From Seattle Weekly: “The show-stopping eponymous noodles are expertly made in-house, offering the deep chew that can come only from a freshly crafted noodle.”

Now personally, we think U:Don is a great choice on any night of the week, but who are we to argue with such fine praise?

Any other great reviews out there that we might have missed? Let us know on our contact form!

To celebrate, we would like to buy you lunch on Thursday, May 17th, 2012. All you need to do is download the free LevelUp app on your smart phone and you’ll get $10 to spend on anything you like! Come to U:Don between 11am and 2pm on 5/17 to see what all the buzz is about! We hope you’ll join us and discover a new way to pay!

Your friends at U:Don

From Junglecity (in Japanese): “天ぷらや温泉卵などのトッピングやサイドメニューも充実しているほか、メニューによっては冷たいうどんも選べるので、好みに合わせて楽しんでみてください。” (roughly translated: “The extensive side menu includes tempura and hot spring eggs as toppings, and they also offer cold udon noodles, so you can mix-and-match for your enjoyment.”)

From Seattle Weekly: “U:Don … is expected to be a go-to for University of Washington students when the quarter begins in January.”

A nice note by food writer Jay Friedman of Gastrolust: “I’m excited about the opening of U:Don in the U:District (if you will), as the fresh, in-house noodles are quite good.”

A photographic journey from our friends and family event from our friend Ashwin Rao writing for SteveHuffPhoto.com

And finally, more from Seattle Met’s “Nosh Pit” blog: “The thick wheat noodles are made within view of the dining area, and Kurachi is quick to trumpet his natural ingredients and made-from-scratch soups and sauces. But let’s be honest, he had me at ‘$5′ and ‘noodles.’”

That’s what U:Don is all about: Healthy, tasty, and affordable. We’re Seattle’s udon noodle destination!

We love a great review, so if you spot one out in the internet wild, let us know on our contact form!

The event was also a valuable training ground for our kitchen staff, to help work out all the kinks before our opening later this week. That being said, they performed amazingly under fire, and we really do believe our team is ready to put U:Don on the map!

Check out some photos of last night's celebration!

We’re planning for an INVITE-ONLY soft opening for friends and family the week of December 19th, with regular hours to soon follow…

We’ve been working hard on kitchen training and other vital preparations. In the gallery below, you can see General Manager Lucas Allensworth and Kitchen Lead Matt Hulsey setting up the new tables and chairs in the dining room. The photos on the wall are a collaboration between Scott Pitts’ food photography and portraiture by Christopher Bachmann. Check out our cool new menu boards as well!

[Edit: Just making clear that on 12/19 we're hoping for a invite-only soft opening for friends and family. Invites going out soon. Please stay tuned for more announcements!]

Several images of the photoshoot are in the gallery below. It was quite interesting how each dish was constructed beneath the camera lens, starting with only the udon noodles, and then adding each ingredient one-by-one. In this way, we could both capture the process at each stage, as well as to minimize any potential messiness incurred by transporting a complete dish from the camera to the studio. Food photography is a delicate task, we learned, and every detail counts!

From Seattle Met’s “Nosh Pit” blog: “The menu will include eight to 10 udon dishes, both hot and cold and costing between $3.75 and $5 a bowl. Seriously. … The prices alone are enough to make U:Don a hit with the student crowd.”

From Eater Seattle: “…Unlike the udon Seattleites have sampled at other Japanese joints in town, U:Don will make their noodles fresh, in an open kitchen.”

Affordable, authentic and delicious? You bet!

Things are changing so quickly here at U:Don Fresh Japanese Noodle Station, it’s become so unrecognizable from that early, empty space!

Coming to Seattle’s University District in December, 2011, is U:Don Fresh Japanese Noodle Station. Our udon noodles will be made fresh on-site using the best ingredients, served in a variety of styles with the toppings you choose. You’ll taste the difference!

Japanese cuisine is known to be healthy, but sometimes we as Americans get less than authentic versions of our favorites such as ramen, teriyaki, and even sushi. But U:Don will change the way you taste noodles.