This is a shop located on the east side of Route 38, near Yotsuba Arena. Inside the shop, there is a counter seat surrounding the center, and table seats by the window, creating a relaxed atmosphere reminiscent of a Showa-era coffee shop. The signature menu seems to be the chicken and burdock soba, so I ordered the mini pork bowl! I had the "Kaitaku and Mini Pork Bowl" (1050 yen). The soba is chewy and has a strong buckwheat flavor - I like it! The crunchy sasagaki burdock is delicious! I'm happy that it comes with tempura bits since there are no fried foods like tempura. The broth is on the salty side with a strong soy sauce flavor, tasty but not exactly to my liking... The pork in the bowl is meaty but easy to chew, making it a perfect accompaniment to the soba.

It's lunchtime in Obihiro. The restaurant I was planning to go to was crowded as expected. I wanted to eat soba and pork bowl, so I decided to go to Kaitaku Soba, which was on the way. It was a holiday lunchtime. Huh? There's no one inside the restaurant... Suddenly feeling anxious. Since I already entered, I'll just go ahead and eat. I wanted to have zaru soba, but there was no set with zaru soba. The only set menu available was with the "Kaitaku Soba" that the restaurant is named after. I ordered the set with mini cold Kaitaku soba and mini pork bowl for 880 yen. While waiting, I looked around the empty restaurant wondering what kind of place it used to be. It has a somewhat indescribable atmosphere. There are long counter seats and table seats. Since there are government offices nearby, I imagine it must be crowded during weekdays. On the contrary, it might be empty on weekends, I thought. Just then, the food was served in less than 10 minutes. Let's start with the soba. Oh, a nice aroma of burdock. This is apparently the reason for it being called Kaitaku soba. It has soft burdock on top. The soba is what you would call "countryside soba." It's quite firm. The flavor is okay. Personally, I feel like it could use a bit more sweetness in the broth. There were also fried tempura bits served on a separate plate. Adding them gave a different taste. The pork bowl had a slightly bitter taste. Like a caramel flavor. The meat was thick but the taste of the sauce may vary depending on personal preference. The rice was cooked well. Hmm, if the atmosphere of the restaurant was better, it might be considered average, but with the service from the staff, it feels a bit off. It made me realize how important the atmosphere of a restaurant is. Thank you for the meal!

I went to Kaitaku Soba for the first time in a while, maybe over ten years. I decided to try their cold soba since I usually only have warm soba. I arrived around 12:30 and found the parking lot to be empty. The counter at the restaurant was long, which I didn't remember from before. I ordered the Mori Soba for 650 yen. The atmosphere was a bit dark, with a TV playing quietly in the background. The soba was delicious, with a good texture and decent flavor. The broth was not too strong, but there was a bit too much of it in the serving. After finishing my meal, the staff quickly cleared the table, which made me feel a bit rushed. Overall, the soba was good, but the overall experience left me with a strange feeling. Thank you, Kaitaku Soba.

Today I went to Kakutoku Soba for the first time in a while. The restaurant has a long counter and three table seats, making it easy for even one person to dine there. They always open before the official opening time. Kakutoku Soba is conveniently located near my office, and I used to visit often since it's in the same building. I ordered the Cold Kakutoku Soba for 700 yen, which I used to enjoy in the past. The soba noodles are cooked quite firm, and the broth is light with a nostalgic burdock flavor. Some people may not like it, but for me, it reminds me of the burdock broth my mother used to make when I was a child. Thank you for the meal.

I see. Is this like the soba noodles from the pioneering era? Haha, I entered the restaurant to avoid the crowded time. Hmm, I'm dining alone. When I asked about the difference from regular soba noodles, I see... Ah, the broth is quite rich. Haha, there are plenty of things to nitpick about, but the taste was good. Oh, burdock root! Haha, rich in dietary fiber... It was quite a comforting soba restaurant.

I ordered the Mini Kaitaku Soba & Mini Butadon set for 880 yen. Even though it was a small set, it was enough to fill me up.

The soba restaurant near Obihiro Mobile Unit is not an area I usually visit, but I was curious about a place I haven't been to before. I finally visited, entering cautiously as usual. The interior was surprisingly spacious, with a central counter seat in a horseshoe shape, raised tatami seating, and tables with plenty of space between them. I ordered the "Refrigerated Development Soba" named after the restaurant. I expected it to be served quickly, but it took about 10 minutes. I was the only one waiting, as the only other customer had already finished their meal. The soba is made with a broth of chicken and burdock, but I didn't feel much of the broth's flavor, not even from kombu or bonito flakes. Even though it was chilled, the soba was too firm.

I was on a business trip to Obihiro and couldn't miss out on the pork bowl and Indian curry. As I was thinking about where to eat the pork bowl, I stumbled upon "Kaitaku Soba" after leaving the hotel and visiting Obihiro Shrine and crossing the Obihiro River. I love soba, so if I could taste both pork bowl and soba at once... this is perfect! I decided to skip the pork bowl specialty shop and entered here instead. As soon as I entered, I was a bit surprised by the spacious and not quite traditional soba shop atmosphere, but I sat at the counter right next to the TV. Of course, I ordered the "Mini Kaitaku Soba and Mini Pork Bowl Set." The Kaitaku Soba seemed to have a broth made with chicken and burdock? It was a chicken and burdock soba. I love chicken soba, so I thought "Lucky!" The burdock flavor was especially strong. The pork bowl was also delicious. I enjoyed both dishes. If I could be a little selfish, I would have liked to talk to the woman (perhaps the owner?) who was inside the counter and see her smile a little...

It's been a while since the stock in Obihiro ran out, so I decided to go and save up a bit. I started late and spent too much time on my morning walk, so I arrived in the afternoon. I decided to go to Hanaen, a place I had on my list for a while. I went alone, and it's raining today. When I arrived, the restaurant was the one I was turned away from last time because it was closed. There was a line outside, but I couldn't bring myself to wait in the rain. So, I decided to change to soba. The restaurant was called "Kaitaku Soba", not very impressive. I had to drive 7 km, I'm not like the Holypapa who walks everywhere. Things don't always go as planned. When I arrived, it was a place I had passed by before. I had been there a long time ago, and it wasn't very tasty. But I didn't remember the soba. I sat at the L-shaped counter with about 15 seats, but it's 12:30 and there are no customers. I ordered the "mori" soba from the floor attendant. She went to the kitchen to place the order. She came back and said, "I'll take the menu away." I hadn't even taken any pictures of the menu, but she took it away. It's my fault for taking pictures without asking, but she was kind of rude. The soba arrived after about 10 minutes. The color was good, but the draining was weak. The flavor and taste of the soba were weak, but the thickness was just right for me. The presentation was nice, but they should drain the soba a bit more. The soup came in a sake pitcher, which was good. The soup was weak, but it might suit this soba. The soba-yu was hot water. Since there were no customers, it wasn't going to be delicious. The bottom of the soup cup was sticky. What happened? The tray was soaked in water. They should really drain the soba better. The service was not bad, but the way she took away the menu was really unpleasant, so I left with that feeling. I know, I'm being selfish. The saving grace was that it only cost 650 yen. Thank you for the meal.

Obihiro is located near the intersection of National Route 38 and National Route 236, in the same building as the Yam Yam Higashi 1-jo store. The restaurant is more spacious than imagined, with about 12 seats at the counter making it easy for solo diners. There are 3 four-person table seats, and it seems there is also a raised seating area at the back. The menu mainly consists of soba noodles with some udon options. They also offer sets including pork bowl and tempura bowl. I was intrigued by the set written on the board at the entrance, so I ordered the "Mini Cold Soba with Mini Pork Bowl Set for 880 yen." The cold soba broth had a light flavor with hints of burdock and chicken, and the noodles were firm with a rustic soba taste. The mini pork bowl had about 5 thin slices of meat, with a sweet and easy-to-eat sauce. I relaxed in the spacious restaurant. Thank you for the meal~

This is R38 Line, a place heading towards Satsunai from the main street, which is easy to find. It is said that during the pioneering era, pioneers used chicken and burdock to make broth for soba noodles, and they still use the same method today. Adding two shrimp tempura will cost an extra 300 yen, making it 1050 yen. The broth is rich and the soba noodles have a nice texture. Personally, I prefer the broth for cold soba noodles to be really cold, and this place gets a thumbs up on that too. There are plenty of set menus with dishes like pork bowl, which are perfect for drivers in the area who want a hearty meal. It's a place worth trying out every now and then.

I visited Hitokiri Soba for a solo lunch. It was past 12 o'clock and there were more customers parked in the parking lot than there were spaces available. Many people seemed to walk from nearby companies and government offices. It was a hot day, so I ordered the Special Zaru Soba for 800 yen with a cold dipping sauce (hot also available). The dish arrived in about 15 minutes due to the large number of people waiting. The cold dipping sauce was slightly sweet and included tempura green onions, a semi-soft boiled egg, and sesame seed toppings, which are not commonly seen in other places. The soba noodles were thick and chewy. The soba broth seemed to be made with soba cooking water plus something extra. Last week, I visited with three friends and ordered the Large Shrimp Tempura Zaru Udon for 1,100 yen, while the others ordered the Mini Hitokiri Soba (hot) with a Mini Pork Bowl for 880 yen and a Mini Shrimp Tempura Bowl for 1,050 yen. The udon had a smooth texture and a slightly sweet broth, which made me thirsty later. The Hitokiri Soba (hot) had a good chewy texture with a delicious broth made from chicken and burdock. I wanted to try the cold soba this time. The restaurant allows smoking and has a variety of manga and magazines, so even after finishing your meal, you can relax during your lunch break. According to a magazine from a few years ago, the soba is made from pesticide-free, freshly ground buckwheat from contracted farms. The udon, made from Tokachi wheat, is also popular for being hand-made. The restaurant's interior is larger than it appears from the outside, with good air conditioning. It was a delightful soba meal!

Hokkaido, known for its agricultural kingdom in the Tokachi region, is famous for its high-quality red beans used by confectionery makers such as Rokkatei and Yaezakura. Recently, the local dish "pork bowl" that was commonly eaten during the Tokachi development period has become popular nationwide. Many pork bowl specialty stores have opened, attracting tourists who come for the dish on weekends. Along with pork bowl, another dish commonly eaten in the past during the Tokachi development period was soba noodles. You can enjoy the nostalgic taste of soba noodles at the soba restaurant "Kaitaku" in Obihiro city. In the old days, due to the high cost of bonito flakes, people used chicken raised for personal consumption and burdock harvested from fields to make broth for soba noodles. Kaitaku has recreated the recipe from that time and continues to preserve the authentic taste. Experience the comforting taste of soba noodles that will make you feel nostalgic. Kaitaku Soba Restaurant Hokkaido, Obihiro City, Higashi 1-jo Minami 1-20 155-21-2212 Business Hours: 11:00-19:00

I like smooth-textured soba, so I often go to eat it. When I'm hungry during lunchtime, I usually have the "Special Zaru Soba (800 yen)". It comes with boiled egg, negi tempura, and chicken in warm dipping sauce, and it gives me a great sense of satisfaction. Sometimes I also enjoy the "Kaitaku Soba", which is a cold soba with burdock and chicken. The atmosphere is casual, run by a husband and wife (the husband cooks), and they are open almost every day.

This is a soba restaurant located along National Route 38 in Obihiro City. I went there for lunch and had a set meal of pork bowl and cold soba.

In Obihiro, I set my sights on a pork bowl for lunch and headed out on a Sunday at 11 am. As expected, the popular restaurants already had long lines, making it difficult to wait with my 3-year-old and 1-year-old, so I gave up. I wondered if I would ever get my hands on a delicious pork bowl. While driving, I spotted a sign for pork bowl and soba with only one car in the parking lot before noon. It might be a hidden gem, I thought with a smile, and entered with my family of four. Inside, there were table seats in the front and a raised tatami area in the back. I asked if we could sit in the tatami area because my young children can be noisy and disturb others, but the response was indifferent. After repeating myself, I was finally told in a low voice that it was fine. Some restaurants do not welcome children, so I held back my frustration. The restaurant had only one table occupied at 12 pm on a Sunday. I decided to order the pork bowl and mini soba set for 1050 yen. Since I don't eat soba, I asked if I could switch the soba in the set to udon, but was told, "Eh? It's a soba set, so udon is a separate order." When I requested a large serving of pork bowl, I was met with the same response, "Eh? It's a set, so we don't do that." My wife ordered the pork bowl, and my two children had udon, which arrived in about five minutes. The pork bowl didn't meet my expectations, and there was nothing noteworthy about it. The set pork bowl was quite small, almost like a mini size. The soba had firm noodles, which is rare for warm soba. If you like firm noodles, then this place might be for you. I apologize for my unruly children. This is definitely not a child-friendly restaurant.

Located just east of the intersection with Ome Kaido Avenue, this restaurant is easily identifiable by its large sign and spacious parking lot. While it may give off a casual diner vibe from the outside, the interior tells a different story. With a large central counter and surrounding tables, as well as a tatami seating area in the back, the restaurant can accommodate around 50 people. The basic menu offers soba dishes starting at 580 yen, with their signature Thinly Sliced Young Chicken and Sliced Burdock Root Soba with Tempura Flakes priced at 680 yen. The soba noodles are a bit lacking in freshness but have a nice chewy texture. They also offer set menus with dishes like Pork Bowl and Shrimp Tempura Bowl. Although I didn't get a chance to try it, I've heard good things about their firm udon noodles as well. Overall, this restaurant takes pride in serving quality noodles, so don't judge it by its appearance alone and give it a try.