Dining out is costly these days, not that anybody needs reminding. Few have felt the impact of rising costs more than the food industry. As a result, unearthing reliable, respectable lunch spots that are also affordable has become a formidable challenge.

Marugame Udon is here to make that easier for us.
Originating in Tokyo, Marugame Udon now has two locations locally, one in the Old Town Shopping Center at Lovers and Greenville and one in Carrollton. Their only other U.S. stores are in California and Hawaii.

"Dallas has an amazing food culture and is made up of a diverse set of people. Given these two things and the fact that Dallas is such a trendsetting city, it made sense to go there,” Alonzo Cudd, head of marketing for Marugame, said.

Udon, ramen’s beefier, longer “big brother," as Cudd refers to it, is an exceptionally versatile wheat-flour noodle capable of carrying an array of ingredients seamlessly. The noodles are handcrafted on-site at Marugame.

The service is swift, so if you’re there on a lunch break you’ll appreciate the zippiness with which the store operates. The location has an open kitchen, and the dining space is casual and modern. Instrumental hip-hop is on the playlist, while a flatscreen TV shows a livestream of Tokyo.

Orders are placed at the counter, where you choose your bowl and make it your own with toppings like egg, scallions, tempura flakes and shichimi peppers. Top it off with your pick of tempura, which includes a vast selection ranging from traditional shrimp tempura to potato croquette and several in between: zucchini, squid and a tempura-fried egg done omelet-style, to name a few.

The nikutama ($11.45) is the go-to bestseller on the menu. It’s served with sweet and savory beef and a custard-like hot spring egg in a bold house-made dashi broth. The curry nikutama ($13.95) is another customer favorite, pairing the razor-thin sweet beef and curry.
Meanwhile, the kake, a simple bowl of noodles in a lighter, breezier dashi broth, is a steal at just $5.95.

Other standouts are the tonkotsu udon ($11.95), which comes with chashu (braised pork belly) and miso ground pork with chili oil.
If you’re not looking for udon, you can always opt for one of Marugame’s rice bowls ($10.25). Choose from a crispy chicken katsu in a curry broth and chicken or beef teriyaki.

All of the bowls on the menu are priced well under $20, with most around the $10 mark and two at just $5.95, which we note is less than a McDonald’s combo meal. The portions are generous and the flavors vibrant, providing considerable bang for your gut.

Marugame Udon, 5500 Greenville Ave., Suite 1102, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday - Sunday