I visited Ouan for a solo lunch on a regular day. It is located just a 2-minute walk from Ueno Station and about a 6-minute walk from Inaricho Station. Ouan is a long-established soba restaurant founded in 1899. The current building dates back to 1927, almost reaching its 100th anniversary. I arrived around 11:20. The facade and interior of the restaurant exude a sense of history. During lunchtime, you need to purchase meal tickets at the entrance where the motherly figure is stationed, and then place your order. When it comes to Ouan, their most popular dish is the Negi Soba, which is a soba noodle dish with green onions and squid tempura. This time, I ordered the Negi Soba for 850 yen and the Katsu Don (pork cutlet rice bowl) for 1,400 yen, totaling 2,250 yen. Despite knowing that the quality of the Katsu Don is not exceptional, I still ordered it due to my appetite being stimulated by the previous night's heavy drinking. The seating consists of counter seats and tables, accommodating a total of 68 guests. During busy times, you may have to share a table with others. The table is equipped with shichimi (Japanese seven-spice blend), chopsticks, and toothpicks, and you will be served water after being seated. The Negi Soba arrived in about 6 minutes, followed by the Katsu Don in another 2 minutes. The soba noodles were firm and flavorful, complemented by the rich dipping sauce, ample green onions, and chunks of squid tempura – a powerful combination. Furthermore, the system where food tastes three times better when you're hungover really worked, leaving me completely satisfied, including the post-meal soba broth. Next came the Katsu Don, which had excellent seasoning and soft onions, but the pork was a bit tough. I personally recommend generously sprinkling shichimi for an extra kick! Despite feeling slightly hungover, my energy was fully restored after the meal! I highly recommend visiting Ouan, which can even serve as a healing spot for the day after heavy drinking!

It's lunch on Saturday. I was aiming for a tonkatsu restaurant on the east side of Ueno Station, but oh no, I think they only open on weekdays (T.T) Sadly, I gave up and headed to a nearby, super old-fashioned soba restaurant that I've been wanting to try for a while. Oh, they're open, so I went in immediately. In the daytime, you buy a meal ticket at the entrance next to the entrance, but if you hesitate at the entrance, it gets in the way, so I ended up getting a katsudon for 1,000 yen (tax included) even though it's a soba restaurant. Hmm, maybe I'll have soba next time. In the midst of the buildings, there is a single house-like, old-fashioned building (laughs). In this neighborhood, there are occasionally these kinds of shops, and I think it's a good city after all. There were lots of old men and women in the kitchen, like an old-fashioned diner, and I like the atmosphere. And the katsudon that arrived was, wow, isn't it splendid (^o^)v It's a generous portion, which is nice. First bite... yum. This sauce has soba broth in it, right? It has a bit of acidity, and it's delicious. It's not too sweet. It's easy to eat. I can handle this amount. Overall, the taste is on the strong side, with plenty of salt, I think. But I like this amount because I can eat heartily. It suits me. It's good. I think it will be crowded on weekdays at lunchtime. I feel lucky to have come on a holiday. If I have the chance, I'll try the soba next time. Thank you for the meal m(_ _)m

The soba itself is average. The dipping sauce is delicious! The squid tempura adds a nice touch. However, overall it's still just average. The fact that there is so much squid and the large portion of soba for 950 yen is commendable!

In the height of summer, I always crave for hot pot udon. Even though September was approaching and the temperature didn't seem to be dropping, I decided to make a stop at Ouan after returning from Asakusa, prepared for an extended summer. It was just past 3 PM on a weekday, with only 5 customers seated individually at a table. At this time, it seemed they didn't use food tickets, so I was directed to an empty table. Feeling thirsty, I started with a bottle of Sapporo Black Label beer, sweet and savory fried tofu, and simmered pork cutlet. Both dishes were seasoned just right, making the beer taste even better. Next, I ordered the hot pot udon (large) and another beer. Within 10 minutes, the hot pot udon arrived in an iron pot. The ingredients included tempura shrimp, egg, chicken breast, rolled omelette, two slices of wheat gluten, simmered shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, fish cake, green onions, and mitsuba leaves, a generous array of toppings that could almost serve as a meal on its own. The broth was slightly sweet and savory, and the udon noodles were chewy. I enjoyed picking at the toppings, slurping the udon, and finishing my second beer. There was still quite a bit of udon left, but I soldiered on and managed to finish it, savoring each bite of the chewy noodles. After wiping the bowl clean with the provided soba broth, my stomach was comfortably full as I walked along the deck towards Ueno Station, already thinking about returning for hot pot udon with hot sake in the cold season. Despite feeling stuffed, I couldn't help but look forward to my next visit. Thank you for the delicious meal. I will come back again.

The traditional atmosphere of the restaurant was very nice, with a mix of regulars and new customers, giving off the vibe of a long-standing soba shop in Ueno. However, the quality of the soba and katsudon was disappointing. The soba was not properly chilled in cold water, so it was lukewarm and lacked chewiness. As for the katsudon, it was mostly just breading with a thin piece of meat hidden inside. The sauce was strong, so it was edible, but I would not order it again.

The day before, I planned to come here after finishing work early, but I ended up getting caught up with work and had to cancel. The next day, I left work early again and came here eagerly. It hasn't been a year since the publication of the December 2022 issue featuring town soba and town sushi, but in the meantime, dancyu has already released a new soba feature. Fortunately, I have visited some of the restaurants featured in the new issue (September 2023) over the past two years, so I will take my time to visit them. When I arrived around 7:00 PM, there were a few empty seats, but there was a constant flow of people coming and going, so it seemed like more people were there for dinner rather than drinks. I ordered the "Negi-Ten Seiro" with extra rice. When asked if the rice was okay as usual, I didn't quite understand and left it as it was, only to have it served in a bowl. I couldn't help but laugh. However, the highlight, the "Negi-Ten Seiro," lived up to its name. The slightly smaller squid tempura with green onions floating in a rich Tokyo-style broth was delicious. The broth was so flavorful and really made the dish unique. While the tempura itself may have been average on its own, it became exceptional with the broth. Following dancyu's recommendation, I tried eating the tempura on rice like a tempura bowl, and it was indeed delicious. It's difficult to come across such a specialty dish on your own, and I thought that the abundance of such specialty soba shops in Tokyo is a testament to the city's soba culture. Additionally, being able to get a large serving of soba for an extra 100 yen, or having rice served in a bowl for an extra 200 yen, shows the generous spirit of this type of soba shop. The bill for the day came to 1,150 yen, which was quite reasonable. I left the restaurant promising myself to come back for another bowl dish.

I visited this place in search of delicious and fragrant soba noodles. The fragrance of the ten-seiro soba was not particularly noticeable, and there was nothing that stood out. I wish the soba dipping sauce had a stronger dashi flavor. It was too salty, and I ended up diluting it with soba broth. Unfortunately, the tempura was disappointing. The batter was thick and lacked a crispy texture, perhaps it was left out for a while and had gotten cold.

Ouan's Negi Soba ... In the past, there was a shop on Kinza Street in Ningyocho, near the Kyumatsu Police Station. It closed in October 2011, but the Negi Soba was a taste I remembered from Ouan in Ningyocho. The Negi Soba was delicious, and I had always wanted to eat it again. At some point, I discovered on the internet that there was a shop with the same name in Ueno, and they also served Negi Soba. The original shop was probably Ouan in Ueno, but the relationship between Ouan in Ningyocho and Ueno remains a mystery. It was hot, and I had walked from Asakusa, so I was sweating. I opened the old sliding door and entered the cool interior of the shop, which was very pleasant as there were few customers at that early hour in the evening. I decided to sit at the counter right after entering. The first thing I ordered was a small bottle of beer, Sapporo Black Label. I poured it into the glass without creating too much foam, and took a sip of the ice-cold beer. It was delicious. The first dish I ordered was simmered sweet and spicy fried tofu. The moderate seasoning was delicious. If it lacks saltiness, adding a little soy sauce makes it even better. The real wasabi was a nice touch. I quickly finished the beer, so I ordered sake next. There was a display of Matsuribume sake barrels, so I assumed it was Matsuribume sake. It was delicious and nicely chilled. After the fried tofu, I ordered the Tsukimi dish. Tsukimi here comes with grated yam, quail eggs in soba dipping sauce, green onions, and wasabi served separately. Mix it as you like, that seems to be the idea. I mixed everything together without hesitation and enjoyed the refreshing taste, which was perfect for the hot summer. There were several autographs displayed in the shop, mostly from rakugo performers, but there was also a sign from Shinsuke Shijaku. As Asakusa is the birthplace of the rakugo theater, Ouan probably attracts many rakugo performers. Now, the main dish of the day arrived - the Negi Soba. I ordered the large portion, and it was nicely portioned. The soba noodles were quite thin, and neatly arranged. They looked delicious. The star of this dish is the dipping sauce with long green onions and squid tempura. I don't want to compare, but I remember the dipping sauce at Ningyocho being a bit sweeter. Also, the squid tempura was a bit more chunky, giving it a more distinct texture. This was also very delicious. When you dip the soba noodles into the sauce, it looks like this. Dip the soba noodles generously into the sauce and enjoy the combination of the sauce, squid tempura, green onions, and soba noodles in your mouth. This is the deliciousness of Negi Soba. It was so good. It may be a bit different from the one in Ningyocho, but this one seems to be the original. I thoroughly enjoyed the generous portion of soba noodles. It was delicious!! Finally, I finished with soba broth, and it was a satisfying meal. I had a great time. The exterior of the shop looks like this. It's an old building. It stands quietly, and if you come from the Asakusa area, you might pass by it. In fact, I almost did. When you open the sliding door of this old building and enter the shop, you step into a nice old soba restaurant world. Besides Negi Soba, there are various other delicious-looking menu items, so I plan to come back next time to try them out as I left the shop. Thank you for the meal.

On this particular day, I went on an expedition to Ueno to see the Matisse exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. Before heading to the venue, I visited this restaurant located in Higashi Ueno. It is a long-established soba restaurant founded in 1900 with a distinctive two-story wooden building that is 70 years old. Despite being a long-established restaurant, it is reasonably priced and not intimidating. I had decided in advance to try their famous "negi seiro" dish, which I had seen in a special feature in Dancyu magazine at the end of last year. Upon entering, I confirmed the menu outside and then ordered the "negi seiro" for 850 yen and a small bowl of rice for 100 yen at the counter on the right side of the entrance. I sat at a table for 6 people. It was around 11:15 am, and there were still a few customers in the 30-seat first floor. However, more customers started coming in, and by around 11:30 am, the tables were almost full. The interior of the restaurant has a nice atmosphere typical of a Showa-era soba shop in a downtown neighborhood. Surprisingly, the soba, dipping sauce, condiments, and rice were all served in about 3 minutes. It was a quick delivery similar to standing soba shops. The soba in the steamer was slightly greenish with a shiny skin. The scent of the soba was not strong, but it had a nice crunchy texture and good mouthfeel. The dipping sauce contained a round squid tempura and thinly sliced green onions, with almost no sweetness. However, when eaten with the oil from the squid tempura, the soba tasted sweet, which was quite intriguing. I tried putting the squid tempura on the rice like I had heard others do. I made it into a bowl, but it didn't have a freshly fried taste. It might resemble the tempura served at standing soba shops. However, eating rice soaked in soba soup with tempura was a unique experience. Overall, I was satisfied with the lunch, including the atmosphere typical of a Showa-era downtown area. I was full thanks to the small bowl of rice. If I have the chance, I would like to try other menu items next time.

In late July, around lunchtime, I decided to have some lunch in Ueno, but it was so hot that I didn't have much of an appetite. I opted for some light soba noodles, so I headed to the long-established soba restaurant called Oin-an along Asakusa Street. The place had a traditional Edo-era vibe, and the building itself dates back to 1927. Despite being quite crowded, I managed to find a seat. I ordered the tempura soba for 1200 yen and paid at the counter before being seated. The tempura soba arrived promptly, and surprisingly, my appetite started to return. The dipping sauce was slightly sweet and on the richer side, almost like a dipping sauce for tempura. It had a nice touch with the addition of mitsuba, which added a wonderful flavor. The soba noodles were thin and slightly white, with a great texture. The tempura was not piping hot but had a crispy, crunchy texture, perfect for dipping in the sauce. Despite my recent lack of appetite due to the scorching heat, I thoroughly enjoyed the refreshing and delicious tempura soba. Thank you for the meal.

The shop has a retro and charming atmosphere. I ordered the negi soba for 850 yen. You order and pay at the cash register right after entering the entrance. I received a paper and went to the second floor. There were counter seats, table seats, and tatami seats. I saw a few foreign customers as well. The staff were elderly and asked if I could speak English, which made me a bit flustered. The negi soba was ready fairly quickly. The hot broth contained green onions, squid tempura, and narutomaki. The soba noodles were long and continued even when lifted. It was a good value for money and easy to eat quickly. The portion of soba was just right.

It's extremely hot! I feel like I might melt... I stopped by for lunch on my way to the art museum. It was 11:50 am, no waiting time, and there was a seat available. I ordered the large portion of green onion soba for 950 yen. The taste was delicious as always! I enjoyed dipping the soba in the warm broth in the well-air-conditioned restaurant. The flavor of the squid tempura seeped into the broth and it was incredibly delicious! Today's tempura was larger than usual, which made me happy. I never get tired of eating here. If it was closer, I would definitely visit once a week, maybe even 2 or 3 times. It won't last 3 days, but I might come back the day after tomorrow...

◆Transforming a simple dish into an outstanding one, the cold ham soba at this restaurant is like a soba shop's version of cold Chinese noodles. While the combination of silk thread egg, ham, and cucumber is expected, the sautéed lettuce is a unique addition. The noodles are made of soba instead of Chinese noodles, and the broth is based on soba soup, so instead of mustard, they serve it with wasabi, which is interesting. (They also serve soba water on the side). However, honestly speaking, if you visit this restaurant, it seems better to enjoy their traditional soba dish in its simplicity. When it comes to cold noodles, the classic cold Chinese noodles might be more satisfying than the cold ham soba here. ◆Menu of the day: Cold Ham Soba (Lunch) for 900 yen per person. ◆How to enjoy this restaurant: <Profile> A traditional soba shop standing on Asakusa Street. Despite renovations, it has a history of over 120 years. <Ordering> You need to buy a meal ticket first. The Cold Ham Soba we ordered this time costs 900 yen. ◆Information source: "Sanpo no Tatsujin" July 2023 issue, featuring "Ueno, Okachimachi, Yushima." Bon appétit!

I arrived before 11:30 and there was already a line formed, but I was able to get in quickly. I enjoyed a cup of Japanese sake and some sweet and spicy fried tofu while waiting for my green onion soba. The sweet and spicy fried tofu was a good snack with the sake. When the green onion soba arrived, I didn't rush and instead enjoyed some squid tempura soaked in the dipping sauce with my sake. Finally, I finished by savoring the soba noodles. I left feeling satisfied and refreshed.

Negi seiro (green onion soba noodles) with extra noodles: 850 yen + 100 yen at Ueno Lunch. It started to get crowded after 11 o'clock, and the historic soba restaurant was bustling. Customers purchase meal tickets at the register before being seated. The popular negi seiro comes with a sweet dipping sauce and a crispy cut squid tempura, which complements the green onions well. It was delicious and a welcome addition as just green onions might have felt lacking.

On a regular day in Ueno, there are so many choices for lunch. I was surprised to see that there are more dining options in Ameyoko and the lunch-only area, and every place was quite crowded. It was still before noon, around 11:00, but... should we focus on drinking or eating today? Based on my companion's request, we decided to focus on eating, specifically Japanese cuisine. So, we decided to go to Otoya for the first time in a while. It was around 11:15, and I thought we might still have some time, but there were already people waiting in front of the restaurant. Luckily, we were able to enter the restaurant in about 5 minutes since they have a fast turnover. We quickly purchased our food tickets and were directed to the counter at the back of the restaurant. We were lucky to secure a table at the end. We started with a beer and this dish - sweet and spicy simmered fried tofu. The fried tofu was cooked in a traditional Edo-style sweet and savory sauce, and it was a two-layered dish. We enjoyed it with wasabi. Soon after, freshly boiled and chilled soba arrived. I ordered the leek soba while my companion had the chilled ham and leek soba. The soba broth had leeks and small pieces of squid tempura. The broth was delicious. We could easily eat two servings of soba with this. We alternated between the soba, fried tofu, and beer, and when the fried tofu and beer were gone, we quickly finished the soba. We ended the meal with soba broth. The chilled ham soba may look like cold Chinese noodles, but it was actually made with soba noodles and served with cabbage boiled in Worcestershire sauce, which surprisingly went well with the soba broth. We stayed for about 25 minutes. I would love to come back here one day and enjoy various soba dishes leisurely, but it's always crowded whenever I go.

A traditional soba restaurant with staff dressed in traditional Japanese chef attire. I ordered the Tempura Soba (1200 yen) this time. There was also Tempura Zaru Soba (1000 yen) available, but I'm not sure what the difference is. The soba was delicious, but the tempura seemed like it was made in advance, so it was just okay. I'll try something else next time.

I found this restaurant while exploring Ueno after moving here. It is a long-established soba restaurant that opened in Ueno as a branch of the famous Kagurazaka restaurant, Oan, which was founded in 1899. The exterior has a charming traditional look. Upon entering, you will see the cashier on the right, and you must quickly place your order as the staff are efficient. I ordered the popular Negi Soba for 850 yen with a large serving for an additional 100 yen. Despite it being past 1 pm, the restaurant was quite busy with multiple staff members working. Seating is first-come, first-served, and you may have to share a table. The Negi Soba arrived promptly, with a generous amount of green onions and a large piece of squid tempura in the broth. The broth is not too sweet, with a slightly thick consistency. The soba noodles are long and have a great texture, and when dipped in the broth, they are delicious. The meal was filling and reasonably priced, making it a great option for those looking for a traditional soba experience without breaking the bank. It would be nice if they offered set menus with rice dishes to complete the meal. Overall, it was a satisfying dining experience.

I have been hooked on "curry soba" for about 15 years. The combination of piping hot curry soba slurped down with a cold beer is what gets me through the summer. This time, I visited "Ouan" in Ueno for my fifth exploration of curry soba that pairs well with beer. I arrived on a weekday around 2 pm, with only 2 groups of customers already there. Feeling hungry, I couldn't resist the temptation and purchased a beer and "katsu-ni" at the ticket counter. The only beer available was Sapporo Black Label (bottle), and it came with edamame. In about 10 minutes, the katsu-ni arrived, and I enjoyed the crispy batter, tender pork, onions, and egg while savoring the beer. When the plate was empty, my beer was almost finished too. Feeling more at ease, I then ordered the main dish, "curry nanban," and a second beer. The dish arrived in about 10 minutes, with a vibrant yellow color from the turmeric, featuring pork and white onions. The pork was thinly sliced, free of fat and sinew, providing a satisfying yet tender texture. The white onions were cut in half lengthwise, offering a crunchy texture and a burst of flavor. The curry sauce had a slight bitterness, which complemented the sweetness of the soba and the freshness of the white onions. The fine soba noodles soaked in the curry sauce, creating a harmonious blend of flavors and aromas. The seasoning was subtle but left a lingering umami taste, enticing me to take another bite. It felt like a meticulously crafted dish that had been perfected over time. I drank the soba broth and finished the curry sauce, feeling completely satisfied. Thank you for the delicious meal.

The atmosphere of the restaurant exudes a sense of history and tradition. The oil-fried sweet and savory dish is best enjoyed with wasabi soy sauce as a beer snack. The remaining portion is best paired with soba noodles in a green onion dipping sauce. The crispy squid tempura, soaked in the sweet dipping sauce, complements the thin, firm soba noodles perfectly.

I had some business at a nearby hospital, so I decided to have a quick lunch. I love duck nanban, so I ordered it here as well. It was delicious! The broth was a bit strong when tasted on its own, but when eaten with the soba, it was perfect. The duck meat was thinly sliced but there was plenty of it, which made me happy! I also liked that there was a generous amount of green onions. I would love to come back for another meal when I have my next check-up (laughs). Thank you for the meal.