Kineya Mugimaru - Cambridge in Cambridge

I wanted to like it here, but it was a huge let-down. It's really nicely decorated inside and the ordering kiosks are very easy to use. Unfortunately, those are the only good things. The food is not made-to-order; it's literally pre-cooked and just sitting there on a warm counter for ages, and then given to customers when they place their order. As a result, you end up with food that tastes like leftover reheated food, with hardly any flavour. The prices are reasonable, but I really didn't enjoy the food at all. I gave the restaurant three opportunities, but was left unimpressed with the taste and quality each time. It's not for me.

Far Eastern flavors at economical prices. Ramen is great. You may have difficulty finding a place to sit.

My little one LOVES Beef Kyudon here.

I have my office nearby and come here regularly (weekly) for lunch or dinner, my favorite are Chicken Katsu Curry Rice and pork ramen.

Delicious udon with a variety of toppings to choose from at an affordable price.

Delicious food, quick and good services! Fantastic place for dinner!

Coming back for more delicious Beef curry at Kineya in Cambridge

It was one of the best Japanese restaurants I had ever experienced ! Thank you so much! 😊🙏🏼I will come back soon! 😁

Very good takoyaki udon at the Cambridge branch!

Kineya Mugimari, Cambridge branch. Nice food and place to take a quick bite. Highly recommend.

visited kineya cambridge with my friends. arguably the best chicken curry katsu i’ve had so far over the course of 6 months i’m here. got some sushi rolls as sides at a very affordable price (and generous amount of soy sauce too!). highly recommend!

Kineya cambridge, best japanese food!!

Great place, great food. Would highly recommend coming

yaki udon at cambridge was great!

Lovely place to grab food in Cambridge, the cold bento is delicious!

Great tofu curry @kineya Cambridge

Amazing food at Kineya Cambridge Beef curry rice

Food here is Absolutely fantastic. It is a great sport in central cambridge if you like authentic Japanese ramen.

Excellent food. The Prawn Tempura Onigiri is amazing.

Amazing food great service. Recommend to everyone. Favourite place to eat in cambridge. Love to chicken katsu yaki udon dish.

My favourite restaurant in Cambridge, the curry laksa noodle is just delicious!

Went to the Cambridge branch and it was wonderful! Quick service, clean and calm interior and good quality food. The laksa udon was very good and came with a side of sambal! And really enjoyed the pumpkin tempura as well ☺️

I ordered Chicken Karaage Don at the Cambridge venue. Delicious food!

Really lovely spot in Cambridge, loved the Pork Tonkotsu Udon!

Clean and classy. Nothing but amazing food and vibes my god! The Petty Cury Branch was so clean and the pumpkin Katsu curry, yes yes!

The food was amazing and the branch & dish was a personal favourite! Would recommend

Great! Eat here all the time now! Especially a group of friends!

Very nice food. Have been visiting here ever since I arrived in Cambridge. LOVE THE LASKA NOODLE

Tasty food, lots of seating inside and an excellent range of vegan options. Definitely recommend

Served us a raw chicken twice and said that it was supposed to be pink. I don’t recommend this place.

Yummy food and bubble tea, but the tables are cramped together and it’s difficult to move. Also, the tables were a bit grubby. Good value and choice though, and my onigiri was delicious!

A bit expensive for a fast food no service place.

Albeit it being very busy, this is one of the child friendly restaurants that you can visit in Cambridge. Good value for money when it comes to food.

Nice food, and good atmosphere, definitely will come back again! Loved the Chajia udon and sushi !

I had lunch at Kineya Cambridge and tried the Beef Yaki Udon—honestly, it was really, really good! The noodles were perfectly chewy, the beef was tender and flavorful, and the sauce brought everything together beautifully. The portion size was just right, and the overall atmosphere of the restaurant made for a great dining experience. I’ll definitely be coming back to try more from their menu!

Kineya’s tonkotsu udon has a rich, flavorful broth with perfectly chewy noodles. The tender chashu pork makes it even better.

The Lion Yard Shipping Centre, Cambridge Class curry udon with chosen tempura Taste good, good hygiene

I love the food and service is amazing!! Highly recommend coming here !!

Cambridge branch. Good kitsune udon.

I just love it here. Quick and tasty food, and DELICIOUS crispy sides. What more could you want?

Really poor and slow service. The place was half empty and there were 4 people working. It took 4 staff 25 minutes to serve 1 bao bun which is ridiculous. I was in Cambridge for a day trip and picked this place specifically for a quick lunch. The staff wasted a lot of my time which would have gone to sight seeing.

Amazing zaru dipping udon at Kineya in Cambridge!

Nice place for a quick dinner. Good quality and choice of food.

Really great atmosphere, cambridge chicken katsu yaki udon

Cambridge one is great. Katsu curry is good

Very nice spacious and bright place with roomy seating. Self-service was quick and friendly. We ordered laksa prawn udon, gyodon, and rice chicken jajang. Was very disappointed st the food however :( Awful marinated egg, way too overcooked and the marination is not even across the egg. Doesn’t look like they’ve made it fresh, I’ve made way better eggs at home. Jajang sauce tasted too salty and grainy like it came out of a package. Gyudon meat was dry and does not have the tender juiciness that we expect of the dish. Laksa was most okay and comforting but the taste could be more flavorful and stronger.

Great taste! Many delicious choices for all, today I tried the Chicken Katsu Curry Udon, and the mini Pork Chashu Don.

The best Udon and tempura in the town! Branch & dish is great!

Cambridge branch, chicken laksa

Amazing tase . Highly recommend when you next visit Cambridge

Lovely food, nice and quick ordering process and clean and friendly place. We regularly eat here when in Cambridge.

The food is clean and the menu is diverse. In particular, the manager is very friendly. I ate well^^

This is now our favourite go to for lunch any time we visit Cambridge. We would highly recommend.

I usually couldn't eat because there were so many people. I had a table during lunch time on Monday so I ate quickly. I liked the chicken katsu curry rice bowl because there was a lot of rice, and it tasted just like I imagined. I couldn't finish the meal. lol

Ordered the Laksa Chicken Udon and sweet potato tempura in Kineya Cambridge, all were good :)

perfect place! Ordered beef curry rice and tastes great!

Amazing food! Been waiting to try this for a long time - didn’t disappoint!

Cambridge Branch Always a delicious tonkotsu ramen and chicken

Good range of options, the tempura is a tad too expensive, but tastes good 👌

Lovveeedd the karage chicken don!! Ate at the Cambridge branch!

Wecameherefor the second time.The foodhereis awesome.It eemindsme the authentic Japanese cuisine which i usedto enjoy in Japan for three years.Its amazing

I went to the Cambridge branch and got the Kake Udon and tempura. Recommend 👍👍👍

I ordered the classic curry udon and takoyaki tempura balls at the Cambridge branch. The food was great! Would come back again👍

Ate at the Cambridge branch and had the pork tonkatsu noodles.

Kineya Mugimaru in Cambridge offers freshly made udon, rice dishes, and tempura with a touch-screen ordering system. Reviews praise the authentic flavors, reasonable prices, and vegan options, though some note occasional crowding and disorganization. Despite this, it’s a popular spot for quick and satisfying Japanese cuisine in the city center.

It is less than your average Japanese/Korean restaurant. The food is sub par compared to other Japanese/Korean places I have tried. You will expect more for the price you pay and end up being disappointed. Good ambience.

Feels warm and comfy for a cold weather. Really loved the broth and sides

It is one of the amazing noodles at this place

Best japanese food I ever had! The Chicken Katsu udon noodles were amazing! I will eat here everytime I come to Cambridge.

I had an amazing experience at Kineya in Cambridge! The food was absolutely delicious, with standout dishes like the sushi and katsu chicken. The katsu chicken was perfectly crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and packed with flavor. It’s also great to note that the food is halal, which is a big plus for many. The service was top-notch—quick, friendly, and attentive, making the whole dining experience even better. The best part is that it’s also incredibly affordable, offering fantastic value for such great food. Kineya is the perfect spot for a casual meal that’s both tasty and budget-friendly. Definitely a must-visit for anyone in the area!

It was super amazing food. Amazing staff. Highly recommend

Location near to town centre. New mini pork rice bowl, really mini. Classic curry with only veg/carrot with sauce, no mince meat or anything else.

Hearty dishes, great vegan options

The authentic Japanese food is really nice, but it does sometimes lead to the place being quite busy. Definitely the best place for Japanese food in Cambridge!

The Japanese udon is truly authentic and consistently high in quality. They also offer a variety of soup bases and ingredients. The chili miso is amazing too, especially if you enjoy spicy food!

Great place for noodles and tempura- gets very busy and a bit chaotic but food is excellent

Absolutely yummy! What at find at St Pancreas international train station! Reasonably priced - especially for London and totally delicious- bought lunch and dinner as lunch was so yummy!

A tiny, over-salty portion of udon with a sauce that consisted mostly of MSG, and gyoza that were overcooked to a dry crisp. This is not Japanese food; it is the kind of cheap slop you would expect from a run-down Chinese takeaway. I paid £15 for my "meal" and I'm really angry. AVOID.

Nicely decorated interior, food is okay! Gets very busy though.

Best Japanese restaurant in town. hands down. tried a handful and they don't really compare to this place

I ordered a Chicken Katsu for delivery and there wasn’t a single piece of chicken. Just sauce and rice. Very disappointed

Food was great and fast, staff are nice and professional but be warned the seating is a little all over the place , as long as its not too busy its a really nice place

We chose it for Saturday dinner. It is difficult to find a place to sit. Also the service is very slow. Noddle is very delicious. More attention should be paid to the cleanliness of the place.

Having lived in Tokyo almost a decade, I've been bemused by the number of Japanese restaurants that have popped up over the last 5 years or so in the UK - most of which of very questionable authenticity. However, this place is Japanese-owned, the food is pretty good, and in particular the look/ambience of the place is spot on. Surprised by some of the negative reviews - perhaps expecting a Wagamama dish with a slice of lime on top?

Went in around 11:00am. Lots of people behind the counter but they seem so unorganised that lots of people were waiting for the food. They should have stuck to one person per station. Ordered tonkatsu pork udon, I saw the girl cooking the pork and she drop one on the counter but didn’t replace it. So some bowls have 3 pork pieces and some only had 2. Which me and my friend only had 2 pieces of pork. I also got tempura prawn, chicken kaarage and takoyaki. All seems cold and looks like food from yesterday and not fresh. The chicken doesn’t even looked cook that it’s still pink and some bloods. I stopped eating cause I felt sick and I’m pregnant and it’s my first baby. This is very risky. Overall I’m disappointed cause it used to be my favourite restaurant back when it first opened. Now the quality & quantity of the food is not what it used to be.

Ordered a rice and chicken dish. Rice was stoggy and chicken dry. Rather disappointing. Sometimes it's ok.

Awful seating. Because it operates like a food court, and seating is extremely limited, it’s often the case that you have a tray full of food, but have nowhere to sit and eat it! Hopefully in the future they’ll operate a more traditional sit-down service to fix this. Food tasted great though :)

2025 Update: I had to update this review to take out 1 more star, sadly. In the last 3 times I visited, the udon has gotten worse (e.g. undercooked, rushed, soup isn’t as nice/hot anymore) and the serving might have been adjusted to smaller amounts (e.g. the beef udon is no longer generous like before). They do have more choices in their menu now but the supposed star, their udon, is now not worth the visit. —— Older review: I give this 4 stars considering that within Cambridge, a ‘decent’ Japanese Restaurant is very rare. Decent is the best you can get here when it comes to Udon and Ramen. They use the typical assembly-line ordering where you order your base dish via a till then pick toppings by hand. Their tempura selections are quite nice and varied. The udon noodles though are often a little under cooked. The soup is nice but it could be hotter. The place is quiet nice with a ton of seating! It can get crowded at times but shouldn’t be a problem. Staff are busy but they are always friendly and helpful. My suggestions: Please cook the noodles maybe a minute more to make it perfect! Also, please keep the soups/broth hotter as it gets too cold quickly. Finally, the flat wooden spoon doesn’t really work with soups!

Really good food, but are these sparrows thighs or chicken wings?

Ordered sushi and miso soup and was thoroughly disappointed. The sushi was soggy and mashed down and warm(it had raw salmon in it) the miso soup tasted like cheap instant noodle soup and had no tofu in it. Everything tasted old and off. What a waste of money.

Dining in at St Pancras at 9.30pm. The chicken katsu was so dry, it had obviously been cooked a long time before. Wouldn't recommend eating here after 7.30pm

Always a mediocre experience—their tonkotzu broth doesn’t taste like pork, tempura are unreasonably pricy, and the Bentos taste dry—but it had been an okay experience for me to keep coming back in the past three years to get something resembling Raman in Cambridge. But this time it’s wild… Both the laksa and zaru udon(supposed to be cold) are lukewarm, and the noodle in laksa is very soggy. The whole laksa doesn’t look freshly made Who knows how long they’ve kept the noodle boiling…

Great find in Cambridge. Lovely and crispy chicken dish along with few sides to try out. The sauce is super sweet to my liking but it’s a nice change. Comes with either rice or noodles depending on the taste. The chicken is halal so that’s also a very good point. Would definitely go back for another round 🧚‍♀️

Food was fine, had the curry katsu which tasted great. However, restaurant was dirty, no one had put away their trays and staff hadn’t cleaned it up, there was a lingering smell of body odour and toilet was dirty. Not recommended.

Edit: sadly I have to change my review as the last few times I've been have been worse and worse. It would be nice if there were better vegan options, the tofu and pumpkin are just ok. Last time I got tofu it was still frozen in the middle which was really disappointing eating it on a cold day. Meat eaters get freshly fried chicken in panko breadcrumbs, why not the tofu as well? Buying premade frozen fried tofu is a shame. As for the pumpkin, it's just mush inside. Not really a proper alternative.

Terrible! This is nothing like authentic Japanese food. The noodles and bao are chewy and stodgy, the favours are not balanced and the chicken is really just deep fried. The tempura is not light and crispy but heavy. Very disappointing for the amount of money it costs.

I have been by Kineya Mugimaru several times and wanted to visit and have a bite, all I can say it DID NOT dissapoint! Very delicious food,yummy green tea, and very friendly staff! All I ask for in a restaurant! Cherry on top is a winter cozy atmosphere.

Cleanliness is very important here. Dirty cutlery. Preparing food in unhygienic conditions. The taste of the food was also a flop Toilet looked worse than a train station toilet.

The time before last that I was there, the meals we wanted were sold out, unfortunately the system was not updated. So I had ordered the food only to find out at the till that it was not available- they ran out of chicken! To be fair, it was a fee minutes to closing time; would have saved me the trouble of ordering and paying for the meal if the system for ordering was accurately in sync with the kitchen. The last time I was there, I got the meal you can see in the photos- not sure I'll get those again. For one, the noodles were quite cold; I guess the curry was meant to make it hot. The side noodle was fridge level cold and I struggled to eat because I prefer sizzling hot meals.

The food is great, but the service handling is bad. There isn't much of a process after the order is placed at the self-service machine. The time it takes for the food to serve is long and out of order, means there is a long standing queue waiting for the food to be collected. It is hard to get a table as well as a lot of people are just sitting down waiting for their food to be ready while people who had their food ready don't have a table.