Sanuki udon noodles is one of Kagawa’s most famous things. Right here in Takamatsu City there is an udon restaurant that offers a special kind of noodles you can find nowhere else in Japan.

The Unique Takoyaki Makun Restaurant

The name of the restaurant is Takoyaki Makun. The restaurant has been around since 1972, and the unique udon they sell now is the result of years and years of research. Makun has appeared on TV, and customers from all across the nation, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, come here to taste its creations.

The photo above is the restaurant interior. Looks like an ordinary udon restaurant, doesn’t it?

But…
This table is packed with food samples. Jumbo shaved ice, overflowing takoyaki-udon, taiyaki-udon, takoyaki-udon, even mixed udon with strawberries. This restaurant doesn’t hold anything back!

The menu on the wall has all the normal dishes, but also weird ones like chocolate-udon. It appears the menu is brand new; it was just put together in October. After much thinking and deliberation, I finally decide on the taiyaki-udon and the chocolate-udon. For the taiyaki, you can choose between anko (sweet red beans paste), custard cream, udon, fried soba, and octopus filling. I have never come across udon-filled taiyaki before. But then again, it’s hard not to order the anko… In the end, I chose both.

As I’d never seen taiyaki-udon being made before, I asked to have a look in the kitchen. Low and behold, there was both anko and udon. The owner, Makun, said that he is particular about cooking the taiyaki in such a way that the udon comes out of its mouth.

Adorable Taiyaki-udon

Here we have a bowl of taiyaki-udon. It looks just the way its name implies. Soft and very delicious, the owner makes all the noodles himself. I was a bit worried about the anko in the beginning, but it turns out it goes really well with the broth. It kinda seemed like another local Kagawa dish, anmochi-zoni (rice cake soup with anko-filled mochi). Apparently, people travel all the way from Tokyo on their bikes to try this udon.

For Chocolate-Lovers

This is the long-awaited chocolate-udon. It is an udon dish with whole bars of chocolate placed on top. This one also looks just the way its name implies. The melted chocolate and the brilliant green of the spring onion look very appealing. It took a bit of courage to take the first bite, but the udon tasted pretty sweet. The dish is especially popular among women, and some customers even eat it everyday.

Frozen Udon Shaved Ice

In this photo, Makun is holding a block of udon shaved ice. (The wink is free-of-charge!)

The block of frozen udon is shaved to make shaved ice. It doesn’t look much, but as soon as it enters your mouth, you realize it tastes like udon. Quite the peculiar dish, there’s condensed milk beneath the ice. There are many flavors, and you can choose between strawberry, blue Hawaii, lemon, melon, etc. I tried the royal milk tea flavor.

By the way, the best selling item on the menu is this deep-fried takoyaki. The outside is crispy and the inside fluffy, and it’s easy to get hooked. When I asked the owner why he made all of these unique dishes, he said that it’s no fun just making ordinary food, and also that he wanted to give travelers from outside Kagawa a reason to come and visit. The menu is updated everyday, and you can ask Makun for his recommendations. Don’t just try Sanuki udon, come to Takoyaki Makun as well!

Takoyaki Makun
Address: 558-16 Kankocho, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture
Tel: 087-835-5481
Open: After 11 – 20:30
Closed: Mondays
Parking: 5 spaces
http://www.ku-zou.com/shop/ma-kun/

Setouchi Finder Photo-writer: Megumi Yamada