Men-to-an

About 300 meters south of Kintetsu Nara Station, tucked away in a corner of Nara Mochiidono Center Street, there’s an udon shop called Men-to-an, which has a rather intimidating-sounding name. Since it’s located along the route from Kintetsu Nara Station to Kasuga Taisha Shrine—an area that’s already bustling with foot traffic—huge crowds gather around this shop every weekend. The reason for all this commotion is the shop’s signature dish, which is practically guaranteed to be a hit on social media… Determined to see what this famous dish was all about, I steeled myself for what promised to be a long wait and took a little trip to Nara the other day. So…

Be prepared for a long wait! Here’s what the crowds looked like at Men-to-an during lunchtime on a certain weekend…

I visited Men-to-an a little after 11:30 a.m. on a certain weekend. The restaurant puts out a sign-up sheet 30 minutes before opening, but even though I was just a few minutes late, there were already nearly 30 people on the list. I didn’t expect it would be so hard to get in for the first seating at this time… If I visit again, I’ll have to plan to arrive another 30 minutes earlier.

Once the name is on the sign-up sheet, it’s okay to leave the restaurant for a bit. It’s a relief not to have to stand in line. By the way, by the time the shop opened that day, the number of people on the sign-up sheet had reached about 60–70. As expected of a popular spot, it was incredibly crowded.

But what I really need to tell you comes next. Men-to-an has a total of 21 seats, including seven at the counter, but it seems the staff intentionally manage seating to keep some seats empty. At times, about half the seats were empty… Since there was a sign out front that said something like “Special Rates for School Trip Students,” I assume those empty seats were part of a strategic plan for that. But naturally, if that situation continues, other customers waiting in line will start to get frustrated… I saw one customer get angry and complain to a staff member, and after watching how the staff handled things that day, I can’t say I blame them. In any case, you need to know in advance that if you miss the first seating, you’ll have to be prepared for a significant wait.

It Wasn’t Just for Social Media… Men-to-an’s Signature Dish, “Kinchaku Kitsune”—What Was It Like?

So, let me introduce you to the restaurant’s signature dish, “Kinchaku Kitsune,” which I ordered at Men-to-an that day. After placing my order, I waited just under five minutes, and this is what the Kinchaku Kitsune looked like when it was brought to my table…

A single kinchaku—about the size of my hand—floats in the soy sauce-colored broth. There are restaurants in Kyoto that serve udon with these pouches too, and I suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for the “Kinchaku Udon” I’d eaten there over five years ago.

So, let’s go ahead and tear open this pouch…

And dive right in. The broth is a light, Kansai-style flavor, naturally enhanced by the sweetness and richness of the oil seeping from the deep-fried tofu, resulting in a gentle, comforting taste. Meanwhile, the udon noodles have a smooth surface and a chewy, springy texture, even though they’re cooked to a softer consistency. It seems these noodles were boiled in the broth along with the pouch, as the flavor of the broth has seeped right into the noodles themselves. The giant piece of deep-fried tofu is fluffy and soft, having soaked up plenty of broth to make it juicy. When you bite into it, the broth floods into the mouth all at once, and the gentle, seafood-based flavor gently wafts from the mouth up to the nose.

I started adding the ichimi chili pepper from the table partway through to change up the flavor, and finished Men-to-an’s “Kinchaku Kitsune” in just a few minutes. It’s not just the Instagram-worthy appearance—there are subtle differences from other udon shops, like boiling the udon in the broth itself—and I felt it truly lived up to its reputation as a Nara specialty. However, that’s precisely why the slow customer turnover is such a shame… Since it’s not like they’re taking a long time to prepare or serve the food, it makes me wonder even more, “Can’t they do something about this…?”

Other Menu Items at Men-to-an (Prices include tax)

• Curry Pouch: 1,500 yen
• Tempura Udon: 1,300 yen
• Special Curry Udon: 1,200 yen
• Tempura Rice Bowl: 1,200 yen
• Kamaage Udon: 800 yen

The udon pouches are also available for takeout… Men-to-an is a 5-minute walk from the nearest station, Kintetsu Nara Line’s Kintetsu Nara Station.

At Men-to-an, you can also get the udon pouches to go. The “Kogitsune” udon pouch costs 1,000 yen each. The “Kogitsune Set,” which includes three Kogitsune pouches and two bottles of broth, is 2,300 yen—making the set a great value. Instructions on how to prepare the Kogitsune pouches are included, so you can cook them at home with confidence. After all, the dine-in area gets incredibly crowded, so if you don’t live too far away, taking it home to eat might be the smarter choice.

Now, here are the shop details…