Such a cute spot to grab a quick bite of soba - perfect for when you're in the mood for a simple authentic meal. I got the dipping cold soba and I felt teleported back to Japan. The soba was bouncy and the sauce was the perfect balance of rich and not too intense. The tempura was also crisp and fresh! read more

Soba-ya - soba - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Really happy with this soba spot in East Village. The weekend mini lunch set has limited options but they all look pretty good. Since it was such a hot day, I ended up going with the ten don and cold soba. The noodles were the perfect texture. The tempura was crispy and the sauce was a perfect balance of salty/sweet. I'm a pretty carb heavy person, so I was satisfied with the amount of food in the lunch set. Would definitely come back for their lunch specials. read more

Soba-ya - Mini lunch set! - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I can see why this place has very mixed reviews in terms of expectations. I would say my rating of Sobaya is a fair 4 stars out of 5, with an explanation of the breakdown. Ambience: I came in and was greeted immediately and service was very attentive. Service is not chatty but will immediately refill your food or take away plates. This overall contributes to the already quiet peaceful dining experience. I went to the restroom after my meal and I definitely can see the care in the amenities given in this restaurant. They have a nice bidet that automatically warms up your toilet seat. Great quality toilet paper (lol I'm serious) and paper towels. Food: I didn't have the soba this time because I was really craving Ten Don today and wanted something more homey tasting. I had the Tuna Yuba Maki $17 as my appetizer which is chopped tuna, avocado, shisho leaf and wrapped in tofu skin. The presentation was beautiful and it was placed on top of a nearly cut banana leaf. I felt like the avocado was a little out of place and overpowered the shiso but it was still pretty good. I had the Ten Don $22 for dinner. The Ten Don came out on a nice platter with a cup to pour my sauce over the tempura. Tempura was crispy and they used good quality rice. Overall I feel like Sobaya suffers from issues with pricing that everyone talks about because of the location. This place definitely serves homey Japanese comfort food if that's what you're looking for in the area. But the price tag doesn't give homey Japanese comfort food, but it's due to the location higher pricing has to be put into consideration for the establishment. I would say that a lot of small attention to details in amenities are included in this price tag from food, presentation, to ambience. I would come back here if I was in the mood for a Japanese comfort meal and only if I'm in the area. But not a place I expect to be wowed. read more

Soba-ya - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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When it's pretty much 100 degrees outside, the reach for something cold immediately appears. And that is how we ended up here. And also because the original restaurant in mind was outdoors. The Tatsuta Age ($13), fried chicken, was dry, and very expensive for a couple pieces. The Buta Kakuni ($13), which was a pork belly in a salty poached egg broth, was also pricey, but better. They gave us 3 bowls to drink this when we had 6 people, but regardless, the broth felt too salty to drink straight up. I got the Chirashi Cold Noodle ($21), cold soba with some random ingredients on top. I never had soba before, and it tasted exactly like what I heard: bland. They keep the soy sauce separate most likely so you can portion it out, but I probably speak for the majority when I poured pretty much the whole thing in. It kind of felt like oil and water though, where the sauce was there, but it didn't add much. I embraced the blandness and enjoyed the tempura, tamago, and mushroom that came along with it to add some dynamic. There were negative opinions from my group for their dishes, but I enjoyed my first venture into soba! I'd love to try other soba places to see how it compares. read more

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This East Village spot met my expectations for good cold soba! I came here for date night dinner on a Friday at 7pm. I'm glad I called the morning of to make a reservation, as it was pretty full when we arrived and there were a few parties waiting. The interior of the restaurant is elegantly decorated but still casual, and makes for a really nice chill date spot. We decided to try the avocado tempura appetizer, which I had never seen before and really enjoyed!! My entree was the cold soba, which had a wonderful texture. It felt so light and I easily ate the full serving even though it was a decent amount. My boyfriend ordered udon - forget which kind but overall we weren't impressed by the flavor, definitely would recommend sticking with the soba only. I could see coming back here and getting soba again for a nice light meal, and possibly trying some of their cocktails which looked so good! read more

Soba-ya - Avocado Tempura, Fresh Soba, udon - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

This is a soba place that I highly recommend and will definitely return to if given the chance! The cold soba noodles were fresh and just the right amount of chewy. The dip was just flavored enough to still let me appreciate the texture and taste of the handmade noodles. I ordered the mini lunch combo and thought the eel rice and sashimi bowl were both REALLY delicious. What I also highly recommend are the shrimp shumai (steamed) and the dashimaki tamago. The egg was perfectly made, just the right amount of sweet, warmth, and perfect texture. The shrimp shumai was also just as delicious and perfect in texture and flavors. The food came out quickly and the service itself as a whole was so friendly. I'd highly recommend this place if you're looking for non-ramen Japanese food in this area! read more

What a delightfully cute spot! I went on a double date and we were seated immediately. The decor was very cute too - I wish I took a picture of it. I had been craving cold soba in a while and it was refreshing to finally have it in the start of a frigid winter. The salmon rice bowl was delicious. I'd be interested in just having the rice bowl by itself but having a little bit of soba with it was just perfect. I also tried some of the udon and I wasn't too happy with it. Come here for the soba and the dons! I will probably come again. read more

Soba-ya - Mini lunch set cold soba with Salmon Don - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Perfect place to land after bar hopping. We had the uni soba and avocado tempera that hit the spot. Service was good.

Light, filling meal! This was one of the best soba noodle places I've ever tried. The soba noodles were the perfect chew. The dipping sauce was not overly salty and just the right amount for a soup base. Not pictured, but we also ordered the mini lunch set with Sake Oyako don and cold soba. It had 5 pieces of sake (salmon sashimi) and the rice was also seasoned perfectly. Right amount of sugar and vinegar. The waiters were very attentive and the food came out pretty quickly. It's a nice, relaxed place! read more

Soba-ya - Ten Zaru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

First time having *hot* soba noodles and I really enjoyed it! They make their soba noodles in house (vs the udon which is outsourced) and thus was what was recommended. Most of their soba noodles comes with the option of getting the noodles cold or hot. The tempura soba featured 3 big pieces of tempura that were nicely fried. The batter was pretty solid and light, but the shrimp was a little overcooked. The soba were cooked nicely, not too hard or mushy. While I wish the soup base could have been more hot (although not sure if that affects the integrity or texture of the noodles), the flavors of the soy-based broth was very tasty. Liked how it wasn't too salty and you could easily drink it or dip your tempura. Also got to try their eel which was very tender and served with a generous amount of sauce! If you can't decided between soba vs rice bowls, would recommend the combos so you get the best of both worlds. On a busy and rainy Saturday, my party of 2 only had to wait 5-10 minutes. Service was quick and food was prepared fast. I liked the traditional Japanese decor with bamboo/wood and especially with the waterfall just outside the store. Liked how there were clear windows to observe their soba-making process. read more

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Went back recently, and can say Soba-ya is still one of my faves in the city. This place was crazy packed on a Friday evening. FYI, although one of their websites says no reservations, they definitely do take reservations, so I recommend calling in advance. Unfortunately if you put your name down for walk-in, you can't really leave because they won't call or text - they will only come outside and look for you. However, the food is as good as I remember it. The texture of the noodles/soba is fabulous, with the perfect "bite". I've never ordered the rice dishes, but my friend who ordered the chicken katsu don loved the dish. My only disappointment is that they didn't have the cold uni soba dish on the menu my most recent visit, as that used to be my go-to order. They have happy hour between 3-6pm on weekends with half price beer and discounted sake. Service is quick and courteous. My only suggestion would be to bring back the uni soba! read more

Soba-ya - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Not your typical Japanese restaurant. My friend and I came here without a reservation on a Saturday evening, and the restaurant was packed and lively. We ordered the salmon belly and nameko oroshi to share; it was a very unique experience. I saw other people have similar dishes, but they dipped their soba into the dipping sauce whereas we poured the sauce over our soba. Not sure why the discrepancy, but we didn't mind. The cold soba was delicious with the mushroom and radish. I loved how the sauce wasn't salty at all and matched the noodles exceptionally well. The salmon belly caught me by surprise because the inside was raw, but I realized that just brought the texture and taste to a whole other level. Rich, indulgent... The salmon essentially melted in my mouth. Service was kind and attentive. Very affordable restaurant on the 2023 Michelin Guide. Thank you for this experience, Sobaya! read more

Soba-ya - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I liked it here! The atmosphere is really fun (but also relaxing). They have a water fountain when you walk in. The waiting area is a little small, but that's okay with me. I enjoyed the decorations, but I thought the chairs could be more comfortable. I liked the service, and I also liked the food. I got some tofu and some spinach. Both were good. I also tried some eel. It was great. Prices were not super cheap for lunch, but it tasted like they were using good ingredients, so that's okay. read more

Came here for Monday lunch around 12:30, ordered lunch special set with cold soba. Dined with a friend who ordered hot soba with eel rice. We also had the fried shumai appetizer. Place is clean and there is decent amount of seating. Clientele is a mixed bunch of Japanese and non-Japanese. Food came out quickly. would return. read more

I'm always looking for a good soba place in NYC, especially during the summer. I prefer my soba simple, so I normally order the Zaru soba at restaurants, and it's no different at Soba-ya. Soba are Japanese noodles made of buckwheat, and zaru soba is chilled and paired with tsuyu, which is made from a mix of soy sauce, mirin, and dashi. Generally it's paired with green onions, wasabi, and grated daikon. What makes Soba-ya different is that they offer mini lunch sets everyday, where you get a small rice bowl with noodles. I go for the unagi (or eel) don or the ten (tempura) don. This a great place to stop by for a simple yet tasty meal. read more

Soba-ya - unagi don mini lunch set - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Place was empty and we were seated right away when we arrived around noon on a Wednesday. Service was super quick; the food arrived probably under 10 minutes of ordering. My friend and I both got the Wednesday Donburi lunch special. The salmon in the Sake Ikura don was (surprisingly) good - super tender and almost melt-in-your mouth. The soba noodles felt a little undercooked but were otherwise unremarkable. Also, I felt that the portion sizes were on the smaller side for the price ($18 for the lunch special which was reasonable, but $22 full price).Would I come back? Eh, maybe - but probably only for the lunch special. (P.S. The bathroom has one of those built-in bidets + seat warmers that I'm too scared to use ... but if that's your vibe, go check it out lol it was a really nice bathroom) read more

Soba-ya - Lunch special - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Love the salmon combo soba. It is a lunch combo so the price is very decent. The salmon is very fresh and tasty.

I was here with one other person. The service was friendly. We got some tea to start and ordered an appetizer from the special section. This was listed as simmered eggplant and I believe it was Nasu Agebitashi/茄子の揚げ浸し or fried eggplant in a dashi and soy broth. I think I remember it being $8 or something similar and liking it a lot. I went with the Kamo Nanban/鴨南蛮 Soba while the other person went with the Kinoko Soba/きのこそば and we both got it hot (all the soba and udon dishes can also be served cold.) In my dish, kamo means duck (with nanban being exotic) and it was served with negi/spring onions and it is one of my preferred type of sobas. The duck was quite tender and the noodles had the proper texture and flavor I expect from buckwheat noodles. I wouldn't say that the duck was as good or the noodles as properly textured as my old preferred spot (Kokage) but the latter is unfortunately permanently closed and this made a good substitution. In the latter, kinoko means mushroom and this was in short a mixed mushroom soba and it certainly came with a good variety of mushrooms. I tried a bit of the latter and it was also very tasty. I heavily preferred this over Tsurutontan though I would like to try some of the other top soba places before calling this one my new favorite. Still very good and I can see why they've been opened for a long while. Low 4. read more

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I ordered Nabayaki Udon. It should have come with assorted veg, chicken, egg and shrimp tempura. It did not have several much if any of these and the broth was awful. read more

If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that I'm a fiend for soba noodles. The lightness of each noodle and balance of flavors makes it one of my favorite dishes. Soba-ya definitely doesn't disappoint. This here is the Ikura Oroshi, cold soba topped with ikura, seaweed, & grated radishes... it's pretty much the perfect bowl. Pour the dashi over the noodles and enjoy it with the wasabi. @phidingthefam read more

Soba-ya - Ikura Oroshi @phidingthefam - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

I was seated for two within 15 minutes of arriving on a Friday night. Their seared salmon toro was delicious. It literally melted in my mouth. The kamo nanban soba was good as well; the duck was cooked to perfection. It was rather oily but could have been offset by my choice of appetizer or drink. The waitstaff was really on it and refilled my water at least five times during the 75 minutes or so I was dining. I'd be happy to come back again and would recommend it to anyone who either is a fan of soba or has never tried it before. read more

This was a excellent stop on our NYC trip. They are broth masters and their homemade noodles we top notch. Deserving of the Michelin nod read more

Soba-ya - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

This place never disappoints me. I have been going here for over a decade and their quality remains top-notch! I usually order their cold soba noodles and upon my most recent visit, saw that they had a great combo (a choice of noodles) and (choice of rice dish). Their soba noodles are great, and come with a great dipping sauce. Tempura was also delicately fried, and not overtly oily Also, if you have ever wanted to experience a Japanese bidet, at least one (maybe both, I only accessed one bathroom) of their bathrooms has them. The bathroom is very clean and the bidet is very warm and fancy with multiple options to customize Service is also great, friendly and quick! In the past, I used to have to wait for up to 15-20 mins. On my most recent visit, which was a Saturday afternoon, there was no wait at all! read more

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I perusing Yelp and happened across Soba-ya so I made sure to make a pitstop here during our NYC trip. We came shortly after it opened on a Sunday for lunch and we were seated right away (there were a handful of tables occupied already). The restaurant has a nice ambiance and even the bathroom is nice too. I had the shrimp tempura noodles and hubby had the tenzaru soba since he wanted to try the cold version. We each had a hot tea ($1) and we didn't even have to ask for refills! There was someone constantly coming around with a teapot. We both enjoyed our soba dishes and we weren't full by the end of the meal but we also came when we were super hungry. You can also opt to add extra noodles ($4 for 50 grams and $7 for 100 grams). This was a nice light meal and I'm glad we came! read more

One of the premier Soba restaurants in New York. Authentic homemade noodles and broth. The food speaks for itself, if you know Soba, then this is your place. They have Sushi, Sashimi and other Izakaya fare as well. Oddly, most of the staff are not Japanese. A rare anomaly in the NYC authentic Japanese restaurant venues. I highly recommend this restaurant for Japanese food lovers. read more

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I had this place bookmarked for a while as it was recommended by a friend of mine. Finally got to finally try it on a Thursday afternoon. Never had fresh soba noodles before and this was quite the experience. I booked a reservation over the phone a few days prior at 4PM for 3 people. The place was virtually empty when I got there and remained that way throughout the day. Towards the evening, only two other parties showed up total. Quite sad I must say as local businesses like this one need all the support. We started out with a bunch of appetizers. The Organic Tamago ($12) is like the egg sushi. Kamo Kuwayaki ($13) are pan sautéed duck. Citrus Shishito ($11) are your typical fried Japanese peppers. The Aburi Sake Toro ($15) are salmon belly. Personal favorites include the Kamo Kuwayki and Aburi Sake Toro. I ordered the most popular hot soba dish according to the server, which was the Tempura Noodles ($24). You get two or three Fried Shrimp Tempura (can't remember how many) and one Shishito Tempura on the side served with a nice bowl of your choice of soba or udon noodles in a hot broth. For the first time trying freshly made soba noodles, I was very impressed. The broth itself tasted amazing and is worth drinking the entire thing. Unlike the broth you typically get when you order ramen, this broth tasted super healthy, refreshing, and sodium free (maybe some sodium, but not a ridiculous amount). I'd be remiss to not mention we took advantage of their happy hour, which was from 4-5pm. $2 off on beer and sake an 10% off if you order an entire bottle of sake. We shared a bottle of Dassai 45 ($25) and later a bottle of what I believe is Fukujyu. Dassai 45 is a good dry sake to start out with if you never had sake before. The other one is a Nigori sake (cloudy sake). I think I wrote enough. Support your local businesses! read more

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Not bad but I wouldn't say it's good. Servers are attentive. Dons seem like a poor value. Duck soba was 50g of noodle, and 3 pieces of duck submerged in a small cup of broth. Won't return. read more

Soba-ya - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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A solid place for dinner! I loved the broth and soba noodles and didn't think it was too expensive for the quality you get. Food comes out pretty fast but it can take a bit to get seated. The shishito peppers are also a great starter to get! read more

Soba-ya - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Went to this restaurant on an evening when none of us wanted to cook but were also not that hungry so just wanted something light. Checked Sobaya's menu online and it seemed to have just the kind food we needed. Got there around 6 pm and were seated right away. We had shishito pepper and seaweed salad apps - both were quite small, and some of the seaweed a bit tougher than I expected. The tempura with cold soba was good, with three large prawns. It was also easy to customize by ordering just soba and then add sides as one of us did by adding chicken katsu and mushrooms. Overall in true Japanese style all the portions are not large and it was perfect for a light meal. They didn't have any particularly Japanese desserts however except green tea ice cream/creme brûlée. read more

I used to like this place and soba was still ok but I have a serious doubt about the cleanliness of this place. There were soooo many fruits bugs flying over while I was dining . One occasion I caught in my hand and wait person handed me a napkin. I lost my appetite and couldn't finish my lunch. I should be pained to go through an experience like this but I paid and gave them tip I think I was too nice. ...my seat was close to the kitchen so they got to be more out there. Please deep clean the kitchen asap disgusting read more

Soba-ya - For the reference this is one of the bug on the wall at sobaya - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Love this place. Food is very fresh. -1 star because when you order takeout, they put the soy sauce packets IN your dish touching your food. That drives me nuts. It's unsanitary so please consider not doing it and we will eat your food forever! :) read more

Decent soba noodles and okay value. I ordered the Ten Zaru, which came with cold soba noodles and shrimp tempura. The noodles are actually not as much as they look, since there is a wood board in the bowl halfway up which the noodles are sitting on. But the noodles were decent, albeit a bit bland. There were three shrimp tempuras on the side which were standard in quality. The dipping sauce didn't really add much flavor. For $24, I would've hoped for more than just some okay noodles and three shrimp. The staff were pretty friendly, but the service speed was a bit slow. I had to ask them twice just to bring the check. The interior has a decent amount of seating and it's fairly normal in terms of layout and decor for a Japanese restaurant. Overall, Soba-ya is not a bad option for soba noodles, but also not a particularly great one. You should keep it in mind, but there is some stiff competition from the many other restaurants nearby. read more

Soba-ya - Ten Zaru - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

After Honmura An closed, this soba shop became the go-to for my mom and me when we wanted soba close to us. I came back recently solo in mid afternoon after lunch and before dinner rush. Enjoyed the basic order of soba tremendously. Enjoyed the peace and quiet. Service was good. So glad this shop survived the change of the times. read more

Quite a disappointing experience. I was really looking forward to Sobaya all trip, the pictures looked straight out of Japan. However, my kitsunesoba bowl was not hot, the broth tasted weirdly sweet and the kitsune pieces too sweet, too few and too small. The tempura was quite good but the soba was just simply underwhelming. I was also excited about the warabimochi but I barely tasted any green tea or matcha in it. At the high price point the experience was a let down. read more

Delicious soba, I got my food super fast and the interior is well decorated. I must come here again

Yummy soba. I ordered the original and nabeyaki udon and it had a deep umami flavor. The presentation was key, and the servers were all very kind. Highly recommend the karage. read more

One of my favorite soba place in the city. Been there couple time before pandemic, love the hot soba. They also have some cold dishes and sashimi options as appetizer. Love the fried tofu and tempura soba. They don't have cocktails, but the great sake collection. Yuzu sake is the best! read more

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This has been great place to go for satisfying soba noodle cravings. Love the cold soba noodle options for hot summer days like this season, but I can't wait to try the hot ones too! We got the plum wine (one straight and one with soda) to start. Then we ordered the Ten Zaru with chicken katsu on the side and the Chirashi Cold Noodles. Pros: *Shrimp tempura was amazing in both noodle dishes, was not dry, and was fried nicely *Soba noodles were Al dente, just as I like them *The egg (Dashimaki tamago) on the Chirashi Cold Noodles was also super tasty *Tastes really good with some wasabi mixed in Cons: *Chicken katsu was a miss - too dry inside and out Seating was comfortable. The place was filled but not crowded and not so loud that you have to talk over people to hear the person you're listening/speaking to. Overall, would definitely come back! read more

Soba-ya - Ten Zaru with chicken katsu on the side - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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The duck broth for the soba was solid. The tempura was also so crispy and well made. During covid they had outside seating and a smaller menu. It was a little over priced what just being noodles dipped in a broth but still decent. read more

Soba-ya - Tempura Noodles with mushrooms added - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

Came here on a Friday after work and was able to sit down and order right away. Service was quick and efficient, they took our orders and the food came out very fast. The place had a chatty and friendly atmosphere inside, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and having good conversations but it was definitely not a crazy loud or overly crowded with people. The food was fresh, tasty, and well-made. The rice bowls and soba all seemed reasonably priced, but some of the other items on the menu were definitely a bit pricier. The salmon was so tasty and fresh and the rice was honestly perfection. I definitely judge places on their rice, and this rice was perfectly cooked, not too dry or too mushy, it was light and fluffy, and just so good. I know people don't usually go to restaurants just for rice, but honestly good rice helps to compliment the rest of the meal so much. read more

Soba-ya - Goma Ae - Japanese Near Me - New York, New York

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