I made a reservation for all-you-can-drink on Friday at 7:00 PM. Even though it was a same-day reservation, there were seats available at the counter. The snacks were delicious, and the drinks were served quickly. There were also a decent variety of drinks available for all-you-can-drink. The location is close to the station, making it a convenient place to visit.

The daily special and set menu come with a free large serving of soba noodles, but the portion didn't seem that big. The bowl, considering it was part of a set, was quite filling though. The soba noodles were too hard, not cooked enough. Al dente? Not quite. The broth of the oyakodon was watery and lacked flavor. The cold soba tea provided was very delicious. Overall, it was okay. The wasabi was spicy enough. The place was crowded, but if you're looking for warm soba noodles, it might be worth a try.

I arrived at the restaurant around 11:30 on a weekday. The lunch set came with a free extra-large portion of soba noodles, which was incredibly generous. The presentation was pleasing to the eye. The noodles had a nice texture and were delicious! The tempura in the tempura bowl was tasty as well. However, I found the broth and sauce to be a bit lacking in flavor and a little salty. Despite this, the ingredients were delicious, the portions were generous, and the overall cost performance was great. The staff's service was also wonderful. Everyone's taste buds are different, but overall, I was very satisfied. Thank you for the meal.

I made a reservation after researching on Tabelog for a place to drink in Akihabara. When I arrived before 6 pm, there were no other customers yet, but the staff seemed busy and overwhelmed. They seemed to be receiving a lot of orders from Uber Eats and other delivery services. I ignored this and ordered a beer and grilled chicken breast sashimi. The complimentary dish was tofu in chicken broth, with a light saltiness and chicken broth flavor. Although the taste was mild, it was delicious. The grilled chicken breast sashimi had no unpleasant smell and was tasty. The accompanying wasabi was also delicious, and as a wasabi lover, I was satisfied. The assortment of five grilled skewers took over 15 minutes to start grilling, and it took almost 30 minutes until it was served. Despite the lack of customers in the restaurant, the staff seemed rushed, and it was difficult to relax and enjoy the drinks. I think it's good that they are doing delivery to make up for the decrease in sales due to COVID-19, but it might be better to focus solely on delivery if it is affecting the experience of customers who visit the restaurant.

I visited a soba izakaya called "Kaguraya Akihabara Store" around 1:00 PM on a Saturday in October 2022. It is located about a 2-minute walk from Akihabara Station. The interior of the restaurant is not as spacious as I expected, with about 7-8 customers already seated. The atmosphere is more casual than I anticipated, resembling a casual pub. I sat at the counter alone and ordered the lunch set menu "Grilled Chicken Teriyaki Don and Soba Set" for ¥920. I chose cold soba. The food was served after about 10 minutes. It was a combination of grilled chicken teriyaki don and soba noodles. I started by dipping the soba noodles into the dipping sauce and eating them. The soba noodles were of standard quality with a satisfying thickness and texture. Personally, I prefer slightly firmer noodles. I enjoyed the soba noodles with green onions and wasabi. The grilled chicken teriyaki don had a soft-boiled egg yolk in the center. The chicken was flavored with a sweet sauce and paired well with the rice. It had a nice smoky flavor, complemented by the aroma of green onions. Breaking the egg yolk and mixing it with the chicken also created a delicious taste. I alternated between the lunch set menu items and finished them quickly. After finishing the noodles, I enjoyed the remaining dipping sauce with soba water. It was a satisfying lunch set that offered a good balance of soba and donburi. The restaurant is popular among nearby businessmen for its value and quality. I look forward to returning for an evening visit to enjoy some snacks and drinks before finishing with soba at "Kaguraya."

This is a restaurant located on the second floor of a building along Showa Street near JR Akihabara Station, with good value for lunch. In the evening, they offer all-you-can-drink options for individual menu items, and smoking is allowed (although I do not smoke). It tends to be moderately crowded as you pass by. They have counter seats, so dining alone for lunch is possible. I ordered the seafood chirashi bowl and soba set. Both dishes were reasonably sized and delicious. At 1000 yen including tax, I was personally satisfied. Thank you for the meal.

Located along Showa Street near the 4th exit of Akihabara Station on the Hibiya Line, Kaguraya is an izakaya with a sign saying "soba, sake" and a row of one-liter bottles lined up. It is an "soba izakaya" concept by Transear Co., which also operates the Toritetsu chain nationwide. I have visited Toritetsu Akihabara Showa Street store, Toritetsu Okachimachi store, and Toritetsu Otemachi store before, and I must say they are surprisingly cool izakaya chains. The restaurant has over 60 seats, including counter seats, table seats, box seats, and sunken kotatsu seats. On this day, my friend and I stopped by around 6:30 pm. We started with a draft beer (640 yen) and a tofu appetizer (330 yen). The edamame (430 yen) and seasonal sashimi (1,400 yen) were our snacks. The sashimi included two pieces each of tuna, yellowtail, and mackerel, all fresh and delicious. We then moved on to a large serving of sake (840 yen), which was like a sampler set. We also enjoyed a plate of 5 pieces of Oyama chicken yakitori (1,000 yen), including soft bone, gizzard, shiitake mushroom, green onion, and liver. Since we didn't feel like ordering more sake, we had a glass of Kuro Kirishima shochu (430 yen) with hot water. The total bill for two people was 6,540 yen. While we didn't have soba as our last dish, it was a nice izakaya with a good atmosphere for a relaxed drink.

Nearby Company Lunch Series #187. Today, I decided to have lunch near the office by myself. I had lunch at Kaguraya, which had a nice exterior. The restaurant is located a little north of A4 exit in Iwamotocho, along Showa Street, on the 2nd floor of a building. The atmosphere inside and outside was stylish, with seating available at tables. I arrived around 12:30 and although I was seated near the front, I couldn't gauge the number of customers, but it seemed moderately busy. I only saw one male waiter in the dining area. I ordered the Chicken Tataki Shoyu-dare Donburi with soba set. The food arrived in about 1-2 minutes. There were various lunch options, including individual soba dishes and set meals. I chose the set with cold soba. The soba portion, despite ordering a large size, seemed a bit small and arrived too quickly, making me wonder. The soba itself lacked firmness and was mediocre. On the other hand, the Chicken Tataki Shoyu-dare Donburi was delicious, with well-seasoned chicken tataki, crispy tempura flakes, fresh shiso leaves, and wasabi mixing well together. If the portion of the donburi could be a bit larger, it would be even better. If you order soba, you might prefer the warm option.

This day was the middle day of Golden Week, a weekday when most individually-owned shops were closed. I ended up at a chain izakaya that I don't usually visit. It seemed to be a different concept from the "Toritetsu" chain operated by Transear. I entered through a cute staircase from the road along Akihabara Showa Street. Inside, the atmosphere was moodier than I had expected, with dim lighting and chic decor. From the lunch menu with a variety of set meals, I ordered the 'Seafood Chirashi Bowl and Soba Set / 1,000 yen'. When asked if I wanted a large portion for both, I opted for normal-sized cold soba and less rice for the seafood chirashi. The food arrived in about 5 minutes. The seafood chirashi had a really small amount of rice, thinly spread out and topped with shredded egg, negitoro paste, and some salmon roe for decoration. I drizzled some grated wasabi mixed with soy sauce over it before taking a bite. The taste was as expected, normal... well, it was actually quite delicious (^_^;). The cold soba had a good firm texture with a slightly rough feel. It may not be "authentic," but it was the type of soba I enjoy as a junk food lover. On the other hand, the soup was a spicy commercial type that lacked the richness of broth or seasoning. Normally, I always finish with soba-yu, but this time, I couldn't bring myself to do so, perhaps due to the pre-prepared soba-yu in a table pot. The atmosphere of the restaurant was nice, and the service from the staff was polite, so overall, I was reasonably satisfied with the 1,000 yen spent. With the restrained amount of rice, I felt about 70% full. Maybe it was good for my health.

The soba noodles are lightly seasoned to bring out the strong buckwheat flavor. There are a few counter seats and about 8 tables in the back for 4 people each. It's a smoking-friendly soba restaurant for dinner, with surprisingly flavorful dishes.

I had the parent and child rice bowl with soba set (920 yen). By adding it just before eating, you can enjoy the flavor of the green onions and the crispy texture of the tempura without losing them. I was wondering about the sauce for the tempura bowl, but it had a strong flavor. There are a few counter seats, and towards the back, there are around 8 tables for 4 people each in a tatami room setting.

This is a soba restaurant located right outside Akihabara Station, at the Showa-dori exit. However, it seems that this place is more than just a soba restaurant - it is actually a ghost restaurant that handles various types of cuisines. According to the delivery instructions posted outside, there are over 15 different shops operating from here. The kitchen must be quite busy. Anyway, I ordered the curry nanban with a topping of a hot spring egg. The meat in it was chicken, probably repurposed from yakitori. It seemed like it would be fine if grilled, but not so much if boiled. There was plenty of green onions in it. They also provided chopped green onions and black shichimi as condiments, which was a nice touch. Thanks to the black shichimi, it helped to enhance the overall flavor. The portion size was generous. It was an interesting place to visit and learn from.

Due to the consecutive hot days, I decided to have soba for lunch again on this day. This restaurant is actually an izakaya, but they also offer soba for lunch. I've been having lunch around 2 pm lately, so I appreciate that this place serves lunch until 2:45 pm. I walked along Yanagiwara Street, crossed over Showa Street, and crossed Kanda River to visit the restaurant. Upon entering the second-floor dining area, I underwent temperature check and sanitization. I was seated at the counter and looked at the menu. During lunchtime, they had a set menu with various rice bowl options. There were 8 different types of rice bowls available, ranging from katsudon to tendon, seafood chirashi bowl, and oyakodon. I opted for the cheapest option, the soba shop's curry rice bowl and soba set (840 yen). I requested a large serving of soba, and I chose cold soba. It was close to 2 pm, so there were few customers, but the guests at the table behind me were talking loudly, which was a bit annoying. The food arrived, consisting of soba, curry, soba broth, and condiments. I mixed wasabi and green onions into the soba broth and tried the soba, which was quite delicious. The soba broth had a balanced flavor, not too strong or weak. The portion size was a bit small even for a large serving, but considering the default portion size, it was a generous service. After finishing the soba, I tried the curry, which had a good portion size and a sweet Japanese-style roux. The curry used chicken meat. Lastly, I poured soba broth into the sobayu. The sobayu was clear and thin, with a light texture. It was not as rich as the cloudy sobayu I prefer, but considering it's an izakaya, it was acceptable. Overall, I thought the set for 840 yen was quite good. I understand that times are tough due to the pandemic, but I hope they continue to do their best. Thank you for the meal.

Soba noodles are really zero calories? I stopped here for lunch on my way back from work at the transfer station. I chose the teriyaki bowl and mori soba set. I couldn't resist the temptation of the egg yolk (^◇^;). The soba noodles were more filling than they looked. The bottom of the sieve is deep. Good! The aroma and texture were both great for lunch. The lukewarm soba water in the pot was a bit of a downside. The teriyaki bowl tasted as expected. Thank you, egg yolk! Thank you for the meal (^^)

A friend was coming to Tokyo after a long time, so we decided to have lunch together. We had a remote drinking session the day before, so it didn't feel like it had been a long time at all. I sent them various restaurant options, and they chose a soba place. It's located a few minutes from Akihabara Station. We went up the stairs and sat at a table with partitions. The restaurant also serves lunch, and the menu is quite extensive. The food came out pretty quickly, which is important for lunchtime. I ordered the chicken tataki donburi and soba set. The donburi tasted just as I had imagined, light and delicious. The soba had a good texture, not too firm or too soft. I felt like having more of it. They also served soba-yu (soba water) afterwards. Even though it was a set, the portion didn't feel too large. Maybe it's just me becoming a glutton... I said goodbye to my friend after only 30 minutes of catching up.

Located along Showa Street, it feels like it's about halfway between Akihabara Station and Iwamotocho Station. They seem to be open at night as well, so I'll try to visit sometime. The entrance plays stylish background music. Go up the stairs to the second floor (mezzanine?). Please take a look at the counter's photos. They have created partitions using the menu. What a great idea! I like when they use what they have in a creative way. Although it's not categorized as soba on Tabelog, at least for lunch, soba seems to be the main dish. That's why they offer a curry rice bowl and soba set for 840 yen (tax included). See, it's a soba shop, just like an internal medicine doctor! I arrived shortly after. I ordered the large size soba. Let's start with the soba. Oh, it's not good! No, the soba itself is not bad, but I accidentally switched to the curry language. After all, there's curry roux in the curry! Is the soba somewhere between regular noodles and authentic soba? The soba broth is on the stronger side, which I really like. By the way, the soba broth is served in a pot. Even though it's a curry bowl, be careful with the pace because the roux is a bit scarce. The roux has a slightly spicy taste. It could be considered mild, right? Overall, the portion size is satisfying even for an old man like me. They seem to have a good selection of alcoholic beverages, so I'd like to visit at night when the situation with the coronavirus calms down. And that's it, thank you. Bon appétit!

I originally planned to go to a certain restaurant, but it was closed. I thought lunch was over, but luckily I made it in time to this place. There were no other customers. It seems they have started offering takeout. I decided to try the donburi set for lunch, which seemed like a good deal and filling from the reviews. I chose the tempura donburi and also ordered a large portion of soba noodles with less rice. The tempura donburi came with 2 shrimp tempura, lotus root, pumpkin, and eggplant, which was quite satisfying. The soba noodles, although they felt like machine-made, were surprisingly delicious.

I had a plan to visit a restaurant in Yodobashi Camera Akiba 8F, but it was closed, so I went to my second choice, Kaguraya Akihabara branch. I ordered a lunch set with shrimp tempura rice bowl and cold soba noodles, both in large portions. The tea served at first was not barley tea as I expected, but a fragrant and sweet soba tea. The freshly ground, freshly made, freshly boiled soba noodles at this soba specialty shop were firm and smooth to slurp, especially when dipped in Edo-style dipping sauce. I enjoyed the shrimp tempura rice bowl with the leftover dipping sauce as a soup.

I used it for lunch! I accidentally went in the opposite direction from Akihabara Station, and after a while, I realized it and didn't feel like going back to the station, so when I saw the word "soba," I immediately switched to soba mode. I was a bit nervous thinking it might be a high-end restaurant, but I went in. It turned out to be a place that turns into an izakaya at night, which made me laugh. There were a few counter seats and about 8 tables for 4 people in the back. If you remove the sliding doors, everything connects, so it's suitable for large parties. Instead of ice water, jasmine tea was served, which made me happy. The menu had many eye-catching items, but I ordered the soy milk dipping soba. The broth was soy milk-based with a refreshing yuzu accent, making it delicious and refreshing. It was my first time trying soy milk dipping noodles. I thought it must be good for the body, so I added the broth and finished every drop. It was delicious! Thank you for the meal.

I have actually visited this place many times. Whether alone, with smokers, young people, or older people, if you want to enjoy some calm soba, this is the place to go. After trying several items on the menu, I now think that the tempura and kakiage here are delicious! They are crispy and not greasy. On this day, the daily special was a set of shrimp kakiage and soba, so I ordered that. The soba here comes in a free large portion, so if you want to enjoy the soba, go for the large portion! I always go for the regular portion when ordering a set with a bowl. The kakiage on this day was also good. The shrimp had a light and bouncy texture. The batter was thin and crispy, connecting the ingredients. The soba was firm and had a good texture. The soba broth was on the richer side, with a strong bonito flavor. My impression of this place has improved since my first visit. I will definitely come back when I crave soba again!