Marugame Monzo Brings Insanely Good Udon to Chinatown

Marugame Monzo
Address: 3889 Spring Mountain Road
Phone: 702-202-1177
Hours: Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Marugame Monzo finally arrived in Las Vegas, an outpost of the Los Angeles original that LA Times food critic Jonathon Gold once said "elevated the udon noodle to cult status." Indeed, judging by the lines to get in, thinly sliced udon noodles are the biggest thing to hit Las Vegas since the sushi burrito. The restaurant at The Center at Spring Mountain retail center is operated by Las Vegas locals Mon Restaurant Group, who already run Sushi Mon, Monta, Goyemon, Monta Chaya and Kabuto.

Inside, find a decor of dark wood and distinctive lighting with a glass-walled kitchen where guests can watch the hand-pulled noodles be carefully chopped with a machine resembling a paper cutter.

Monzo, as it has been more informally dubbed, is preceded by rave reviews for its very authentic, thick, rectangular, Sanuki-style udon noodles made famous in the city of Marugame, Japan. To make sure their team keep to traditional preparation methods, culinary staff went to the city to receive on the spot training.

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The insanely popular menu features udon varieties in clam, duck nanban, miso carbonara, mentai shiso and metai shiso, with equally popular starters such as crispy chicken skin and beef tataki.

Just to confuse you even more, the sign says "Monzo," while door declares it "Udon Monzo."

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