Sobaya

They were so gracious about my dietary restrictions and allowed me to make substitutions. They do not have much vegetarian option. The hot soups/broths are made with bonito (fish). I ended up getting a cold noodle dish to avoid the soup and got salad dressings instead of dipping sauces. I also got vegetable tempura, which was great. They have cold and hot soba options, both are great.

I can see why this place has very mixed reviews in terms of expectations. I would say my rating of Sobaya is a fair 4 stars out of 5, with an explanation of the breakdown. Ambience: I came in and was greeted immediately and service was very attentive. Service is not chatty but will immediately refill your food or take away plates. This overall contributes to the already quiet peaceful dining experience. I went to the restroom after my meal and I definitely can see the care in the amenities given in this restaurant. They have a nice bidet that automatically warms up your toilet seat. Great quality toilet paper (lol I'm serious) and paper towels. Food: I didn't have the soba this time because I was really craving Ten Don today and wanted something more homey tasting. I had the Tuna Yuba Maki $17 as my appetizer which is chopped tuna, avocado, shisho leaf and wrapped in tofu skin. The presentation was beautiful and it was placed on top of a nearly cut banana leaf. I felt like the avocado was a little out of place and overpowered the shiso but it was still pretty good. I had the Ten Don $22 for dinner. The Ten Don came out on a nice platter with a cup to pour my sauce over the tempura. Tempura was crispy and they used good quality rice. Overall I feel like Sobaya suffers from issues with pricing that everyone talks about because of the location. This place definitely serves homey Japanese comfort food if that's what you're looking for in the area. But the price tag doesn't give homey Japanese comfort food, but it's due to the location higher pricing has to be put into consideration for the establishment. I would say that a lot of small attention to details in amenities are included in this price tag from food presentation to ambience. I would come back here if I was in the mood for a Japanese comfort meal and only if I'm in the area. But not a place I expect to be wowed.

Ordered the special meal set. You have a choice of eels on rice, salmon or tempura with either udon or soba (cold or hot). The meal came very quickly and it was delicious. Afterward, we ordered the appetizer, the house-made green tea creme bruise. It has a very good texture and good taste. By the way, the soba is also made in-house. The ambiance of the restaurant is nice. I highly recommend this place.

Happy to stop by here for lunch! As a frequent visitor to Japan, I really recommend their buckwheat noodles!✨ ⚠️Although some little thing about other dishes that could be improved but overall worth to visit..! Noodles were really really outstanding, chewy but not soggy! And a ince I ordered Ten Zaru, the set came with shrimps tempura. Each of them was huge, crispy, and juicy inside..! AMAZING! For appetizer, I got sliced duck. It was tasty although slightly expensive. Last, matcha crème brûlée as dessert. I was a little bit sad because the burnt sugar didn’t go over all surface (as you may see in the photo, it only covered the middle part.) The main cream part was good, a nice twist using matcha to change this European dessert. 💕Highly recommend to people who would like to have a meal alone. The space is cozy and chill even for single visitors. Would like to visit again for rice dishes..!

Went for lunch around 1230 on a weekday, no queues. Ordered the lunch set of hot soba noodles with tempura - came with three prawn tempuras and a pepper tempura - nicely fried, not greasy. The soba broth was flavorful, full of umami , can taste those dried bonito flakes in it. Make sure you add those chili flakes into your soba for an extra kick ! Good value for money lunch sets were around $19-21. The mochi and yuzu sherbet ice cream was also delicious - mochi had nice chew to it dusted with green tea powder, came with red bean and whipped cream. Yuzu sherbet tasted refreshing and citrusy, with an almost stretchy texture. Highly recommend this place!

Authentic Japanese soba & udon restaurant 40.72964 -73.98785 Among a ton of Japanese restaurants in East Village, Soba-ya looks like and really is an ordate Japanese buckwheat soba & udon restaurant, exempt not sitting on the floor, tatami mats and leaving your shoes at the door. No other competing Asian cuisines on the menu. Co-owner and mini-mogul, Bon Yagi, prefers authenticity to flash in his restaurants. No QR-codes in this Michelin Bibi Gourmand restaurant. With loud Americans inside, soundproofing is lacking. As appetiser, we ordered in June 2023 Dashimaki Tamago (Japanese-style egg omelette, made by rolling thin layer upon thin layer of egg) and miso soup ($5). The soup arrived, but not the egg omelette, before our Yasal udon soup with mixed vegetables and mushrooms ($22) arrived. Lost in translation? The thick udon broth was hearty and flavourful. Well prepared and enjoyable. Soba-ya serves very good udon, but the service could be better. Recommended.