala Moana Center is the second location outside of Japan (the other is in Korea), and the first in the United States.

Even if you can't make it to Iyo Udon for the grand opening special, the prices are still very reasonable, with regular udon bowl prices starting at $3.75 and up to $7.25 for a large. Sides and toppings range in price from $1.25 to $1.75 each.


Iyo Udon
Ala Moana Center
1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Space 2054
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 955-5888    

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