Sarashina Horii

Overpriced and over rated in my opinion. Tried the thick soba and was not that impressed. Also the price was quite high for soba and tempura. Personally, I think it’s a tourist trap. There– I said it.

I am no soba expert or lover. In fact, I came here because my husband is. We ended up here at an odd time at 4pm on Mother’s Day so it was not crowded at all, in fact, there was probably only 5 – 6 other patrons here at a shop that can seat at least 50 people. It was quiet. However, in the hour and a half we were there, people started to pour in and fill the place.
So going back to my not particular love for soba. I ended up really enjoying this place! The flavors are simple yet refined. Their soba broth had been soaking for 2 years to get you to where it is now. The noodles are fun because you have 5 different kinds to choose from, unlike most places. We got the thick soba and the thin rice ones (I forget the name). The thick soba was toothy like udon and while didn’t hold onto the broth well, it was packed with earthiness. The thin white soba noodles held onto the flavors well and I’d compare it to rice noodles. I got the soba with the hot chicken soup and was pleasantly surprised by how comforting the soup and noodles were. The soup was hot, had a strong hint of lemon, and had refreshing pieces of green onions. Mixing the soba in it made the flavors shine even more on its cold host. Altogether, while simple, it warmed my soul.
Now this place is no subway station soba. For whatever reason (I’m going to guess the 2 year fermented soup), it’s pricey. Your meal here will cost you close to $ 20 and you’re more than likely to leave hungry. Just remember that soba’s healthy qualities are supposed to prevent you from obesity…

The soba bowl I had here was the best I’ve ever had. Seriously, so good. That aged bonito broth was a heavenly elixir and the fish paste sakura flower was the perfect touch considering I was visiting during the cherry blossom season.
They offer you hot tea and cold water, they take credit cards and the staff were all very friendly — I definitely recommend this place if you’re in Tokyo.

I love the convenience of Sarashina! It’s open whenever I’m hungry at an odd hour and their soba never disappoint. I would personally recommend their tempura soba! It’s also tourist/​foreign friendly with detailed pamphlets on how to eat soba the Japanese way.

I had a wonderful lunch here on a rainy Tokyo day. I was a single, so they seated me at the communal table in the front of the restaurant. It was a great place to see up close how more experienced diners were eating their soba, so I had some idea of how to do it right when my food came.
Was given an English menu, and I pointed to pictures to order a plate of the normal soba with six tempura shrimp on the side. (Next time I will try the fat buckwheat soba some other reviewers recommended.) The noodles were absolutely wonderful — perfectly cooked, and the tempura shrimp were light, not oily and a beautiful complement. There is somewhat of a process to how you combine ingredients, eat and slurp — if you are new to this, just watch those around you. And save the rather elaborate square pot with hot water for the end — pour the water into the sauce and noodle bits left in your little bowl, and enjoy drinking it.
For me, the communal experience with fellow diners was almost as nice as the food itself. A very sweet older couple sitting next to me discreetly guided me when I looked puzzled. We could not speak with each other, but smiles and helpful gestures went a long way. A very tasty and heartwarming experience!

One of the three famous Soba restaurants in Azabujuban. This one this my favorite among the three.
About 13 years after George Washington signed the Declaration of Independence, Horii Soba shop opened their doors in city of Edo. In 1789, the original shop was located not too far from the current place. Around the end of WWII, the 8^th generation Horii could no longer keep the business operating, so they went broke. The business left the hands of Horii family and operated by another company. In 1984, Horii family brought back the soba business by opening this restaurant at this location.
Therefore, while Horii’s family business has a long history, this building looks fairly modern and does not have any resemblances of Edo period.
RECOMMENDED DISH: I like their «Futo-​uchi Soba» (930 Yen), which is fat soba. It is fat because this is 100% buckwheat noodle. Normal soba is actually not 100% soba, as they blend buckwheat with flower. It could be 70% Soba and 30% flour. Some cheap soba shops use 0% Soba and 100% flour. Yep, no longer soba, but rather udon with soba flavoring to keep the cost down. So, treating yourself to 100% soba is difficult to do outside of Japan, so this is the place to do it. The reason most soba shops avoid 100% soba is because soba is very brittle. It is hard to keep each noodle long as they keep falling apart. That is why Horii’s 100% Soba is fat. That way, it doesn’t fall apart as easily.
SO MANY SOBA SHOPS IN JUBAN: Yes, there are 3 soba shops with name «Sarashina», which makes it quite confusing for foreigners. They are all operated by different owners and considered completely independent. Sarashina refers to an old land of what is now Nagano Prefecture. This area is known as the holy land of soba. While all 3 shops are good, I personally like this Horii restaurant the most.
COST: Over priced. What do you expect in Azabujuban? Expect to pay around 1000 to 2000 Yen for soba lunch.

Picture perfect.
This is a great find, and it’s easy to find, right on the street, look for a red brick apartment building with decks.
Table turnaround can be quick, so don’t let a line dissuade you. The food is just as good as you would expect, the service to English-​speakers is excellent, and it is a warm and pleasant environment. They accept credit cards.
It’s worth making a trip here, Roppogni is a fun neighborhood and there are several smart shops on this and surrounding blocks, as well.

You know you found the right place when you can hear all the slurping standing outside the shop. There are a few different kinds of soba offered here and may change season to season, but can’t tell for sure because we were given an English menu. They do sell dry soba in boxes and varies based on time of year.
The mori-​soba (buckwheat) I ordered was tasty and had a nice texture, however, considering that this place is known for their quality soba, I was a little disappointed to find many strands of noodles still stuck together at the ends. I don’t claim to be a noodle expert but even I would cook it with a bit more care. Someone once told me the noodles that stick together at the ends like that indicates that there was not enough movement (stirring) in the cooking process or was cooked in too large a batch. Not a problem in my case, but can lead to undercooked noodles sometimes … I know, I’m such a snob. Honestly, noodles were great but nothing stood out for me that distinguished it from many other soba places I’ve been to.
I do like how a pot of soba cooking water was offered to blend with the residual soba dipping sauce to make a end-​of-​meal soup. Nice ambience but low ceilings. Tatami mat, table, or counter seating options.

Soba noodle is a little dry. Side dishes with tofu, pork, and sweet eggs were average.

In my quest to try all of the different types of noodles I needed Soba to round out the checklist. It was my last day in Tokyo and I had limited time. So I found this spot near the Tokyo Tower to go to. just so happens it was a spot Anthony Bourdain has visited so I figured its gotta be good!
Yeah, it was good! I sat solo at a communal table. It was really nice and people were friendly. The inside is very nice. a traditional Japanese feel to it. The service was also very good. They had english menus as well.
I ordered the soba with duck. Soba is pretty different from most asain noodles. They are cold noodles with a hot broth on the side. This was actually really nice and refreshing. especially after eating some pretty heavy stuff all week. The duck was soooo good too!
Funny thing. after getting to the airport the premier lounge had curry soba there. I tried it. while the curry idea was pretty good the noodles here were far superior!

We decided to check this place out after watching No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain.
We ended up getting soba noodles and it was delicious. Nice texture, simple and well made. I recommend checking it out if you love noodles!

Outstanding! On my third trip to Japan no idea how I missed this place (thanks Unilocal!)
I intend on coming back many more times during the duration of my trip to try at least all the other types of soba noodles.
The noodles are so chewy and yummy. My giant tempura prawn accompaniment went together awesomely! The complimentary green iced tea is also divine — it’s got this nice roast rice taste to it that I’ll be on a mission to find some to take home with me.
As for the décor, very nice! You can either sit in an intimate tatami matted booth or chairs/​tables. Staff are polite and friendly and accommodates to the non Japanese speakers.

Masaharu Morim (delightful, brilliant) took Anthony Bourdain (tedious, undertalented, lucky gasbag stoner) here when he wanted to demonstrate what a true classic Japanese soba house was.
He didn’t pick wrong.
We were the only non-​Japanese in the place, but they did have an English menu and staff were very polite with our battered guide-​book phrases of Japanese when ordering. I had standard soba noodles, cold, with dipping sauce and six shrimp tempura. My wife had the unusual white-​only soba noodles, cold, with dipping sauce, tempura mixed. My son had the chicken teriyaki.
Starters are a cold refreshing tea and a bowl of fried and sea-​salted soba noodles. They say appetizers can steal the show of even great restaurants where main courses are a let-​down second act, and I’d have to say the BEST thing at this GREAT restaurant was the fried, salted noodles served as a snack. They were super simple, super perfect, and super delicious.
We’ve been to dozens of highly recommended specialist chicken teriyaki places in Tokyo, and this was hands-​down the BEST chicken teriyaki any of us have ever had. Order the chicken teriyaki.
Chef Morim hinted at why this place is so special, unapologetically traditional, and over 220 years old: they make everything in house, fresh, and daily. That must include the teriyaki sauce, since the chicken was sublime.
The main attraction is the soba, and it did not disappoint. Home-​cooked dried soba tends to be overdone or underdone. Fresh-​made daily here in the restaurant is even less forgiving and needs but seconds of difference to be unpalatable, but 220 years of perfection don’t disappoint.
My soba was delightful, bordering on chewy, but not rubbery, with a delightful bit of give while still cooked through. This is soba the way it is supposed to be.
The texture of the noodles is just crackly enough to soak up tiny pockets of sauce that makes coating and slurping a breeze. Do slurp and get some air in the mix for the full effect. I must admit that I have never tasted absolutely correct soba sauce until my experience at Sarashina Horii. I have no idea what it is, but it is memorable perfection of understatement and balance, neither overwhelming the taste of the noodles, nor being an unnecessary afterthought, but a delightful compliment and contrast like flowers and fireworks.
Don’t miss out on a sprinkle of red-​pepper and black sesame seeds.
Beer. Beer is the drink (my son had a Coke, served with a smile). I had an Asahi Dry and my wife had… some non-​alcoholic thing that claims it is beer. Both were served frosty cold with small glasses, and we poured for each other Japanese style. It was deliciously cold on a hot day (July 14, 2014). Perfect with the noodles.
Our tempura was excellent, and bordering on greatness of specialist tempura houses. My wife said her okra tempura was the perfect counterpoint to the noodles, while I claimed the same distinction for my shrimp tempura.
Parties of three and less should expect to be seated at spots at the comfortable front-​and-​center the communal table, while others should expect traditional tatami booths. There are «western» style tables in the back, but don’t accept to be placed there unless you are in a hurry.
We bought dried noodles and sauce to-​go, and the proprietress helpfully explained cooking procedure in broken English.
This restaurant is worth a special journey as it is the finest example of perfection and understatement of soba in Tokyo.

Well… lets see… On my trip I had Imperial Family Soba (Owariya), Michelin Star Soba (Makino), Airplane Soba, Supermarket Soba, and now, Im gonna try me some Bourdain Soba.
My trip around Japan led me from the capital, Tokyo, all the way south along the coast to Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and back. In each of those cities, I made it a mission to have atleast one serving of soba. Why soba? because it’s damn good and one of the most iconic local foods unavailable fresh to the masses in North America. Now, I have to be honest here… finding and eating at Sarashina Horii was not my idea, but when Bourdain tells you to do so, you just gotta go! (The man is a fricken legend, who would disobey? =p)
Sarashina Horii has 2 locations, this one in the Roppongi area (Main Location), and one more farther west in the Tokyo suburbs. Finding the restaurant is not hard, it is in a high tourist and high traffic location, so transit methods are aplenty. At night time, there is a giant lantern on the side of the restaurant that says 「そば」 that you cannot miss. The restaurant is either quite large or average sized depending on what you have seen prior of Japanese restaurants. The back area has rooms with tatami and regular table & chair seating. The front area has booths and a large round communal table enough to seat 10 or so people?
Since Roppongi is a very touristy location, Sarashina Horii has pictures to accompany their menus and an English menu for foreigners. (I didnt need it =D). Sarashina is famous for their white soba as opposed to the more common greyish/​brown soba. When asked for their recommendations (おすすめ・osusume), the head waitress politely pointed at the KAMO NANBAN or Boiled Duck and Broth Soba. The duck is cooked in the soba sauce, already something new for me because typical soba sauce is cold-​room temp, not hot. To go along with my duck soba, I ordered a serving of Tamagoyaki aswell. So far, at every dine-​in soba restaurant Ive been too, It has been soba, duck, and eggs.
The soba were cooked perfectly and presented in a lacquer box with a bamboo grille. The duck was very succulent and infused with the ever tasty soba sauce. The Tamagoyaki is sweet and perfectly cooked, and goes really well with the soy sauce grated radish it comes with. Typical soba meals come with Soba-​yu, the water in which the soba is cooked in. The soba-​yu is poured into the cup in which the sauce is in and is consumed like soup.
I love soba. I crave soba. If the soba here is good enough for Bourdain, the Shogun, and even the modern day Imperial Family, it must damn good and good enough for me.
A recommended Five, out of Five.