Soba-ya

Came here for the first time a few weeks ago, and left wondering why I didn’t try it sooner. In fact, I dragged my friend here the very next week so I could have more of the delicious soba!
I’ve tried:
— Assorted vegetable platter (3 of your choice): we had the burdock, lotus roots, and eggplant. Nice refreshing way to start off the meal.
— House-​made tofu: the silkiest tofu I’ve had in the city! Bland, as plain tofu tends to be, but very tasty with the dashi and wasabi salt that come with it. Definitely tastes like it was made in house.
— Stamina seiro: cold soba with a hot dipping broth on the side. This version had fried chicken and garlic. The dashi broth had hints of yuzu, which added a little kick.
— Uni tororo: very fresh sea urchino over a pile of grated mountain yam. Mountain yam has a slightly slimy/​sticky texture (think natto, if you’ve ever had that) and a funky taste that takes a bit to get used to. The uni was very fresh. My friend also got the cold soba that comes with this on top, and loved it.
— Ten zaru: cold soba with shrimp tempura on the side. I’ve never been a tempura connoisseur, but even I could see that the quality of this was heads and shoulders over what’s usually served.
— Kamo nanban: hot soba with duck and green onions. Wasn’t a fan of this, as the soba noodles were immersed in the broth (rather than coming on the side as in the cold preparations) and quickly became soggy. The broth also lacked the dimension that some of the other dishes I tried had. I would stick to the cold soba.
— Nabeyaki: solid bowl of udon if you’re not feeling like soba. Definitely holds up much better in the hot broth.
— Desserts: tried the matcha crème brûlée, sweet tofu, and anmitsu. All lightly portioned and not too sweet, a good way to end the meal.
Definitely want to come back and try more of the (rather expansive) menu!

Didn’t expect it to be so packed on a Friday night by 6! Came here in a party of 3 and wanted to get the dinner special that ends at 7, but sadly found it was only offered Monday-​Thursday. Nonetheless, we ordered the original sobas we wanted. It is kind of pricey for a regular noodle (~$ 20), but definitely worth every bite.
I got the Kamo Nanban hot soba which had pieces of duck, scallion, and veggies. The broth wasn’t very salty, which I prefer with noodles, and the duck wasn’t like any duck I’ve had before. The meat was tender and sliced, so there was no problem trying to get it out of its bones or anything of the sort that is usually typical of Asian cuisine. I also tried some of my friend’s tempura soba, which was amazing as well. The fried tempura was chewy and not too crunchy, setting the right amount of flavor of seafood and meat for the night.
Service was great and you can actually see them make the noodles behind a small table they have set up near the entrance of the restaurant. The only thing that I noticed, which kind of annoyed me, was how rushed they seemed to clear our bowls and give us the check right after.

I know that in my last review I said I wouldn’t come back here, but I was in the area and decided to stop by because that okoya don was just so delicious! The service was much better this time, so I suspect the place really was busy the first time I went. They handed us heated towels to warm up, the moment we were seated which is such a nice gesture. This time I got a regular sized don for $ 3 extra. This bowl is WAY bigger than the mini and definitely worth the $ 3!

Highly satisfied with Soba-​ya. The sake (salmon) sashimi was incredibly fresh and mouthwatering.
Our party of 3 also enjoyed the ika meshi, which is squid stuffed with savory sticky rice. Thinly cut and served. I think we each would’ve enjoyed an entire order to ourselves. –Noted for my next visit.
I had the fresh sea urchin with grated mountain yam dipping soba. So during this dinner I found out I was not a fan of Japanese mountain yam. The mountain yam tasted fresh but the lingering aftertaste just wasn’t my plate of yam. The sea urchin was incredibly creamy and delicious.
*Also the 3 different sizes does not change your uni portion, only the soba portion! I asked :)
My friends ordered the oyster soba and the nabeyaki udon. I personally didn’t enjoy either. I found the oyster soba too be too salty and the nabeyaki udon to be too plain.
I will like to come back for the special lunch sets! The appetizers are definitely a hit and must get.

I’ve been craving soba since I had some good soba in Japan.
We ordered:
Maguro Yamakake ($ 10) — soy cured tuna & grated mountain yam
The smashed avocado & tuna & seaweed strips were good, but that’s always a good combination. However, I don’t like mountain yum, so I don’t know why we ordered this.
Kamo Seiro ($ 19) — cold noodles & duck & green onions in hot dipping sauce
Cold soba noodles in hot dipping sauce were exactly what I wanted. The duck was a little tough. The flavors were mild, as was the broth.
I’m pretty sure the other bowl was…
Stamina Fried Chicken & Garlic ($ 18):
The pieces of fried chicken had more flavor than the duck. The hot noodle soup warmed me up. It was delicious and satisfying.
I thought the dishes were a little expensive, but when I consider the noodles are handmade in-​house, I guess it’s not bad after all.

Delicious in all aspects. Come for the handmade soba. If you’re lucky, you will see them being made in the booth that’s front-​of-​house. As you dine, marvel at their perfect uniformity.
Our go-​to routine: get a tuna avocado don (regular size) for an appetizer. Tuna is marinated and very fresh. Be sure to spot the hunk of wasabi amongst the avocado.
Soba: Stamina (fried chicken, garlic) is good and perfect for the not-​too-​adventurous. Curry Nanban is very hearty and perfect for a cold day. Customize your own hot soup by ordering Kake (noodles in plain broth) and add toppings to it.
Sake is heated in a warm bath and not microwaved or dispensed from a machine.

Can’t beat the lunch box special here at Soba-​ya, $ 20 for a good, filling meal! The soba here is well-​regarded in NYC, so I had high hopes for oodles of noodles. Service here is great — very attentive and polite as well. Try to come early if you want the lunch box special, I believe they only have 25 per day!
The Lunch Box: You have your soba & dipping sauce with scallions and wasabi, rice and fish roe, shrimp and vegetable tempura, pickled vegetables, broiled salmon, and dessert (tofu pudding with strawberries). All of it was quite good, my favorites were the tofu pudding and the tempura. The shrimp tempura were perfectly crisp and lightly seasoned, yet not oily at all. If you’re wondering about the soba, the noodles had a good bite to them — I just wish the dipping sauce was a little stronger.
Really great (and affordable) spot for lunch if you want some solid Japanese food in NYC!

I legitimately crave this restaurant every once awhile and I now tend to tend visiting guests here for lunch. I’ve only been here for lunch because their lunch specials are so delicious & so filling. Their cold soba is soooo good!
Lunch Box Set for $ 21 (5) — If you want to get your money’s worth, the lunch box set does just that. In addition, it will give you a taste of what Soba-​ya is capable of. You get your choice of noodles (highly prefer the cold soba over hot soba /​hot udon), then tempura, then an entire lunch box followed by dessert. Their cold soba is absolutely good and their dessert is so good too. Then, the lunch box gives you a big of roe, a bit of fish, etc…
Lunch Set $ 19 (5) — I’ve only had the cold soba + sake oyaka don. I wish they gave a bit more salmon but only because everything about this lunch set is beyond belief good.
If you’re around St Marks, make sure you come here!

About a 2 – 2.5: I’ve been wanting to check out Soba-​ya ever since I’d heard that they serve up some great soba noodles. Lunch, dinner, and a dessert menu is offered, and they have even offered some takeaway options for a party of 2. The hubs and I came here for a quick lunchstop, and we were seated within 10 minutes — I was surprised, as the lunch rush was a bit ridiculous here! I had the Tem Don, which was a shrimp and vegetable tempura over rice, with a small size of your choice of hot or cold soba or udon — I opted for the cold soba. The tempura was extremely light in the batter, and it was okay; I preferred if there was some extra tempura sauce that came with the set, as it already came with a predetermined amount on the tempura and on the rice. The rice itself was overcooked with a bit too much water, so it was on the mushy end. The soba noodles were extremely small in portion, and they were pretty underwhelming — I really didn’t see any difference between these and those you can purchase at the local grocery store. The hubs had the Pork Katsu Don, which was a deep fried pork omelette over rice; he opted for the hot version of the soba noodles, and while the katsu itself was pretty okay, the sauce again was a bit too limited and came with a predetermined amount. We both were not fans of the hot version of the soba, as the broth was watered down and not flavorful. Each of the lunch sets came with a little side of pickled lotus root, a seasoned steamed pumpkin (which was pretty delicious), and some pickled cucumbers. While the service was super friendly and attentive, the food was disappointing and I felt it was super overpriced for the amount and for the quality. I’m glad I was able to finally check Soba-​ya out, but won’t be back!
+watered down broth for hot soba
+yummy steamed pumpkin side dish
+friendly and efficient staff

Going along with my theme of refusing to order the one dish that is in the restaurant’s name or that the restaurant is best known for, I ordered the salmon avocado rice bowl instead any of the soba dishes. As a general note, Soba-ya’s lunch is unequivocally a better deal than any of the dinner items: as part of their lunch set, you get a small noodle AND a small rice bowl, whereas for dinner, you can pay $ 3 extra for a small bowl of soup and pickles for your rice bowl, and then shell out $ 20 for the two desserts you scarf down at Spot.
Just kidding, I’m especially gluttonous, but for a normal person, the regular-​sized salmon avocado bowl is more than enough. They pack in a lot of delicious rice along the bottom, with generous chunks of salmon and sesame-​dotted avocado. Drizzle in some soy sauce, and you’ve got yourself a salmon avocado sushi in a bowl. I tried a sip of my friend’s noodle broth, which, though flavorful, tasted bitter and medicinal.
If you’re (inconspicuously) dining alone, rest assured that Soba-​ya has a small bar space in the back.
NEXT TIME: lunch deal, broiled eel don, duck soba

Wow! I was so excited to try this place but overall I was really disappointed! I’m a pretty easy person to please when it comes to food. I’ll eat almost anything and have no dietary restrictions. Sad to say but I don’t think I will be coming back for more and here is why.
I think it’s just me and what I like. I felt that the broth was light and clean but also boring and bland, a little too sour for my taste. While I love Japanese food, sushi, and noodles (I can eat Phở everyday) I probably wouldn’t eat this again.
I also don’t do ramen too much because I think the broth can be a bit on the heavy side. *Therefore, read this review with caution.* It really depends on what you like.
If you like the clean/​bland broth then this would be a great place for you.
I thought the noodles were fresh but again, bland, not much to be desired after. I ordered the duck noodle bowl ($ 20), and the duck itself was good but not as good as Chinese Peking Duck. Left me wanting more.
Didn’t blow my socks off and I didn’t feel like I was getting a good bargain when there are so many other places to eat near the St. Marks area that are cheaper and more flavorful.
I really wanted to like this place but maybe Soba is not my thang?

Pretty good stuff. Have been wanting to try Soba-​ya for awhile, so I stopped by on a rainy Thursday afternoon. Soba-​ya serves up a nice variety of soba and udon dishes. I went with the pretty simple early bird dinner special — $ 20 for vegetable appetizer, soba dish with shrimp and vegetable tempura, and vanilla ice cream dessert.
The vegetable appetizer was pretty decent, though definitely an interesting curation of things. To be honest, I’m not 100% sure what I was eating, but most of it was okay. The soba was pretty decent, what you would expect for plain soba. And the vanilla ice cream was decent too.
Overall, not much to say given how plain and simple everything I got was… but it was all executed pretty well — it’s easy to mess up the texture of soba or have not good dipping sauce, but Soba-​ya executed really well, and everything was pretty seamless in terms of serving speed. Pretty great experience, and definitely a place I’d return back to if I want Japanese noodles.
tldr; yummy soba! pretty reasonably priced given NYC

I would like to start by saying, I am in no way a soba fan. If I had a choice between soba and ramen, I would make that choice in a heartbeat, ramen! That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the soba here; the texture was on point. I have had soba before, but it wasn’t Soba-​ya! This place is popular for a reason and everything about this place makes it a comfortable dining experience. My friends and I got here at 6:30 on a Friday night and our wait was estimated to be 45 minutes, we were seated in less than 20 minutes, win! We quickly scanned the menu and decided on the agedashi tofu, two hot sobas and a cold soba.
The agedashi tofu was fried tofu perfection, I can see why it’s recommended most. I had the Kamo Nanban hot soba, which had a good amount of flavor, more on the vinegar side along with a good clear broth. My friends ordered the Ten Zaru cold soba and the Kinoko hot soba. They both like their soba and the broth for the Kinoko was nice and light. The service is really good here as well. They had brought my friend her sobayu (soba water) when she was almost done with her soba. I’m sure it’s rich in nutrients and tastes ok when mixed with the dipping sauce, but it’s not really my thing. This place is definitely worth a try whether you like soba or not, you might just end up liking it!

Location: Soba-​ya is rival with other delicious Japanese restaurants on E9th street. However, it stands out fairly since the front decoration is very Japanese traditional style. When you stepped into the restaurant, you will be intrigued by the inner decoration — wood led tables, chairs, and so on. But the space is really limited so that you may end up eating your food without much private space.
Food: I was there during lunch time around 2pm. They still offered lunch box, which consists of small size of soba noodles, small size of Udons and some other small dishes. I had cold soba, with eel udon. I particulally love their eel udon. Eel is usually cooked with sweet sauce, and eating with rice is perfect. Soba is also good, with the cold sauce.
Price: only less 20 for a lunch box to try their remarkable food. And end up in a full stomach.
I think it is a great deal.
Overall: I would say a 4 star is pretty accurately describing my whole experience there. Oh, get their early or you will end up waiting for a long time

Fairly fancy soba place in East Village. Zero wait time on a Friday @ 12:30pm.
Definitely go for their lunch sets; either their «mini lunch boxes» or their «lunch box». Lunch box= exclusively only 25 servings/​day. Mini lunch boxes entails a small rice bowl of your choice + small size noodles of hot or cold soba; it’s satisfying for those who don’t want to be grossly full and get dessert elsewhere in East Village.
Rec:
++Sake oyako don «mini lunch» set $ 14: salmon sashimi + salmon roe over rice. Beautiful presentation with hand made soba.
Interesting quirk: With every cold soba ordered, a square wooden pot will be given to you after you finished eating your noodles. The purpose of the pot is to pour the hot liquid into your dipping sauce so you can drink it as a diluted broth afterwards.
Service is fairly quick and impersonal.

After cravings for soba noodles, my siblings and I decided to head over to Soba-​Ya for our Sunday lunch. We arrived just about 20 minutes before the doors open at 12:00 PM, therefore we decided to look at the outdoor menu in the time being. As each passing minute goes by, there is a line forming right behind us. When we finally looked behind us, it was already twenty-​three people (yeah… we actually counted: P). We just happened to be the first party on the line but we really did not expect there to be a line for a Sunday lunch. Be sure you get here early! When we finally walked in, we could not stop complimenting how simple, neat, and modest the décor was. Furnish wooden tables, chairs, and the bar counter. We sat down at our table and we are already ready to order!
My siblings and I each got the Lunch Box Set in which only 25 are served each day based on first come first serve for only $ 19.50. Lunch Box Set comes with your choice of Hot or Cold Soba Noodles, Shrimp or Vegetable Tempura, as well as a box with broiled salmon, various pickled vegetables, ikura rice, and salad.
The star of our lunch was definitely the buckwheat soba noodles! Cold soba noodles come on top of a bamboo layer on top of a plate and a cup of soba dipping (tsuyu) sauce with wasabi and scallions — just add everything! Dipping sauce was the perfect flavor companion for the perfect chewy soba noodles. So delicious!
Shrimp Tempura was crunchy and flaky. Since it was just lightly salted, I added the red chili pepper powder from the table that added so much more flavor! Broiled salmon was a generous piece and the skin was nicely charred and chewy. Pickled veggies came with cucumber, carrot, lotus root, sweet yam, and this amazing cup of tiny mushrooms, mountain veggies soaked in this yuzu oil! There is also a salad topped with tofu and Soba-Ya’s ginger dressing to kick it up the notch! Lastly, our dessert was served — tofu pudding topped with preserved strawberry and a peppermint leaf. This small little dessert was just the sweet perfect ending to our meal!
A future visit is just around the corner!
On A Side Note: We overheard a Japanese man slurping very loudly and verbally complimented the soba noodles. In Japanese culture, slurping loudly is considered a compliment to the chef. The louder you slurp, the bigger the compliment! Also, slurping also maximize the deliciousness — there’s science behind this. That’s really cool!

Sobaya made me feel like I was back in Japan. The food tastes very authentic and the décor feels homey. I came before 5:30p.m. on a Sunday and the 4 of us were seated immediately. After about 10 minutes, the restaurant was packed and people started lining up for a table. We were really glad we beat the rush.
There are a lot of both cold and hot udon and soba options and you can also choose what size you want. They have a good assortment of appetizers and donburi as well. Everything I had was really delicious. It’s simple comfort food at its finest.
On to the food:
Uni Tororo Soba– Best decision ever! The uni tasted fresh and there was a decent amount of uni in this dish. The soba noodles were the perfect texture. They are handmade and are comparable to what you can get in Japan. At the end of your meal, they give you soba-​yu which is the hot water they use to boil the soba. You mix it with the soba tsuyu (the dipping sauce) so you can drink it like soup.
Nabeyaki Udon– Came out piping hot and includes a piece of tempura shrimp. The soup was very flavorful and delicious.
Assorted Tempura– The tempura batter here is really good. It doesn’t taste too oily and adds the perfect crunch to each piece of tempura. The shrimp tempura was cooked perfectly. The shrimp was still soft and the batter was crunchy.
Agedashi Tofu– A good simple dish. The dashi added good flavor to the tofu.
I’ve been here twice now and love the food here!

This is one of my favorite soba places. When I can, I come right when it opens at noon during lunch on weekends to get their lunch box with cold soba ($ 17). Great portions that leaves me full when I am done. Given the price and the amount of food given, I feel that its fair. At the end of the meal, it even comes with a small sweet egg custard. My favorite.
Soba is fresh and al dente. Tempura is delicately fried. The Bento box is just a great combination of food. I think the only negative I have experienced there was the uni tororo. It just wasn’t to my liking. The grated yam made the dish particularly slimy. Regardless, I will always come back for more of their lunch box special.

«What’s your favorite restaurant in NYC?»
I get asked this question quite frequently. It’s honestly impossible to pick just one restaurant as my favorite, especially because my answer will depend on what cuisine I am craving at the moment. But I always make sure that Soba-​ya in East Village is on my list of favorite restaurants in New York City.
Located in a neighborhood replete with Japanese dining options, Soba-​ya stands out as an establishment that serves excellent hand-​made soba (made of buckwheat) and udon noodles, which are much healthier and more nutritious than ramen. In addition to the noodles, you can get delicious Japanese rice bowls, sushi, and tofu dishes at Soba-​ya.
When I come to Soba-​ya for lunch, I always opt for the Mini Lunch Set. It’s a GREAT deal — you get a small-​size rice bowl and a small-​size noodle (choice of soba or cold/​hot udon). Don’t be fooled by the «small-​size» descriptor in the menu, because you will certainly be surprised by the huge portion size. I would highly recommend the cold udon noodles — the noodles are perfectly al dante and chewy.
Soba-​ya also has one of the best oyako don I have ever tasted. Tender, juicy pieces of chicken are bound together with medium rare egg over flavorful rice. I could eat this every day! I also love the Sake Oyako Don, which is topped with fresh salmon sashimi and salmon roe over rice. The sashimi is very fresh, and there are layers of nori over the rice as well.
Alternative option to the Mini Lunch Set is the Lunch Box. They only sell a limited quantity per day, and the bento box includes shrimp/​vegetable tempura, green salad, broiled fish (salmon), mini chirashi rice, and vegetable of the day. I personally think the mini lunch set is a better value, better deal, and better tasting option because it highlights what I love about Soba-​ya.
You can top the soba/​udon with various ingredients, such as green onions, shiitake mushrooms, tempura, duck, and uni. Depending on the season, you can get them cold or hot.

No frills. Just comforting.
That’s Soba-ya’s slogan and it’s truth. We were in the mood for some soba after a night of izakaya and cocktails. We ordered the uni soba (cold) and the Kamonan soba (hot). The uni was so fresh it tasted like it just came from the ocean. The sauteed duck in the Kamonan soba was also very good. At the end of our meal, the server brought over the soba-​yu (the warm water that boiled soba). This is so we could drink the dipping sauce (soba tsuyu) mixed with the soba-​yu to enjoy the flavor of soba. Noodles are made in house and fresh. Good, simple, comfort food. If you’re in the mood for soba, this is definitely the place to go.