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Soba-ya
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
229 E 9th St(between 2nd Ave & 3rd Ave)
New York, NY 10003
Neighborhood: East Village
(212) 533-6966
- Nearest Transit:
-
Astor Pl (4, 6, 6X)
8 St - Nyu (N, R)
3 Av (L)
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 12 pm - 3:30 pm
Mon-Thu, Sun 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Fri-Sat 5:30 pm - 11 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
442 reviews for Soba-ya
Review Highlights
"love their honey wasabi ice cream."
(in 13 reviews)
"Their green tea is delicious too."
(in 40 reviews)
"The noodles were fresh which was great."
(in 181 reviews)
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442 reviews in English
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Review from William W.
Brooklyn, NY
2/1/2012
I came here with my girlfriend twice for their dinner service. Both times, coincidentally we sat in the exact same spot, haha. Anyway, this place is in St. Marks, so for dinner time it's always buzzing. It's a good place, the food is tasty, but I have to say that the portions are small if you order off the menu. It's better to get the Dinner Special because you get way more food for the price that you're paying for. You have your choice of Udon or Soba, and the Soba is very light tasting, not like the ones you cook by yourself from the packages (it's made in house here). The tsuyu sauce is pretty tasty, though I have a suspicion it's from a bottle.
The last time I came, I wasn't really that hungry, so I just ordered regular Zaru Soba. For those of you who don't know, Zaru Soba is straight up cold soba noodles on a plate, with dipping sauce. That already set me back 12.00 USD, haha... damn. My girlfriend ordered a Kitsune Udon Soup. She said the soup flavor was oddly off for a Japanese run restaurant, but what do I know, I'm not Japanese and I thought it tasted pretty damn good, haha.
Overall, good experience. Food is a little pricey for what you get (I was nowhere near full with my entree) but the quality is good, and the atmosphere isn't too bad. More like 3.5 stars, to be honest. -
Review from Ian K.
Los Angeles, CA
2/2/2012
This will go down as one of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had. My entree was described as having grated yams atop the seared tuna and rice bowl. instead it came with a viscous cream of wheat like pudding atop the rice. It was one of the most vile substances I have ever tasted and the only food I'ver ever eaten that actually triggered my gag reflex. We immediately called the waitress over to let her know that these yams were not grated as the menu described, and were not edible by even the most liberal definitions of the word. She replied by saying that the restaurants policy is not to take back any items. We insisted that the entree was not as it was described on the menu, at which point we commenced the portion of our dinner wherein we engaged in a spirited debate about the precise definition of "grated." Now, this server was nice enough and a competent waitress, but no one would confuse her for a native english speaker. She, and the manager who arrived to investigate the fracas, insisted that these yams were grated. It quickly became clear that they were going to stand by this poor translation. At that point I said, "whether or not these yams are grated , this is inedible. We'd like to get something else instead." The manager too insisted that they could not take it back.
After a bit more scuffling, we ended up ordering something else, saying "We are not going to eat this grated yam rice bowl, so you can take it back to the kitchen. In a New York City restaurant, it would be absurd to charge us for something that was misdescribed on the menu and effectively inedible." The manager didn't respond. When we got our bill, we were shocked to see that we had been charged ($16.50) for the misdescribed, uneaten, and inedible entree. Truly, some of the worst service I've ever received anywhere. -
Review from Amy R.
Brooklyn, NY
1/22/2012
Great prices for filling delicious soba noodles!
Entree: I had both the kamo namban and the curry noodles here. The curry noodles was far better than the kamo in terms of taste. The kamo broth was just a bit plain for my taste. The slightly spicy curry broth made the dish a real treat! Soba was just perfect :)
Dessert: I tried my friend's ice cream and it is strong and true to the original's flavor. I personally enjoyed the anmitsu and I don't even like tongyuan! But the sweet sauce makes the boring tongyuan pretty enjoyable. Can't wait to try their other desserts! -
Review from Susan L.
2/2/2012
This is definitely the place to go to when you want yummy soba. Besides the soba, the appetizers are delicious too. The bento box was really good, however the salmon was a bit overcooked. They also give you a little dessert after you're done with the meal.
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Review from M D.
Manhattan, NY
1/18/2012
This has been a favorite for YEARS. I can always count on them for excellent service and tasty soba noodles, cold or hot! My favorite is their Kamo Seiro (duck) soba because I love dipping cold noodles in the flavorful hot broth. Then, it's like you get another meal because they bring you noodle broth to add to the concentrated dipping broth to made a soup!
I'm also a fan of their Yasai Soba soup and Agedashi Tofu appetizer. And I always get their Japanese yam appetizer: Satsuma Imo. It's soooo incredibly sweet and tasty!
The place itself is super authentic, and they will yell a welcome to you as you're seated. The decor is beautiful and the place, while it can be noisy, is still calming for me. The bathroom is very cool too, with a Japanese toilet that is a sure conversation piece for those unfamiliar with it. :)
I have rarely had a long wait for this place except at expected busy prime dinner hour. But if you get there earlier, you don't have much of a wait, if at all. A solid place for soba! -
Review from Wing L.
12/15/2011
The aroma walking in will entice you; there's just something about it's broth.
Ramen lines were long and udon shops haven't tapped the market yet, so soba is the next best alternative to a cold winter.
It's been a while since I last came here and while I wanted to give it a higher score, the overall experience was just "A-OK."
The noodles came in 3 sizes. Let's face it, this place ain't cheap so you might as well pay for the largest to "satisfy" your craving. I decided to get the large bowl of duck soba while my friend got the Regular bow. The bowls are EXACTLY the same size but the portion is just more. My friend did mention that she was still hungry afterward so if you're a big eater, maybe a regular isn't for you. Be a fat-ass like me and opt for the Large.
I used to like the noodles because they had a good bounce/ consistency (hand pulled) but when I tried it, it tasted like soba noodles that I buy in the Japanese market. Really couldn't tell the difference between fresh hand pulled and store bought, which made justifying the price a bit hard.
The duck was a little tough and chewy, unfortunately. No fat on the duck though (which was nice) but it was overcooked. The reedeming factor was the broth though; it had a slight tangy/ sour taste that somehow just works for soba noodles.
For dessert, we got the tofu gelatin dessert. While good, at $4.50, it's another pricey dessert (small portion).
I'm a big eater and while Soba-ya satisfied my craving for soba noodles (briefly), I was hungry an hour later. However, the price paid for 1 bowl and 1 dessert was equivalent to eating a bigger meal elsewhere. -
Review from N H.
New York, NY
1/31/2012
As a lover of soba noodles and japanese cuisine, I am sorry to report that I did not have a good dining experience here. I really wanted to like the food at Soba-Ya, it had such a wonderful reputation and I had expectations of enjoying delicious soba- but it was not to be.
My husband and I ordered the ika meshi, tuna tartar, hot soba with tempura and the cold soba with a shirasu & mitsuba leaf tempura fried cake (the exact name of the dish escapes me).
Appetizer breakdown:
The ika meshi (sticky rice stuffed squid) had an unpleasant, artificial smoke flavor- my husband couldn't choke down more than one piece, I didn't think it was quite that bad (it was edible) but I'd never order it again. The tuna tartar was mediocre: while the freshness was fine, the tartar mix wasn't particularly flavorful and the large chunks of mountain yam inside didn't compliment the flavor of the tuna but added an awkward texture that made for unpleasant eating.
Entree breakdown:
My husband enjoyed the tempura, but didn't like the broth that came with his soba. My husband is very picky, but I tasted it and was in full agreement. I was taken back with how terrible it was. The flavor was that of a cheap soy sauce mixed in with instant dashi from a packet, with an indescribable chemical afternote. The dipping sauce for my cold soba tasted like a cold version of the same broth. I was pleased with the shirasu (baby sardine) and mitsuba tempura, this was delicious and crisp, I just wish the broths that came with our soba was palatable. We were considering complaining but felt it wasn't worth the trouble if the rest of the food was so lackluster we'd never return to dine again.
The soba was the greatest source of disappointment in my experience. If this is what "GOOD" soba is supposed to taste like, than I don't think I'm such a big fan of soba after all. It was not terrible, just bland like paste. To be honest, the dried soba noodles in my pantry have a more complex, earthy flavor than Soya-Ya's fresh soba.
On a bright note, the service was very good even on a busy night. It was entirely the food that let us down.
I sincerely hope that we attended this restaurant on an off night, but the food was so inconsistent and lackluster that we will not be coming back. There are better places to dine in the East Village. -
Review from Caitlin R.
Brooklyn, NY
1/5/2012
I have to admit, I always come here for their yakinabe udon. Their soba is okay but I prefer SobaKoh. Yakinabe udon is the best thing especially in a cold winter night. The broth, the egg, the tempura shrimp, the right kind of chicken, you will have to try really hard to slow down or you're going to burn your mouth while chowing down these yumminess.
One thing to complain, why is there broccoli and carrot in the mixed tempura? That just feels so wrong!! -
Review from Lily P.
Noodles are clean (not over cooked, not undercooked, made in house, fresh, didn't need extra ingredients), yummy, the veggies are fresh, and the place is just simple good food. Unlike ramen where it gets dirty inside of ramen, overwhelming smell of buttered noodles with tons of oil and extra toppings..thie place was more relaxing with good service and straight forward menu with the sizes done by grams.
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Review from Liz M.
12/28/2011
NOT worth waiting on line for. And thankfully I did not. If you are dying to try it.. go on a Tuesday at like.... 5:45 or 6pm?
$18 dinner special is legit. The sweet potato is eh. The other appetizers are decent.... a taste.. The soba is good but its not SPECTACULAR that I would wait many minutes for.
It's a gamble. server was rather awkward, she wanted to chide me for my resusable coffee mug. it ended up in a very awkward 2 minute silent spat.
Dessert for the dinner special? canned strawberry on top of vanilla ice cream? you can do better than that, east village japanese restaurant. even the japanese restaurants in flushing give green tea :) -
Review from Pierre S.
Manhattan, NY
12/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Curry udon was excellent. Salmon don very good. But the best was the crazy honey wasabi ice cream. Edgy and so yummy.
Great service. -
Review from Alan L.
Saint Louis, MO
12/24/2011
Came here last night alone. First, I have to say that I love the way the restaurant looks--just very clean, well-lit, and welcoming. And I had a seat at the bar and didn't feel uncomfortable eating by myself at all.
At the recommendation of the waitress behind the bar, I got the duck and green onion hot soba. I thought it was a pretty generous serving and it definitely filled me up for the rest of the night. The slices of duck had a strip of fat along each piece which I thought was a little un-eatable. I ended up just tearing it off and putting in a small dish. The one thing about the dish was that there was just something a little off with the broth, like it was missing a 2% somewhere. It was a little sour (so maybe a little too much vinegar or not enough... something else?)
They give you a cup of barley tea after your meal, which is a really nice touch.
I ordered the honey wasabi ice cream for dessert. That was an interesting taste. I actually liked it, but of course, if you don't like the wasabi taste--don't order it! (There's little dots of wasabi in the ice cream). It's not as firey as what you might get when you just put wasabi on sushi but you definitely feel it in your nostrils. It was one of those tastes, where the more you eat, the more you can eat.
The service at Soba-ya was amazing. Loved it. My glass was never half past empty and the bar waitress has probably been one of the nicest servers I've had in a long time. I would say the food (and the price--I ended up paying $25 for myself) gets 3 stars but the service gets them an extra .5 (maybe .75) stars. -
Review from May L.
12/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
I went to Soba-ya after attending "Cupcake takes the Cake" to try to get the sugar out of my system and heel from the angry stares of others. Apparently, no one at a cupcake event likes the skinny girl who brought a date.
Oh Soba-ya, I so BADLY wanted to be like all the other yelpers that love you. The complicit "ya" in your name just seems so positive. And yet, 2 stars... cue sad music.
First, the service and atmosphere is wonderful. I can't complain about that. Attentive. Considerate. We received green tea while we waited at the door.
I had the Monday. Which was a special on the Kitsune. My date had the Nishen. The presentation was beautiful for both, but the taste, underwhelming.
Perhaps, I need to come to terms with the fact that I like more complicated broths. I felt like someone had just poured water over the existing ingredients in the bowl to create this soup. The ingredients were wonderful and the pairings made - more or less - sense. I didn't like the that the weird pink/tofu/fish thing was soaked in sugar before being added. Just unnecessary. The fish broth was so fish and mine was just eh.
I feel like I should give them another chance given the hype + longevity of the restaurant + the reviews appear to highlight non-noodle options. But for now, you get 2 stars. -
Review from Casey C.
12/6/2011
Pricey but good... keep in mind I'm from OC/LA So Cal so price is relative.
But the flavors were good and the options are good. Noodles cooked right. Soup base tasty but not over powering or salty. Service and atmosphere was good too. -
Review from Ryna D.
12/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ippudo is my go-to place for ramen. But sometimes what I crave is udon. The thing is, unlike ramen or soba, udon hasn't exactly broken through the Western culinary mainstream. So when I realized that Sobaya serves udon as well I had to go try it.
The broth in udon is unlike any other. I crave it's aroma. And Sobaya's udon was 4 stars. Not quite as perfect as I would like it to be, but the broth has depth, the noodles it's character and add a dash of Shitchimi and it perks up the whole bowl. I prefer tanuki udon but also enjoy tempura udon very much. They have nightly specials which is great. This will definitely serve as my udon place for a while. -
Review from Arthur Z.
11/26/2011
So as you all know, the stars of the show here are the specials. Perfect for cheap jew college students like moi (apparently I'm also French?)
The facade is very unassuming, and the menu flanking the entrance has a high enough Japanese:English language ratio on it to almost make you say "Screw it, let's get pizza." But you penetrate the premises anyway, and make your way to a table in the small-but-not-tiny restaurant.
You order the lunch special, which nets you hot or cold soba or udon, two giant tempura shrimp (and a tempura pepper to boot!), and a box with various goodies, such as a rice omelet thing, marinated seared salmon, salad, seasonal vegetables, and I'm sure other things I'm forgetting. And then you finish the meal with ice cream. The tables are barely big enough to hold all the food.
AND IT'S ONLY 17 DOLLURZ
This would get 5 stars if it actually tasted AMAZING. But alas, it is just GOOD. But that's still pretty nice, verdad? -
Review from Cathy S.
Cambridge, MA
Good noodles. Quick, warm and spot-on service. Only complaint is that they always keep a server overlooking the dining area adjacent to the entrance...given that it is a small and quiet space it makes me feel being watched,especially if you are dining alone. Ask to be seated at the bar or in the corner you will be fine.
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Review from Elizabeth J.
Manhattan, NY
1/6/2012
Came here a few days ago for some Pho! Very tasty. Fast service, nice pieces of meat. Definitely a good spot for some soup. Also had the shrimp spring rolls -very tasty. Will def come back or order delivery. Love Phooooooooooooo Very cheap too.
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Review from Matt L.
1/6/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Sobaya has been so highly regarded by many and I had great expectations for this place only to find that I was highly disappointed. Compared to Soba Totto, this place is not even close to being in the same league. After waiting so long through an endless line, I was shocked to learn that the food is mediocre and that this place has been overhyped by the media. I came to this place twice to give it fair judgement and I am writing to let you know that Soba-ya is "NOT WORTH WAITING IN LINE FOR." Go to Soba Totto, you can cut the line and have a much better soba. As a matter of fact, Soba Totto has better portions, better quality soba than Soba-ya for the same or less price. For example, I tried the Uni Soba at both places. I found out that Soba Totto has more Uni in their soba than Soba-ya and it is much better quality. And the price? Same. Soba Totto beats Soba-ya both in quantity and quality. I have given tries to their appetizers and other dishes. But, the results are the same.
I have no bias on any restaurants, and am writing to distinguish the difference between overhype and what is really good. Soba-ya is an overhype. -
Review from Miinno N.
New York, NY
Updated - 1/29/2012
I went with my two children on Sunday for lunch.
I LOVED the food and so did my kids.
We could have given 5STARS with the food, but we had a bad experience initially and I have to give 3.5 - 4 STAR now because of it.
It was a little after 1:30 when we arrived and many people were waiting. Even though we initially had no space to wait, the kids behaved well. Later we got to sit at the bench to wait. Many people came and got seated. Then, I realized that we had been skipped. First I thought it was because we were three of us and they had seats for 2 available. However, I witnessed that they were giving seats to others - party of 4 and 3 who came after us! When the seating lady was giving another table to a newly arrived (probably had been there for 5 minutes VS us waiting over 30 minutes), I said to her, " you know we have been here waiting for very long."
She said, "because you have a baby" - ???? was my first reaction. A baby? My son is almost 4 and he was patiently waiting and behaving.... my daughter is much older - well-behaved as well....
It seemed that they have special seats that they preferred customers with children to sit. Maybe they should have mentioned it to me when they were seating others but not enough words - for Japanese restaurant, even in the US, they need to educate their staff to have the kind of service you would expect in Japan.
In Japan or from a Japanese staff, I would have certainly gotten a word from the staff asking us to be patient because they would prefer to corner seats and back seats to the customers with children as it would be easier for them to manage.
For a second, I got rather offended when the woman called my son a baby and so was he - he almost cried!!
Also, I was annoyed - because this woman asked everyone who came into check in her/ his coats and luggage but me. I had three coats and a bag full of hats/ scarf and various things in a big bag!
I was worried about my experience of Soba-ya would be terrible today and it made me sad as I came to celebrate my daughter's achievement.
However, we got seated after few minutes to the seat which I did not was allowing kids (corner seat, but not at the back).
Once I got seated, we ordered quickly.
Dashi Tamago (omlet) from Appetizer menu
mini sake oyako don (the salmon sashimi with salmon roe on the bed of rice)
Kamo seiro (cold soba noodle with duck and scallion dipping sauce)
Ten zaru (cold soba noodle with dipping sauce and tempura)
Since our appetizer was to take sometime, a Japanese staff came and gave us edamame on the house. Also, he was very careful in our drink order and also giving us various plates for various things. It was really nice.
My daughter LOVED her Kamo seiro. Both kids LOVED Tamago (and so did I). The dipping sauce for the Tamago was slightly different from soy sauce and it was nice.
My Tempura was great - light and exquisite as good Tempura should be.
The noodle was just right.
The sake oyako don was excellent and my son and I really enjoyed it.
So in the end, the food experience was great.
I just hope that next time, they will educate the seating staff so that they do not offend customer like us....1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/28/2011
This place was very nice. I am definitely going back there because I had a nice experience. We… Read more »
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Review from Serena C.
9/26/2011 5 photos
Fresh authentic Japanese food at its best! The way to go here is definitely ordering off their Lunch Special menu--more food at a lower cost FTW!
Being the greedy chubby bunny that I am, I went with the Maguro Don Lunch Set with Cold Soba Noodles. The maguro don came with 7 superb thick, beautiful slices of tuna and a nice large shiso leaf on sushi rice. Very delicious. And the cold soba, oh man..... I've never had anything like it. So amazing! The fact that the soba noodles are made fresh daily at the restaurant made all the difference in the world--the texture, the flavors, etc.
I also got a chance to try some seared tuna from my friend's Tunasteak-don. If seared tuna is your thing, it's not to be missed. They give you 8 large slices of tuna that's been lightly seared along the edges with a ginger soy marinade atop.
Don't hesitate to stop by the soba-making station at the front of the restaurant if you see the guy there making it. It's pretty neat and cool to watch! -
Review from Adam E.
Manhattan, NY
12/22/2011
The soba salad is amazing... I also love the rice bowls and the pork belly app... The staff is very friendly and does a good job turning tables without making you feel rushed or uncomfortable. In my opinion if you're in the mood for soba noodles there is nowhere better.
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Review from HL H.
Brooklyn, NY
11/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
My friend and I ordered the soba with the duck. I thought it was a little too salty for my taste, but I forgave the saltiness because you can taste the detail of the soba and the soup. My friend told me that the soba is actually made from flour flown from Japan and all hand-made.
Even in the soup, you can taste and see small slivers of orange zest, ginger and onions. The soba was also delicious because it wasn't too hard, too soft, it was just the right consistency. They also gave us a generous amount of duck; it was flavored deliciously, but I think its slightly a little overcooked because it was slightly tough. But overall it was delicious!
The agedashi tofu is pretty derricious too.
It's slightly more than I was expecting, it was approximately $50 plus for all of this.
I thought service was pretty good and quick. We got everything before we finished our sentences. -
Review from Lisa H.
10/13/2011
Extremely mediocre for the height of expectations I had heading to Soba-ya for dinner yesterday night. There was no rain- possibly due to the somber weather, which was an upside after hearing that people wait close to an hour even on a weekday. We ordered the pork belly and cod for appetizers. The pork belly came in a bowl of soy sauce based broth with scallions, horseradish and a poached egg on the side. The pork belly was meh- chewy and not tender as most pork belly is. On the other hand, the "gindara"- yuzu infused soy cured cod was buttery, flakey and melt in your mouth delicious. If I knew it was this good, I would've opted for 2 orders of cod instead of the pork belly.
As for the main, I ordered the soba noodles with sea urchin. Personally, I didn't enjoy this at all. The soba noodles were harder than I preferred, and it came with a yam foam which when mixed in with the soy, produced a mucusy soup base. This made the dish look very unappetizing.. and also felt gross when I slurped it up. As for my friends choices in mains- Nishin and Tanuki.. both soups were extremely salty.
As for the desserts.. we ordered three different flavours of ice cream- the honey wasabi, green tea and black sesame. All were delicious! The green tea was especially bold and flavourful.
I hope the next time I come I have a better experience than this. I had really high hopes for Sobaya.. but after trying it, it definitely falls out of the radar when compared to Cocoran. -
Review from Lucia T.
Manhattan, NY
1/4/2012
LOVE LOVE LOVE this place. Legit Japanese food. Bonito fish broth is to die for cus it's some smokey yumminess!
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Review from Julia L.
Manhattan, NY
11/9/2011
Am I missing something? I tried their seasonal soba and I thought the soup was sour / off. There werent any veggies in the soup...it was literally just soba and 3 oysters (oysters were cooked well). And it was $18...
The people dining around me didn't get soba...but this place IS called Soba-ya. I'm confused.
Also, the calpico was watered down.
I'll probably try something else next time or try a cold soba. I might have just picked the wrong thing? -
Review from Kevin S.
Stamford, CT
12/29/2011
Deservedly on the list of Michelin recommended restaurants under 40. Hand made soba noodles were delicious; green tea was perfect for a cold NYC winter night; honey wasabi ice cream was unique (though is certainly an acquired taste). Service was polite despite the wait. Highly recommended.
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Review from Denrick B.
Chicago, IL
8/31/2011
Amazing food but terrible service!
I had the pork belly as an appetizer and the naebeyaki udon, and both dishes were divine. The pork belly melted in my mouth like butter, and I was an inch away from disregarding my table manners just so I can lick the savory broth off the bowl. I just wish the server had told us more about the dish and instructed us to mix the broth-egg-horseradish medley before biting into chunks of horseradish.
5 stars for the food less a star for the wasabi nose burn yields a solid 4 star for this intimate, authentic soba joint. -
Review from Jessica Y.
Los Angeles, CA
8/27/2011
Delicious!
We came here after randomly Yelping eateries around the East Village neighborhood. It was either this or a subway ride to Brooklyn's Robertas for some pizza. Good thing I chose this place.
Coming from LA, I had my reservations about this place specializing in Soba. However, maintaing a four-star rating with 300+ reviews was a pretty good sign.
The place is charming and cozy and despite having to wait a little before being seated, I have to say that the food and service was fantastic. With both of us wanting to try their specialty soba as well as some type of bowl, we took advantage of their lunch special. Ranging between $16-20, Soba-ya offers quite an extensive selection. I had the chirashi bowl + hot soba and my friend had the salmon sashimi and salmon roe bowl + hot soba.
Needless to say, we pretty much sat in silence as we scarfed down our food. And for someone who tries to limit her carb intake, I happily downed my bowl of soba.
Really, when I'm back in the city, I'll definitely come back! -
Review from Susie K.
9/3/2011 1 photo
AMAZING food. The lunch box is especially amazing. You can literally taste a bit of everything! And the dessert.. God bless Japanese people!
I also loooove the Uni Tororo as an appetizer. You'll love it if you love uni.
However, it loses one star for the price. If you want to order an appetizer too, you should expect around $50 for 2 people for lunch. -
Review from Mike A.
Staten Island, NY
9/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
First off... The Soba I had here was perfect! Perfect texture and flavor! I recommend trying it w/ duck, the flavors are spot on.
For an appetizer we enjoyed a single piece of uni on top of a cup half full of fish jelly. The jelly was clear to the eye and clean to the taste and went very well with the uni.
We washed this all down with a cup of there green tea which was definitively a variation of Genmaicha (one of my favs!) in a cup I swore I have seen for sale in Pearl River Mart.
Unfortunately this place will need to loose a star for their rude service. The worst came when our waiter asked us if we were having dessert, and when we declined he made some comment under his breath and walked away. -
Review from Matt M.
Manhattan, NY
9/29/2011
We tried the salmon rice bowl and the Tanuki soba noodles tonight and both dishes were quite good. The rice bowl was topped with salmon roe and fresh salmon sashimi - and the rice had excellent flavor too. We got the small, which was enough food for a decent dinner and only $10.00.
The Tanuki was a nice noodle soup bowl. The broth was medium in color and strength and was very flavorful. The soba noodles had great flavor and were high quality. Overall, this was a great sized dinner and very enjoyable. I believe the Tanuki has some little fried onion pieces and a fish cake in it. This bowl was only $11.50 and a great deal. -
Review from Kay Z.
Manhattan, NY
12/22/2011
one of the best soba places in the city!
went there with one of my friends while she was visiting the city and we had a great time there. since it was just 2 of us, we easily got seats by the chef's bar and the chef was very nice to us. i got one of the veggie sobas (yasai) and it was simply declicious! the soba tasted extremely fresh, and the broth was savory yet refreshing. we also got a couple of small appetizers to share (agedashi tofu & maguro yamakake). they were also really really good. i think because they homemade all of the tofu and sauces, the dishes all end up really freash. we even end up with an extra dish for free because the chef starting making a dish for us, but then he realized it was the wrong dish. that was nice =)
finally, the dessert... i don't remember what my friend got (oops), but i got the strawberry tofu... and it was the best thing ever! forget almond tofu... this thing is the real stuff!!! love this place... =) -
Review from Stacey S.
New York, NY
12/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
I once used to love eating here and it wasn't uncommon for me to suggest Soba-ya at least once a month. I'm not sure why but I think the quality has deteriorated over the past year. Whereas before, it used to feel like each dish was prepared by someone who actually cared about the food I was going to be served, nowadays it feels like a few line cooks just throw together the ingredients like they're mass preparing cafeteria food. It's a soba place. So when your soba dish comes out with portions of your soba stuck frozen together, you sort of wonder if there's any reason for you to return... other than the fond memories of when it used to be so good.
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Review from mina k.
Manhattan, NY
10/13/2011
One of my top few favorite Japanese restaurants in the East Village, Soba-ya hits the spot every time. It's not common to find a place that focuses on soba and udon and does both quickly and to perfection. I've never had a problem getting a table here, and the wait staff is generally very efficient and accommodating.
I often order the Nabeyaki Udon, but last time I tried the soba salad which had many elements to it and was super tasty. I also often order Calpico and soda to drink, which if you haven't tried yet you should.
At the end of each meal here I almost always save room for their yuzu ice cream, which comes with fried noodles on top and is the most delicious alternative ice cream in the universe.
If you claim to love Japanese food but only eat sushi and teriyaki, it's time to broaden your horizons and visit Soba-ya!
p.s. - It was a happy coincidence when we were seated next to Chloe Sevigny's table one evening. :) -
Review from Chi N.
12/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
blehhhhh... i paid 20ish bucks for mediocre soba and way overcooked duck with some weird starchy substance on it... so disappointing especially after eating at cocoron... no stamina broth here... maybe its a different type of soba broth here but it had no umph... tasted like i could get it at a cheap japanese joint... the broth has a ton of msg i'm sure... u walk in and all u can smell is strong dashi flavor....
the noodles don't taste 'fresh'... they taste packaged... i couldn't bite into my duck i had to chew the whole piece in my mouth.
my highlight though was their super bitter green tea ice cream... the red bean bun was too dry. -
Review from Erica B.
Brooklyn, NY
12/11/2011
Definitely need to keep coming here to explore the amazing menu.
Last night was my first time; had the lotus roots with ume paste and minced shiso leaf, delicious. And the special rice bowl, which included finely chopped chunks of tuna, salmon, egg, shrimp, shittake, and eel sushi on a bed of rice. Everything was wonderful. The sake prices are a bit shocking here. All the vegetable side dishes look like winners, I need to come back just to try the rest of them.
Meanwhile I didn't even get to the soba!
I was lucky to enter this place on a Saturday night at 5:30pm when it was easy to get in. By the time I was paying my bill an hour later there was a line out the door for tables.
Most certainly coming back for more as soon as I can... -
Review from Stephen D.
Wood-Ridge, NJ
8/30/2011
There was a 1 hour wait on a Tuesday night at 7:30 pm which is a good sign. There were 6 of us and they had no problem accommodating us all. The menu is varied, alot of soba & udon dishes, some sushi dishes as well as your more americanized asian food. The ambiance is loud and the service is quick. It's a tight fit so remember not to bring large bags/luggage/children
I had the cold soba with duck broth, the broth was so deliciously salty combined with the cold noodles made for a great treat. The lady had a tartare done, with 3 types of tartare (salmon, tuna, bonito? (maybe)) it was delicious, the fish was fresh and the tartare seasonings were rich.
Overall cool experience, the food seemed authentic and fresh and for the price is can't be beat. -
Review from Erica S.
Manhattan, NY
9/16/2011
This place is definitely hit or miss. If you don't like soba/udon this is definitely not the place for you.
I've been here twice. My friends kept telling me how great this place was so I came to check it out and got the hot soba noodles. Definitely was not a fan-- I don't think soba can get that fancy and nothing I can't make at home. I also had the pork belly which I thought was delicious though! My review for my first trip here would have probably been a 2.
The second time I cam here, I came with the friend who raved about how great this place was. I tried the salmon don per her recommendation and loved it! It is huge! and has all varieties of minced salmon that you can think of! Although my second trip was better, I'm not sure I would come all the way over here just to get one good thing on the menu. -
Review from David K.
Wayne, NJ
9/15/2011
On a hot summer day what could be better than a some cold soba to cool you off?
We had the Tem Zaru soba and the Nameko Oroshi.
Noodles were cooked well and overall presentation was really good.
I would come back again to try some other dishes.
