Tabelog ratingTeuchi Judan Udon Baka Ichidai is widely cited as the birthplace of kama-butter udon. Thick wheat noodles come straight from the pot and are topped with butter and coarse black pepper. You then stir in a raw egg and dashi soy sauce yourself. Almost every reviewer compares the result to carbonara. The shop only serves noodles within 10 minutes of boiling. The walls and ceiling of the small room are covered in celebrity autographs. It has appeared in Tabelog's Udon "Tabelog 100" selections repeatedly since 2017, most recently Kagawa 2024.
Most guests praise the springy, mochi-like noodles and the balance of butter, pepper and egg. Foreign visitors often call it essential, and several Korean reviewers rank it their best udon in Kagawa. The chicken tempura is a favourite, and even the small size is a full portion. Repeat visitors recommend plain kake udon for its excellent iriko (dried sardine) broth.
The main complaint is the wait, which reaches one to two hours on holidays. Several reviewers felt the dish did not justify it. Some locals and udon enthusiasts find the noodles short on firmness and the dish predictable. Others report curt or shouting staff, and one visitor felt brushed off for not speaking Japanese. Pre-fried tempura can be soggy, and one regular notes prices keep rising.
Reviewers in 2026 paid around ¥590 for a small kama-butter (one noodle ball) and ¥730 for a medium. Chikuwa (fish-cake) tempura and aburaage (fried tofu) were about ¥150 each. Cold kake was ¥380, and onsen-egg beef bukkake ¥790. A medium kama-butter with kakiage came to ¥910. A typical lunch costs under ¥1,000 per person. The shop closes at 18:00, so there is no dinner service as such, and spend at any hour stays under ¥1,000. The food is clearly good value; the real cost is time in the queue.
- Getting there: 5 minutes' walk (about 300 m) from Hanazono Station on the Kotoden Nagao Line, or 10 minutes from Kawaramachi Station on the Kotoden line.
- Payment: cash only. Credit cards, electronic money and QR code payments are not accepted.
- Booking: no reservations. Walk in and join the queue. Queues are often short on weekday mid-mornings or afternoons, but can reach 100–200 people at dawn on holidays.
- How it works: self-service. Take a tray and water, order, pay, then wait for your number. Staff have called numbers in English.
- Children: welcome, including preschoolers.
- Seats: 37 (9 at the counter, 20 at tables, 2 tatami tables for 4). The room is small and crowded. No private rooms.
- Smoking: non-smoking; ashtray outside.
- Parking: 45 spaces split across several lots, with a guide map in front of the shop.
- Tempura: limited just after opening and sold out by late afternoon.
- Take-out is available.