Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan｜Hiroyoshi

Small local udon restaurant nestled in a town surrounded by denim manufacturing plants and warehouses. This was recommended to me by a denim factory worker as she had said that many denim factory workers go here for some delicious udon. Boy do they know good udon! Selection is not enormous, but the udon shines through. Now, fair warning, english is not spoken at this restaurant, but the menu does have some pictures. What I do have to say garners the 5 star rating is not the food, although the bowl of udon I had was delicious - I got the gyu-ten udon, or beef and tempura - it was the hospitality and friendliness that makes this restaurant. I do not speak Japanese, and believe that I do fit an outsider or tourist image. Even though that was true, the aging chef and owner of the restaurant, was so friendly and tentative! He kept asking if the udon was to my satisfaction. With the limited Japanese I knew and being a charades expert in Japan, I conveyed to the grandpa that indeed, the udon was delicious to the last drop! What ended up happening, the servers, grandpa and myself ended up talking to each other and discussing my travels in Japan and laughing together about things I've seen and what they recommend I see. The small town vibes and hospitality made the food and experience so much better!

Summer only, chilled miso. Recommended. The miso stewed udon is popular, but in the summer they also serve chilled miso until September. ✨

I visited “Handmade Udon Hiroyoshi” in Kojima, Kurashiki City. This shop is popular for its Miso Nikomi Udon (800 JPY), which has a large signboard. However, this time it was a hot day, so I had "Tenzaru Udon (850 yen)" and "Katsudon (800 yen)". The udon noodles have a glossy, chewy yet chewy texture. The dipping sauce was slightly sweet and had a dashi broth effect, which was also my favorite taste. I was hungry, so I was a little greedy to order the katsudon, which was a little too big to accompany the udon. . This was an old-fashioned orthodox katsudon, but because of that, I could feel the high quality of the detailed cooking and finished it deliciously. The people at the shop were all very kind to customers, and I found an unexpected secret place where the taste was good and the people were good.