Soba, known as buckwheat noodles in English, is one of Japan’s many different noodle dishes. Its history is a long one, with records of the dish dating back thousands of years. When you begin your trip to Japan, you may think that ramen is the peak of Japanese noodle cuisine, but soba noodles are a gourmet dish loved by the Japanese just as much. Here are 10 restaurants that serve some of the best soba in Tokyo!
1. Teuchi Soba to Kamo Ryouri Jigen
Just a short walk from Ebisu Station, Jigen offers a serene adult hideaway for handmade Soba noodles and duck dishes. The Soba, made from "Hitachi-Aki Soba" from Ibaraki Prefecture, pairs well with kare-bushi dried bonito broth. Combinations include tempura and tuketoro (graded yam). The "Zaogamo duck" from Miyagi Prefecture, fed on bamboo charcoal water and fermentation bacteria for safety, can be enjoyed as duck soba or grilled. Seasonal sake is also available.
Teuchi Soba to Kamo Ryouri Jigen
Open:
[Monday-Friday] Lunch 11:30 am -2:30 pm (L.O. 2:00 pm), Dinner 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm (L.O. 8:45 pm), [Saturday] Dinner 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm (L.O. 8:15 pm)Closed:
Sunday, National HolidaysAverage price:
[Dinner] 3,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,000 JPYAccess:
6-minute walk from the East Exit of Ebisu Station on the JR Yamanote Line. 8-minute walk from Ebisu Station on the Hibiya Line. 500m from Ebisu Station.Address:
1-24-9, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo MapMore Details Reservation 2. Yamagata Soba Saryo Tsukinoyama
Located in front of Yoyogi Station, "Yamagata Soba Saryo Tsukinoyama" is a restaurant that showcases the food culture of Yamagata, starting with its famous "Itasoba." Here, you can enjoy the rich food culture of Yamagata, which includes agricultural and marine products nurtured by abundant nature, traditional local dishes and pickles passed down through generations, and fine sake. The restaurant also offers all-you-can-drink courses that let you fully savor the seasonal flavors of Yamagata, making it an excellent choice for Tokyo sightseeing or events like banquets. The interior has a modern taste that feels accessible, allowing you to enjoy authentic Japanese cuisine in a casual setting.
Yamagata Soba Saryo Tsukinoyama
Open:
[Monday-Friday, Day Before National Holidays] Dinner 11:30 am - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10:00 pm) / [Saturday, Sunday, National Holidays]Dinner 11:30 am - 10:30 pm (L.O. 9:30 pm)Closed:
NoneAverage price:
[Dinner] 6,000 JPYAccess:
3-minute walk from Yoyogi Station on JR Yamanote Line and Toei Oedo Line / 3-minute walk from Minami-Shinjuku Station on Odakyu LineAddress:
1F, BIZ SMART Yoyogi, 1-25-5, Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo MapMore Details Reservation 3. Fumotoya Keio Plaza Hotel (Shinjuku)
At Fumotoya Keio Plaza Hotel's Shinjuku branch, you can enjoy Nagano Prefecture's Togakushi soba, which is considered to be one of the three main soba noodle styles in Japan. Their signature dish Touji Soba (2,373 JPY) is made from buckwheat seeds harvested in Togakushi. Unlike normal soba noodles—which you would eat with a common noodle soup base called "mentsuyu"—their Togakushi soba is served together with a hot pot containing mushroom ankake sauce, in which you would dip the noodles in and enjoy. Once you have a taste, you will be able to taste the rich, aromatic buckwheat and enjoy the pleasant texture of the noodles.
Fumotoya Keio Plaza Hotel
Open:
[Weekdays] Lunch 11:30 am - 3:00 pm. Dinner 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10:00 pm)[Saturday] Lunch 11:30 am - 4:00 pm. Dinner 4:00 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10:00 pm)
[Sunday, National Holidays] Lunch 11:30 am - 4:00 pm. Dinner 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm (L.O. 9:00 pm)Closed:
NoneAverage price:
[Dinner] 5,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,200 JPYAccess:
5 minutes walk from the west exit of [Shinjuku Station] on JR Lines / 3 minutes walk from exit B1 of [Tochomae Station] on Toei Oedo LineAddress:
Keio Plaza Hotel, 2-2-1 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo MapMore Details
4. Soba and Meal Tsuzurao Main Branch (Shinjuku)
Soba and Meal Tsuzurao Main Branch offers dozens of unique soba dishes. If you’re at a loss as to what you should order, their Tenju Gozen (1,660 JPY) is a recommended choice. It’s a popular course meal where you can enjoy both soba and ten-don (rice bowl dish with tempura). Enjoy the harmony between their crispy tempura and aromatic soba noodles, whose ratio of buckwheat flour changes depending on the season. The soba noodles are served together with mentsuyu made with dried bonito from Kagoshima.
Soba and meal Tsuzurao main branch
Open: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm (L.O. 9:15 pm)
Closed: Irregular
Average price: [Dinner] 3,500 JPY / [Lunch] 1,500 JPY
Access: 0 minute walk from West gate of JR Shinjuku station, it is located on the 12th floor of Manhattan Hills, the restaurant district of Odakyu department store
Address: 12F, Main bldg. Odakyu department store, 1-1-3 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
(Ginza Area)
5. Sotoroku (Uchisaiwaicho)
At Sotoroku, you can enjoy cuisine made with local Kyushu ingredients in a luxurious space. Their Cold Soba Noodles & Tempura is made using buckwheat flour from Kyushu, which is known for their soba. The noodles are perfect, made to have the best texture and fragrance. Enjoy them together with the exquisitely crispy tempura.
Sotoroku
Open:
Breakfast 6:30 am - 10:00 am (L.O. 9:30 am), Lunch 11:30 am - 3:30 pm (L.O. 2:30 pm), Dinner 5:00 pm - 12:00 am (L.O. 9:30 pm) (Bar time L.O. 11:00 pm)Closed:
NoneAverage price:
[Dinner] 6,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,400 JPYAccess:
4-minute walk from A5 exit of Uchisaiwaicho stationAddress:
18F, THE BLOSSOM HIBIYA, 1-1-13 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo MapMore Details Reservation 6. Tsukiji Sarashina no Sato (Tsukiji)
Tsukiji Sarashina no Sato is a long-established restaurant, with 120 years of business and going strong. The buckwheat flour used in their noodles are carefully selected based on the season and time of year by the owner himself. A restaurant favorite is the Curry Namban (1,000 JPY), popular for its nuanced combination of spicy curry and broth. Come enjoy their traditional taste that has been loved over the years!
Click here for an interview by our editors about the restaurant. Tsukiji Sarashina no Sato
Open:
[Weekdays] 11:00 am - 9:45 pm[Saturday] 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Closed: Sunday, National Holidays
Average price: [Dinner] 6,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,200 JPY
Access: 1-minute walk from [Tsukiji station] on Tokyo metro subway Hibiya Line, 152m distance.
Address: 3-3-9 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
7. Hakone Akatsukian Ginza Mitsukoshi Branch (Ginza)
Hakone Akatsukian is one the most popular soba restaurants in the famous hot spring spot, Hakone Yumoto. You can also try their soba in Ginza at their Ginza Mitsukoshi branch! Their popular Akatsuki (3,300 JPY) is a filling ensemble that comes with soba and tempura, as well as side dishes, tofu, dessert, and other delicious dishes. Soba, the main dish, is served with a rich mentsuyu made with several different kinds of dried bonito.
Hakone Akatsukian Ginza Mitsukoshi branch
Open:
[Weekdays, Saturday, Sunday, National Holidays] 11:00 am - 11:00 pm (L.O. 9:30 pm)Closed: None
Average price:
[Dinner] 2,000 JPY / [Lunch] 2,000 JPYAccess:
2-minute walk from Ginza Station on Tokyo Metro Lines. On the 11th floor of Ginza MitsukoshiAddress:
11F, Ginza Mitsukoshi New Bldg., 4-6-16, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
8. Edo Soba Teuchidokoro Asada (Asakusabashi)
Edo Soba Teuchidokoro Asada has been open for over 150 years. Their Anago Steamer (1,360 JPY) comes with soba noodles made from their homemade buckwheat flour, which gives them a satisfying chew. The noodles are rich in flavor, nuanced in layers of age-old techniques and traditions. The anago (conger eel) tempura that accompanies the noodles is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside; tempura perfection at its finest. Enjoy the traditional flavors passed down from generation to generation.
Edo Soba Teuchidokoro Asada
Open:
[Weekdays] Lunch: 11:30 - 14:30, Dinner: 17:30 - 22:00 (Last order: 21:00)[Saturday] Lunch: 11:30 - 14:30, Dinner: 17:30 - 21:00 (Last order: 20:00)Closed:
SundaysAverage price:
[Dinner] 6,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,300 JPYAccess:
3 minutes on foot from JR Sobu Line Asakusabashi Station East Exit/2 minutes on foot from Toei Asakusa Line Asakusabashi Station A4 Exit/on the left hand side on Edo-dori toward Asakusa Address:
2-29-11 Asakusabashi , Taito-ku, Tokyo MapMore Details
9. Azabu Tansumachi Tenryoan (Roppongi)
Azabu Tansumachi Tenryoan is a Japanese-Western fusion style teppanyaki (ingredients grilled on an iron griddle) restaurant. After enjoying seasonal ingredients cooked by an exceptional chef, finish off with their Shrimp Tempura Seiro Soba (1,410 JPY)—a very refreshing noodle dish that offers an explosion of buckwheat fragrance and flavor. It is topped with shrimp bought straight from the market that's been made into a crispy golden tempura delight.
Azabu Tansumachi Tenryoan
Open:
[Weekdays, Saturday] Lunch 11:30 am - 3:00 pm (L.O. 2:30 pm)[Weekdays] Dinner 5:30 pm - 11:00 pm (Food L.O. 10:00 pm / Drink L.O. 10:30 pm)[Saturday] Dinner 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm (Food L.O. 9:00 pm / Drink L.O. 9:30 pm)Closed:
Sunday, National HolidaysAverage price:
[Dinner] 6,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,500 JPYAccess:
9 minutes walk from [Roppongi Station] on Toei Oedo LineAddress:
2F, Roppongi Grand Plaza, 3-1-25 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo MapMore Details Reservation
10. Fresh Soba Asanoya Rise Arena Higashi-Ikebukuro Ekimae Branch (Higashi-ikebukuro)
Enjoy organic soba imported straight from Hokkaido at Fresh Soba Asanoya Rise Arena Higashi-Ikebukuro Ekimae Branch. A recommended dish is their Kamo Tsukune Seiro (1,400 JPY (plus tax)). Carefully selected duck meat is used for the tsukune, or meatballs in English. They make the soup flavorful and pair beautifully with the soba noodles, creating a dish full of nuanced flavors. Topped with green onions that give it a small kick, it’s an addicting dish to say the least.
Fresh Soba Asanoya Rise Arena Higashi-Ikebukuro Ekimae branch
Open:
[Weekdays, Day before National Holidays] Lunch 11:30 am - 4:00 pm, Dinner 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm (L.O. 10.15 pm)[Saturday, Sunday, National Holidays] Lunch 11:30 am - 4:00 pm, Dinner 5:00 pm - 10:30 pm (L.O. 10:00 pm)Closed:
IrregularAverage price:
[Dinner] 3,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,000 JPYAccess:
From the exit No. 6 or No.7 of [Higashi-Ikubukuro Station] of Tokyo metro subway Yurakucho Line, walk towards the Sunshine underpass. It takes 2-minute walkAddress:
B1F, Rise Arena Bldg., 4-5-2 Higashi-ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo MapMore Details
Disclaimer: All information is accurate at time of publication.