Abura Soba Shimbashi

The best meal of my entire JAPAN TRIP… north to south. Only seats about 10, service great helping us order through ticket machine after waiting out the front with locals for 10 minutes MAX

Love this outlet the most, situated quietly within the noisy shimbashi area. They have English menu on the side of the ordering machine, just use that it will certainly make your life easier ordering. Their abura soba is one of the best I’ve been to in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Super flavourful. You’ll have to order first before queuing for seats, take note! Apologies for no decent picture on it, as it was too delicious, we gobbled it before anything.

I’ve been to many of these locations and this is the cleanest and most organzied one i’ve been to. My only issue is the machine to buy the soba is cash only. They haven’t updated to the newer digital ones other locations have. They do have a multi language menu incase you can read kanji. I got the L size soba. They also have spicy options and various sides/add ons. The meal is very filling. The soba is cooked perfectly and the oil they use is very tasty. I will visit this location again. The service was 10/10. Very fast and efficient.

Quick and easy. They have an ordering machine that makes ordering a breeze. Oil sauce is rich. I added a good drizzle to tame the umami-ness. Give it a try. Make sure to add the topping option to the bowl.

They have English menu and instructions how to eat (that was helpful:)) The staff are very nice and welcoming. I had a basic noodle bowl M size, it was tasty and filling.

You cant go wrong with this chain! Great noodles, great toppings, great price. I must warn people eating the spicy miso for the first time… its really spicy and you will have a tough time the following day. If you can handle red pepper then go ahead… otherwise its wiser to get the regular noodles and add your own spice to it from the spice jar 🫙 as you like it.

First time there was absolutely great, the waiter/chef there was kind and helped us navigate how to order. I can't gush more about the food. The broth perfectly coats the excellent noodles, and the overall package is so flavorful but not overpowering. I do need to make a note that will be relevant later that all the customers were tourist (all speaking Chinese), and they all needed help with the machine and where to line up. However, my second experience later that week there really left a sour note. We came in the mid afternoon and there was no line. We ordered as usual and, seeing how there was no one else in line, went back to the machine to add a couple of add ons. We were there for maybe a minute translating the text on our phone, when the waiter/chef there (different waiter than the first visit) suddenly shouted at us that we are taking too long and to get out. I noticed that a single Japanese customer had just joined the queue. While he was forcibly ushering us out, I think he was trying to salvage the situation a little by trying to reassure us that we were going to be seated first anyways. I was extremely bewildered, and once the Japanese customer finished with the machine, he told me "now you can use the machine." Once I was back in line for a few minutes, he came out to take our tickets while also saying, "see, we are serving you first." I want to note that since he took our tickets only after everyone was done using the machine, logistically there is no point in having the Japanese customer go first. I'm trying to not see this as a xenophobic event, but the difference in service and respect is... quite apparent. I'm sure this is a small misunderstanding, but the experience does stand out compared to how welcoming every other restaurant has been that trip.

Delicious soba noodles and very nice service! Highly recommended, you can pay with cash only.