I visited the restaurant for lunch on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The restaurant was about 70% full. I sat at a table near the entrance and ordered the authentic cold soba with tempura. It took about 10 minutes for the dish to be served. The texture of the soba was great, with a satisfying snap when bitten. It was truly authentic soba. The dipping sauce was a bit on the salty side for Kansai style. The tempura was cooked perfectly. While dipping it in the soba sauce was good, it actually paired better with the tempura itself.

I had been working in Kyoto for a big project from December 2021 until the end of the year, so I was visiting regularly. Even on New Year's Eve, many restaurants were closed, so I didn't have many options for lunch. That's why I chose this place without hesitation. It had been 13 years since I last visited. The restaurant was bustling with not only people from the same project but also regular customers, as it seemed to be the busiest time of the year. They were also selling New Year's soba for takeout in one corner of the restaurant. Although I was still working and didn't get a chance to try it, it added to the New Year's atmosphere. In the past, the soba restaurant where I used to work would only serve soba with herring or plain soba on New Year's Eve, but here they had almost the same menu as usual. I was tempted by some seasonal limited menu items, but I stuck to my initial choice of herring soba. The broth was rich in color, and the noodles were simple with herring and green onions. They didn't sprinkle any sansho pepper on top, so I added some later to my liking. The complimentary warabi mochi that I had mentioned in a previous review was not offered this time. Perhaps it was because it was the busiest day of the year, or maybe they have stopped offering it altogether. The herring tasted a bit stronger than I had expected, but the sweet and savory flavor was comforting. It was a pleasure to enjoy soba in Kyoto after a long time.

Kakutani, a long-established soba restaurant in Jingumaruta-cho, managed to avoid the lunch rush on the 31st! Soba restaurants are always crowded at peak times, haha. The food samples have a retro Showa vibe. With snow falling outside, the piping hot broth must be delicious. The menu includes dishes like the recommended "Nishin Soba" (970 yen), with white soba noodles and delicious simmered herring. I also had New Year's Eve soba, so I really want to go home early today... Thank you for the meal. Address: 390 Seigoin Yamao-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City. Phone: 075-771-2934. Open on weekdays from 11:00-15:00 and 17:00-20:00, Saturdays from 11:00-15:00, closed on Sundays, holidays, and the 3rd and 5th Saturdays. Feel free to follow Skasan!! Instagram/Facebook/Twitter. I participate in blog rankings. Your clicks are my source of energy! Recently, the number of clicks has been increasing. Thank you for your continued support.

In front of the hospital, there is a soba restaurant with a sense of tradition on a large sign. However, the inside of the restaurant is very clean and modern. I visited just before the end of lunchtime at 3 pm. The staff at this restaurant always give off a relaxed and casual vibe, with no sense of formality. As soon as I entered and said hello, the staff greeted me and by the time they came over, I was already seated and looking at the menu. In the middle of the menu, there was a lunch set menu with options like tempura rice bowl set. I debated between ordering that or the soba set, but before I could decide, the staff informed me that they were out of tempura rice bowl. It would have been nice to know that earlier! So, I ended up ordering the small tempura rice bowl and zaru soba set for 1140 yen (1090 yen with coupon). The small bowl had small shrimp tempura, seaweed tempura, and green pepper tempura, all fried perfectly and delicious. The soba noodles were smooth, white, and had a refined taste. The soba soup was served as well, clear and slightly salty, perfect for sipping. When asked if I wanted to drink the soba soup, I gladly accepted. Overall, it was a delicious soba restaurant experience.

[Visit on September 24, 2021] - Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl): 1000 yen - Famous! Nishin Soba (Soba with Herring): 970 yen - Tsumugi Soba (Soba with Tempura, Herring, and Mountain Vegetables): 1170 yen Kakutani Ryotei (Oyakodon) Phone: 075-771-2934 39 Shogoin Yamawacho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto https://tabelog.com/kyoto/A2601/A260302/26004677/

Located in front of Kyoto University Hospital, this soba restaurant had caught my attention for a while. From the outside, it seemed intimidating and exclusive, making me hesitant to enter. However, with the current pandemic situation, I thought there might be fewer customers, making it easier to get in. So I decided to give it a try. To my surprise, the interior of the restaurant was completely different from what I had imagined. The place was spacious and surprisingly clean. There were plenty of young staff members working. The customers varied from elderly individuals to businessmen in suits to career women. The restaurant was about 90% full. As a COVID-19 precaution, tables were spaced out, and acrylic dividers were placed in the middle of tables facing each other. I chose a seat at the far end of the restaurant, which seemed to have originally been a counter that was now reduced in seating capacity, giving me plenty of space to sit alone. Coats were hung on hangers, and belongings were stored in designated areas. The menu was surprisingly extensive, featuring a wide range of soba, udon, rice bowls, set meals, side dishes, and alcoholic beverages, including seasonal items. During my visit in March, there were winter menu options like oyster soba and spring menu options like bamboo shoot soba. I had a hard time deciding but since it was my first time, I opted for the lunch special of mini tendon bowl with warm soba set, priced at 1140 yen. Other set menu options included cold soba or a tendon bowl with mixed rice. Hot tea was available for self-service in cups on the table. Chopsticks and toothpicks were provided, but there were no paper napkins or wet towels. Shichimi pepper and sansho pepper were available on the table, along with alcohol disinfectant spray in some areas. The food arrived promptly. The soba broth was served first, which was delicious. The soba itself was quite ordinary, lacking firmness and easily breaking apart. It came with a small amount of seaweed, green onions, and one slice of fish cake. The warm soba alone would have been devoured quickly. Sprinkling some sansho pepper on it enhanced the flavor. Next was the tendon bowl, with hot rice and freshly made tempura. The tempura sauce was light, not soaking the rice completely. The tempura consisted of shrimp, seaweed, and shishito pepper. They were ordinary when eaten separately. The pickles, however, were not to my liking as the cucumber had a strong taste that I couldn't finish. Surprisingly, they accepted payment via PayPay. Despite my critical review, I plan to revisit to try other menu items like the oyakodon or mochi soba, which caught my interest.

In front of Kyoto University Hospital, there is a soba restaurant. A large sign that says "soba" is displayed, giving off a sense of tradition. However, the interior of the restaurant is surprisingly simple and casual. When I asked the staff for recommendations, they simply said, "We serve soba." I couldn't help but chuckle at the obviousness. I inquired about the "Sanpo Soba" that was displayed outside, and it turned out to be a three-tiered dish. Each tier had different toppings, which pleasantly surprised me. I ordered it without tempura. The Sanpo Soba arrived in three tiers, and came with dipping sauce, condiments, and soba water. The soba was white and smooth, without any black specks, and tasted delicious. The portion size was just right, and I finished it quickly. However, I was faced with a dilemma when it came to the soba water. Should I pour it into each tier individually, or combine the dipping sauce and pour it into one tier? I decided to pour it into one tier, but it ended up being too diluted. Despite that, the meal was enjoyable. Thank you for the delicious meal!

Once a week, I go food shopping and I always look forward to deciding what to eat the day before. This time, I decided on having soba noodles and also wanted to buy some cake. I went to a soba restaurant near a place called Jyuryo that I used to visit often. The parking lot was familiar to me and it was really cheap, only 300 yen for two hours. The restaurant was not crowded as it was past lunchtime, which was a pleasant surprise. I ordered their famous herring soba, which had a big piece of herring on top. It was a nice sight to see. I added some sansho pepper and shichimi spice to my soba. Although it was not a specialty soba shop, the soba was delicious and had a traditional taste. On my way back, I stopped by Kumano Shrine, which I usually just pass by. It was a small shrine dedicated to the god of ball games. Unfortunately, the cake shop I wanted to visit was closed, but luckily I found a bakery nearby. I usually visit Jyuryo at night, so I never noticed this bakery before. It was a lucky find!

I visited a long-established soba restaurant in front of Kyoto University Hospital. The exterior looks like a traditional town soba shop, but the interior is somewhat empty, with a cafeteria-like atmosphere. The pricing seems a bit high, but the atmosphere is not as impressive as expected. I ordered a set of tempura rice bowl and zaru soba. The tempura consisted of one shrimp, shishito pepper, and seaweed, which was a bit on the smaller side. The taste was okay, but the tempura was lacking in quantity, leaving the rice feeling a bit too much. As a soba lover with roots in Nagano, I found the soba to be honestly quite strict. However, soba still has the taste of the dipping sauce, so it won't taste bad unless something drastic happens. Since there are no other soba restaurants nearby, perhaps many people visit during their hospital waiting times despite the high prices. For me, it would be difficult to revisit this place intentionally.

Located on the south side of Kyoto University Hospital, just off Higashioji Street. It's always bustling during lunchtime. The food has a gentle taste that never disappoints, and I always stop by when I have errands nearby. It's also nice that they give a 50 yen discount coupon every other visit.

I heard that Kakutani-ya, an old-established store, has a rakugo performance, so I went to see it! I enjoyed their famous herring soba before experiencing rakugo for the first time in my life! I was very satisfied with the delicious soba and enjoyed the funny and entertaining rakugo performance! It was a great opportunity to forget about the busy year-end rush! I hope they will offer Toshikoshi soba on New Year's Eve too!!

The store is spacious and clean. I ordered the Tomoe Soba set, which includes three varieties of soba - Nishin Soba, Yamakake Soba, and Tempura Soba. It's a great option for tourists. The restaurant is easy for solo diners to enter, and they accept PayPay as payment.

During a break, I found a soba noodle restaurant and decided to go in. They had a lunch menu, but I ordered the large portion of "Yamakake" soba without hesitation.

This is an old-established restaurant known for their herring soba. However, they are not very good at serving warm soba, so I ordered cold soba with herring simmered in sweet sauce. The soba and dipping sauce were average, but the herring simmered in sweet sauce was delicious, full of natural umami flavor!

I went around 12:00 noon. The restaurant was full. I ordered the famous "herring soba". It came in a large bowl with a small amount of soba and broth. The broth was richer than udon broth, which I liked, but it was a bit too strong. The soba itself was very delicious. However, overall it felt unbalanced. It's a shame. The menu is also unnecessarily extensive. The restaurant renovation was nice, but the quality of the food and service could be improved. Thank you for the meal.

Curry is my go-to dish at the soba restaurant. ^ ^

It was delicious, so I wanted to eat more.