KAMAKIRIUDON BANGKOK
S102, Live Work Asia, 31 Sukhumvit 26, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110
Order the mentai tororo egg udon first. The kitchen is Japanese-run, the noodles are made in-house daily, and the texture sits closer to Hakata standard than adapted-for-Bangkok chew. Come for lunch if you want quiet focus on the noodles; come after 5 PM if you want the full izakaya spread.
You walk into a compact room wrapped around an open kitchen counter. The noodles come thick and soft, pulled fresh each service from wheat shipped in from Itoshima Prefecture in Fukuoka. Chef Jun Hashimoto runs the line.
The broth starts with katsuobushi, layered with dried fish and high-quality seaweed. No shortcuts. The daytime service from 1 PM focuses on udon bowls and oden pots; the evening shift from 5 PM opens the izakaya menu with small plates that pair with sake and beer. Mentai tororo egg udon runs 280 baht, premium beef udon with gobo tempura 380 baht, curry udon 300 baht. Oden comes in small (280 baht) or large (480 baht) pots, with clam and oyster variations at 280 baht each.
The room is small. Wooden counter seating surrounds the kitchen, a handful of tables fit four each. The staff speaks English with a Japanese accent; service runs direct and efficient. Shrimp tenkasu comes unlimited as a topping add-on, which is the move if you want crunch without ordering extra tempura.
The restaurant connects to the Fukuoka udon tradition that earned Michelin recognition in 2019, though the Bangkok branch operates independently under the Niwakaya Chosuke lineage. The kitchen maintains the same Itoshima flour sourcing and in-house noodle process. For dessert, the matcha pandan coconut ice cream costs 150 baht and balances the richness if you leaned into the heavier bowls.
Reservations go through the phone line at 02-124-5757, and the restaurant closes Tuesdays. Parking works at the DoubleTree across the street or at Emporium; street parking on Sukhumvit 26 fills early. The location sits a short walk from Phrom Phong BTS, deeper into the soi than the main road traffic.