On Sunday afternoons, it tends to get crowded. I went a little after 12 o'clock and had to wait about 20 minutes as there were 3 groups ahead of me. The restaurant attracts both tourists and locals, with a wide range of customers from elderly groups to families. Although they offer 100% buckwheat soba, most people seem to enjoy the set meals with 80% buckwheat soba, including dishes like mixed rice and tempura. Personally, I only had the 100% buckwheat soba. The prices are reasonable and the service is quick, making it easy to visit.

It's been a while since I visited Kyonoshiki for their 100% buckwheat soba. We arrived at 11:30 am when they opened and had to wait a bit, but we were the second group to be seated. The restaurant is located in a shopping street, so more customers started coming in later. By 12 pm, it seemed like you might have to line up to get in. I wanted to try the grated daikon radish soba, but they only offered 100% buckwheat soba in a steaming basket. The large portion of 100% buckwheat soba cost 1250 yen, and it was quite filling and tasty with a good amount. The soba dipping sauce was delicious, but the soba broth was very thin, almost like just hot water. The only good thing was that it was served piping hot until the end, which made it enjoyable. Overall, considering the cost and portion size, I would definitely visit again.

The staff's service was great and the atmosphere of the restaurant was calm. Personally, I prefer thin noodles, so I was very satisfied with the thin noodles. The tempura was crispy, and I was happy that the dipping sauces for soba and tempura were served separately. The plum and grated radish dish had crunchy lettuce and the flavor of plum matched well, making it light and delicious.

On my day off, it was crowded at lunchtime. I ordered the seasonal tempura soba (eel, asparagus) and 100% buckwheat soba set for 2000 yen. It was busy that day, and the tempura was not that great. It felt a bit stiff. The soba itself was delicious though. However, it's incredibly popular. By the time I left, there were people waiting outside.

I visited this place because I wanted to eat shrimp tempura. It was a standard tempura dish, but it was quite delicious. If you upgrade to the set meal for an extra 100 yen, you get rice and a side dish. The oyster rice had a delicious taste and aroma. The side dish was like oden with a sweet broth, which was the highlight. Also, the thin buckwheat noodles were refreshing and tasty. It's priced like an Italian lunch, but I thought it was good value for money.

I walked into Ryoma Street from Nakashima Island and went deep inside. I took a seat at the counter, but it was empty. I ordered a draft beer and duck soba. There was no appetizing option like dashimaki tamago or soba miso before the soba arrived, so I passed on those. The soba arrived, made with 80% buckwheat flour and had a nice firm texture. However, the duck broth was weak and lacked the rich flavor of duck. I prefer a thicker broth. Lastly, I was shocked to find out that the soba-yu (soba water) I was given to drink was just plain hot water. It was completely transparent. This was a first-time experience for me. The person who seemed to be the owner was chatting the whole time and even when I left the restaurant, they didn't acknowledge me. This is not good.

The tempura was delicious, but the soba noodles lacked the aroma and were mediocre.

This year, there have been many cold days, and for some reason, I always crave sake-steamed buns during such times. So, while visiting Fushimi Inari, I decided to stop by Tombei-do along the Keihan Main Line in Kyoto. The nearest stations are Keihan Main Line Fushimi-Momoyama Station or Kintetsu Momoyama-Goryo Station. Upon exiting the station, walk towards the west end of the arcade, make a left turn, and continue down a narrow arcade until you find the shop on your right. There is a small cloth sign next to the noren curtain that says "Gonbei Soba." Inside the shop, there are chair seats on the right, semi-private rooms and a counter on the left, and the kitchen in the back. The soba is made from Miyama and Hokkaido buckwheat, with options for 80% and 100% soba. I ordered the 100% zaru soba. The soba has a good bite, the draining is somewhat sweet, and there are some uneven cuts and scraps. The taste and aroma of the soba are present but not outstanding. The garnishes include green onions and wasabi. The dipping sauce is clean with a slightly strong taste of bonito. The soba water is light in flavor. Overall, the Hokkaido soba is standard, and for a shop in a shopping street, it is not bad. Fushimi is known for sake, with the nearby Yellow Cherry Blossom Sake Brewery, so the quality of water here may be good. The soba may benefit from the good water quality in this area. As for the sake-steamed buns, my impression remains the same as over ten years ago - not particularly impressive.

I had a tempura of conger eel and summer vegetables, along with zaru soba. The conger eel tempura was thick and delicious with a good amount of fat. I got the conger eel from a fishmonger at Nishiki Market who also deboned it. For the soba, you can choose between 80% buckwheat or 100% buckwheat. I chose the 80% buckwheat soba. As someone from Shinshu, I still prefer Shinshu soba, but the soba in Kyoto was also quite good. The staff at the restaurant were very friendly, making it a comfortable place to dine.

On the second day of my visit home, I decided to explore the sake breweries and historical sites in Fushimi, a town known for its clean spring water which is perfect for making sake. I visited Kappa no Kigasakura and the Gekkeikan Okura Memorial Hall, where I enjoyed some sake tasting and got a bit tipsy. Unfortunately, the Teradaya, a location associated with the tragic events of the Satsuma Clan and Ryoma Sakamoto, was closed when we stopped by. We skipped the long sake brewery tour at Matsumoto Sake Brewery due to the rising temperatures and opted for lunch at a soba restaurant in Ryoma Street shopping district. The restaurant had a clean and inviting atmosphere, and we tried their specialty dish of conger eel and summer vegetable tempura. The soba noodles were made from high-quality buckwheat flour and served with a light soy sauce broth. It was a delightful surprise to find such delicious soba in Fushimi, and it turned out that I had visited their previous location before. A happy coincidence indeed.

My grandmother, who ran a soba restaurant at the southern tip of Izu, used to often visit Fushimi Inari Shrine. I would help out at the restaurant and sometimes babysit, watching my grandmother work diligently. She knew a lot about delicious food and always served tasty dishes... she was youthful, determined, and hardworking. I have many memories related to soba, so for a long time I didn't really choose soba restaurants myself, but in the past 10 years, I have been fortunate to have many opportunities to eat soba. Although I don't run a business, I would leisurely stroll around the sake breweries in Fushimi... I seem to have inherited my grandfather's way of drinking (he was an ordinary salaryman). From Kikusakari to Gekkeikan, with a stop at Teradaya... I entered a soba restaurant in a tipsy mood. Despite the name of the restaurant seeming to cater to tourists, there were also local customers here and there. Sitting at the clean wooden counter, we shared a bottle of beer and made a toast. The simmered mountain fuki served as a perfect snack. We ordered a tempura basket with conger eel tempura. The freshly cut soba was not the machine-made kind I expected, it was moist and delicious. I then realized they didn't serve udon here. The faint scent of wasabi, the light and elegant tempura was delightful. Among them, the conger eel tempura was the best. Crispy on the outside and tender inside, it was enjoyable with just salt or soba dipping sauce... I was also pleased that plum paste was served separately. The broth was subtly flavorful without being too spicy. Finally, we had soba broth to finish the meal. While enjoying the meal, memories of soba and udon restaurants in the Nezu Yanaka area I had visited in the past came to mind, and we talked about them. I felt a faint sense of that atmosphere in this restaurant, perhaps because of its refreshing aftertaste and cleanliness.

I was always curious about Kyono Shiki as they always have seasonal vegetables and seafood. This time, I was drawn to the white asparagus and decided to give it a try. Despite not many customers, the service felt rushed and we were made to wait even though there were empty seats. It took quite a while for our soba to arrive after ordering. Overall, the taste was just average. The white asparagus tempura had too much moisture. The tempura was soggy and disappointing. The soba broth at the end was comforting, but I won't be going back again.

This restaurant has been delicious even before it moved! Now it is located near Kizakura in Fushimi. When it comes to soba in Kyoto, this is the place! Once you try it, you'll understand. High level!!! The quality of soba at this price is too good to be true (o^^o) lol. Actually, I'm not a fan of soba! My husband told me about this delicious soba restaurant, so I was reluctantly taken there at first. I've always disliked the unique smell and taste of soba. I don't have an allergy to it, but I used to have an aversion to going into soba restaurants. I love udon, so I like the broth (^^)! This place is very particular about hand-made soba. I heard the term "jowari soba" for the first time, and my husband told me that it's all made from soba flour, so it's delicious and it's hard to find soba of this quality at this price! He happily ordered the hand-made soba with fresh flour, while I ordered the Torinamba soba. I was tempted to get the parent-child bowl, but my husband persuaded me to order soba. lol First, the wasabi came out for my husband. It was so authentic! He was in a good mood with this wasabi. I was waiting for my Torinamba soba to arrive. It came out beautifully with yuzu in the middle!!! The soup had a sweet and gentle flavor with the aroma of chicken, green onions, and yuzu. The soba was not smelly, and there was no unpleasant taste that I had imagined! It was actually delicious!! This Torinamba soba completely changed my perception of soba. Soba = delicious! When my husband's hand-made jowari soba arrived, he first tried it with rock salt, and then with the soup. The flavor of the jowari soba was strong, and it was also delicious with salt! Wait, was I supposed to dislike the smell and taste of this soba? It was so delicious that I forgot about it *\(^o^)/* Finally, I drank up the soup with the broth and felt so happy! This is a place where I want to come back again and again! The atmosphere is great! The taste is great! The smiling owner is also a wonderful person, and I think the soba is so delicious because it is made with love (^^) I will definitely come back! Thank you for the meal!

I have been to the previous location before, but this is my first time here. The shop that opened after Mr. Muller's is very new and the interior is beautiful, with a lovely counter. I ordered the zaru soba for 800 yen. The soba has a slightly white appearance and is cut somewhat diagonally. I don't eat soba often, but I think it has a standard taste. The wife and female customers were talking about a temple. When the conversation turned to the plants in the garden, I joined in with "Are those Japanese bellflowers?" The husband and wife were friendly in a good way. The soba was not too expensive, so next time I'll try having a drink. Later, I tried the soba-mae. The marinated horse mackerel for 400 yen was flavorful and reasonably priced. Maybe they keep the prices low because most people come for the soba. I'll try it again sometime. Another day, I had the vinegar-marinated conger eel for 580 yen. The vinegar flavor was just right, and it was delicious.

I visited a restaurant that had recently moved, following the departure of Mr. Müller who received a wooden box from a red gourmet book. It was a hot day in early August when I decided to try their zaru soba. The interior of the restaurant was mostly traditional Japanese style, with a focus on simplicity. They had expanded the seating by removing the soba-making booth that used to be along Ryoma Street. The counter seats were almost full, so I sat at a table and ordered a beer. I then requested a glass of sake. Before the soba arrived, I was served some board wasabi and seared board wasabi, which were affordable but lacked depth of flavor. The soba noodles were made of a mixture of buckwheat and wheat flour, with a relatively thin cut but lacking in sharpness. The broth was made with three kinds of sugar, which was different from Mr. Müller's style but still enjoyable. However, it lacked any distinctive features and did not have the sophistication I was hoping for. They did not offer sobayu (hot water to dilute the remaining broth) without me asking, which was a bit disappointing. I might go back until a more sophisticated soba restaurant opens in the area.