I decided to have a late lunch at a restaurant I was looking forward to visiting, but was surprised to find a huge line when I arrived around 3pm. Unable to wait that long, I wandered around and stumbled upon this restaurant nearby. There were only about 3 groups waiting in line, so it seemed manageable. When I saw the menu outside, I noticed it was a soba noodle restaurant, and after quickly checking Google reviews which seemed positive, I decided to stop by since I was quite hungry. **What I ordered** - Large serving of soba noodles - Chicken soba noodles (changed to coarse-ground soba noodles) I didn't have high expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious the soba noodles were. The coarse-ground soba noodles had a rough texture and a fragrant aroma, making them very tasty. Not only the soba noodles, but the dipping sauce was also delicious. The soba noodles came with two types of condiments, which was fantastic! It allowed for a variety of flavors. The prices were reasonable too. If you're in Higashiyama and looking for a lunch spot, or if you're having a late lunch, I think choosing this place would not be a mistake. It's great that they are open until 4pm, which is convenient for travelers. I'm glad I found this wonderful restaurant.

I finally visited the restaurant around 12:55 on July 28th (Sunday). I had known about its existence for some time, but it had been closed for a while, right? It reopened a few years ago, and I had been wanting to visit ever since. Today was hot, so the chilled soba noodles were perfect. Walking in the heat, I truly felt revived. In conclusion, it was delicious! Thank you for the meal!

Sardine soba. I will wait for the soba to arrive with a beer ♡♡ They have Heartland beer, which is thoughtful. My son and I visited Heian Shrine together. It's New Year's, after all. As expected, there are a lot of people due to the New Year. We also visited Kiyomizu Temple, Yasaka Shrine, and Chion-in earlier, and it was very crowded. After this, we will stop by Nanzen-ji and then visit Hiyoshi Taisha before heading back. It's lunchtime now, so we'll have some soba. My son loves noodles. The carefully cooked bonito flakes are delicious ♡ They are truly professionals. The soba is also delicious with a nice aroma and easy to eat. The broth is very tasty ♡ There are no photos, but I love the thick soba soup ♡ That's how it was.

Soba restaurant Agouan seems to have reopened after a break for a few years. The menu includes coarse-ground soba, kakesoba, Kyoto-style fried soba, shippoku soba, duck nanban soba, seiro, duck seiro, and more. I tried the shippoku soba, which came with shiitake mushrooms, fried tofu, mitsuba, kamaboko, and seaweed on top. The shiitake mushrooms were thick and slightly sweet, and the fried tofu absorbed the broth well. The restaurant was busy and always full of customers, with some confusion in orders due to the rush. The service could have been better when handling mistakes pointed out by customers.

The soba noodles and chicken broth were delicious. The soba water did not come out, so I ended up drinking the broth as it is.

The noodles are slightly chewy. They are easy to cut and easy to eat.

The zaru soba is exceptionally delicious. You also get two types of dipping sauces, so you can enjoy it twice as much. The mixed rice topping is also very cost-effective, so I recommend having it together.

Large portion size ===========

This is a soba restaurant located on the east side of Heian Shrine. It has an old and calm atmosphere, but it can get crowded during lunchtime. If you go in the evening, you can usually find a seat without waiting. I recommend the Sanpin Soba. It is soba noodles served in three layers with seaweed, grated yam, and bonito on top. The noodles are firm and you can enjoy the flavors. I remember eating it by dipping it in dashi with a soba cup in the past, but when I went there recently, the dashi was poured directly on top of the soba. The soba water at the end is also delicious.

I bought a book called "Kyoto Soba Style". The book is published by Kyoto Shimbun Publishing Center, so it may not be easy to find in bookstores nationwide, but it can be purchased on Amazon. The opening words of the book are "Kyoto is quietly becoming a mecca for soba culture". I didn't buy this book because of that, but I visited a restaurant called Aganoyu near Heian Shrine. This place is famous for its hayashi rice, and it is located just south of the grill "Kobako". The mountain soba here is covered with grated yam, as shown in the photo. When I tasted it, the rich and delicious bonito and kelp broth was a straight-up winner. The noodles also had a firm texture with just the right amount of elasticity. According to "Kyoto Soba Style", this restaurant uses small balls to make fresh noodles as much as possible. It also mentions the types of kelp used, which are from Rishiri and Rausu. The herring at this restaurant is also said to be delicious. I would like to visit this restaurant regularly.

Agokuan has been a soba restaurant near the zoo for a long time. The shop exudes the atmosphere of a Kyoto establishment in its appearance and noren. When it comes to Agoku, it is associated with Izumo. Izumo soba is known as "warigoso" (divided soba) in the Izumo region, where soba is served in small dishes for customers to enjoy a variety of flavors. This style of serving soba originated in Izumo, where the local lord cultivated soba seeds that he had tasted and enjoyed in Edo. Similarly, the owner of Agokuan brought the soba-making technique from Izumo to this shop. While Kyoto has a strong soba culture, when customers seek traditional soba, this is the first shop that comes to mind. Agokuan offers a unique blend of "Kyoto-grown Izumo soba," combining the traditional Izumo soba eating style with Kyoto's dashi and using grated red radish for spiciness. The soba broth at Agokuan, which is particular about dashi, is rich in kelp and bonito flavors, complementing the chewy and sweet Izumo soba. Noteworthy about the broth is that, unlike the common combination of green onions and wasabi, Agokuan serves it with green onions and grated red radish. This choice is made because the spiciness of the grated red radish complements the Izumo soba, which is best enjoyed with spicy radish. Additionally, it is better to "chew" rather than "slurp" the soba at this shop. While soba is typically enjoyed for its throat feel, Izumo soba is best savored by chewing it to enhance its flavor, hence the use of grated red radish. The act of chewing the soba along with the spiciness of the grated red radish is what makes the soba experience at this shop exceptional. Lastly, it is recommended to leave a little bit of the grated red radish for the soba broth at the end. Regardless of the season you visit, you can see the red leaves of Kyoto in the white soba broth, making it a unique experience.

I visited on a Sunday during the Obon holiday. I drove there and saw a sign saying there were two parking spaces outside the store, but I couldn't find them after looking around, so I ended up parking at the underground parking lot next to Heian Shrine. Inside the store, there were table seats and tatami mat seating, and it wasn't a very big place. I ordered the three-item soba and zaru soba. The three-item soba came in a red stacked box with mountain-style soba, regular mori soba, and soba topped with bonito flakes on each level. I was impressed by the quality of the ingredients here. For example, the yam was fluffy with a nice sweetness that spread throughout the mouth. The bonito flakes had a good texture and plenty of umami. The soba itself had a good chewiness and was delicious. The service was very polite, and I was extremely satisfied. If you ever visit Kyoto, be sure to stop by.

《2010.06 submission》 It's been a while since my last visit. I had a sudden craving for a large amount of soba, so I went to "Agokuan". I ordered the "kitsune soba" and an extra serving of "yamakake soba" just like the previous owner used to make it. It was a full order for me (maybe a bit too much?). First, the kitsune soba... The sweet fried tofu was lighter in color than usual, but the subtle sweetness combined with the broth was a perfect match as always! The soba had a rare deep green hue for this time of year, reminiscent of fresh buckwheat (maybe they blend in some new buckwheat from the southern hemisphere?). It was served hot, with a strong soba aroma and a good chewy texture. "Delicious!!" I held the hot bowl firmly, drank every last drop of broth, and finished it completely. "Delicious!!" My stomach was satisfied, and I looked forward to the cold soba... The "yamakake soba" with plenty of grated yam. As usual, I poured the sauce directly onto the bowl. I could smell the soba even more than with the hot soba, and I forgot about my full stomach as I finished every last bit on the plate. "Delicious!!" I drank plenty of soba water... It was really delicious. This time, it was a parade of deliciousness, and it was the first time I felt that it was so delicious since the change in ownership. The staff at the restaurant greeted me with smiles, and this friendly atmosphere must have added to the deliciousness... I hope they continue to make delicious soba like this. 《2010.03 submission》 Title: Passed down from parent to child... A soba shop with a legacy I was drawn to this soba shop that had a fragrant soba made by the previous owner, and I often visited for that reason. Without knowing it was Izumo soba, I always enjoyed the "delicious soba". At that time, I would have kitsune soba first and then order an extra serving of yamakake soba. The sweet fried tofu, cooked in a sweet sauce, paired well with the slightly firm soba... I would finish the hot kitsune soba, drink up the broth, and start sweating from the heat of my body... And then, it was time for seconds! The yamakake soba had a generous amount of grated yam on top of the soba in the bowl. Normally, you would dip the soba in a small cup, but I would pour the sauce directly onto the yamakake bowl and mix it with the soba. The sauce and soba mixed well, and it was delicious until the last bite. After cooling down, I would pour soba water into the bowl.

When I come to Grill Kobo, I always noticed a soba restaurant that I was interested in. I always decided to have Western food at Kobo, so I didn't have the opportunity to go in. It was lunchtime, and the place was just right in terms of crowd. It was a hot day, so I ordered zaru soba. I wanted to eat crispy tempura, but it seems they don't serve tempura. The menu options were limited. The condiments were green onions, grated daikon radish, and quail egg. The green onions were crunchy and fresh, and the grated daikon radish was finely grated, giving a sense of careful preparation. I thought the portion of soba was small, but the firm texture made me feel satisfied more than I expected. The yam looked deliciously firm. I'll try that next time.

I am a big fan of soba noodles, but I had never found a place in Kansai that made me go "This is it!" until now. The broth had a hint of sweetness and the soba noodles were firm and delicious. I wanted to order a large serving or try the special toppings, but I had plans afterwards so I stuck with the basic zaru soba. The staff seemed a bit laid-back, which was a slight downside. The restaurant is located near Heian Shrine, so it takes a bit of time to walk there. It faces west, so there is no shade while waiting, so it's better to keep that in mind. I visited on a hot day during Golden Week, and the staff thanked us for waiting in the heat before seating us, which made me feel appreciated. I wish there was a place like this in Osaka!

I planned a trip to Kyoto, first securing accommodation. Then I searched on Tabelog and decided to try the Wariko Soba that I couldn't eat during my trip to San'in in February. I arrived at the restaurant without hesitation, passing by the long line at a famous udon shop. I quickly asked the staff about the parking location, which was a bit hard to find. We ordered the Wariko Soba, just like the couple at the next table. We wanted to try the Sanpin Soba as well, but decided against it as we had plans to visit two more restaurants later. The result was amazing! It was my first time having authentic soba in a while, with perfect texture and smoothness. It was a bit sweeter than I preferred, but the flavorful soba broth made up for it completely. I will definitely go back to taste that thick broth again. Next time, I will order the Sanpin Soba as well. The taste was impeccable, although I felt the seating was a bit cramped. I will definitely visit again soon. Thank you for the meal. Amen.

I visited this restaurant after seeing it on Tabelog. It is located at the northern end of Okazaki Ramen Street. The interior has a traditional soba shop feel, with a large table surrounded by chairs in the center. There are two four-person tables and two tatami tables. The sign clearly states "handmade soba," and the menu starts with cold soba. There was also "waritsuki soba" on the menu, named Izumo. I ordered the large zaru soba for 1210 yen without hesitation. The slight price difference between normal and large portions made me feel the dedication to soba, which was reassuring. As others have posted photos, the condiments included grated daikon radish, quail egg, and green onions. I used only the green onions as condiments. The dipping sauce was thick and slightly sweet, which paired well with the grated daikon radish. The soba noodles had a good texture and flavor, although not very strong. The portion size was decent. The soba broth was milky and slightly thick, which felt comforting after eating cold soba, especially in winter. This restaurant is the farthest from Nio-mon Street, but I recommend trying it out.