Soba Dining Sora: This Primo Japanese Soba Shop’s First United States Location Is Opening in San Francisco | Eater SF

"Set to open in July 2025 in the former Aloha Warehouse space (technically located at 1731 Buchanan Street, found on one of the complex's walking paths) and situated next door to Hinodeya Ramen, this will be the group's first U.S. location dedicated to its soba concept. Keiichiro Yonekura, the U.S. manager for Sasala Dining which owns both businesses, says, “Finally we can open Soba in Japantown,” Yonekura says. “We’re so excited.” Final details of the San Francisco menu aren’t yet available, but chef and owner Masao Kuribara’s menu in Japan is meant to provide an accessible and laidback approach for diners and will make the leap to this new location; the main star of the restaurant is the rustic noodle dishes. Yonekura says they will import Japanese buckwheat noodles for the restaurant, which typically arrive at the table alongside just-ground sesame seeds, ginger, wasabi, and bowls of soup or broth, depending on the set meal. The Japan menu also features tempura, fried skewers, and sake, some of which are expected to port over to the upcoming restaurant. This pared-down approach counters Kuribara’s glitzy resume: he cooked at Kicchou in Tokyo before becoming the head chef at the Japanese embassy in Holland where, according to the business’s website, he cooked for emissaries including then-Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Like its Japanese predecessors, this is the second restaurant from the group not operating under the Hinodeya name." - Paolo Bicchieri