15 Soba Shops in Tokyo For a Delicious Bowl of Noodles
Soba, a staple in Japanese cuisine, is known for being quick, cheap, and delicious. Depending on the restaurant, soba can be enjoyed standing up or sitting down, which contributes to how quickly it can be finished. If you're looking for a fast meal or are interested in trying delicious Japanese soba, check out these fifteen Tokyo soba shop restaurants!
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Slurping affordable soba in a hurry at a standing shop is becoming more and more popular. It is an ideal meal in a busy city like today's Tokyo and these soba counters are gaining more and more attention. In this article we have selected 15 shops that serve first-class soba in no time.
1. Sobadokoro Minatoya そば処港屋 *Closed
Its exterior is so stylish you can't tell it's a soba shop from the outside. Good hearty portion of soba is served with a satisfyingly tasty broth. No wonder there is always a long line of waiting customers at lunchtime.
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2. Sobayoshi そばよし
Dried bonito wholesalers run this soba counter shop so the rich broth made of plenty of good dried bonito simply stands out. It's so good you can drink the whole thing and won't feel any greasy or heavy aftertaste. A bowl of soba with hot broth is only 270 yen. (Now that's a steal!) There are also plenty of okaka (おかか- dried bonito flakes) on the table. Try it as a topping on a bowl of rice and pour some soy sauce. It tastes heavenly.
Address: Honcho Yamazaki Bldg 1F, 1-1-7 Nihonbashi Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)
TEL: 03-3241-0884
Opening Hours: 7:30~20:00
Closed: Sat, Sun, Public Holidays
3. Akiba あきば *Closed
Akiba is a standing soba shop but there are also tables with seats. The place gets busy on weekdays so if you want to slurp your soba in a quiet setting, try it on weekends.
4. Ooyoshida 大吉田
Ooyoshida is famous for its kakiage (かき揚げ), a type of tempura with vegetables and seafood. It goes well with hearty soba which leaves you feeling content for sure.
Address: Minami Sakuma Bldg. 1F, 1-9-8 Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)
TEL: 03-6206-1660
Opening Hours: [Mon~Fri]6:30~15:00 [Sat]6:30~14:00
Closed: Sun, Public Holidays
5. Futaba 二葉
Glass shop front and the retro-chic interior make this soba shop look rather cool. Its signature kakiage tempura with clams is something you won't see elsewhere but it tastes really good.
Address: Nishikawa Bldg. 1F, 1-4-6 Kanda-Izumicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)
Opening hours: 7:30~17:00
Closed: Sat, Sun, Public Holidays
6. Touge no Soba 峠の蕎麦
Soba noodles are on the thin side with firm texture and won't go soggy after it is soaked in broth. Namasoba (生そば- raw soba), yudesoba (茹でそば- boiled soba), and ishiusuhiki (石臼挽き- soba using stone ground flour) are the 3 types of soba noodles on offer at Futaba. There are 3 ways of eating them: kake soba (かけそば), bukkake soba (ぶっかけそば), and mori soba (もりそば).
Address: 2-14-8 Minowa, Taito-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)
Opening Hours: 5:30~21:30
Closed: Irregular holidays
7. Daikoku Soba 大黒そば *Closed
Once you place an order, raw soba noodles will be boiled in front of you. It takes time but do be patient. Tensoba (天そば) is a substantial bowl of soba that comes with a thick, chunky kakiage tempura.
8. Yamadaya 山田屋
Once it opens its door at 7 am each morning, the place becomes full house at once. Cold and warm soba are both very popular and very good.
Address: 3-33-9 Senzoku, Taito-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)
TEL: 03-3874-7215
Opening Hours: 7:00 - 17:00 Closed: Sun, Public Holidays
9. Sobausa そばうさ
Sobausa is a modern soba eatery. It offers unusual, western-style soba dishes like cold soba with basil dipping broth which is very popular.
TEL: 03-6380-9912
Opening Hours: [Mon ~ Fri] 11:00~15:00; 17:00~20:00 [Sat] 11:00~15:00
Closed: Sun, Public Holidays
10. Sobadokoro Musashino そば処むさしの *Closed
No preservatives and MSG have been added to its broth since Musashino was founded so its soba dishes are easy on your body and taste buds.
11. Yomoda Soba よもだそば
Weekly soba is on offer together with unique range of menu that changes throughout the season. Its curry is also very tasty and popular.
Address: Yaesu-Kogyo Bldg. 1F, 2-1-20 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)
TEL: 03-3273-0505
Opening Hours: [Mon~Fri]7:00~22:00 [Sat, Sun, Public Holidays]:10:30~15:00
Closed: Irregular holidays
12. Tongarashi とんがらし *Closed
There are various dishes other than soba like Tendon (天丼 - rice bowl topped with assorted tempura) are on offer. Its freshly fried tempura are really good and worth a try.
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13. Soba Hiyamugi Sagatani Shibuya Shop 蕎麦 冷麦 嵯峨谷 渋谷店
Sagatani is a chain of standing soba shops. Here you can choose either thick or thin soba noodles.
Address: Plaza Dogenzaka 1F, 2-25-7 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)
TEL: 03-6416-4248
Opening Times: [Mon~Sun] 24 hours
Closed: Irregular holidays; 1/1 - 3
14. Kameya Kanda Higashiguchi Shop かめや 神田東口店
Scrumptious kakiage served at Kameya proves extremely popular. It's open 24 hours on weekdays so you can go and eat any time you want.
Address: 2-7-3 Kajicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)
TEL: 03-3254-0285
Opening Hours: [Mon~Fri] 24 hours [Sat] ~20:00
Closed: Sun
15. Fuku Soba (福そば)
The popular broth at Fuku Soba is not too sweet with impeccable balance of dashi and soy sauce.
Address: 1-16-3 Ningyocho, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)
TEL: 03-3662-1138
Opening Hours: [Mon~ Fri] 6:40~19:45 [Sat・Holidays] 6:40~15:45
Closed: Sun
The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.