It's hot, humid, and sluggish. In times like this, it's best to have something light like soba noodles. So, I decided to visit an old-fashioned soba restaurant along Hongo Street. The interior is also old-fashioned, with chairs tied to cushions. I ordered the sticky soba noodles and a non-alcoholic beer. The beer arrived first, nothing special about it. Cheers! A side dish of kinpira burdock was served. While watching the TV news, I waited. The cold and sticky aromatic soba noodles arrived. It includes okra, cucumber, myoga, and ginger. It's all plant-based, truly vegan. The soba noodles are very thin, which is quite rare. Mixing it with the soba sauce, the soba noodles are barely visible. It felt like my body was purified by the power of plants. The name of the dish perfectly matches its content, which is quite rare. If this restaurant renovates its interior to a modern style and becomes smoke-free, it would definitely be a hit.

From the south exit of Komagome Station towards Rikugien, there is a shop located around the middle of the path from Someimon to the main gate. Previously, the owner used to do delivery and also open for lunch, but now it's run by the landlady and her daughters, operating only at night. The highlight here is the variety of dishes that go well with alcohol! Recommended items include potato salad, yudofu, and country-style simmered dish, but the tempura assortment is so generous that it's best shared by 3-4 people! The recommended soba dish is the curry soba! The kitsune udon is also irresistible! (Note) Be prepared for a longer wait after ordering, so plan your visit with some extra time.

On Friday, October 7th, during lunchtime, the drinking enthusiast headed to Komagome area. I arrived at Chosuan to eat soba noodles! Looking at the menu, there were so many options, packed on both sides. For today, I ordered the classic "Tempura Soba". The soba noodles that came out were very thin, and they mixed well with the soba broth. The tempura was also generous in portion, making it a very satisfying lunch. I look forward to trying a different menu next time as a drinking enthusiast!

Located along Hongo Street, near Rikugien Gardens, this long-established soba restaurant is just a 3-minute walk from Komagome Station's south exit. I visited around 7 pm on a weekday and found the place moderately busy with customers dining and drinking. The cozy interior has about 20 seats, including table and sunken kotatsu seating, exuding a traditional atmosphere with a touch of history and charm. The walls are adorned with various paintings and photographs. The elderly lady serving on the floor is very cheerful and provides pleasant customer service. The menu here is truly extensive, offering classic options like "mori," "kake," "tanuki," "zaru," "tamago toji," and "tsukimi," as well as unique choices like "hanamaki soba" (650 yen) and "mujina soba" (600 yen) that I had never heard of before. They also have creative soba dishes like "matcha soba" (from 850 yen), "nama-ko soba" (800 yen), "inaka soba" (850 yen), "san-shoku soba" (1,000 yen), and "go-shoku soba" (1,300 yen). I'm curious about what "go-shoku soba" could be. Additionally, they offer a variety of rice bowls and set meals, as well as a good selection of side dishes that pair well with alcohol. I eventually settled for the classic "zaru soba" (600 yen), which features extremely thin soba noodles similar to somen, topped generously with nori seaweed and served with a quail egg. The soba broth was rich and flavorful. I also ordered the "tempura set meal (regular)" (1,000 yen) which included two prawns, eggplant, pumpkin, green pepper, shiitake mushroom, sweet potato, onion, and shiso leaf tempura. The crispy and hot tempura was delicious. However, I was surprised that miso soup was not included with the set meal. With such a wide range of menu options, I feel like I could never get tired of coming back here. The tasty tempura makes me want to revisit, but next time, I'm curious to try the "matcha soba" or "go-shoku soba."

Whenever I go to work in Komagome, I used to pass by this restaurant but I always avoided it because it seemed old-fashioned. Today, it started raining while I was walking so I decided to seek shelter and have lunch there. As soon as I entered the restaurant, I was overwhelmed by its atmosphere. It had a traditional feel, like a place where scholars or famous people would come to eat soba. The menu had a variety of options, including creative soba dishes, and the prices seemed reasonable considering the ambiance. I ordered the "Inaka Soba" (the waitress mentioned that it was a favorite of former Minister of Internal Affairs, Yukio Hatoyama) for 850 yen. About 10 minutes after ordering, a three-tiered hexagonal box of soba was served. It came with grated daikon radish, green onions, wasabi, seaweed, bonito flakes, and other condiments to mix into the broth. When I dipped the wide noodles into the broth and ate them, it was absolutely delicious! The soba was truly amazing!

The shop's soba pudding was featured on a TV show, so my husband bought it as a souvenir. You have to make a reservation to get takeout. The matcha soba pudding has sweet red beans at the bottom and matcha pudding on top. However, it tastes only like matcha and not like soba. The texture is not as smooth as egg pudding, but more rough. It feels similar to a rice cake. I wonder what ingredients are used in it. If it had a soba flavor, it would be delicious, but this is a bit mediocre. The soba pudding is similar, with sweet red beans at the bottom. It also doesn't taste like soba. The slightly yellow color might be the color of soba.

I had always been curious about this place, and finally visited on a Sunday. The menu displayed outside looked like a typical soba restaurant menu, but with a twist - the portion sizes were huge! And you could have a drink even at lunchtime! It was such a wonderful place. I ordered my favorite nabeyaki udon, while Captain Animal had the tenzaru (large). The nabeyaki udon came with shrimp tempura, tamagoyaki, kamaboko, and plenty of other ingredients. A raw egg was delicately placed on top, giving it a moon-viewing feel. The noodles were a bit too soft, but the gentle broth made it easy to eat. As for the tenzaru, I didn't try it, but Captain Animal, who is particular about soba, said, "The nori could be finer for better taste. The tempura was crispy and delicious. The soba was neither great nor terrible." Quite a critical review. Since I had udon this time, I want to try the soba next time. And I'll probably go for the plan where you can have a drink at lunch, as there were so many tempting appetizers. I'm already excited for the next visit!

The weather was cloudy but seemed fine, so I went out a bit early to see the autumn leaves. Before entering my destination, Rikugien Garden, I stopped by a nearby soba noodle restaurant. The menu had so many options that it was overwhelming. I ordered the Vegetable Tempura Soba for 850 yen and the Nabeyaki Udon for 900 yen. The Nabeyaki Udon was quite traditional with shrimp tempura, fish cake, green onions, and a thin noodle that was not too firm or powdery. The overall taste was light and not too stewed. The soba noodles were very thin and generously served. They were smooth and refreshing, but the flavor was not very strong. The dipping sauce for the soba was also light. The vegetable tempura was plentiful with 2 pieces each of bell pepper, eggplant, sweet potato, and pumpkin. They were lightly fried and not greasy, but had a strong sesame oil flavor. Despite that, the vegetables were not soggy and tasted good. There were also various side dishes that made me want to have a drink.

If you walk about 100 meters along Hongo Street to the right of the entrance of Rikugien Garden, you will see a red sign. The soba ice cream is famous, but I didn't try it. I ordered the wakame soba, which surprised me with its slightly chilled Chinese-style presentation. The scent of sesame oil and the acidity of lemon mix well with the bonito broth, making it easy to eat. Although it may seem strange with the pickled ginger included, when you view it as a new menu item, it is delicious. The interior of the shop is small, with tables for about 15 people, creating a cozy atmosphere.

After finishing work, I felt like having some soba noodles, so I decided to visit Rokugien Chojuan, a long-established soba restaurant in Komagome. I ordered the tempura soba, which came with a richly flavored broth and a generous portion of shrimp tempura. The noodles were smooth and had a good texture with a nice balance of flavors that paired well with the broth. The sense of security that comes with dining at an old-established restaurant was also comforting. It was really delicious. Thank you for the meal.

This is a shop run by a mother and her two daughters. It's always crowded with salarymen after work. It's best to call ahead before visiting. We usually enjoy soba shochu with soba-yu, and order yudofu and potato salad as appetizers. The tempura platter is huge and we can't finish it between two people. We usually end with soba or udon. Curry udon and chikara soba are popular choices.

After moving about a year ago, I finally visited a long-established soba restaurant that I had been curious about. This soba restaurant always seems busy with regular customers. I had been interested in going but never had the chance until now. I was in the mood for a drink, so I ordered some appetizers before the main soba dish. One great thing about this place is that they have a nice selection of appetizers. In this hot summer, I ordered oden and tamagoyaki. They were delicious. The oden soaked in broth and the large tamagoyaki were both full of flavor and felt warm and comforting. I finished them quickly. Then came the main dish, soba. They have a variety of soba options, and the noodles are thin with a good chewy texture. This time, I ordered the cold zaru soba, but I am also curious about their simple mori soba. I plan to come back for a second visit. Lastly, as I left, the two staff members (maybe the mother and daughter) kindly saw me off all the way to the door. Their attentive service made me feel appreciated. People who love soba flavors are sure to be drawn back, and this may be why they have so many regular customers. I will definitely return to try more of their soba dishes.

There is a soba restaurant near Rikugien Gardens on Hongo Street. The restaurant is now run by a mother and her two daughters. When the father was still around, the service was incredibly polite and respectful. The menu is extensive, with daily recommendations that even drinkers can enjoy. The potato salad with edamame is delicious. Other recommended dishes include miso-glazed konjac, chicken hot pot, and tempura (the portions are large, so it's difficult for one person to finish). You can also get takeout and enjoy a delicious tempura rice bowl or tempura soba the next day by reheating it. Thank you for the meal.

New Year's Eve soba has to be from Chojusan. So, I got some fresh soba to go. During the year-end, I have many opportunities to eat soba, but my favorite is definitely the thin soba from Chojusan. I have been having soba from Chojusan for New Year's Eve for many years, so I just can't have any other soba. However, this time, my sister-in-law beat me to it, so I had warm soba on New Year's night instead. I think I prefer mori soba, but following the instructions for boiling that came with it works well. I've been boiling it every year, so maybe I've gotten a little better?! Even though it's takeout, the portion is still generous. I visited Chojusan at the end of the year and the beginning of the year. Another year starts with soba from Chojusan. Thank you for taking care of me this year as well. I made a new discovery. I often visit a soba shop in the neighborhood, and usually order the same thing, but this time my partner ordered Hanamaki soba. It's a mysterious soba with seaweed on top that melts beautifully into the broth. And there's a strong scent of the sea in every bite. It's like eating soba by the ocean... like kake soba? The description might sound cheap, but it was delicious! I had Chicken Nanban soba, which had plenty of chicken and green onions. It was satisfying with lots of chicken! The broth was a bit lighter than the Hanamaki soba. I counted how many bottles of soba shochu I've had, and it turns out it's the 21st bottle. That's how often I go there! There are various types of soba shops in the area, from standing counters to stylish ones, but for soba, Chojusan is the best! They have a wide menu selection and great customer service. The lunch ladies are charming, and the evening is run by the mother and her cute daughters. For delivery, there's a cool dad. For lunch, soba, udon, rice bowls... all good. For dinner, vegetable tempura platter, grilled squid, simmered tripe, cold tofu or hot tofu. One serving of mori soba is enough to make you very full because the portions are generous. Please note that it's a popular local spot, so expect to share a table.

I finally had the opportunity to visit a soba restaurant that had been on my mind for a while. It was lunchtime and the place seemed to always be crowded, with sharing tables being the norm. When I entered, all the tables were full, but there were two tables with one person at a four-person table, so I ended up sharing a table. The lady on the floor said, "Our customers are okay with sharing tables," in a somewhat condescending tone. This place, like many old restaurants in the area, allows smoking during lunchtime, and there were people smoking nearby. Lately, I've really had enough of this. I want to have a fulfilling time during lunch or a short period, but being near someone smoking just ruins it for me. If it weren't for that, I might have rated it a 3. I was quite disappointed with the vegetable tempura. Four pieces of sweet potato and two pieces of pumpkin? That's not enough. There were also green peppers, onions, and eggplant, but there were too many heavy tempura pieces. And maybe because it was a vegetable tempura set, the dipping sauce was too sweet. It was quite bad. I also ordered a warm soba, but the soba had a high water content and quickly became bloated. It's just your average soba restaurant, but it's far from being a good one. The menu has an absurd amount of options, so I'm a bit worried about the quality of the ingredients. With this level of soba and this price, I won't be visiting again. It's very disappointing, especially since I had some expectations.

I was bored, so I went to Rikugien Garden. I walked a bit too much and got really hungry. I was in the mood for soba, so I decided to try it out. I started with a bottle of beer...and then ordered the Tempura Soba. When it arrived, I was surprised by the huge portion of tempura. The batter was quite heavy, and I couldn't finish it all. As for the soba itself, I'm not sure if this is the right way to describe it, but it was kind of...watery. The broth was quite strong. It's not my favorite type, but it might be good for those who like strong flavors.

Rokugi-en Chojukan. The soba here is very delicious! I always order their New Year's soba too! The zaru soba, nabeyaki, everything is quite good. Also, they have a wide variety of side menu options, so it's good for those who feel like just soba isn't enough for dinner. A recommended dish to try is the vegetable tempura soba. The tempura portion is quite generous, so if you have a small appetite, two people can share it. I haven't tried it recently, but they also have soba pudding, which has an interesting and tasty flavor. It's not listed on the menu, maybe it's a secret menu item? Definitely give it a try.

The soba noodles here are very delicious!!! My recommendation is the Tenzaru. The tempura is crispy and the soba noodles have a nice texture, making it a great choice. However, it can get very crowded during lunchtime and it's not a place to relax. But I recommend stopping by while taking a stroll in Rikugien Gardens. Enjoy your visit!

I tried takeout soba inari for the first time. It had a refreshing taste with a strong flavor of shiso leaves. It was delicious and I would love to have it again!