I thought it was only in Saitama, but happened to spot it in Tokyo too, so I visited. There's nothing particularly outstanding about this place, but the hiyashi chuka really had an old-fashioned flavor that felt somehow comforting.

+2

I like 山田うどん and often go with my family. I asked for no onions, and when confirming, they clearly said without onions, so I thought it would be fine, but it arrived with them all there. The staff in both the dining area and kitchen were all students, and the order slip said no scallions. I felt sorry for the staff member who took the order, so I picked them out myself and ate, but, hmm…somehow, is this stir-fried…? Well, I can eat it! I thought, but then my husband said the ramen he always has tasted strange too. Our child's udon seemed fine, but the fries and nuggets…these…are they fully cooked…? Maybe they are…? It was worrying enough that I couldn't let our child eat them, so, sorry, we left them uneaten and went home. We won't go to this location again.

This was my first experience at 山田うどん食堂. I'd occasionally seen it featured on TV and had wanted to try it at least once. Looking at the menu, there was a whole lineup of appealing options. For someone like me who can't resist generous portions, it was irresistible. I ordered a set meal. The curry had an everyday, mass-market feel. The udon was for people who prefer softer noodles. The broth was geared toward general tastes too. It's just the place for everyday meals when generous portions and value for money are your priorities.

We were shown to the tatami seating area, borrowed a little children's chair, and little Chi took a seat there. What we had here was⋯ ・Katsudon 790円 (tax included, as are the prices below) When I ordered, I was told, “It will take some time.” It arrived a little after little Chi's and my husband's orders, but much faster than when I've ordered it at soba or tonkatsu restaurants♪ The sauce was a little sweet, the kind that makes you want some red pickled ginger. The katsu wasn't thick-cut, but it was plenty thick and large enough, with a generous portion◎ The whole katsu was nicely bound with egg and soaked in the sauce, making the rice go down easily(´﹃｀) ・Children's set: ramen 490円 It arrived so instantly that I was surprised—“Are these barikata noodles!?” (lol) Apparently it tasted good too, because it was polished off! The juice and fried sides (karaage and hash brown) were appealing, but portion-wise, little Chi needs the regular ramen(^_^;) ・Weekends and holidays only: Yamada set, tanuki soba 990円 My husband chose soba for this set of the restaurant's top-recommended kakiage rice bowl + Punch (stewed offal) + soba or udon. We ended up with nobody eating udon at Daudon, but it was a much-appreciated place that's easy to visit with children and offers good value♪ Thank you for the meal!

+3

With roadside chain restaurants like this, I inevitably tend to compare them with gyudon chains, but price-wise, 640円 for this tempura udon is expensive. After all, places like this are where poor people come to eat, so if they'd work a little harder to keep prices down, I'd go every day. Even a station udon shop wouldn't get customers if it were this expensive, right? If the management executives are reading this, please give us a place we can visit every day. I didn't find the taste either good or bad, but the staff's smiles and service were good.