粥麵館E NOODLENEW YORK · INDEPENDENT FOOD GUIDE

Best udon in NYC: hot soup, cold noodles and curry

Choose the preparation as well as the thick wheat noodle. A light soup, chilled dipping noodles and a curry bowl make very different meals.

Updated October 25, 2026

Gyunan beef udon photographed for Raku's official East Village menu.Enlarge ↗

Choose your udon bowl.

Compare the broth, topping and serving format before deciding which restaurant fits.

  • Named menu orders and prices
  • Food photos and exact branch maps
  • Visitor comments with platform labels

Hot soup or noodles to dip?

A hot udon bowl combines noodles and broth. A cold dipping order keeps the noodles and sauce separate. Curry udon adds another preparation, so compare the full menu name rather than only the noodle.

Check what comes with the order: meat, egg and tempura may be included, optional or served separately. Vegetable toppings do not establish the ingredients of the broth.

01 / East Village

Raku East Village

342 East 6th Street, New York, NY 10003

Tripadvisor score4.5 / 533 reviewsChecked October 25, 2026

The $15 zaru and $23 gyunan offer a clear cold-versus-hot comparison. Zaru with the $8 shrimp addition also totals $23. The $24 tantan uses thinner inaniwa udon, so do not expect every bowl to have the same thick noodle.

The official menu separates hot udon, cold udon and toppings.Default broth contains fish; ask for the marked vegetarian substitution.Bring cash; cash-only payment is reported by multiple public dining sources. Check payment before ordering.Lunchtime cold-udon combinations are listed Tuesday-Friday, 12-4pm, at $21.
Zaru UdonChilled udon, shiso-leaf tempura and dipping sauce; shrimp tempura is a separate $8 add-on.
$15.00
Gyunan UdonBeef zabuton and Tokyo negi in hot broth.
$23.00
Chicken Curry UdonChicken and onion in thick curry soup.
$22.00
Beef Curry UdonBeef and onion in thick curry soup.
$23.00

Official restaurant menu. Checked October 25, 2026. Prices before tax, tips and delivery fees. Check this menu ↗

What visitors mention

Diners praise chewy udon, savory broth and crisp chicken tatsuta-age.

Keep in mind

Popular dinner times can mean a wait. A January 2023 diner described joining the waitlist about 40 minutes before being seated.

02 / East Village

Udon St Marks

11 St Marks Place, New York, NY 10003

Birdeye (republished Google reviews) score4.3 / 5812 reviewsChecked October 25, 2026

The $13.50 curry set is only $1.51 above the curry-udon bowl and adds a separate curry-rice plate. The $18.50 tempura set supplies two shrimp and vegetables. This is a useful stop for comparing a single bowl with a fuller tray.

Cash only; the official menu also states a $10 minimum per person.Official hours: Monday-Thursday 4-10pm; Friday-Sunday 1-10pm.Price examples are from the restaurant's image menu, not the higher delivery prices on other platforms.
Niku UdonSimmered beef
$12.75
Curry UdonGround-beef curry udon
$11.99
Curry SetCurry rice plus udon; official combination-menu image.
$13.50
Tempura SetTwo shrimp, vegetable tempura, rice and a choice of hot or cold udon.
$18.50

Official restaurant menu. Checked October 25, 2026. Prices before tax, tips and delivery fees. Check this menu ↗

What visitors mention

Recent comments praise cold ponzu udon, fair prices and quick service.

Keep in mind

Cash payment is the recurring practical warning in the visible review sample; bring cash before joining the line.

03 / Williamsburg

Samurai Mama

205 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Trustindex (republished Google reviews) score4.5 / 51,056 reviewsChecked October 25, 2026

For a direct texture comparison, the pork-belly soup bowl is $18 and the dipping version is $17. Kake puts the noodles in soup; tsukejiru keeps them separate. The shrimp tempura option explicitly lists two shrimp, making the portion easier to judge than a generic tempura label.

The online menu has separate soup, poured-sauce, dipping-style and chilled categories.The PDF menu lists vegetarian broth for a $3 supplement; confirm the supplement when ordering.Use the restaurant ordering page for the listed prices; DoorDash prices for the same names are higher.
Niku Kake UdonSoup udon with braised pork belly, eggplant and scallion.
$18.00
Niku Tsukejiru-Dip UdonChilled noodles served beside warm pork-belly dipping broth.
$17.00
Chilled Ebi Tempura UdonChilled udon with two shrimp tempura on the side.
$18.00
Spicy Bukkake UdonPoured sauce with spicy ground beef, egg and vegetables.
$18.00

Official restaurant online ordering menu. Checked October 25, 2026. Prices before tax, tips and delivery fees. Check this menu ↗

What visitors mention

Diners mention flavorful beef udon, gyoza and the long communal table.

Keep in mind

A July 2026 diner liked the beef broth but found the noodles softer than preferred. Service feedback varies between the visible comments.

04 / Park Slope / Barclays Center

Muteki Udon & Ramen

234 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Seamless score4.9 / 551 ratingsChecked October 25, 2026

The green noodles in the salmon-and-ikura photograph are matcha udon. Choose a hot broth bowl, warm noodles without soup, or a cold matcha preparation rather than treating the whole udon list as noodle soup.

The official site says closed Tuesdays.The website describes handmade udon and lists ramen separately.The $22 mushroom example is from the official menu; the two more elaborate prices shown here are explicitly Seamless order prices.
Mushroom Vege UdonMushrooms, spinach, scallion, lemon and yuzu kosho. Official menu scan.
$22.00
Mentaiko Cream UdonWarm udon without soup; the online listing includes beef sukiyaki, cod roe and mayonnaise. Seamless delivery price.
$26.50
Salmon Ikura UdonCold green matcha udon with salmon, salmon roe and cold tsuyu. Seamless delivery price.
$31.50

Mushroom: official menu scan. Mentaiko and salmon: Seamless delivery menu. Checked October 25, 2026. Tax, tips and delivery fees are separate. Check this menu ↗ · Delivery menu ↗

What visitors mention

Udon customers describe the tempura and beef bowls as satisfying and enjoy the cream-udon flavors.

Keep in mind

A ramen customer reported uneven spice levels between two bowls. That comment concerns the restaurant’s separate ramen menu.

05 / Midtown East

Restaurant Nippon

155 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022

OpenTable score4.8 / 5829 reviewsChecked October 25, 2026

Nabeyaki is $21 above the plain $14 dinner bowl, but includes egg, mushroom, fish cake and separate tempura. The official dinner listing and the OpenTable lunch listing differ on the plain udon price, so compare the same meal period.

Official hours: weekday lunch 11:30am-2:30pm; Monday-Saturday dinner 5:30-10pm; closed Sunday.Dinner prices shown; lunch has its own menu.Ask about a separate room charge when booking a private room.
Sanuki UdonPlain wheat udon on the official dinner menu.
$14.00
Sanuki Udon with shrimp tempura or kakiageThe $14 bowl plus the official $15 tempura add-on.
$29.00
Nabeyaki UdonEgg, shiitake and fish cake in hot broth, with shrimp and vegetable tempura served separately.
$35.00

Official restaurant menu. Checked October 25, 2026. Prices before tax, tips and delivery fees. Check this menu ↗

What visitors mention

Guests praise attentive staff, careful presentation and a quieter room suited to conversation.

Keep in mind

Some Restaurant Week guests found the set portions small. A private-room guest reported an additional room charge; ask when reserving.

Compare the orders and prices

Item prices in USD. The menu channel is identified in each restaurant card. Tax, tips and delivery charges are separate unless the menu states otherwise.

RestaurantNeighbourhoodOrderPricePortion / formatPrice basisUser rating
Raku East VillageEast VillageZaru Udon$15.00Chilled udon, shiso-leaf tempura and dipping sauce; shrimp tempura is a separate $8 add-on.Official restaurant menuTripadvisor score 4.5/5
Udon St MarksEast VillageNiku Udon$12.75Simmered beefOfficial restaurant menuBirdeye (republished Google reviews) score 4.3/5
Samurai MamaWilliamsburgNiku Kake Udon$18.00Soup udon with braised pork belly, eggplant and scallion.Official restaurant online ordering menuTrustindex (republished Google reviews) score 4.5/5
Muteki Udon & RamenPark Slope / Barclays CenterMushroom Vege Udon$22.00Mushrooms, spinach, scallion, lemon and yuzu kosho. Official menu scan.Official restaurant menu scanSeamless score 4.9/5
Restaurant NipponMidtown EastSanuki Udon$14.00Plain wheat udon on the official dinner menu.Official restaurant menuOpenTable score 4.8/5

A short checklist for comparing udon

Udon questions

Is udon a rice noodle?

Udon is a wheat-noodle format. Twin Marquis describes its udon as a thick, round wheat noodle. For rice ribbons and vermicelli, see the rice and egg noodle comparison.

Does cold udon mean cold soup?

Not necessarily. In a dipping preparation, chilled noodles are served apart from the sauce. Check the named order and the restaurant’s description.

Can the same restaurant serve both udon and soba?

Yes, some menus offer a noodle choice, but particular dishes may be limited to one format. Compare the soba restaurants and menu examples before assuming the noodles can be swapped.

More ways to choose your next order

Cold soba being dipped into sauce, from Sobaya's official website.

Soba restaurants in NYC

Cold soba, dipping broths and hot bowls, with exact menu examples.

DANBO ramen with sliced pork and scallions

Best ramen in Brooklyn

Six addresses, complete bowl prices, user ratings and neighbourhood maps.

E Noodle Singapore rice noodles

Rice noodles vs egg noodles

Ingredient labels, cooking formats and real restaurant orders.

Thin beef noodles with bok choy in a black bowl at Super Taste.

Hand-pulled noodles in NYC

Pulled strands, hand-ripped ribbons and laghman, with named orders and prices.