Soba Dining Sora

Seared Aigamo was insanely good. It’s definitely a must try appetizer. I also had the zaru soba and it’s authentic Japanese soba. Highly recommended!

I stumbled upon Sora Soba Dining while I was out for a walk, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and service. I will definitely be returning with my friends!

This soba was so overpriced I couldnt believe my eyes. It tasted just like any other soba noodle and the texture was only slightly better. I feel like you could just go to any other place and have a similar experience for cheaper. Also, it was not super filling at all and had to get more food somewhere else. Tempura was mid as well (thin and soft batter and so small!). The only saving grace really was the broth + soba water combo was good and the tamagoyaki was pretty fire. Probably wont eat here again. I ended up spending ~71 bucks total between two ppl w/o tip, which is crazy.

Delicious!!!

Best new Japanese restaurant in sf. Hands down. Worth the 45 min wait. Highlights: potato chips, cold soba, and tempura We got the potato chips (incredible), umami salad (dressing was a little on the heavy side), a hot soba, a cold soba (the PERFECT chewiness), a 6 piece tempura. LOVED the variety on the skewers!!! Mini hotdogs, shishito peppers, chicken nuggets, asparagus, etc)

Stop Scrolling and Go I visited during the soft-opening hours on December 5, 2025. I ordered the hot soba and tempura, and the quality reminded me of dishes I’ve had in Japan. The soba and tempura felt thoughtfully prepared, with attention to texture and seasoning, and the atmosphere had a genuine Japanese character. The portions are modest, so I recommend adding an appetizer to your order. Service was fast and attentive. Thank you for bringing such well-crafted soba to San Francisco. I can’t wait to come back!

We visited during opening week, so I imagine things will continue to improve as they settle in. The soba was great overall. We ordered the hot kake and the tamago, and both had a wonderful yuzu aroma and nicely textured noodles. The 9-piece tempura didn’t quite land for us — it came out cold, the batter was on the thicker side, and the overall texture felt a bit soggy. I’d probably skip it next time. Service was friendly but understandably busy. The team seemed focused on turning tables, so getting refills or napkins took a little longer, though it helped keep the line moving. We waited about 30–40 minutes on a Friday night after arriving at 6 PM. The interior is beautiful and clearly thoughtfully designed, almost too elevated compared to the more casual, fast-paced service model.

We got there early during the soft opening for dinner and there was no line but more than half the restaurant was filled. The soba is noticeably better than what you find elsewhere at at home. We've been to rakuichi in niseko and fell in love with that grainier noodle, and this is def more grainy and chewy (in a good way). We really liked the thick chips and the tempura-ed sausage was really fun and something I haven't had before. I'd order 10 of those skewers if I could (came with my cold soba with tempura). They are kid friendly despite being a well put together ambiance, see kid setting in photo. We'll be back to try more of the menu (I think was limited due to soft opening).

Known for its 100% Japanese buckwheat soba noodles, Sora has opened its first U.S. location in San Francisco's Japantown! The soba is made fresh and focuses on the lightness and purity of the dishes. You can order it cold with dipping sauces or hot with Kansai-style broth. It's a great choice for the cold weather we've been experiencing but prepare to wait in line! The space has a lot of small tables and there are no reservations.

Terrible soft opening. More than half of SF's restaurants have been my clients for over 3 decades and you advertise being a group for over 140 years so there should be no excuses for having a simple protocol that aligns with what's in your grand opening email. I made 3 attempts through Saturday and Sunday to come by during your advertised hours and you were closed every time despite me showing you your own email and revealing the 60 receipts that I've accumulated with your Hinodeya Ramen chain this year alone. To be forward, it's more due to convenience since SF is limited on late night healthy options; than being my favorite ramen. I've averaged more than 1 visit a week this year and wasted a lot of time chasing your opening weekend. One person insisted you were going to be better than Sobakatsu just down the street, but that team has been nothing but flawless every visit. I wouldn't be surprised if this was someone's first time opening a restaurant, but you've been around for over a century. You may have lost a consistent customer with that one and definitely unsubscribing from the email list, since you did very little to acknowledge the accuracy of it in person. This was an amateur fumble on your part. I love soba since it's a carb that's actually a complete protein.

Excited to see another soba restaurant in SF, especially after waiting for 45 mins for Sobakatsu We got the cold dipping soba, kamo (duck) cold dipping soba, and tamago roll. I loved the broth of the duck dipping soba. The sliced yuzu was a nice touch. The soba came broken but I understood that it was hard to make 100% buckwheat soba without breaking it. The line was long at the soft opening so plan ahead.

Soft Opening!!! We got there a little before opening and there was barely a line, but it does build up fast! It's also quite small and intimate inside, so there was still a bit of a wait for us. Inside we were cheerfully greeted and they took our order immediately since we had plenty of time to look over the menu. We got the Kushi Tempura Soba and the Kushi Tempura. Both soba broths were delicious and rich in flavor. But I definitely preferred the tempura, it genuinely reminded me of tempura in Japan, specifically from Tendo House in Kyoto, both restaurants providing matcha salt and the lightest crispiest batter on the tempura. Where Sora is different is they add some depth to each stick of tempura, the tomago is soft and slightly sweet, and the meat had an onion deep fried on the same stick with it. I also lovedddd the Soba Yu that came with the broth at the end, I've never had that in the states and it was the perfect way to end the meal on a cold, gloomy day in the city. I'm definitely so glad we decided to come before all of the hype and the food was delicious. Service was great! We did miss out on the candy at the end, but we were so stuffed that we didn't even mind! If you got a piece, I'm curious what type it was though!! They definitely care about what they are serving here! Loved it!

Super excited to see that there is another soba specialty restaurant in the Bay Area! I decided to try my luck and see if I could get in during lunch hours on Friday. I arrived around 12:40 PM and there was a short line already. The staff said it would take about 1 hour, but I ended up waiting roughly around 25-30 mins. There have a few tables for larger groups and a bar area or individuals/smaller groups near the kitchen. The kitchen is semi-open where you can see all the action for making the the dishes. As you enter in, the staff member will pound the drum at the entrance and welcome you into the restaurant in Japanese, which was kind of cool to experience. I was seated at the bar area and it was pretty spacious. I opted for just water, but they have teas and soft drinks. They provide you with a bottle of your own water to refill your own cup. I ordered the following: 1) Dashi-Maki Tamago(8.5/10) - I was pleasantly surprised with this simple tamago dish. The egg omelet was fluffy but still had a good bite to it. Lightly sweet with the flavorful dashi sauce along with the freshness of the green onions on top. It was a good balance of flavors where each component complimented each other really well. There was also a shishito pepper that was cooked in the dashi and it was really tasty as well. 2) Kamo Negi(8.8/10) - Super good cold soba noodle set! The star of the set was the aigamo(duck) and the broth. The dipping broth was rich, flavorful yet light and not too salty. The umaminess of the duck and negi really comes through in the dipping broth. With this set you get about 4 slices of duck on the side and the broth also had 2 slices of duck and some large negi chunks as well. The noodles were on point and very similar to the ones I had in Japan. A very good chewy bite/texture and a bit more grainy than your average soba noodles; one draw back is the noodles are a bit more delicate due to not having gluten to maintain its structure, leading to shorter noodles. There was also a wooden tube of togarashi to add some kick to your dipping broth. In the end, they provide you with some hot soup to mix in with you leftover dipping broth and it was a very good way to end the meal. Ambiance was clean, simplistic and elegant, but also a bit chaotic in a good way! It did take a bit to put in an order and to receive it since it was soft opening and they're still working on optimizing their work flow; but staff overall was friendly, attentive and helpful! Pricing is a bit higher than your typical noodle spot, but with the quality of ingredients and attention to detail, it was worth the slight premium to give this place a try. Would definitely come again to give their tempura a try and their other dishes as well!

Sora is a delightful addition to the Japantown area. The soba dishes are perfectly portioned so that you end up filled, but not overly so. Would definitely recommend trying the Kawashi Tamago. It had a nice light broth with egg and green onion. The soba noodles have a nice texture, and the wheat noodle was clearly high quality. This sister restaurant to Hinodeya has a location in Japan, but this is its first foray into the US. Definitely worth a visit for the food, atmosphere, and service. They are still working on the kitchen prep, so please be patient when ordering, as the main dish does take some time to prep.

OMG. Seriously great soba and tempura. Sora is a fantastic addition to Japantown and already feels like one of those spots we will keep coming back to ... again ... and ... again. The app and soba dishes are perfectly portioned and beautifully prepared. I started with the 3-piece Kushi-Tempura (sausage, vegetable, and shrimp), each accompanied by a shishito pepper. Everything was perfectly coated, super crunchy, and straight-up addictive. Highly recommend. The Kamo Nanban (hot). Sora's hot soba broth is the real deal -- a rich, golden bonito broth with a smooth Kansai-style finish. It came with a side of wonderful Aigamo (duck) that was insanely good. The noodles themselves have great texture and clearly use high-quality wheat; every bite hits that perfect soba balance of chew and comfort. Price to quality? On point. For San Francisco, Sora delivers fantastic value without compromising ingredients or technique. It's currently in soft-opening mode and the service is genuinely awesome -- maybe even a little overstaffed at times, with more servers and chefs than customers. From the moment you walk in, you're greeted with a vocal welcome from the staff and a strike of the drum, which makes you feel instantly welcomed. They're still working through some kitchen prep rhythms while in "soft opening," so bring a little patience and expect LOTS of heartfelt thank-yous from the team. Every server I interacted with was friendly, attentive, and eager to help. The atmosphere is that classic Japanese noodle house vibe, authentic and warm without trying too hard. It really did feel like stepping out of SF and into Tokyo for a bit. Definitely worth a visit for the food, atmosphere, and service. I'm already planning to go back -- might even take my daughter this week.

Came here on a sunday around 1pm and the wait was about 40 minutes. Decently sized restaurant however service is a bit on the slower side since they're still on their soft opening phase. I noticed the kitchen and wait staff had a few hiccups so hopefully everyone's ready to go by grand opening! The tempura was very flavorful and delicious. The kamo nanban was yummy on a cold day. The star of the show was the seared duck, it was so flavorful. The hot soba broth definitely hit the spot as well. Not sure if it only happened to our dishes but I felt as the soba noodles were on the choppy/ short side. Wish the noodles were long and more consistent. Overall, definitely give it a try!

It's a soft opening and I typically lean to a high score but there were some rather unforgivable things here...the pain was even greater because I have been a lover of 100% soba for decades and you can't find it readily. So when we came by the line wrapped around the building, we went elsewhere for a drink and came back an hour later and the queue was only a few people (basically we hit the dinner rush before). A short wait and we're seated at the counter. The menu is pretty straightforward with hot and cold soba offerings and some appetizers. Crispy soba (just crunchy bits) and dashi tamago were as advertised. I ordered the cold soba with shrimp and vegetable tempura. It came out promptly. Now here is the problem. The soba was not just cold...it was ice cold. Like they plated it and left it in a chill box for a while waiting to serve. I didn't get an ice chunk but I'm surprised I didn't. As it was way too cold, the nutty flavors of 100% soba just don't hit. With the soba there was the little set of toppings for the dipping sauce, which had almost no green onions on it. Ok ok ok...sure they will figure that out but the ice cold noodles is not right. Next, my 'shrimp and vegetable tempura' was one fried shrimp, one fried tamago, one fried cherry tomato stuffed with mozzarella, and one fried piece of pork and one fried piece of pork sausage! So TWO pieces of PORK were in the 'shrimp and vegetable tempura'...I'd forgive the odd tomato and cheese thing but by luck i caught the sausage and pork chunk on the plate. I flagged a staff member over, they took it away and replaced the offending pieces with shrimp but really the ship had sailed. Advertise what you sell..."shrimp and meat tempura" is what that was. You can fault me for not asking "is there pork in the Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura?" if you think that's a valid question to ask. (Hint: it's not.) I'll come back...I'll try again past soft opening but right now my excitement to have a full large soba place in Japantown is left on pause.

WOW! SORA surprised me with how good they were. They are truly Japan level good and the full experience felt like being transported back to Japan. We arrived at opening and there was a 45 minute wait (we were the second wave). But the wait was worth it! We ordered the kamo nanban, kashiwa tamago, 3 piece tempura set, seared aigamo, dash maki tamago. Kamo Nanban - talk about umami and flavor! On a cold day this healed me. Mid eating, I was already thinking about coming back. The duck was so flavorful and tender. Kashiwa Tamago - the egg and chicken was fluffy and the broth was mild. Simple yet tasty. Seared aigamo - delicious but the portion is pretty small so be aware! It's about 5-6 pieces. I think I just didn't realize when ordering. It's the same as the duck that comes with the Kamo Nanban. Tempura set - I loved that each piece was a surprise. It was so light and perfectly crisp. Dashi maki tamago - melt in your mouth and soft in texture. Overall, I'll be back tomorrow! It was that good.

It's nice to see a new soba restaurant in SF -- the bay area has far too few of these, and the most popular ones (Soba Ichi and Sobakatsu) both have crazy lines. Sora Dining Soba was good, but has some work to do to get to their level. The Dashi Tamago had potential, but the dashi was very subtle and the sauce was thick and clumpy -- a bit too much corn starch. As for the main attractions, the duck soba had a great dipping broth. The regular dipping soba was good, but don't think I would order that again as the dipping broth didn't wow me. As for the noodles, via delivery (yes they're on DoorDash) it ended up being a bit clumpy, some noodles were broken, but the flavor and texture was good. Overall it has potential and I'm excited to try it again in the future.

So hyped to have a new soba restaurant in Japantown!! While there's an abundance of ramen shops in the city, there's only 1-2 restaurants specialized in soba. I went on their Friday soft opening around 6pm and waited around 30-40 minutes to get in. Once seated and ordered, the food came out super fast! We started off with their dashi tamago, which is a rolled omelette bathing in a bowl of dashi and scallion broth. I'm a huge fan of rolled omelettes and this one was a hit. For our mains, we got the cold soba sets, one with tempura and the other with duck. In terms of broth, I liked the duck one better for the richness. The tempura was fried really well and had a variety of veggies and seafood. In general I prefer getting soba with dipping soup on the side because soba tends to get too chewy when in soup for too long but I saw many others order the hot sets too. Prices are definitely on the higher end among the restaurants in Japantown but I think it's worth it for the quality, service and ambiance!

It's nice to be in the loop with Hinodeya in Japantown. I received an email from them saying that there's a soft opening and a grand opening of their soba restaurant. Slurp! I'm down! Stood in line on Monday, December 8th at 11:45 and within an hour, I was in and out. The hospitality and decor takes you to Japan. The service is exceptional. Everyone was hustling and bustling for their grand opening and they did not miss a beat. Whoever is in charge surely knew how to orchestrate the flow. Thumbs up for the five start service. Now the food rating. "Itadakimasu." It was good, but we don't feel that we have to rush back for more. We found it pricey for the small portion that we received. The tempura was skewered... nice touch. The soba was al dente, but we needed more. We left hungry. What I really enjoyed was the soba-yu. Soba-yu is the hot water used to boil the soba noodles. Pour it into the dipping sauce and you have one oishii cup of soup to finish off your meal. "Gochisosamadeshita!"

We got there early during the soft opening for dinner and there was no line but more than half the restaurant was filled. The soba is noticeably better than what you find elsewhere at at home. We've been to rakuichi in niseko and fell in love with that grainier noodle, and this is def more grainy and chewy (in a good way). We really liked the thick chips and the tempura-ed sausage was really fun and something I haven't had before. I'd order 10 of those skewers if I could (came with my cold soba with tempura). They are kid friendly despite being a well put together ambiance, see kid setting in photo. We'll be back to try more of the menu (I think was limited due to soft opening).

I got the cold tempure zaru soba. It was very good and fresh, boucy texture thanks it being handmade fresh in house. Dashi and tempure was good but nothing special. Tempura batter was not very crispy but not bad. But this place is super expensive and i did not feel full afterwards. Its $26 for a small portion of soba noodles with a few pieces of tempura. It's definitely not worth the price as their competitor sobakastu offers the same fresh soba for less ($19)

Seared Aigamo was insanely good. It's definitely a must try appetizer. I also had the zaru soba and it's authentic Japanese soba. Highly recommended!