Nongshim CoCo Ichibanya Curry Udon Review [Korean Food]

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Hello! Today I’m reviewing a new instant meal from Nongshim: CoCo Ichibanya Curry Udon. The product recreates the curry udon menu item from CoCo Ichibanya, the Japanese curry chain. I’ve actually been to CoCo Ichibanya before but only ever ordered curry rice there, never the curry udon, so I was genuinely curious about how this would taste (I’ve eaten plenty of curry udon elsewhere, of course, lol). The portion is generous, the flavor holds up well, and overall I really enjoyed it. Let’s break down what’s in the box.

Table of Contents

📋 At a Glance

Product: CoCo Ichibanya Curry Udon
Brand: Nongshim (CoCo Ichibanya partnership instant meal)
Price: About 5,000 won per pack (~$3.70 USD), one pack = 2 servings
Weight & calories: 2 servings 782g / 960 kcal (1 serving 391g / 480 kcal, sodium 80% of daily value)
Main components: Curry pouch (retort), udon noodles only — no toppings or solid ingredients included
How to prepare: Microwave the curry pouch for 1 minute (or use boiling water), boil noodles for 2 minutes → drain and top with curry
Channels: Nongshim online mall and others
Verdict: ★3.5 — Solid curry flavor and generous portion, but adding any topping noticeably bumps satisfaction

Price and Concept Behind the CoCo Ichibanya Curry Udon

It’s been a while since CoCo Ichibanya, the well-known Japanese house-curry chain, entered Korea through Nongshim. I’d heard that Korea actually accounts for a meaningful share of CoCo Ichibanya’s overall sales, but I didn’t realize the brand was doing that well here. Considering how long they’ve been around in Korea, an instant-food version like this almost feels overdue. The product comes as one pack containing 2 servings, priced at around 5,000 won per pack. I picked mine up from the Nongshim online mall.

Nongshim CoCo Ichibanya Curry Udon product photo

Preparation is straightforward. Microwave the retort curry pouch for 1 minute, then separately boil the noodles in water for about 2 minutes. Drain the noodles, transfer to a bowl, and pour the curry on top — that’s it. Since there are no toppings or solid bits included, no extra steps are needed.

For 2 servings, the total weight is 782g and 960 kcal, with sodium at 161% of the daily value. Per single serving, that works out to 391g, 480 kcal, and about 80% sodium DV. As is usually the case with these instant meals, one serving really doesn’t fill you up, so I went into this assuming I’d eat both servings myself.

What’s Inside the CoCo Ichibanya Curry Udon

Let’s run through the build. As the prep instructions suggest, this product has no toppings or solid additions. It’s a clean two-piece setup: a curry pouch and udon noodles.

The udon noodles themselves come in a fairly basic format, honestly a bit ordinary for a CoCo Ichibanya-branded product. These are the kind of generic instant udon noodles you can find anywhere. If they actually use the same noodles in their physical restaurants, I’d feel a bit silly. The packaging notes that an acidity regulator is added, which carries a faint vinegar smell, so anyone sensitive to that mild tartness should keep this in mind.

The curry pouch carries more weight than I expected. Of the 391g per single serving, roughly 40% is essentially curry sauce. That’s a decent amount given there are no solid bits. While the curry pouch is microwave-recommended by default, since it’s a retort pouch, you can also heat it in boiling water if needed.

Cooking the CoCo Ichibanya Curry Udon

Since prep is simple, let’s get into it. While the curry pouch ran in the microwave, I dropped the noodles into boiling water first. About a minute in, the noodles start loosening up, so stir gently to keep them from breaking. Once fully separated, drain the water, transfer to a bowl, and pour the curry on top. Done.

I cooked two packs at once, but even accounting for that, the curry sauce volume runs notably high. This isn’t the thicker, mix-and-eat style — it’s the kind where you genuinely soak the noodles in curry broth. With that much sauce, you have plenty of room to play around. Reducing it a bit on the stove would also concentrate the flavor nicely.

The finished visual stays plain since there are no solid bits. A garnish like garlic chips or even a piece of tempura would dress it up considerably. But this is a stripped-down curry udon by design, so the visual restraint is built in.

Restaurant-grade flavor recreation photo

Taste Test: How Close to the Real Thing?

Now for the eating. I started by lifting a chopstick of broth straight to taste. My memory of the original CoCo Ichibanya flavor is hazy, but the resemblance came through clearly enough. The main difference is that since this is served as a noodle broth rather than a thick sauce over rice, it reads slightly thinner.

The broth carries a mild heat. That said, it’s closer to a peppery warmth than the bright, fiery spice you might expect. Unless you’re someone who can’t handle any heat at all, the spice level here stays comfortable.

The broth itself reaches a respectable level of polish. Honestly, the udon noodles you get in shelf-stable instant products tend to all be similar (and this isn’t even a chilled item), so the noodles feel about right for the price point. The base curry flavor was solid enough that I cooked two packs and just powered through them without much extra thought, lol.

That said, as I mentioned, with only curry and udon in the package, things can feel a touch monotonous. At this price point, I wouldn’t really call that a flaw. Still, eating it bare leaves a bit on the table — adding any topping is the ideal play. With even a single topping, one pack alone could easily satisfy a meal.

Value for Money and Final Verdict

That kind of foundation makes this a strong base to build on. Topping it with tonkatsu works, garlic chips work, even tempura from a Korean snack stall works. Adding rice into the leftover broth at the end works too. Mid-meal I remembered I had shichimi on hand and added a sprinkle. Even that small variation shifted the flavor noticeably and made the dish more enjoyable.

Frozen tonkatsu typically runs about 3,000-4,000 won per piece in Korea, so a “katsu curry udon” combo would be a solid play. Or, like me, you can just cook two packs at once and lean into the volume. Either way, I genuinely enjoyed this product, and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes a basic, no-fuss curry udon. If you’re traveling in Korea, you can pick this up from the Nongshim online mall and similar channels.

After eating, I checked the fridge out of curiosity, found some bread, thawed it quickly, and used it to mop up the leftover broth. That worked well too. Recommend prepping a side dish in advance to enjoy alongside.

CoCo Ichibanya curry udon composition photo

For more on the Japanese-curry tradition that grounds CoCo Ichibanya’s recipe, see the Japanese curry Wikipedia article.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How much does the Nongshim CoCo Ichibanya Curry Udon cost?

About 5,000 won per pack (~$3.70 USD), with one pack covering 2 servings. Two-serving total weight runs 782g at 960 kcal, working out to roughly 391g and 480 kcal per single serving, and you can buy it through the Nongshim online mall and similar retailers.

Q. How spicy is the CoCo Ichibanya Curry Udon?

The heat reads more peppery than fiery, leaning warm rather than hot. Diluted into a noodle broth format, the body sits slightly thinner than the chain’s curry rice, but the signature CoCo Ichibanya curry profile still comes through, so anyone with normal heat tolerance can eat it comfortably.

Q. Is the package satisfying without any toppings?

The build is just curry pouch and udon, so it can feel one-note on its own. Adding frozen tonkatsu, garlic chips, Korean snack tempura, or a sprinkle of shichimi noticeably lifts the flavor, and even a small topping turns one pack into a fully satisfying meal.

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