Aside from Hawaii, California is home to one of the largest Japanese-American populations in the country, so it wasn’t surprising to learn that Little Tokyo remains a vibrant cultural hub in Los Angeles. While the neighbourhood itself isn’t particularly large, there’s more than enough to explore between the shops, museums, and restaurants. Naturally, I couldn’t visit Little Tokyo without stopping for lunch, so after wandering around the area, I lingered until 11:30 a.m. for the opening of Marugame Monzo, a restaurant known for making its udon in-house.

With so many options on the menu, including fusion creations like miso carbonara udon, choosing a dish wasn't easy. Traditional or modern? For a first visit, traditional felt right. Then came the next dilemma: keep it simple or load it up with tempura, vegetables, and an egg? Thankfully, the nabeyaki udon ($18.75) solved that problem by including a little bit of everything.

One thing I immediately appreciated was that the hot pot presentation wasn’t merely decorative. Seated with a view of the kitchen, I could see a chef placing the pot directly over a flame before adding the broth, noodles, and a freshly cracked egg. The dish was then finished with a meaty shiitake mushroom, bouncy fish cakes, plenty of green onions, and a single shrimp tempura.

The only thing I would have changed was serving the shrimp tempura on the side. Sitting in the broth softened the coating quickly. Still, the broth itself was excellent… deeply flavourful without becoming overly salty. Better yet, the heated pot kept every spoonful piping hot from beginning to end.

The udon was the star. Thick, springy, and wonderfully chewy, it had the satisfying texture that makes fresh udon so addictive. Not wanting an overly heavy lunch, I skipped adding extra noodles, a decision I regretted almost immediately. 

The egg was another welcome addition. As it slowly poached in the hot broth, I resisted the temptation to eat it all at once and instead broke the yolk apart, allowing it to enrich and slightly thicken the remaining soup.

Marugame is a region of Japan famous for its udon, and Monzo does a wonderful job honouring that legacy. After one bowl, it's easy to understand why both the dish and the region have earned such devoted followings. Little Tokyo offers plenty to explore, but Marugame Monzo may have been my favourite discovery of the day. It's the kind of place that turns a simple lunch into a memorable part of the visit.