Two-Minute Takeout in Waikīkī: TsuruTonTan Udon Noodle Brasserie

We check out the serious discounts at this popular chain.

October 21, 2020

Eric Baranda,

It’s a delicious landscape out there! As we ride out this pandemic, many of us are trying takeout from places we’ve never been before. Eric Baranda goes to Waikīkī to get udon and bentos from TsuruTonTan in Royal Hawaiian Center.

TsuruTonTan in Royal Hawaiian Center is a Japanese chain famous for its fresh, springy house-made udon noodles. Other dishes include izakaya-style appetizers, sushi and tonkatsu — but what lured us this time were serious discounts on things like the chirashi sushi and udon set, which is normally $40 but is now $20.

We got the sushi roll set with curry udon (now $18, usually $35) and the nigiri sushi and cream udon (usually $40, now $20). All these meal sets come with your choice of full-size bowls of udon.

We ordered delivery, but that was before we realized that Royal Hawaiian Center offers two hours of free parking when you spend $10 or more at the center and get your parking ticket validated. Lesson learned!

So how did our sushi and udon from TsuruTonTan hold up as takeout? Let’s take a look.

Note: TsuruTonTan will be joining Noi Thai Cuisine, Island Vintage Wine Bar and Wolfgang Steakhouse in a one-night Frolic’s Night In takeout-and-chill event coming Saturday, Oct. 24. Each restaurant will contribute a course toward this takeout dine-around featuring some of the center’s restaurant all-stars: drink pairings, an ahi poke spread appetizer, a full set of crispy tonkatsu and udon, and world-famous Junior’s Cheesecake from New York. Click the link above for details.

Open daily 11 a.m.–2 p.m., 4–8 p.m. Royal Hawaiian Center, 2233 Kalakaua Ave.,