Sonoba

Some of the best soba you will find in Kyoto. High quality ingredients and artisan craftsmanship that has only gotten better over time. The sabazushi is fantastic as well as the dashimaki. It’s a hard choice between the two! I like my soba plain but I’ve also tasted some of the others they offer and they are also super tasty.

Had the cold soba with duck and it was great. Noodles had a lovely texture and the broth and toppings worked really well together. It is actually listed in the Michelin Guide (as a Bib Gourmand), which makes sense given the quality and value they offer. The place is compact and popular, so you might need to line up, but it’s worth it if you want a satisfying soba fix. Recommend to get there early or beat the lunch rush if you can.

Nondescript storefront - we only found out about this spot at the recommendation of a local resident. They serve a nice cold soba with braised herring and grated yam. The omelette and mackerel sushi are worth a try too. Limited capacity but we were lucky we didn't have to queue. Also, the owner makes all the plates and bowls and each piece is beautiful and unique.

Grilled saba sushi is one of the best in Kyoto. Soba was delicious.

A really charming soba shop tucked away in a quiet street in Kyoto! Visited on a rainy day and had a soba in warm broth and a side of Tamago with grated daikon, both dishes were yummy and superbly well done. I love that they serve their water in their own ceramic ware made at the very same workshop right next door.

Amazing! One of the best soba places i ever had. The portion was good and all their side dishes are good! Saba sushi, duck and dashi Tamago. Highly recommend to all soba lovers.

Quality. Fairly simple menu but here’s a hot tip: choose one soba and order everything else. The first bite of the egg omelette gave me goosebumps. Scary good. Noodles were flavorful and chewy yet satisfyingly snappy. Don’t look for any recommendations here for which soba bowl to get just follow your heart, they’re all good and deserve love. Be good to the staff as they are accommodating and detail oriented. They noticed I had finished my noodles and brought over the soba-yu almost right away. There may be a wait, but don’t be discouraged. For reference, I arrived 15 mins before open and was second in line but by the time they opened there were enough people waiting to fill all the seats and then some.

Run, don’t walk to this temple of soba and ceramics. My wife and I stumbled upon this shop just two streets over from our accommodation, when we saw chef rolling the soba in the beautifully designed window of their kitchen. We cancelled lunch plans and came back for opening with our infant and toddler in tow. The team was incredibly accommodating and made us feel relaxed for the first meal of our 5 days in Kyoto. The room is is minimal and deliberate, with gorgeous warm accents of wood against the cooling by terrazzo walls. Even the pendant lights were a focus, with hand spun ceramic shades. Just beautiful. With attention to detail like that, obviously the food was on another level that most shops in Kyoto. The nihonshu selections we were given were stellar, in almost mother of pearl looking ceramic jugs to pour, and with hand made ceramic cups - of which we had to buy 4. The Aji zushi was delicate yet bursting with flavour. House cured, almost raw feeling, slightly funky duck prosciutto was a shockingly good addition to the meal. AND THE SOBA! The star of the show. As a chef this was a life changing experience. The craft that went into the soba themselves, the impossibly flavourful, umami rock, yet crystal clear dashi was perfect. I had cold with grated daikon and scallion - even the quality of the radish was excellent. My wife had cold soba with grader yam and herring - I have not seen her enjoy made foods so viscerally. Deserves more stars than exist on Google. You will see this brand new shop popping up on a LOT of lists soon. Get there before it’s impossible to get a spot. We will make the pilgrimage again as soon as possible. どうもありがとうございます