Katsura, a bedroom town in the western part of Kyoto City, is a place where the locals complain that there are few places to eat out. However, this does not necessarily mean that there is no good food. In fact, there is even an udon restaurant beloved by the locals that sometimes draws a line out the door during lunchtime. There is…

Kyoto Katsura Tsurumen’s homemade udon noodles are made of 100% domestic wheat and are safe to eat!

Located a 3-minute walk from Katsura Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line, home-made udon Tsurumen is a Sanuki udon restaurant that insists on using 100% domestic wheat. In addition to udon, Tsurumen also offers rice bowls such as oyakodon and set menus such as the ginger-yaki set meal and the Tsurumen set meal, making it the perfect place for a reasonably priced Japanese-style meal.

The interior of the restaurant is bright and clean, with a total of about 7-8 seats at tables for 2 and 4 people. It seems to be run by a couple and has a homey atmosphere.

I ordered the meat udon set for 750 yen with rice for an additional 150 yen. You can choose one of four types of rice: kayaku gohan, tamagokake gohan, chirimen sansho gohan, or negi gohan. A large serving of rice is free of charge, a great service for big eaters.

Here it comes, the meat udon. Slices of beef seasoned with sweet sauce cover the entire surface. The side dish of rice with chirimen sansho (Japanese pepper paste) is also very generous, filling more than a bowlful.

Let’s start with the meat udon… The noodles are probably thin for Sanuki udon. The noodles are soft and glutinous, not chewy like most Sanuki udon noodles. They are boiled hard enough for even small children to eat.

And the soup stock is Kyoto. It is light in flavor, but the broth is very effective…gentle, sweet, and very elegant. It is no wonder that many customers drink up all of the broth.

And the side dish of rice with chirimen sansho (Japanese pepper). The rice is not sticky, and each grain stands on its own. When you put the fluffy cooked rice in your mouth, the pleasant aroma of Chirimen Sansho comes wafting from the back of your nose. Although it is not recommended for those who do not like aromatic vegetables, you can enjoy this small luxury with delicious udon noodles.

Even those who are allergic to buckwheat can enjoy the udon noodles! Tsurumen, a homemade udon noodle restaurant, is a 3-minute walk from Katsura Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line.

Now, there is one thing you should be aware of before visiting this restaurant. This store is an udon shop of the type often found in local towns, but it does not serve soba. So, if you want to eat soba, you will have to go to another restaurant.

On the other hand, the fact that they do not serve soba means that people who are allergic to soba can order it without worry. Some people are allergic to buckwheat just by mixing a little hot water from boiling buckwheat…so even if you have such a friend with you, you can eat udon at Tsurumen with peace of mind.

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…

P.S. If you are looking for delicious udon in Kyoto, please stop by this article…