My mother loved this place the first time she visited, so she brought me second time round and I absolutely loved it!
The tempura prawns were so fresh yet so crispy and well cooked, no smell of oily fat!
The udon noodles seemed like they were handmade at the restaurant - since they were fatter than the regular udon noodles, they needed a little bit more time to sip in the udon flavour, but was still great.
The sukiyaki udon was sweeter and saltier than the regular udon, which we absolutely loved. Great flavour :)
The food is absolutely to die for, it’s magnificent! The service is a bit worse there is one lady that does everything and often get overwhelmed by having too much to do and a young boy that pretty much just does nothing and often gets in the way instead of helping. I watched the young guy shifting dirty plates from table to table for 30 minutes instead of clearing them to the kitchen while customers were waiting to be seated lol
Came here the other day. Had the tempura prawn udon. The tempura prawn was nicely deep fried and the udon was nice and freshly made.
Service was good but I think the unisex toilet needs to be maintained better. The toilet seat was broken too.
So if you want to eat at this place, I suggest to empty your bladder elsewhere first.
Taste - 4/5
Ambiance - 3/5
Value - 3.5/5
Service - 3.5/5
Hygiene - 2.5/5
Love the food presentation and also the ambiance of the restau. The people were nice as well.
Im not really a fan of udon, but id try the curry udon— but it was a bit too much for me.
They close early at 9, wish we could have stayed longer.
I would gladly take my husband to try this restau, but prob not for the udon.. wanted to try the other stuff on their menu.
The best udon in Auckland hands down. They hand make their udon noodles fresh and they’re so delicious and chewy. Service is always super friendly as well.
This is one of my locals and I’ll always come back!
I didn't realise how much I loved udon until I tried this place. New Zealand thanks your presence. Every dish I tried is superb and made with care. Amazing service always too. The squid ink udon got me feeling all types of ways 🤤 their portion size is also 💯 but it's so good I can have 2 bowls to myself no cap. Go try it, you won't regret it. I don't even want to review because I don't want this place to blow up but it deserves the clout.
Erin - Gold Code For 20% Off : CATH6386
+5
I’m craving for udon since i came back from my home-country. And found this restaurant in zomato, give it a try and i think it’s really worth the money. The place is quite small so maybe have to queue for sometime during lunch or dinner time. But should be ok. Also the food really nice and have authentic Japanese taste. Will definitely come back to try different dishes here
Best udon I’ve had so far!
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
I came to Udon Works with my mum and brother and we were left very impressed. It is a short walk from the busier parts of Dominion Road but the restaurant was still very busy and served affordable food (just like the rest of Dominion Road).
The menu was quite difficult to understand as we were unsure with 90% of the dishes but we came to the conclusion that I was getting the kitsune udon, my brother got the sashimi bukkake and my mum got the chef's special (tonkotsu shoyu udon). The service was very efficient and the food came out very quickly so we were definitely impressed by that. They do give a free appetiser while you wait for your meal (I think we got chickpeas). When the food arrived, we saw that the serving size was massive for the price and the food produced was very high quality. My brother enjoyed his sashimi udon a lot, saying the sesame oil sauce was absolutely delicious. My mum's tonkotsu shoyu udon smelled so good! I was kind of jealous of it because the sesame smell combined with the pork broth was penetrating my nose. My kitsune udon was very delicious too, the broth was very light in flavour but you could taste the sweetness of the broth. The udon impressed me the most, as it was able to maintain its chew and bounce throughout the meal (didn't get soggy). The deep-fried tofu soaked into the broth captured even more flavour when I bit into it.
I highly recommend Udon Works for an impressive high-quality lunch/dinner for under $20.
Discovered this little gem one day when I was craving for udon. The restaurant is small but has a cozy and reasonably clean environment.
I had the Sashimi Bukkake Udon. For less than $20 I was very impressed with the quality and quantity of the meal. The sashimi were very fresh and beautifully arranged on the boat. The udon was chewy and the broth was fresh with a taste of dashi.
Friendly waitress and very attentive service. my meal was quick to serve.
P.S. they don’t accept credit card payments
Food: 9/10
Food presentation: 10/10
Service: 9/10
Ambience: 7.5/10
Value for money: 10/10
Price $19 per person (excl alcohol)
If you like udon, this is definitely the place you should come often!! The tempura prawns are so crunch and fresh; chicken soup base is excellent, but very hot, may not be a good choice for summer. Highly recommend!!
Best うどん屋 in Auckland!!!. I can feel that the cheif put all the love in each dish while cooking ❤❤❤ really wanna try the whole menu xD
Udon there were amazing~ You can taste that their noodles are different from those in other regular Japanese restaurants. It’s nice and chewy~ I really loved the texture! Agedashi tofu was also nice but nothing special but still good to try. That matcha filled cutie was really smoky, but good though. The outside shell was not waffle-like, it’s kinda chewy and sticky and the filling tasted like white bean paste with very mild matcha flavor. Maybe they just put a little bit of matcha power for the color.
First few times we went here we had to wait about 30mins to get our food but this time it came out after 15 mins which is a huge improvement. Still extremely happy with the food, I love how their typical Japanese dishes aren't done the typical way. For example the agedashi tofu had ginger paste and a thicker dashi.
Alvis Wong - Gold Membership ALVI5417
+5
We always saw this restaurant pack of people in the weekend and have a chance to tried during weekdays. Ordered a tempura prawns cold udon noodle with sesame sauce. 5 prawns and the tempura coating was very light and crispy. The cold udon noodle was better than the udon in soup. Each table come will one small side dish. Japanese chef and waitress. Overall very satisfied.
Friendly staff and authentic Japanese food, very nice restaurant!
Wow! You can clearly tell that the food is meticulously prepared. The dishes may look simple, but a lot of thoughts, details and love are put in to making sure they serve the best.
It was our first time at Udon Works. We are grateful that there’s not only a dedicated but authentic Japanese restaurant which specialises in Udon, now in Auckland.
From the broth to the chewy texture of their made-from-scratch Udon noodles to the tempura prawns, everything was perfect! 👌🏼
The udon absorbs the broth really well and gives a nice enjoyable bite and flavour. The umami of the bonito broth compliments the texture of the Udon. Plus, with the delicious tempura prawns, they provide the additional wow-ness to the whole dining experience.
Highly, highly recommended and we’ll definitely be back.
I have been there twice both time are pretty good. Kinda feel like cold udon go with soy sauce well. The sashimi one was disappointed me a little bit cause the portion is too small. Anyway still highly recommend.
I was pleasantly surprised with this restaurant as I haven’t heard about this place before. The staff were attentive and friendly. The portion sizes were huge. The tempura here is done to perfection. I liked the subtle flavours of the kake udon broth and the little tempura bits -very authentic (reminded me of the udon joints I went to in Tokyo). I had the pork belly to go with the udon and that was well cooked and tasty too. Would definitely recommend this place to my family and friends.
Very nice place to eat the portions sizes were very big and I was satisfied at the end of my meal. The broth is made in house which makes the food even nicer. They could touch up on service a bit but they only had two waiters.
So far this place is the best udon place I’ve been to! This place was recommended by a few of my friends and they even warned me that the restaurant would be busy during meal time. Luckily my friends and I went there when they just opened for lunch so we got your seats straightaway.
The plates and setting of the meals were so pretty. Huge serving but the price was not too high. Sukiyaki and the inari sushi were really good. My friends and I didn’t expect this high quality so we were all very satisfied and said we would definitely eat there again.
If you want to go on a date for affordable authentic Japanese food, this is the place you can bring him/her to, to impress them👍🏻👍🏻
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Been here several times, udon is good, feel like is hand made, huge portion and nice decorations. However the wait sometimes is way too long, expecting 30-50 minutes wait in a busy night.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Came here for dinner on a cold winter night on the boyfriend’s recommendation. I can say this is hands down the best udon restaurant in Auckland, if not the whole of New Zealand.
I had the chef’s special anago udon and the boyfriend had their pork kakuni.
The udon noodles are handmade - evident from the fact that the udon noodles are not of the same thickness.
The udon broth tastes amazing, just like how it tastes in Japan. It has the well-balanced clean taste from hours of brewing the magical concoction of dashi made from bonito flakes, konbu and niboshi.
The anago and vegetable tempura is perfectly fried - evenly coated yet light and crisp without the oily taste.
I would definitely come back again with the boyfriend but I won’t be telling my friends about this place - because there’s not enough tables! I don’t need more competition!
Lastly, service. Impeccable. It’s the kind of Japanese hospitality you will receive in Japan itself.
Thank you Udon Works, you have made my dinner and my belly very happy today. Please continue to maintain this standard.
Vy2 - 20% OFF ZOMATO GOLD “IVYWIT”
+4
I personally found that the deep fried dishes were the highlight of my visit. The tempura coatings were thin and light but still very crispy, not oily at all. I liked the fried dishes more than the udon.
Another highlight would be the portion of the food, they were HUGE!!
Straight up best udon noodle bar in Auckland. The udon is bouncy and is good quality unlike other places which are from the packets. I recommend the Bukake which is udon noodles with a cold broth. The agedashi tofu is delicious too. Portion sizes are decent. Would highly recommend coming but it is a small cosy place so bear that in mind, it gets packed. Came back and had squid ink one which was delicious and savoury .
Amazing Japanese restaurant!!
I would say one of the best I’ve tried in Auckland.
The soup for udon isn’t salty, like many other Japanese restaurants, and the flavour has Udon Works’ original taste, which I love :)
The portion is just perfect, which is usually the lacking trait of Japanese restaurants.
I had Anago Tempura Udon (Salt-water eel tempura udon) and I lost words.... The batter for the tempura was so crispy but the eel inside was moist; I was really impressed how the eel inside the tempura batter didn’t lose its moisture.
I would definitely come back and try other dishes!
Thank you for the wonderful experience :)
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Came here for dinner with friends after hearing raves about the udon. While the restaurant is quite small and busy during peak dinner times, we had no trouble getting a seat for 4. We ordered:
1) Edamame- decent portion, well cooked and seasoned so not soggy or too salty
2) Prawn tempura udon- my friend was surprised at the amount prawns served (5 big prawns!)
3) Chicken tempura udon
4) Special Wagyu udon- served in a hot pot over a flame to keep it boiling and the rare wagyu on the side.
5) Anago udon- I ordered this udon. The anago tempura was well battered, crispy and light. I enjoyed the seasoning of the tempura dipping sauce to pair with it. While the noodles were a good texture, I did find the broth too light, lacking in flavour. I would have preferred the soup to be served slightly hotter in temperature especially when eaten on a cold winter night.
Overall nice cosy place for dinner, parking is easier to find being just slightly further down dominion rd compared to the busy stretch of Asian eateries, great service and big portions.
The best udon that we have tried so far. Tastes very authentic. Fast service. Very friendly and attentive staff. Highly recommended! Two thumbs up!
I had the Teriyaki Salmon Donburi. To be honest, I was not expecting it to be as good, because it seemed like their main speciality was Udon, but I was pleasantly surprised. The salmon was a good portion size, and was cooked well, with all the elements working together well. Even on a Friday lunch, the place was fairly full, so watch out for that.
We tried vege tempura udon, squid ink udon, and regular one with soup. Loved all the dishes & staffs were friendly! Will definitely go back soon
Easily the best udon, if not the best Japanese food, I’ve had in Auckland. The food is exceptional and they have Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and other alcoholic and non alcoholics from Japan. Seriously good, will be back again.
Finally tried this and it did not disappoint. It is very authentic and taste like the one that I had in Japan. Each dish have great presentation which is perfect for Instagram post 😆 I would highly recommend others to try this if you like Japanese cuisine.
Note: the agedashi tofu here is the best I have had in Auckland.
Tip: This place gets pack very fast so if you want a guarantee seat then go when they just open.
Perfect little udon restaurant for the cold weather. The udon is served still boiling in the clay pot so you know it’s going to be hot! We ordered the agedashi tofu to start and my steamed chicken udon also came with a piece of sushi.
The portions are real big too, I couldn’t finish my meal.
The restaurant is small but cosy and the staff are really friendly. Will definitely go back!
Very delicious and big portion of udon. I think it is one of the best in town. Loving the tempura texture. Crispy but not greasy. The soup is yum without seasoning. Worth a try !
The Sashimi cold udon is the best! there are two choices of sauce, original soy sauce or sesame sauce! The udon+ sashimi is less than $20! Very reasonable price. The udon is chewy and fresh. one of the best in Auckland.
I got the vege kakiage tempura with kake udon and extra fish cakes. Food's good for the price, but it wasn't worth the wait. We had to line up outside and then we waited 30 minutes for the food. It tastes like any other udon I've had from Japanese restaurants.
Edit: May 2019
I came back with a friend for dinner tonight and the service has gotten a lot better 😍 The food came out a lot faster and the waitresses were super attentive. Thanks for a good night! 💕
A tiny shop with great udon! We ordered the prawn tempura udon set and sashimi udon set (cold soup) Udon is very freshly made with slightly chewy texture.
Sashimi is very fresh and amazing tempura
However due to the limited seats ( about 7-8 tables) , you have to be prepared for thewait , especially when you have a larger group.
Been here 3 times now and it gets better everytime. Their squid ink udon is a must try!! Super tendon udon and that squid ink is not too overwhelming and just nicely balanced flavour. I love it!! But if you're not a fan, u can try their cold udon with soy sauce with the sashimi set. Totally worth the price and fills u up so quickly!
As a side, my fav is the grilled kingfish so juicy and sweet.
Kake Udon
Kara-age Chicken
Udon: thick noodles with a flavourful broth, balanced nicely with seasoning. Added kick of flavour when excess sauce from the chicken added.
Chicken: crispy, tender and well cooked with an incredible side sauce.
Service was incredibly friendly and quick, the staff also managed the queue outside professionally and courteously. A real taste of authentic Japan.
We stumbled into this restaurant for a delicious lunch. Amazing taste. There is certainly a lit of thought been put into the soups and menu. Well done. Will be back to try the rest if the menu.
Best artisan, freshly made udon I've had in New Zealand! Not exaggerating at all - the texture of these are amazingly bouncy. We tried the sashimi with udon dish, with an assortment of very fresh sashimi (7 kinds). You have the choice of sesame sauce or soy sauce, and we though the soy sauce option was brighter and more suited to the sashimi. The Pork kukuni had 6 big pieces of braised pork belly with a delicious broth - which is probably even better than the warm soup the udon came with. Tried the special Anago tempura which is a type of eel. Quite different and glad we came here finally. Will be back to try other things like the prawn tempura.
I recommend the squid udon or the prawn tempura udon. Tempura is A grade batter, light and crispy. Fast and friendly service. They consistently top up our water
Found this spot when it was new and have been returning for months. The food is very presentable and hand made udon are the taste of Japanese authenticity. It has gained so much popularity now that we struggle to find a seat as compared to when we first visited. I just hope the standards and portions don’t change due to increase in popularity!
Neverstopeating (20% Off Zomato Gold Code: NEVE9390)
+4
Wow wow wow. Visited Udon Works on a chilly night and we really like it! This place is not big so you might need to wait during dinner time. I ordered a Kake udon (plain warm udon) and miso nikomi with steamed chicken and warm udon.
Love their handmade udon, so fresh and portion is huge. The broth is tasty and flavourful too. The miso nikomi with minced chicken served on a hotstone pot is really good! Highly recommended! I will definitely come back again soon
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
It is so good to finally have a place in Auckland that does udon well. The portion sizes are phenomenal for the price and not to be underestimated. I saw several other people leave with takeout containers. I eat a lot, and even I was feeling it at the end. You will not go hungry here!
The decor and presentation is lovely, which makes it a nice experience. The place is rather small though, so it is constantly packed. I also liked that you could see into the kitchen.
The sashimi came out first, beautifully presented and very fresh. The scallop was very sweet and tender. The cuts of tuna and kingfish was also especially good. I think it was good we decided to have the sashimi and not the tempura given the amount of food about to hit us next.
There was also some complimentary pickled vegetables, which was nice but nothing especially special.
The beef sukiyaki udon was delicious and came steaming and bubbling away to the table. The egg was soft boiled to perfection and the assortment of tofu, bean sprouts and tender onion really helped balance with the ginormous amount of udon hiding in the rich broth. The noodles were chewy and smooth, which was excellent. Udon can sometimes be a bit tasteless after a while but I think the broth made the udon very flavourful. It also comes with their "special" inarizushi, which is sushi rice in a tofu pocket essentially. It was nothing special per se, but it was a nice break from the broth.
The pork kakuni with kake udon was equally impressive portion-wise with pieces of fatty pork belly accompanying a generous bowl of udon. The pork was very lightly seasoned, so it's best when liberally dipped on both sides in the sauce it's served in. The sauce really brought out more of the flavour. The udon was just as chewy and good, but had a lighter subtler flavour accented by the tempura crumbs.
Overall, amazing value for money in terms of portion sizes and guaranteed to satisfy any cravings for a genuine Japanese udon experience.
Delicious broth and noodles, huge portions too. Would highly recommend. The tempura wasn’t on point when I visited (chicken underdone and vegetables stuck together in one big mass) but definitely planning to go again and give their other items a try.
Amazing place! Plates are vey tasty and huge, great service and good prices.
We had the Prawn Tempura and the Kakuni Udon. Hard to finish, but we made it! We are going back soon.
A wonderful find on the already busy Dominion Road!
We've been here twice now and both times have been amazing. Udon is nice and chewy, and the soup base for the hot udon was very flavourful. I love the fun of grinding your own sesame seeds for the prawn tempura cold udon, which also tasted fantastic.
The range of a la carte side dishes is great - I recommend the potato salad and ika geso karaage (deep fried squid legs)
There are also drinks and donburi options for those into something else.
The place is nicely decorated, though a bit small. There are seats outside while you're waiting and the staff are all very accommodating and friendly.
Definitely recommended! Will be back soon :)
Have you ever struggled to find a decent Japanese meal in Auckland? Or at least crave for udon noodles?! YAAS people, I get you! And I’ve got you!
My family and I literally came in when they opened today (yeah, we were one of those hungry customers). Warm smiles and greetings from staff and they explained us about their menu.. from warm udon to cold udon. I had ordered the sashimi udon and I will say, WORTH IT! fresh fishes and the udon noodles are handmade (tasty AF). Massive, enough for me to get by the whole day & that says a lot cause I have an appetite like a sumo wrestler (true story).
I don’t remember what my dad got, but the number on the menu was number 10. Something with crab... anyways his udon choice was off the chart!
My nephew who is under 2 yrs old, loved everything! Family friendly, they have the seat for babies. Please try this place! :)
The food itself is excellent quality and the service is fantastic. The portion is big and the representation is well presentable. Always walk out with a belly and a smile. Clean environment.
Delicious authentic Japanese restaurant that specialises in udon (both hot and cold). Their udon noodles tasted so good because the ingredients are designed for NZ’s climate.
For my visit, the two of us has ordered - Ikasumi udon which is squid ink udon with squid tentacles tempura (warm udon non soup base); and prawn tempura with Kake udon (soup base).
I highly recommend you to try out the Ikasumi udon if you fancy squid and garlic, and a little venture for black udon! I must say, it was quite a generous proportion for Japanese cuisine.
Their service level are friendly and thoughtful; the restaurant is clean and tidy, definitely living up to the Japanese standards!
P.S. They also have a decent menu for donburi (rice) too which I would like to give it a go on my next visit.
This place is delicious. Really great portion sizes and they don't cheap out on the meat. It goes without saying that their udon is delicious.
The sides were well priced and of great quality.
The service was very quick and helpful.
Will definitely go back!
If you want an authentic Japanese udon house experience, go to this restaurant. Udon is done in house. Food is prepared in the morning and cooked as you order. The dashi of the broth tastes amazing. It's full on most nights, so come in on a Monday or Tuesday. Good food, good service.
The food is absolutely incredible, and the staff is very friendly.
The value of the food is also fantastic, with good portion sizes. Definitely recommend.
After waiting a year to bring my family here we finally were able to get a table for dinner by arriving at 5.30pm on the dot( they don't take bookings). The food was great and worth the wait, fresh and tasty with a subtly favoured broth. Dietary restrictions were well catered for. Unfortunately two mains arrived well after the first two. The two waitresses were busy, so I am not sure what happened. I still recommend this lovely small restaurant because the food is so good.
Such a great little Japanese restaurant selling delicious udon! This is the freshest udon that you can taste with yummy sashimi for $25!
One of my new favourite places to eat in Auckland! Staff are so friendly and helpful, the food is delicious and fresh, and everything is reasonably priced. The vibes were immaculate ✨ and the place was very reminiscent of restaurants I've been to in Japan. I have recommended UdonWorks to all my friends and I will definitely be back! :)
Beef sukiyaki is my favourite, and for a rice dish I highly recommend chicken teriyaki donburi. The flavours are always so amazing here, have been back heaps :) only downside is that it is a fairly small place and lines can be long! Just get in early
The food is very very tasty. We love this place and the service was good. It is understandable that they are busy but when you advise the length of the wait times please ensure that you advise accurate information. We were told to wait 10 to 20 minutes but ended up waiting for 40 minutes.
The service was a bit slow but given the amount of people, it is understandable for me, but some people would perhaps need to take this factor into account before walking in.
Great authentic Japanese food. If you are looking for warm Japanese food and your number one favourite carbohydrate is noodles, this is the place for you! If you want to try a little bit of everything highly recommend to share an udon with another person and get two entrees. Make sure to start lining up before opening time as this place can get busy quick and wait time can be 20-30 minutes during peak dinner time.
Amazing, authentic handmade udon! Everything was delicious and the portion sizes are huge, I couldn’t finish everything but great value for money. The teriyaki tofu was fantastic.
The restaurant is decorated so nicely but it is very small, understandably have to wait a little while for a table with a large group but it’s well worth it
One of the best places to enjoy udon, love that you can have as a hot soup or cold style. Very reasonable price for what you get. Only downside is usually having to wait and it's a small shop
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