Homemade Sanuki Udon and Meat Shimbashi Jinza

On my way from Shimbashi Station to the Bario Shimbashi Head Shop, I found a place with a very long line. ”What is it?” I was curious, but decided to head to Bario anyway and left the place for a while. On the way back, I confirmed that it was a Sanuki Udon restaurant named “Homemade Sanuki Udon and Meat Shimbashi Jinza”. At that point, the line was still as long as it had been 30 minutes earlier, but not being able to get a full meal at Bario, I thought, “Let’s go to one more place!” and decided to try the Sanuki Udon noodles at this restaurant. I decided to enter the restaurant without a plan like this, but how was it?

You may be stunned at a quick glance, but this is normal operation… This is how long the line was and how long it took to get in line at Homemade Sanuki Udon and Meat Shimbashi Jinza.

Before I go any further, let me tell you about the line that formed at Homemade Sanuki Udon and Meat Shimbashi Jinza on that day. When I arrived at the restaurant, there were more than 30 people standing in a long line, roughly estimated…

Let me tell you, it was a weekday afternoon. No special events, just an ordinary weekday. So, at a quick glance, the length of the line is quite staggering, but this is the normal operation of this restaurant. The good thing is that most of the customers are businessmen who quickly finish their meal and leave the restaurant, so the wait time is not that long. On this particular day, I was able to enter the restaurant after a 20-minute wait.

Now, before waiting in line, purchase a meal ticket from the ticket vending machine located in the front of the restaurant. Price-wise, it is a good match with the nearby Oniyanma Shimbashi Branch, a popular Sanuki Udon restaurant…or maybe a bit expensive? However, Shimbashi Jinza has 39 seats for customers and a waitress to serve them, so it is quite different in other areas. Standing is convenient when you are in a hurry, but when you are tired, you want to eat sitting in a chair, don’t you? I think this is a good way to differentiate from competing restaurants in the neighborhood.

I heard that the real specialty is meat udon, but… I had cold chicken tempura bukkake at Sanuki Udon and Meat Shimbashi Jinza.

What I ordered at Homemade Sanuki Udon and Meat Shimbashi Jinza this time was chilled chicken tempura bukkake (price: 650 yen including tax). It took about 3 minutes after I handed the ticket to the waiter, and in no time at all, the udon I ordered was delivered to my table…

One ball of Sanuki udon topped with black soup stock and three pieces of chicken tempura the size of a chicken egg.

Let’s slurp up the noodles… They are very thick noodles with a lightly coarse surface, and the broth is well mixed with the coarse surface. When chewed, the noodles are extremely firm, which is probably the typical image that many Sanuki udon fans are looking for.

On the other hand, the soup stock is not so thick, contrary to its black appearance. It has a subdued sense of niboshi broth, and the sweetness of the wasanbon (Japanese sugar) in the broth seems to play the main role in the flavor. However, it is not at all sweet, and the grated ginger gives it a refreshing aftertaste. In my mind, Sanuki udon is classified as a junk type of food, but I think Shimbashi Jinza‘s bukkake udon has a very elegant taste among them.

The chicken tempura topping is made of chicken thigh meat, and when the crispy batter is broken through, the fatty gravy oozes out from the inside. There is a disadvantage that dipping the chicken tempura in cold broth will cool it down, but the chicken tempura with the blend of gravy and broth is, frankly speaking, heavenly.

I left the restaurant after eating the chilled chicken tempura bukkake in a few minutes. The quality of the udon was beyond reproach, and as one would expect from a restaurant with a long line of customers, there were no complaints at all. I was lucky to find a good restaurant. According to the Internet, the first Jinza restaurant is located in Daimon and Hamamatsu-cho, and its specialty is meat udon noodles made with Hayashi SPF, a high-grade pork meat often used for tonkatsu. Next time I have a chance, I might try their famous meat udon at the first store…

Examples of other menu items at Homemade Sanuki Udon and Meat Shimbashi Jinza (prices include tax)

• Kake: 390 yen
• Zaru (dipping sauce) 440 yen
• Tsukimi soy sauce: 480 yen
• Yam soy sauce 540 yen
• Kitsune udon 540 yen
• Naruto natural wakame seaweed 680 yen
• Curry udon 680 yen

Note: A medium serving (1.5 balls) of noodles is available for +50 yen, a large serving (2 balls) for +100 yen, and an extra large serving (3 balls) for +200 yen.

Take-out service is also available…Access to Sanuki Udon and Meat Shinbashi Jinzo is a 4-minute walk from the nearest station, Uchisaiwaicho Station on the Toei Subway Mita Line.

Homemade Sanuki Udon and Meat Shimbashi Jinza also offers udon take-out. For take-out, you can ask the waiter for take-out without standing in line, which is very convenient if you have a place to eat nearby, such as at the office. On the other hand, the restaurant is only open during lunch hours on weekdays, so it is a bit of a hurdle for non-businessmen who have ties to the neighborhood. So, if you have a hard time deciding between Onyanma or Shinbashi Jinza for your Sanuki udon, I recommend that you try Shimbashi Jinza first.

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…

It is a 5-minute walk from JR Shimbashi Station, or a 6-minute walk from Toranomon Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.