Opposite the Karasuma side of Higashi Honganji Temple, quietly tucked away next to Osho on the north side, is a soba restaurant. Despite passing by many times, I didn't realize it was open... When I entered around 12:10 on a weekday, there were no other customers. In fact, no one else came in until I finished eating. The interior has a small seating area with three tables for two, one table for four, and one for one. As soon as I entered, a voice called out "Hello, please wait a moment," and the lady came out in about 30 seconds. I ordered the herring soba for 800 yen, and was informed it would take about 15 minutes as they need to boil the soba, rinse it in water, and reheat it. But in reality, it was ready in less than 10 minutes. The soba seemed to be mass-produced, a bit on the soft side. The broth was light in color but quite salty. The herring was not too sweet, light and tasty. It was topped with fish powder, which I personally could do without. There were finely chopped green onions and mizuna on top, which was a unique touch. Perhaps they use mizuna because green onions are expensive...

I didn't know what "Kyodashi" was, so I decided to try some Kansai-style dashi without any prior research. When I think of Kyoto, I think of Nishin soba, so I ordered that. The flavor was refreshing, not too salty or soy sauce-heavy, but this is what they mean by the dashi being the star of the dish, right? It was easy to drink and delicious.

Kyoto during the New Year in 2020 was crowded with people. After a 3.5-hour journey from Okayama, I arrived in Kyoto in the afternoon and tried to find a place for lunch. However, everywhere I went, like the food court in Kyoto Tower Building, the restaurants on the 6th floor of Yodobashi Camera Kyoto, and even "Gyoza no Ohsho Nana-jo Karasuma" were full of waiting customers. So, I decided to try "Obachiya" that I saw while passing by Higashi Hongan-ji Temple. The place had a few customers at each table, but luckily there was a 2-person table in the middle that was available. It took a while for the food to arrive as the lady running the place was alone and seemed busy. I ordered the Torinamba Udon for 700 yen, thinking it would be soba, but it turned out to be a delicious chicken and green onion udon. It was comforting and tasty. I later found out that they also serve Torinamba soba, but it costs an extra 50 yen. The place used to be busier in the past and operated with two people, but it has slowed down now. Although it's a bit far from Kyoto Station, the atmosphere inside the restaurant is calm, making it a recommended spot for soba and udon. Thank you for the meal.

This is a simple udon and soba restaurant located north of Kyoto Station, near Higashi-Honganji Temple. It seems to be run by an elderly woman. I tried the Tori Nanba Soba. I wanted to have beer as well, but it was not on the menu and didn't seem like they served it. The soba noodles seemed to be dried noodles. The Kansai-style broth was delicious.

The refined sweetness, plenty of beef, and slightly crispy rice were just right when eaten with the broth. It was a restaurant where you could feel the atmosphere of Kyoto. Thank you very much.

In the morning, it wasn't crowded yet, but by noon, this place is a noodle shop that serves udon, soba, and rice. I like meat udon, so I ordered that. The soup was a bit salty for me, but the meat was firm and had a flavor similar to beef jerky, which I really like. The server asked if I wanted to add a topping of sansho (Japanese pepper), and I agreed. The combination of yuzu peel, sansho, and red pepper was a perfect match for the udon. It was a great choice. Most customers in this shop seem to order the herring soba, which might be the most delicious option. So next time, I'll try the herring soba. The server also recommended a second serving of the gentle green tea, which was even more delicious. It was a great experience!

This is a small soba and udon restaurant located in front of Nishihonganji Temple. It was a rainy weekday in February, and there were no other customers during lunchtime, which made me a bit nervous. However, since I was short on time, I decided to go in. The famous dish here is the Nishin soba, but I'm not a fan of herring, so I ordered the udon set instead. It was quite delicious. The broth had a strong flavor, and the set included a bowl of rice topped with salmon, seaweed, pickled vegetables, and tempura, which tasted like a home-cooked meal. While waiting for my order, a foreign traveler walked in and asked about the restaurant. Somehow, I ended up explaining the menu and chatting with them, which made for an enjoyable lunchtime. It was a unique experience, typical of Kyoto with its many inbound tourists. The traveler ordered the specialty dish, the Nishin soba, and seemed to enjoy it.

In July 2015, I decided to have lunch near this area and chose this soba restaurant located just north of Gyoza no Ohsho on Shichijo Karasuma. The restaurant has a cozy atmosphere with about 10 table seats in a quaint space. A friendly elderly woman was running the place by herself. There was a large stone with flowers displayed inside the restaurant. I noticed a slight smell of water when I entered the restaurant. Most of the customers that day were tourists. I ordered the Oyakodon (700 yen) and was asked if I wanted to add sansho pepper when it was served. The Oyakodon had a nice half-cooked, creamy egg and a good dashi flavor. The taste of the chicken was a bit noticeable. The portion of rice was generous, so even men should feel satisfied. Overall, the soba dishes might offer a higher level of satisfaction. It is unclear if there is any connection to the famous soba restaurant "Honke Owariya Honten".

I had been curious about this place for a while, so I decided to pop in for lunch by myself. The shop was run by a woman and had a nice atmosphere. I love kitsune udon, so I ordered that without hesitation. Unfortunately, the fried tofu was chopped up and not sweet. As a fan of sweet kitsune udon, that was disappointing. The noodles were soft and lacked firmness, but personally, I didn't mind that. However, I thought the broth was a bit salty. As others have mentioned, it felt like a typical local udon shop.

I had some time before my appointment at Higashi Honganji Temple and hadn't eaten lunch yet, so I decided to stop by a restaurant near the station. The exterior of the restaurant had a traditional feel to it, and once inside, it felt like stepping back in time to the Showa era. The place seemed to be run by a single female owner who handled both cooking and serving, which made the service a bit slow. I ended up ordering the herring soba, which took over 30 minutes to be served. The broth was delicate with a Kyoto-style flavor, not too salty, and the herring was cooked soft. My daughter also ordered the same dish, but hers had a slightly fishy smell. The soba itself was decent, nothing extraordinary in terms of taste, but the overall atmosphere of the place made it a unique dining experience.

Visited on October 12, 2011 (Wednesday) around 12:25 PM. There were 4 customers before me and 7 customers after me. The kitchen is located at the back on the right side of the entrance. The small restaurant has 4 tables for 4 people and 2 tables for 2 people lined up. It was crowded during lunchtime, especially with elderly customers who had visited Higashi Honganji Temple. They offer dishes like meat hot pot udon for 800 yen and sukiyaki set meal for 850 yen, but I decided to play it safe and ordered the udon set meal for 650 yen. The restaurant seemed to be run by a woman alone, as customers returned their empty trays to the serving counter. It took a bit of time, around 10 minutes, for my order to arrive. I thought I was playing it safe with the udon set meal, but it turned out to be a bit of an adventure. The udon itself was presented in a refined Kyoto style. The noodles were nothing special, as expected in Kyoto. The issue was with the rice. It came with two types of pickles, shredded seaweed, and various toppings on the rice, including plenty of pickled ginger. I wasn't a fan of the rice. I had originally planned to go to a nearby Chinese restaurant, so choosing this place was a bit of a mistake. I'm not sure if I would visit again.

During the middle day of a three-day weekend, I visited a restaurant near Kyoto Station with four friends from Tokyo. We stumbled upon it while wandering around, as the popular restaurants near the station had long lines. The restaurant was located right in front of Higashi Honganji Temple, and I remembered being curious about it during previous visits at night. The cozy interior had seating for about 15 people, and the classic menu on the wall caught our attention. The attentive female owner asked if we were okay with the wait, and we agreed to wait. She seemed to be managing everything by herself, but she worked efficiently. After about 30 minutes, our Tori Nanban arrived. The dish had a delicate broth with a balanced flavor, not overly sweet like some chain restaurants. The udon was not too chewy like Sanuki udon or overly soft like the touristy Kyoto-style udon. It had a good texture and did not overpower the broth. The meal was delicious! Although I don't remember the exact prices, most dishes were around 800 yen, making it a reasonable option for both tourists and locals. The location was convenient, just a 5-minute walk from Kyoto Station. If you're unsure where to have lunch around Kyoto Station, I recommend giving this restaurant a try.

I went before 3 o'clock on a regular day. I ordered the "Curry Udon" for 750 yen. At first, I was walking towards Horikawa to go to "Osakaya", but then I remembered "Owariya" was there! So, I decided to go to the "Owariya" closer to Kyoto Station. Although "Owariya" did not have the opening hours written on the food log, I felt anxious, but when I got close to the store, the curtain was hanging, so I felt relieved. When I opened the door, a kimono-clad proprietress welcomed me. The atmosphere inside the store, the gentle and kind manner of the proprietress. I felt like I was in a drama or a period drama set. The Curry Udon comes with a raw egg, tofu, and pickled ginger. It was not spicy, and the broth was smooth and easy to eat. The tofu was especially amazing. I truly felt it was great to come here from the bottom of my heart. If a friend from Kanto comes, this is definitely a place I would like to show them. However, it's a place I don't want to tell too many people about. I want to keep it as a trump card for when something special happens, or a place to eat slowly alone. It seems like the proprietress is the only one running the place, so it's not suitable for impatient people. It's recommended for those who really want to try the udon made by the proprietress.