Futago Udon Review: Homemade Noodles in the Heart of Boston

Approaching 6 p.m. on a Wednesday night, there is a line out the door for a seat at Futago Udon. This authentic Japanese restaurant located in the center of Boston’s Fenway neighborhood has been serving homemade udon noodles and comforting broths to Bostonians since 2019. While you wait to add your own to the handwritten list of names awaiting a table, DoorDash and Grubhub drivers alike zip up to the curb in motorbikes and flurry about the restaurant’s foyer, harboring a steady stream of online orders.

While the restaurant is certainly well-stocked with clients for a weeknight, the line of walk-ins moves surprisingly quickly. Futago does not take reservations, and patiently awaiting your own warm bowl of soup seems a part of the experience. Patrons are addressed as promptly as possible, and bar seating for a single party can be seemingly whipped up out of thin air at a moment’s notice by the no-nonsense waitstaff. The clientele are diverse, ranging from hungry college students looking for a hearty meal to Asian immigrants seeking a taste of home.

While the homemade-noodle soup is the main attraction at Futago, the appetizers offer a tantalizing opening act. You will certainly find your tried-and-true edamame and pork gyoza mainstay dishes fixed permanently to the menu, but customers can also choose from an array of specialty dishes. Kaki Fry (fried oysters), Idako Karaage (fried baby octopus) and Takoyaki (octopus ball) round out Futago’s collection of more authentic Japanese appetizers, although the restaurant also boasts a few reinventions of classic American dishes.

Originating in Okinawa, the purple sweet potato tempura is a delicious sibling to the humble All-American sweet potato fry. The tempura crust is perfectly crispy and the beni-imo potato itself possesses a particularly nutty and earthy sweetness which, when paired with the spicy Mentaiko dipping sauce, embodies the perfect balance of sweet, salty, spicy and umami for which Japanese cuisine is often praised.

All dark meat, the chicken tatsuta-age (marinated fried chicken) are not your average chicken tenders. These chicken thighs are just the right amount of oily, falling apart under your teeth with the tiniest of tugs. The juicy meat, with the help of its marinade, is incredibly flavorful and the little wedge of lemon nestled next to it on the plate adds a bit of brightness to an otherwise rich dish. The chicken tatsuta-age is also accompanied by a nondescript, aioli-esque sauce, which lends a touch of tangy creaminess to the palette and rounds out the flavor profile.

The massive bowl of soup makes a grand introduction with surprising haste considering the dinner rush. Those with tepid appetites should not expect to be able to finish the entire basin of dashi-based broth, meat, and thick noodles all on their lonesome.

The signature sukiyaki udon promises more than broth, meat, and udon, however — napa cabbage, tofu, mushrooms and a poached egg all bob around amongst the abundant tangle of glossy noodles. The egg, cooked in the sweet and savory broth alone, leaks into the soup if punctured and slides right down the throat after being caught, finally, by a strategic spoon. Similarly, the soft and silky tofu surrenders to the mouth, succumbing to molars in mere seconds.

The udon noodles themselves are just as slippery — the tender strands of enriched wheat flour, salt, and water are made fresh daily at Futago. While the namesake of the restaurant certainly lives up to its iconic thick shape, the noodles fell just a few degrees short of their desired chewy texture, leaning more doughy than al dente.

The napa cabbage in the soup hits the tongue bitterly at first, but leaves an oniony aftertaste which affords the sweet broth a bit of balance. The herbs and spices placed on the table in an unlabeled salt shaker are a worthy addition to your dinner; this seasoning complicates the flavors and sway the broth in a more acidic direction which is not outright spicy, but definitely adds a welcomed warm dimension to your spoon.

Both the mushrooms and the scallions are bursting with flavor and inject a shot of unadulterated umami and a subtle kick of fresh and peppery onion into the dish, respectively. Although small in size, these elements went the farthest in cutting through the all-encompassing broth.

The thinly sliced beef gives body to the meal, unapologetically showing off ribbons of flavorful fat. Cooked perfectly, the meat is substantive and delectable paired with all of the other elements of the soup.

The yuzu soda is a cold and saccharine contrast to the warm and brackish broth. Sitting back and sipping on this sugary beverage served on ice presents a lovely intermission to your dinner while waitstaff zip around, attentively refilling water cups and checking in with guests.

Costing $20 to $30 per person, Futago Udon is a surefire comfort meal. Whether enjoying a casual date night or tucking in all alone on a rainy autumn evening, customers are sure to find warmth over a bowl of steaming noodle soup at the well-loved 508 Park Drive.

—Staff writer Kate E. Ravenscroft can be reached at kate.ravenscroft@thecrimson.com.