Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan｜Hanabishi Chaya

I used to work near here and came to this restaurant often. Possibly one of the best udon shops in Tokyo. Make sure to try the cold beef udon (冷やし肉) (pictured) in summer and the curry udon in winter. Fully recommend. A family owned business and are all super friendly

Hanabishi Chaya is a Sanuki udon restaurant in Ushigome Kagurazaka. It is located on the first floor of an apartment near Ushigome-Kagurazaka Station. Founded in 1979, this is a long-established store with a homely atmosphere. The menu is so rich that you'll never get tired of it no matter how many times you come, with curry udon and nabeyaki udon being popular. The rice bowl set is also a good deal. I think this is authentic Sanuki udon, with Kansai-style udon soup and noodles that are smooth and chewy. It is often featured in magazines, and the magazine in which it was published is displayed in front of the cash register (it was also in the past archives of Ad Street).

It was delicious. As a person from Kansai, I was prepared for the soup stock to be thick for my first udon in Tokyo. Then it's Kansai style. The noodles were also strong and chewy, just like Sanuki udon. And above all, kitsune udon is 650 yen. Most of the other types are priced from 650 yen, and I have never seen an udon restaurant with such a reasonable price in Tokyo. We highly recommend it. Next time, I want to eat curry udon.