Soba Noodle Azuma

This restaurant is a great find in NYC. Delicious Japanese foods at fair prices. In fact, the prices are quite "normal", nowhere near what many other Japanese restaurants are charging and the food is well prepared, with generous portions. They charge the same price for Small - Medium - Large bowels of noodles. Wow! They also have perfectly Grilled Fish, and really, really delicious and healthy, Soba Noodles.

food was great. Found this place on on Google when looking for something to eat in the area and I was not disappointed. I got a set and it came with a nice amount of food for the price. Everything was delicious and the staff was very nice and helpful. Really excited to come back and try something else.

Really good beef kimchi noodles (spicy, but not too spicy with a respectable amount of beef and delicious broth) and japanese curry 🍛. Beautiful building. Took a while to get our food, but the wait was definitely worth it.

We went to celebrate a birthday. Got there early, so no wait for a table. Service was friendly and very efficient. The food was excellent and priced fairly. I would highly recommend especially if like noodles.

Soba and udon for LIFE! Out of everything we got I say you can skip the appetizers and just go for the soba and udon! The apps were a little salty and over done but they’re good at their noods! The desesrt we got was yum but the “edible” / decorative flower was kinda sad. Service was great! Very attentive and kind servers!

authentic. delicious. great portion for the price. kind and attentive staff! totally recommend if you’re seeking a simple japanese meal in the city.

Good food, not sure why waiter came outside after to ask if we paid. Never seen that before at any other restaurant.

I think I’ve unlocked one of my favorite noodle houses in Manhattan. Soba Noodle Azuma is the perfect cozy place to grab a bowl with friends, by yourself, whatever on a rainy day or a cold day, or even a hot day. They have a huge range of traditional noodle sets with hot broths, cold broths, udon, soba, rice, you name it. My friend and I got the spicy chicken curry udon and soba bowls with agedashi tofu and sweet potato fries. The tofu was so good, very classic, but they gave a lot of the broth/sauce which is my favorite part. The noodles themselves were great, the broth was thick and well flavored. The portions were massive with tons of fried chicken and noodles. We couldn’t finish it in one sitting! Will have to come here again and bring my friends here because for the price, quality, and quantity, this is an absolute gem!

Super cozy soba noodle spot with lots of options in a convenient location! I really love Soba Noodle Azuma, it's very cozy inside. They don't have a ton of tables, but generally you don't have to wait on a weekday dinner. My favorite things here are the soba and the crispy tempura sets. I definitely prefer the cold soba to the hot, the noodles stay firm and chewy. Pro tip, it's the same price for all three sizes of soba (small, medium, large), so I always get the large and just take home what I can't finish! Service is efficient and speedy, so this is a great option for a quick dinner.

Food was excellent. We got the Duck noodles pot, chicken curry hot soba, fried octopus, and parfait. Service was quick to take our orders and food arrived relatively quickly. Restaurant was packed until closing, but was never too loud. Good ambiance.

If I don't enjoy a meal here, then it is not me. This is my favorite spot in the city and it never fails every time. The hot soba just does everything right. The presentation of the soup, the tea, and even the damn edamame is wonderful. You never fail to amaze me Soba Azuma. Never.

Cozy spot near Columbus Circle offering Japanese Classics. From rice bowls, hot and cold soda, and hot and cold udon, the food is good and the price is fair. We got the sukiyaki style udon and the cold soda and curry rice bowl set. Wash it down with a carafe of cold socket. Was the perfect meal - something filling but not too heavy.

We needed to get dinner before going to a show, so we decided on Soba Noodle Azuma. We both ordered the Soba Azuma Signature "Azuma Gozen Platter" ($27) (one cold and one hot). You are given the option for a small, medium, or large portion of soba for the same price, so of course we chose large! The Set came with assorted tempura (with shrimp), 3 pieces of raw salmon, a rolled egg, a seasonal side dish, a bowl of rice, and a dessert (either mochi ice cream or a scoop of ice cream). Overall, the food was decent. Nothing special. I really enjoyed my green tea and ube ice cream dessert at the end of the meal though. I think if you are looking for a bang for your buck, then this is a great deal. There is a good amount of seating and I noticed a lot of people come here alone to enjoy their soba meal. There are 2 bathrooms available. Staff was attentive.

We were staying nearby and had a craving for ramen and stumbled upon this place. Ambiance was great- we could hear the faint sounds of jazz in the air, servers were bustling about the small, filled to capacity but everyone seemed to be happily enjoying their food. I believe it's first come, first serve seating, we were quickly seated. The menu was vast with many dishes we don't typically see, including these humongous bowls of noodles. We were intrigued but we weren't quite that hungry, so we started with something different- oden, a dish recommended for cold weather. We added daikon, yam, octopus, fish cake & squid. It was very tasty. We also ordered smashed cucumber which were prepared a little differently, but very good as well. We shared fried baby octopus which was very good and udon with tempura. The hot sake complimented dinner perfectly. Great meal! Highly recommend this restaurant. Would love to return and try a few other menu items.

Got the soba noodle curry katsu combo and it was absolutely delicious. Service is nice and ambiance is cute. Everything is relatively affordable.

Solid place for soba! It's pretty spacious inside and the food comes out super fast. I got the Azuma Gozen and the portions were huuge. I got the regular size and could not finish. The side dishes are all high quality with fresh sashimi and tempura. The okras also had great texture and flavor. The cold soba dip was nothing special but it was solid. I'd come back for a filling lunch!

One of the worst Soba I have had in a while. I was in for the house made noodle but the texture of it and the quality of soba was a totally downfall. Too soft, mushy, when I was eating it I thought that instant noodle soba taste better than theirs. Rice dishes were bad too. NOT recommended.

We were craving soba, so we decided to visit Soba Noodle Azuma. The vibe was very cozy and casual, and the service was fast and good. I ordered the shrimp tempura and cold soba set, and the white peach highball. Everything was great-- the shrimp tempura was crispy, the cold soba noodles had the right amount of bounciness, the soba sauce had the right amount of saltiness, and the white peach highball was sweet. I'll definitely come back when I'm craving some soba!

This is going to be a little biased because soba noodles are my 2nd favorite items to eat of all time right behind squid. I can talk about the texture, flavor profile, versatility, health benefits, and incredible macros for days, but I'm here to give a soba noodle restaurant a review. Soba Noodle Azuma at the least is incredible value and good quality in New York City. I was taking my brother here for lunch. He got the duck soba while I got us the squid to share and to judge the quality of this place, the plain hot (kake) soba and the plain cold (maru) soba. The asshole made me pay while taking a picture of the receipt to firm expense the lunch for himself but that's another story. These are not the best soba noodles I've had and also not my preferred as I suspect they use the chewier coarser buckwheat grade rather than the smoother and more sensitive type, which makes sense because the weather in NYC and conditions for amazing soba aren't the best. Totally fine. They were still far better than what you buy in a grocery store and preparing it at home so I'm already delighted by that. What I absolutely love about this place is that all sizes are the same price. For $12 for the plain orders, you can get up to 300 grams of soba. That will fill you up, energize you, and make you feel great. Good carbs and protein, clean taste and feeling, all for around 300 calories too. I fucking love soba noodles and Iove the quantity offering here at Soba Noodle Azuma. I'd eat a $12 lunch here everyday to be honest and might just order soba here for lunch most days of the week, firm expensed, gonna see if they do delivery. The duck soba was also decent, and you can taste the duck meat nicely despite how cooked it is. Buttered Squid with kewpie mayo wasn't mind blowing. It's good but not worth $13 which is literally more than a massive bowl of soba. Come here to digest soba and have a good time. Biased rating and scoring because soba is incredible but I do think they do a good job here.

Great spot for soba, as well as for other flavors of Japanese food because they have a large menu. I appreciate that they have mini rice bowls like the curry dish (just $10) when I'm not too hungry. Location is close to theatre district, so it's a good spot to go before/after a show. I wouldn't say the food here is particularly spectacular, but since the nearby Japanese restaurants on the same 0.1 mile radius tend to be a lot busier, it's a spot that you can tend to drop in and guarantee to be seated within 5-10mins if you're tight on time or aren't looking to shell out too much for a quick meal.

Great portions and good prices for the amount of food you get! I got a combo with eel rice and hot soba. On a cloudy and rainy day it was the perfect comfort meal! At about $25 for the set it was very fairly priced. Pro-tip, when they ask small medium or large for the soba, it's all the same price so get as many moods as you want! Waitstaff was friendly and the food came out quickly.

Friend recommended this no frills soba/udon place in midtown. We were hungry after visiting spyspace and this place is just right across the street! There is a multitude of options available for everyone, so no need to fret about pleasing the crowd. The food portions are also huge, so you'll be well fed by the end of this meal. Everything was so solid -- udon, soba, katsu, sushi. They really are able to do it all. I think it's easy to come here without a reservation. It's a casual sit down restaurant and probably would be good for families.

Had dinner here and ordered the tempura with soba. I like that they charge the same price for small, medium, and large portions of soba. The soba was great and the broth was nice as well. The tempura wasn't very crispy and I wish they gave more instead of half of the bowl being rice. The service is okay, they didn't check up on us after giving us the food. The restaurant is nice and cozy which makes it great for a rainy day!

Literally one of the best bowls of udon I've ever had. The broth was so delicious, the noodles the perfect texture, the tofu and the beef and the onions.... Wow!!!!!!!!! Amazing meal for a cold rainy day in NYC. Cozy atmosphere and the service was sweet and attentive.

Came here for dinner with a group of friends. I thought the soba was honestly average but reasonable quality for the price, but what made the experience great was our amazing server! She was so funny and super attentive to all our needs. Also, we tried the fresh octopus in wasabi, which sounds a bit weird but was honestly fire--highly recommend!

Had a nice dinner here on a cold night! Maybe it was the day I came in, but we got seated right away and the service was quick. I got the curry udon which was really delicious. Most of the portions are very large. The other members of my group had platters (Sets) including their noodles/soup and then whatever they had on the side (i.e., shrimp tempura, pork, etc.) A very clean, straightforward and efficient place. The ambience was nice with warm lighting. Lovely restaurant for some soba or noodles (hot or cold)

solid soba place that can expect to see me a lot more in the future as someone who, for some reason, craves soba all the time -- plenty of seating but not overcrowded or too loud. the staff is accommodating and extremely friendly through the whole dinner. i got the cold soba noodle with grated yam potato and poached egg -- it was absolutely delicious, not overpowering but flavorful and refreshing for this unexpectedly hot week. the dessert was a standout; i shared the ube uberload (ube ice cream with mochi waffle) with my friend, and both of us are still thinking about it hours later. we also shared the paint your own owl cookie (tapped into our inner children) as the perfect end to the night. highly recommend :)

flavors were too good. Prices were also really reasonable. I absolutely loved the soba noodles & would definitely recommend!

Azuma Gozen was filling and delicious. I ordered cold noodles. It's the same price for small or regular, so I went with the regular size. At first I thought it was too much food, but it was the perfect amount. Every component was tasty. Dessert is included with the meal. There were some other flavors, but I decided to end my dinner with a green tea mochi ice cream. Overall, it was a pleasant experience.

They recently replaced the entire staff, including the chefs, which has noticeably decreased the quality of the food. We visited the restaurant this afternoon and ordered duck breast noodles and chicken with egg over rice. Unfortunately, the duck appeared to be frozen, even though it was still cooking in the pot when served. We could squeeze blood from the meat. The waiter, who was very polite, took the pot back and cooked it further, but by then, the noodles had started to burn, and the soup became thick and ropy. I've been to this restaurant more than 20 times over the past five years, and I hope the new management improves things. I'll give it another try in a few months if they're still around.

I was on the hunt for a good soba place in nyc but I think I'll take a break from soba after this place. We came here on a Saturday without reservation and were seated promptly. There were lots of customers and the place quickly packed up. Originally we were going to order the Azuma set but afterwards both decided to try a different soba / rice combo. We got the hot soba with katsu don and the cold soba with shrimp and vegetable tempura. Service was quick - but I didn't like how they first served the cold soba and then we waited some time for my friend's meal to come. The prices for the menu were quite reasonably priced. The food: the cold soba had a chewier texture compared to the hot soba. I liked the cold soba more - and the wasabi for the cold dipping sauce. The wasabi was good. The hot soba broth had a very strong fish flavor and was a little too salty. The fried tempura was not usual tempura but an interesting mix which tasted good at first but afterwards got very oily/ heavy tasting. The katsu don was typical. They have an interesting dessert menu! Would love to try their desserts but was so full afterwards. The portion size is pretty big- I could not finish my food. Overall: food is not bad but nothing special. The tempura felt a little oily. I might come try their hot pot udons or the duck soba.

DELISH!! We were introduced by a good friend who lives in the area and we've already been twice. Don't be fooled - I know their restaurant name is titled after Soba, but trust me, their Udon is JUST as good!!! I felt pressured to order the soba the first time since that is their specialty, but I found myself wishing I got the Udon instead. Udon hits different in a soup... with all the toppings too! I don't mind whatever the season, I will always go for a pipin' bowl of Udon. The soba though, is great because you can get a bigger portion of noodles for the same price. The plate is MASSIVE though so I wouldn't recommend the large unless you are super super hungry- as in, "I just ran a half marathon" hungry. None of us (2 guys, 1 girl) could finish our large soba meal. The second time, I got a Udon with shrimp tempura/rice set and the Udon was sooo good and chewy. the soup was a little light but the tempura set was drizzled with a sweet ponzu/soy sauce which was a nice touch. It's just so satisfying and well worth the $20-30. I think we'll be here pretty often...

It was my first time coming to the NYC location since I've visited the Jersey location before, and it was PACKED on a weekend night. We waited atleast 20 minutes to be seated and ordered immediately after being seated and still had to wait 15-20 minutes for our food. Would recommend not coming on weekend nights if you're on a time crunch. However, I get it and don't blame them for the wait time. There are many seats at the restaurant, including sitting along the bar which is where my party of 2 sat. We got the Curry udon and shrimp tempura udon, both tasted good and homey for the chilly weather. Total came out to around $40 after tip and tax.

Fresh udon and great service. Nice, clean and quiet. Highly recommend for lunch/dinner!

I came here on a Tuesday with a reservation for 4 at 5:15pm. We were seated right away. We left around 6:45pm and the restaurant was filled. We ordered the Okonomiyaki - japanese seafood pancake and the japanese style rolled omelet as an appetizer. The seafood pancake was crispy and good, the seafood was cut very tiny, and the sauce on top added a little extra flavor. The omelet was served warm and had a little bit of sweetness to it which was delicious. For entrees, we ordered two autumn specials - Vegan Kabocha Bisque dipping soba and the Seafood kimchi hotpot soba - as well as the Ten Sashi Gozen set. All entrees were delicious!! You cannot go wrong. The Ten Sashi Gozen is a very big set, so make sure you are hungry. It comes with six pieces of sashimi (3 salmon, 3 tuna - tuna had some tendons in it), 6 pieces of tempura, a seasonal side dish (mine was fried eggplant/green beans in ginger sauce), rice, soba. You can also decide how much soba noodles you want. They recommend everyone get 200grams, but if you are hungry, you can always add on an additional 110g for no additional charge. The Ten Sashi Gozen also comes with a dessert (option of mochi or ice cream) - highly recommend going for the ice cream. The mochi was not soft enough and had very little flavor compared to the ice cream. We also got the sesame cheese cake and the ube mochi waffle with green tea ice cream. The sesame cheese cake tasted mainly like cheesecake, with barely a hint of sesame. The ube mochi waffle was so unique and delicious and the green tea ice cream had amazing flavor.

Hot tip: they don't charge extra for S, M, or L noodle servings (which I LOVE). I really enjoyed the soba noodles here. I don't know anywhere else in the city that specializes in soba noodles. The tempura is also really crispy and good too. The restaurant is pretty narrow so I'd say it's not the best for large parties but I feel like we always get our food pretty fast here. They also have vegetarian options too which I appreciate for my friends who don't eat meat.

This was a soba noodle and eel rice bowl combo. It was such a refreshing meal for the humid weather we've been having recently! This was a medium size soba by the way, and alternative sizes include small and large. Not pictured here were the takowasa (octopus with wasabi), fried oysters, and a pot of hojicha tea. My friends thoroughly enjoyed their soba + sashimi rice bowl, soba + beef gyudon, and the udon + veggie tempura. I'll make a bold claim even though this was only my first time here, but this restaurant just can't miss Can't wait for my next visit!

3.5/5. The appetizers were my favorite -- soft shell crab was great!! I also had the udon with sashimi which was good but unfortunately the tuna was not very fresh. Overall, good portions with decent prices

Good izakaya that offers soba and lots of options near our place. The soba was a little thicker than I would like but tasty!

Party of 4 seated at the bar. Place seemed busy so expectations were above average. We all ordered the soba set - both cold and hot. We added beef kimchi as an appetizer. Food was mediocre. Absolutely nothing stood out with the soba which was disappointing given Soba is in the name! The noodles were bland and over cooked so too soft. For the hot soba, noodles fell apart and broke with chopstick. Ugh. Could've done at home at a fraction of the cost. Service was the worst. Waiter didn't want to give us appetizer plates so we can eat the beef kimchi. The water is never filled without prompt. The waitress didn't know the menu well and couldn't answer basic questions. $140 for 4. Avoid.

Still frequently coming in there after all these years! Their menu has expanded, staff are very considerate, and the vibes are still cozy and intimate as always. I do love the additional seasonal oden special, I got a plate with daikon, mountain yam, and fishcake. Also the seasonal hotpot menu is great!

My new favorite local spot in hells kitchen!! Authentic japanese food that hits the spot. I crave udon quite often and have been wanting a go-to spot near me. Got myself the Nabeyaki Udon and it was extremely top quality. The noodles taste freshly made and they gave way more than enough meat! We also got the soba noodles which were SO fresh, perfect for a summer day. Ambience and service was amazing, will be back over and over again :)

First time trying soba noodle as NYC visitors and we were pleasantly surprised! The dipping sauce was perfect and it made us wanting more soba so it's a good thing we can order more. Prices are a bit high for the rest of the portion sizes in my opinion, but the food is good. The pork curry was pretty good, but I just wish more food came with the Azuma Gozen set. Sashimi was fresh and the soba texture and flavor were great.

One of the more authentic Japanese restaurants I have been to in the city, and it satisfied my craving for Udon! I tried the Sukiyaki Style Nabeyaki Udon ($20.75) and my sister had the Nabeyaki Udon ($20.75). We shared the Takowasa ($8 - fresh raw octopus and wasabi) and the Renkon Chips ($7.50 - lotus root chips). The chips were my favorite! They were sprinkled with a seaweed seasoning and the takowasa was also a generous portion compared to other restaurants. Although my sister's shrimp tempura came with a hair on it, we notified the server and they switched out the shrimp for a fresh one (or maybe they just took the hair off haha). They did not offer to comp anything or bring a free drink, which I think they should have apologized for. The Udon was nice and hot and exactly what I wanted to eat on a cold day - udon is comfort food for me! Overall this spot is authentic and good.

Pretty good restaurant! I got the azuma gozen which comes with a little bit of everything plus a dessert. I did not expect the dish to be so big so I was pleasantly surprised (and also unable to finish my food). There is an option to get different sizes for the soba noodles which is the same price regardless of what you get. Just letting you know that when you take them home as leftovers they no longer have the same nice texture as you get when eating it fresh. You can really tell that these noodles are made in house and is not some dried soba that you find in the supermarket. Very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, considering I randomly stumbled upon this place. Also the green tea ice cream is a must try, it is super rich and very authentic.

Soba Azuma Noodle had long been on my radar in recent years as a longstanding no-frills family owned establishment, walk in only, with truly delicious and authentic Japanese soba noodles. It lived up to the hype! We were seated pretty quickly as a group of 4 at 5:30 pm on a Friday evening, and none of the items we got were disappointments. I personally got the chicken oyakodon with a hot soba noodle side, which was so delicious in its simplicity. Service was spotty, but we were seated at the very back? Would give them another try just because of how delicious the food was. Easy to get to via public transport in midtown Manhattan as well.

I love how a size large is the same price as a small! The cold soba here, dipped in soy sauce, is the best. This is the perfect spot for a quick lunch or dinner!

Four solid stars for this midtown Japanese restaurant with authentic atmosphere and pleasant service. We ordered gyoza and a tempura app then split a curry dish. Yes, they specialize in soups and soba noodles but our orders for other items on the menu were good!

I have to start with the fact that we called in advance to ask if they could accommodate a party of 16 people on a Saturday night, and they said yes. Looking for a place to eat for 16 people is an actual nightmare, and we were so grateful to Soba Noodle Azuma for being able to get it done. It was a little tight, but they set us up in a room in the back at a squareish table so we could all see each other and talk to each other. Couldn't have asked for anything more. They also worked as hard as they possibly could to make sure our waters were filled, our food came out, and plates were cleared. Extremely, extremely thankful we were able to get space here. The menu here is also crazy extensive. They have soba bowls of course, but also udon bowls, and then they have these sets that come with soba/udon bowls and some kind of rice bowl. It's a lot of food and amazing for the price. I saw a few reviews about their small-large portion options for the same price; they now only have small or medium options. I ended up getting the pork katsu egg bowl and hot soba set. The soba was submerged in a savory soy soup that complemented the taste of the noodles really well. I wish the ratio was a bit better because I was running out of the soup as I was eating the noodles. I loved the sauce that came with the pork katsu bowl that made the rice sweet and savory. However, I will say that the pork doesn't come out crispy-- likely a product of the egg, but I was really missing the crunch that I expect from a katsu dish. The flavors all came together well, though!

The food was standard fare, but I didn't appreciate the service. The hostess said we could only dine for about an hour, even though the restaurant doesn't offer reservations. It was also midday on a Saturday, and it doesn't close between lunch and dinner. After we were done with our meal, they turned the lights off at our table in order to get us to vacate.

Wow I've really been missing out on soba noodles. We came in before our broadway show and I think everyone else had the same idea. They had a pretty extensive menu. Everything sounded and looked so good. I didn't realize you could choose 100g/200g/300g of soba noodles for one price. I went with 200g and it was perfect. The fried baby octopus came our quick. It wasn't much but for 2 people, we each had 4 pieces. It was softer then I though. The batter was very flavorful. It took a while for our entrees to come out. I inhaled my soba noodles and assorted tempura. The broth for the soba noodles was light and not too salty; it paired very well with the noodles. The tempura were good with their tempura sauce. My partner got the ten sashi gozen which came with sashimi, tempuras, seasonal side dish, rice, and soba then a dessert. Good thing they only got a 100g and was satisfied. The seasonal dish was some braised fish that was delicious. They commented on the freshness of the sashimi as well. We shared an ube ice cream. Very good ube flavor and not too sweet.

Delicious food. Excellent service. Highly recommend. Everything is so good. Def try the eel and the fried chicken in curry sauce. The soba noodles are amazing.

I've had soba a few times in NYC and I liked @soba.azuma the best so far! The food and vibes are authentic, and it almost felt like I was in Japan. Very happy that they have kakiage (shrimp and veggie tempura) and there are still many options and seasonal menu that I'd love to go try in the future.

I love everything about this place.My first time visiting this location .I have been to the one in fort lee before. The staff is super nice and accommodating. The place is clean,minimalistic and very organized The food is amazing.I love the udon noodles here.The portions are big.And everything we tried is super tasty.My toddler loved the food here and kept asking for more. We were so full with the entrees ,we did not get a chance to try the desserts.Would love to do that next time.

Amazing spot for Japanese noodles with an extensive menu. They have soba, udon, and rice bowls so there's definitely something for whatever mood you're in. We got the udon and rice bowl sets which were super well portioned and very delicious. Their sashimi was also fresh and tasty. Service was attentive and food came out fast. Would highly recommend given the reasonable prices, quality food and variety!

In this cold NYC night hot shrimp tempera udon & katsudon w/ agedashi eggplantappetizer hit the spot. Very tasty Service was wonderful.

Some of the buzziest Japanese restaurants now are in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, the ones that see long lines and booked out tables. The Japanese restaurants that have been trucking along in Midtown East for years are still around though, and many are just as good as the ones being written about in today's PR circuits, including Soba Noodle Azuma, an unassuming little spot just north of Times Square. The sets are such a steal here, with dinner sets that include a large bowl of soba noodles, a large protein + rice side and pickled veggies setting you back about $24. The portions are sizeable and the options are endless. You can pick from different kinds of vegetable tempura, different kinds of grilled fish, shrimp, or chicken. There's a long menu of cold soba options which are great in the summer, or an even larger menu of hot soup or dipping soba noodle options to warm you up in cooler months. We tried the chicken egg soba noodle soup and the grilled atka set and both were delicious and filling. We also shared a takoyaki appetizer, which I highly recommend. The sapporo draft beers were fresh and topped with some foam and was really satisfying paired with the big bowl of soup. The soba was light and had the perfect amount of chew. I find myself seeking out the hottest ticket in town that I often overlook old favorites further uptown, but my meal at Soba Noodle Azuma reminded me there are reasons to go above 23rd street every once in a while.