TsuruTonTan has big shoes to fill. It’s taken over the space formerly occupied by Union Square Cafe with its beloved udon and other Japanese things.

This place is a lot to take in visually, so before we get on to showing it to you, we’ll present some fundamentals:

—It’s probably the largest udon-centric space you’ve ever seen. Udon-centric translates here to more than 30 types, served with dashi broth, curry and cream, and some served cold with uni, shiso, etc. There are also rice bowls, sushi and beef buns (the menu tells the full story).

—They started in Japan, and they’re already popular there.

—Since you enjoy drinking, they’ve furnished a Negroni that includes shochu and yuzu. Several other liquid mixtures are available as well.

—Use it as a destination spot if you’re way into udon, or a quirky date spot if you have a hunch your date might enjoy it.

—Expect Ippudo-like lines to form.

Now that that’s all out of the way, let’s behold the splendor...