Perfect place to go to for a cheap but satisfying Japanese meal, however the prices do quickly add up if you decide to add the different tempura sides as they aren't as good in price compared to the udon bowls.
A big fan of this authentic Japanese ramen bar. They are always so packed, not so much now because of COVID but the meals here are an absolute gem to try!
I always go here to try their udon dishes:
Tonkatsu, Mappen udon, Tonkatsu Red & Black, Koro deluxe and Kake Dragon.
You can’t go wrong with the spice level and tasty chives kick in the Kake Dragon (see pic 👍) Also, they make the best ontama. Super soft, melts in your mouth, semi-runny yolk. Perfection ❤️
You should also check out their sister store next door - Oiden Bowl. Very very tasty dishes, but with rice this time instead of udon / ramen noodles.
So happy my friend introduced me to this restaurant because it is absolutely amazing! I adored the food, very warm and homely, quick service and also just overall very delicious and cheap! This is going to be my new go to place for lunch or dinner :)
Good restaurant! A bit crowded, staff are very friendly. Communicate in Japanese to the cook so there is a vibe of authenticity. Clear sign for where trays were to be put back (eliminates the awkwardness of asking), tempura would be my recommendation (perfectly crisp.)
Cheap, fast and delicious. Definitely worth the money.
My favourite place to go for some great, cheap and filling udon. There is heaps of different udon to choose from as well as lots of Japanese street food snacks in the counter. I love their tamago udon and have been going to this place for years. Great for a quick meal as it gets quite full and busy and seating fills up fast. I can never get sick of this place!
great budgeted noodle bar. Tried their ramen and rice set and all taste good. It is more like a fast food restaurant that you should finish your meal quick and leave the table for the queue.
Mappen Noodle has always been a favourite of mine for quick meals in the city. Service is quick and efficient, food delicious, and price very affordable! Always look forward to visits to Mappen.
Efficient service and a decent bowl of udon! Even though it was rather plain, it was filling enough. Order some of the tempura sides if you're really hungry.
Good price. Good taste. Variety of choice.
Just the seat is limited but is good for breakfast, lunch or even dinner.
I’ll definitely going back a for the next visit.
Really busy udon bar on george street..Really reasonabe on pocket. Their udon mini pot is a steal for $9.90 which has a portion of udon noodle + 2 selection of mini pots from optionz..
Apart from being affordable, it's so tasty and gooooood. The best ramen that I have tried so far
Chanced upon the restaurant and was pleasantly surprised by how affordable it is. They use a cafeteria concept so you order and bring your empty tray along and you can choose to add on any tempura or additional toppings after. Udon tastes really good especially for the price and the regular size (around $9.90) is enough to fill you up. Broth was slightly salty though. Nevertheless highly satisfied and would return again!
Beneath my expectation. Spicy? Really? But have to say snacks are really tasty. In addition, a little crowded. Given all the factors above, I can give only four-star recommendation. Not bad but thats all.
Best udon place I have been to and the price is cheap for the quality you get! Food comes out fast however get in quick to find a table to sit.
Steven Yuniansyah Suyanto
+4
Beautiful and the price of the food is really really cheap! The portion is super big which is awesome and crazy at the same time. Ordered 4 bowl of ramen and really satisfy with the food here.
I get why this place is so popular. No frills, focus on food with affordable prices. I had the large tonkotsu black with a takoyaki on the side.
Tonkotsu plain ($7.90)
⭐️ 3.5/5 ⭐️
🍴Affordable and simple filling meal of warm Japanese noodles (choice of udon or soba). It’s an interesting cafeteria-like concept where after choosing the main noodle & soup base, one can add various tempura/ side ingredients displayed before making payment; It’s mainly self-service, even when getting water/ finding a seat. We added an onsen egg for $2.20 but all of us found it too sweet. The udon was of nice texture and the broth was tasty but a bit salty. I would say it’s a good fuss-free and relatively cheap meal that can satisfy Japanese food cravings but nothing particularly memorable
📍@mappencbd, 537-551, George St, Sydney, Australia
#cafehoppingkidssydney
Every time I visit Sydney it is a must for me to dine here! You really can't beat this place in terms of receiving a well made ramen for a very affordable price. I ordered the Tonkatsu Cha-Su ramen soup with Udon Noodles and the broth was really tasty. The Tonkatsu Cha-Su option has plenty of pork as well! Highly recommended.
😱Lizzie’s first impression: best udon ever! I always come back here for udon.
🍩Lizzie enjoyed: its quick, easy and tastes even better! I come back to this place every time I come to Sydney to visit.
🍅Lizzie did not enjoy: don’t expect flashy service - it’s pretty much self service and sharing tables.
🥇Lizzie rates overall: udon is great and I don’t think I can find anything cheaper or better!
I came and had a tonkotsu plain (udon) + an egg (approx $7.8) and 2 takoyaki sticks (i think 3/4 on a stick, if memory serves me correct).
Udon was fantastic, great portion for a great price, egg was slightly undercooked for my liking. Takoyaki was amazing, soft and perfect.
Would recommend for a quick, cheap, and enjoyable (decent) lunch at cbd!
Mappen is the ultimate Sydney Cheap Eat. No better place to eat out on a budget with dishes from less than 10 bucks! Their Tonkotsu Red is hands down my favourite noodle soup in the city. Perfect amount of heat and so tasty.
Visited April 2019
Location : ⭐⭐⭐
Table/space : ⭐⭐
Portion : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Food Variety : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Price for Value : ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Group with more than 2 person is not recommend ed.. this place pack with people and not a place to chit-chat but ideal place to have quick bite with relatively cheap price.
Have been wanting to try this place for a while, and decided to swing by when I was in the city. Had their Kake udon noodles with egg, crab and many other stir-fried vegetables. Very affordable, noodles had a nice texture and the portion was good. The sauce/soup base was a little too salty, but overall would come back to try other things. Great place for a cheap and fast meal!
My go to place when I’m in the mood for a quick feed that’s filling, delicious, and inexpensive! I love that they have a great variety of soups and rice. The self-service concept is pretty cool with having the options to choose side dishes. The service is pretty quick but it does get quite crowded
Ontama pork lover soba noodle was very good! Signature instant noodle taste I haven’t had in years! The soup was tooooooo salty though. Service was friendly and fast. Even noodle connoisseur Xihuahua 🐶 approve of their soba!
With fairly good Udon for extremely low prices, it would be hard to not rate Mappen highly based on value alone! Although I didn't try toouch of it myself, their cafeteria style pick up provides a good deal of variety as well in case the noodles aren't enough to fill you up.
Cheap noodles! And cute decor too. Get a basic bowl of udon noodles (haven't tried their soba) and add on as much side dishes as you like as you progress down the canteen like queue until you get to the cash register. Don't worry about seating as it turns over very quickly so by the time you have paid there's usually seats available, otherwise try next door as they own that too.
It is one of the best Japanese restaurant in Sydney CBD. Their grilled chicken and vegetarian food are my favourite. They also have special menu $9.90 for 3 small dishes which you can mix and match. Very authentic.
Super tasty food at an extremely affordable price! Food was quickly served and the meal was quite filling. Your standard quality noodles at Japanese restaurant allowing you to leave satisfied.
However at peak hours it gets quite busy and the restaurant is pretty small so it ends up quite cramped and you may not be able to sit with your friends if you come with a large group of people.
There were lots of choices on the udon bowl. The udon was delicious! I spent 3 lunch while I was on my 5 days short trip to Sydney! The price was reasonable too!
Love the udon bukkake with mentaiko.
Love the fact that they accept eftpos now too! Good authentic Japanese food for decent price but better get there for 12pm if you wanna find a seat.
+3 standard points for food
+1 my perfect simple meal
+1 price point on point
Total 5: beaming from my belly!
Noise level: slightly loud.
Portion size: totally in your control.
This is my go to place for a meal that gives me the happies without having me feeling groggy afterwards. $9.50 for udon and two fried sides make up a super satisfying dinner for me.
The menu has a wide variety, but speaking for myself, I have my perfect order here down pat! Cold ontama udon. The lemon and shallots keep it fresh. The cold means the noodles stay firm and chewy even though I’m a bit of a slow eater. The egg is so creamy and rich.
The fact that the noodles aren’t too rich or filling leaves me space for the sides! I personally prefer the sweet potato, pumpkin croquette, takoyaki, or fish tempura!
Find your own go to combo!
Venue: ordering and seating can be quite cramped. The people working there are always polite.
Speedy check in and out. Can't come here with more than 2 people because there is not enough seating. Our group got split up and it wasn't very social. We ate in 20min and left because our spots were needed.
Cheap, delicious, reminds me of Japan.
So many options here, you order your main. There's fried food you can add and so many condiments and extras. My friend and I were lucky to have got a seat as it was very packed for a Thursday evening.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
Skyview plaza is teeming with Japanese restaurants. There will always be one shop to cater what you are craving for at the moment. And since its still cold outside a warm noodle soup would be the perfect meal. Just right beside Oiden this Japanese shop serves mostly noodles. We ordered the Tonkutso Dragon and Tonkutso Kara-age. Service was fast and the crew were friendly enough to tell me what to do once I've ordered. The soup was very good. The bub enjoyed it so much. Downside though, the chicken kara-age was already soggy half-way through the meal. I think its best if served separate? The dragon soup was a bomb. The soup was also tasty and rich with so much flavor and the spiciness doesn't kick in immediately. Not like most spicy noodles that hits you right in the face with just a tiny sip. The Tonkutso Dragon does the slow burn. You still have enough time to enjoy every spoonful before you feel the spicy part of the soup. All in all, a very good meal. Price is also okay considering you are eating within the CBD. Parking is NIL. Take the public transpo if eating in this area.
Lily The Frugal Foodie
+5
Really love this place for a quick delicious meal. My go to is the mini don mini udon set. I usually get the egg or curry one. The tonkotsu udon is also a favorite when I want something more substantial.
The TEMPURA BOWL on rice is a great meal with a bit more body than the usual tempura snacks I opt for which is why it was the perfect choice. The TONKOTSU DELUXE is great as it's got nice big thin slices of beef which I love in a pork bone broth. Nice filling comfort food
Yummba Bondi Juncton
Such great quick service with really nice vegetarian options. I came during peak hour lunch and waited less than 10minutes. Perfect if ur pushed for time on a lunch break. Generous portions for a "small" YUMMBA PLAT with Messe dips, fresh l
Khalal, Sala, tahini, tabouli and garden salads. Would definitely come back!
Cheap comfort food, Mappen noodle
I got the Kake soba with tempura vegetables, seaweed, sweet seaweed and kimchi. I didn't want to order any meat. Quality wasn't the best but since this was a budget meal it's pretty good.
The staff was nice, he helped me recommend what food I should try. There's a range of different soups and noodles, ranging from soba noodles to Udon noodles. Tonkotsu soup to Kake soup. I spent less than 10 dollars with this meal and it does fill me up so that's a +.
Recommend for budget meal only.
(Update)
I had to try their kimchi Soba with Bonito sauce, it's really good, worth recommend. Spend 15 dollars on this whole meal!
Went here on the spot without checking Zomato because I turned up to a Pepper Lunch full of seated customers. I was so confident I found a rare gem but turns out Zomato got there first haha.
Love their range of selections and the variety of add-ons you can get. The cafeteria style layout makes it very efficient to process customers however they don't have enough seating space in peak hour so I try to avoid this place then. Food is authentic, tasty and varied - will be a long time before I get bored coming here! Food is also great value and cleaning service is very quick and efficient.
This place is amazing , fast paced and defs high in demand. it is so worth the hype , its budget friendly and you get all the amazing ramen you could wish of. so yummy , obsessed
The best! It's such a great concept - you walk in, grab your own tray, order a noodle, grab your sides and pay. I always just get the plain udon and add some toppings and it's so cheap! $3.90 for an udon is exactly what I need for a quick and delicious lunch. A definite must-try on a budget or in a time-crunch, the food will not disappoint. Come here all the time and have never been disappointed!
A very decent udon meal for a relatively affordable price. The place can get very crowded, with its small spaces and a bit disorganised layout of tables. Prepare your order beforehand as it may be a bit pressuring with their efficient service.
Located shopping plaza the udon spicy is nice . And tasty with some topping pork mince . And takana. Price is reasonable . Tasty . Not forget their get many choice of selection
Delicious, hot and filling with superbly fast service. There are so many options! If you are feeling hungry then order the large but otherwise regular size is plenty full plus they have extra side dishes. This includes karaage, pumpkin fritters, sweet potato tempura etc. turnover is quite good, so it was easy to get a seat even in peak dinner time on Friday.
Food quality over everything!
Loved the tonkotsu. Had the fried chicken and think I would go for a different one for next time.
Only downside is ambience is a bit off. It’s at the entry of a mall and tables weren’t very clean.
It’s kinda like Maruga*e Udon but way tastier lol. You can choose to have either soba or udon as the base noodle. I always had udon. The portion are quite generous, I couldn’t finish the large size. The broth is flavorful and tasty. But the best part is their nitamago! The yolk was savory and sweet and perfectly boiled.
Yes it is tasty but not amazing. My friend said this as well. Fairly good for its price. But be careful some ramen are not suitable for non-spicy eaters.
Budget, but not boring.
My fiancé and I went to Mappen on a Friday after work after a strong udon craving kicked it. We found Mappen in sky view plaza and like the idea of a cafeteria style udon bar, waiting in line we indulged on a green tea slushie and proceeded to get our udon prepared. We couldn’t resist some little extras (octopus balls and prawn tempura). I ordered the karage chicken udon and ... wow amazing. The food was amazing, affordable and filling, we spent ~$27 between two people and could not have eaten anymore
Worth a visit if your in the area 👌🏼
This is the closest thing you're gonna get to cheap Japanese food but still at a good quality.
Perfect if you want to have a quick cheap dinner or lunch.
Would recommend 5/5
When you are cheap and just want something nice to enjoy. The place is full of people here. It never seems to be quiet. Lucky people eat fast and then they go.
Hardy any small talk here. just eat and go.
The staff who takes your order and the cooks who prepare your meal are Japanese—so you can be sure this place is legitimate. It’s definitely authentic tasting. I had the tempura udon with egg: crispy tempura and umami-filled broth. Amazing value! I will definitely come back.
It was alright. Don’t order their tsuke though. It was very plain and you can literally make your own better than theirs with Japanese ingredients. Udon noodle was addressed very well, unlike tsuke. The beef udon was very salty so I will have a soy sauce based one next time.
Delicous, cheap and in a good location! Nothing what i could complain about!! Don‘t go to the one Bondi! The one in Bondi taste terrible in comparison to the on in CBD!!!
’ll admit I’m baffled by the rating that Mappen has garnered. Zomato has it sitting at a whopping 4.6/5, which is higher than most fine-dining restaurants you’ll find in either Sydney or Melbourne. And whilst I agree that it is certainly good for what you pay for, it’s nothing remarkable, and exists mostly for when you need a quick, cheap, and filling meal. And now that it’s no longer 2011, and I’m no longer 18, I’d much rather pay another $5, and have a proper sit-down meal in a proper Japanese restaurant instead.
This is one of my favourite noodle places for a quick, delicious and filling meal. My favourite is the ontama mentaiko udon (soft boiled egg and salmon roe paste). I love how they also have a large selection of sides as well such as takoyaki and karage chicken which are really nice as well. Service is fast and even though the restaurant may look full, by the time you receive your meal, there will be room somewhere for you!!
Super cheap eats perfect for a broke student like myself. The service is fast, staff friendly and the food pretty tasty. I've been going here for many years now and will keep returning
Delicious ramen, efficient service, great price. Their style and flavor took me back to Kyoto. A good option for a quick and satisfying meal in CBD.
Cheap, decent portion and the taste is decent for the cost. Since the CBD is really expensive people usually come here for a cheap quick and good feed which is why it is a very popular noodle bar. Been here many times when I was broke in many cases so this place has saved me countless times from starvation!
Love this place a lot! Event tho is pretty much self serve but hey the food is really good quality. Mind it’s cash only so be prepare to get some cash in head.
Have been to this place a number of times and it is very authentic Sanuki style. Reminded me my old school friend’s Sanuki noodle shop in Japan.
Mappen has been around for so many years and it continues to bring the goods. I can never get sick of choosing your own base of noodles and then shuffling across the self serve stations and helping yourself to various fried goods (my favourite is the chikuwa!), salads or toppings. The fact that this place has been around for so long and also it’s fully packed tables every night is testament to its success in bringing fast and delicious Japanese noodles to the masses.
The food was better than i had expected!! It’s a small restaurant so there aren’t many seats available during lunch hours but they serve amazing udon!! i definitely recommend it as it is an inexpensive but delicious way to satisfy your Japanese food cravings. The servings are also very filling!!
Not a bad food destination but probably not an accurate representation of a 4.5+ rating. Broth was very flavoursome and had enough depth, but beware of the “extras” as they can easily inflate your total cost with little added benefit.
The availability of menu items is also not guaranteed. For instance, when I visited, the mini rice bowls were unfortunately not available.
Eating here brings me back so much memories of my younger years. I love their tske or zaru soba which is refreshingly delicious which I top up with mountains of their tempura bits and sliced spring onion. I love how you can choose what size and any additional side dishes you would want.
This place shows that you don’t need to go to expensive restaurants for a good feed. Quick, cheap and oddly satisfying. Authentic japanese feel.
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