When you open the door, you'll feel like you've slipped back in time to a Showa-era cafe. The white smoke from cigarettes floats gently in the air. It's a cozy spot for locals to relax. The retro snack-style interior has a central counter where regulars chat loudly. The warm and kind mama manages the place single-handedly, creating a heartwarming atmosphere. Despite feeling a bit out of place at first, the regular customers are friendly and welcoming. I ordered the parent and child donburi set for ¥700, even though I questioned the price. You can choose between cold or hot soba, and after some hesitation, I settled on hot. The mama started preparing the dish and then came back to confirm my choice, adding to the friendly atmosphere. After a 15-minute wait, the dish arrived with a sweet and savory aroma. The soba, swimming in a rich broth with a dominant kelp flavor, had a nice chewy texture. The donburi was generously topped with rice, a half-cooked egg, tender chicken, and onions. Both dishes had a comforting, home-cooked taste with a hint of sweetness. The restaurant's cozy and nostalgic ambiance, complete with a goldfish, added to the overall pleasant experience. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

I had my first experience of eating "nabe-yaki soba" in October 2022, and it has become my recent favorite. However, there are only a few places that serve this dish. I was recommended a soba cafe located in a residential area along the river in Minami Ward. The shop has a bright and cozy atmosphere with table and counter seats. I quickly ordered the nabe-yaki soba from the menu. It took less than 20 minutes for the dish to be served in a clay pot, garnished with green onions and tempura crumbs. The broth was slightly sweet and light, while the soba noodles were thin with a firm texture. The dish was filled with ingredients such as wheat gluten, leeks, spinach, shiitake mushrooms, fish cakes, chicken thigh meat, and a soft-boiled egg. The broth had the perfect richness, and I enjoyed every last bite of the delicious nabe-yaki soba.

This long-established coffee shop has a menu lineup that clearly shows its specialty: soba noodles. The shop is run by a female owner, with a relatively simple and clean interior that has a mix of Showa and Heisei era vibes. The zaru soba, priced at 630 yen, features smooth and dry noodles with a refreshing cold finish. The dipping sauce is typical of a soba shop, with a light kombu base and a rich and slightly thick flavor. It seems like they put effort into their dishes. For the upcoming season, the "nabe-yaki soba" might be a good choice.

I came to this shop that I was curious about. This shop is located in a residential area where you wouldn't know about it unless you checked on Tabelog. It's written as a soba tea shop. The menu includes zaru soba for 630 yen, but there is no kake soba. They have tsukimi soba, tamago toji soba, and tanuki soba for 630 yen. I checked the meat they use, which is chicken, unfortunately. It's hard to find curry rice with pork meat. I asked if they could make yakisoba with the nabeyaki udon on the menu, and they said it was possible. The nabeyaki yakisoba costs 700 yen. It contains eggs, chicken, wheat gluten, fish cake, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, and green onions. Tempura crumbs and chopped green onions are served on a separate plate. The broth is light with a subtle sweetness. You can taste the flavor of the shiitake mushrooms. The seasoned shiitake mushrooms are delicious. They seem to use fresh soba, which holds up well even when cooked in the pot. It was satisfying to eat. They also offer set meals with rice bowls and soba. They have curry rice and katsu curry, so I thought it would be nice if they offered a katsu curry and soba set. By the way, coffee is 400 yen, and it's 250 yen after a meal. (November 2018)

Heavy rain... no, it's a squall! Has the climate in Hokkaido become tropical? My motivation for work suddenly disappears. Oh well, it's lunchtime! I'm checking out this café on Tabelog, so I'm interested in this kind of place. The parking lot is spacious, which is convenient on rainy days. There are no other customers. The interior of the shop matches the exterior, like a Showa-era café. I was surprised when I looked at the menu – it's a soba restaurant! There's even a sign for nabeyaki udon on the wall. I didn't feel like eating something heavy, so I decided to go for the "Ebi-Ten Mori." The café plays French chansons as background music, with a song by Fubuki Koshiji playing. It really feels like a café, but it's actually a soba restaurant. Let's not get our hopes up. When the soba and tempura arrived, I was pleasantly surprised. The soba had a nice texture and the tempura was large and crispy. But there was a strange smell coming from the tempura batter. Was it a hint of alcohol? Are they using alcohol to thin out the batter? No, that's not it... I don't know what it is. Despite my confusion, I quickly finished my meal. It was delicious. Since I was already there, I ordered a coffee after my meal. It was decent. They reheated the brewed coffee in a pot, which actually worked well. It seems that warming it up without boiling it improves the taste. It reminded me of the nostalgic brewing method that was popular in old cafés. Even though it was a soba restaurant, I had a relaxing time. I will definitely visit again.

This place is located in Minami Ward, at 10-3 Kawazoe Nakakoji, so please check the map on Tabelog for details. I happened to pass by this place by car and saw a cafe or soba shop, but no one was talking about it, so I felt responsible to visit. I parked my car in the spacious parking lot and entered the shop. The counter seats were occupied by local elderly ladies, so I sat at a table by the window. The soba arrived in 5-6 minutes, served on a plate rather than in a dipping style. First, I tried the noodles without dipping anything, and they were cooked well but seemed to be from a noodle factory. Then I poured all the soba soup over the noodles without mixing and tried it. The soup was a bit sweet and tasted like it was made for work purposes. Lastly, I mixed the grated yam and toppings with the noodles and slurped it all up. Personally, I prefer soba served separately from the toppings like in "tororo soba." Lastly, there was soba water, which made me think about how to enjoy it. Most of the customers here are probably locals, and the shop has a surprisingly long history, as it will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year as a cafe and soba shop.