The entrance of the soba restaurant on the streets of Gion is a bit hard to find, but the inside has a cozy and traditional atmosphere. It was lunchtime on a holiday, but we were able to enter without waiting in line. I ordered the Duck Nanban Soba. The slightly thick and warming soup was exquisite. The combination of thick duck meat and Kujo Negi (Japanese leek) was excellent and truly delicious! I want to go back again!

I came to Kyoto for New Year's and ate duck soba. The broth was warm and the noodles were cold. I was eating slowly, but it ended up getting cold (^_^;)

The most delicious Izumo soba in Kansai.

When I went sightseeing in Kyoto, I entered this restaurant. It's located along the main street, so there are many people like us who just walk in at first glance. The main street in Kyoto is full of tourists. Well, we are tourists too. Anyway, there are a lot of foreigners. Maybe because it's a tourist area, the soba here is all a bit overpriced. Over 1200 yen for soba is a bit much. We ended up ordering the zaru soba with yam, but it was just average. It didn't feel special at all despite the high price. I felt like I made a bit of a mistake choosing this restaurant.

This is a soba restaurant located in a prime location facing the south side of Shijo Street in the Gion area of Kyoto. It has a quaint and traditional atmosphere. This restaurant is known for serving Izumo soba, which is quite rare in Kyoto. The prices are on the higher side, with soba dishes starting at around 1000 yen and going up to over 2000 yen for set meals. The reviewer found the prices to be a bit high for the overall satisfaction they received from the soba. They opted for the basic soba dish priced at 1000 yen and found it to be decent, but not worth the high price. They mentioned that for the same price, they would prefer dining at more established soba restaurants in Kyoto like Jinroku or Kanei. They may consider returning for the winter limited edition dishes like crab soba or crab sushi, which they found to be relatively more affordable.

In Kyoto after a long time, I wanted to eat the assorted obanzai lunch at "Kyurohatei Dakuya Zen" in Gion Hanamikoji where I had been before, but the menu had completely changed and they no longer offered it. The restaurant had a nice atmosphere, but it felt a bit different from what I was looking for, so I decided to look for another place. It was already past 2 pm and I was getting really hungry, so I ended up going to "Izumo Soba Yakumo" on Gion Shijo Street. The restaurant was small with table and tatami seating. I ordered the soba set for 1000 yen, which came with soba, small side dishes, and rice with toppings. The meal was very comforting and warmed me up as it was cold outside. The hand-made soba had a nice chewy texture and the broth, although light, was delicious. The small side dishes had a gentle flavor. Overall, it was just okay.

In the past, the noodles had more texture and a stronger aroma. Nowadays, they are darker in color and while they still have flavor when chewed, they are softer. I recommend trying the warm soba noodles. I miss the stronger buckwheat flavor, but it is still appealing. The duck soba lacked satisfaction from the duck itself, but I did not regret eating it.

When I went to see a play at Minami-za in Kyoto with a few friends, we were not in the mood for bento boxes, so we ended up wandering outside to find a place to eat. That's when I noticed a sign that said "Izumo Soba". Izumo Soba is known for its unique black and chewy soba noodles, which I don't mind. The restaurant was a narrow space that extended to the back, but we managed to secure seats as a group just as another group was leaving. The atmosphere was lively, and the hostess quickly took our orders. I decided to order the "Kamo Nanba" because we were in Gion Shijo, and I thought of the Kamo River. While waiting, we decided to have a few bottles of beer. Despite being located near the bustling Shijo Street, the restaurant was surprisingly quiet once inside. When the Kamo Nanba arrived, it wasn't as chewy as I expected, but it had that traditional soba taste that you would expect from an old soba restaurant. However, the prices seemed a bit high, possibly due to being in a tourist area or near Minami-za. The sign said they make hand-cut soba, but it didn't taste like it was freshly made on-site. Overall, it was a decent meal, but I felt like the prices were a bit inflated for what we got.

I went to Jyuto on my bicycle to buy shichimi. When crossing the pedestrian crossing, I noticed this shop. I was feeling a bit hungry, so I thought about having some soba. The shop had a narrow entrance and a long interior. I was seated at the table at the back. The chairs were made of cut logs with ropes wrapped around them. It was a bit uneven, but it was okay. I wanted to order the spicy daikon radish soba, but it was sold out. So, I decided to go with the Inaba soba, but the name "Inaka soba" caught my attention, so I chose that instead. I had heard that Inaba soba was black, and it was exactly as I had heard. The Inaka soba was a warm dish with green onions, bonito flakes, and half-cut seaweed. The broth was dark in color and made me hesitate, but the taste was not too strong. In fact, it was just right for me. The soba noodles were soaked in warm broth but still had a chewy texture. I finished the broth and felt satisfied.