Hariya

Hariya is the special kind of udon shop that you can never find in big cities like Tokyo or Osaka. Known as the udon Mecca of the region, Hariya is undoubtedly one of the best udon shops in all of Kagawa. You can't get a more authentic Japanese dining experience: counter seats only, and a crowd of locals at the back waiting for their turn. The counter seats face towards the kitchen, and every hungry customer attentively anticipates their noodle dish as the staff prepare them. There's a slight difference in the udon noodles in Kagawa compared to other prefectures, and this distinct character is quite prominent at Hariya. The chewy and flavorful wheat noodles are soaked in cold water after being boiled, but these aren't the only ingredient that makes Hariya's udon bowls a huge hit. The broth is made from bonito stock and it clings onto the handmade soba noodles effortlessly. The most popular dish, the kashiwa udon, consists of udon noodles with five pieces of chicken tempura. Even though that's the highly recommended option, the other dishes are of top-caliber as well, including the curry udon, vegetable tempura udon, and squid tempura udon. As it is quite a famous udon shop, the queue can get long. Hariya closes its shop when their udon noodles run out, so it's best to be there early to secure your bowl of tasty udon!