Tamawarai

Wow, this was some incredible soba.
Like a lot of neighborhood eateries around Shibuya/​Omote Sando, it’s a nondescript, unassuming locale. But in many cases in Tokyo, that means you’re in for a treat.
After a short wait, we were situated at a small communal table inside a tiny dining room (you quickly learn that almost every restaurant in Tokyo is small, and Tamawarai is no different). Soba is a food traditionally eaten around the New Year in Japan, so it was an obvious choice once the server came around.
As suggested throughout earlier Unilocal reviews, the «soba in egg soup» is a winner. The soba noodles are perfectly al dente, and the broth/​egg combo is a surefire way to beat the cold temps during winter time. Pair with one of their soba teas for a fully satisfying experience.

The taste and the texture of their soba were both excellent; the best soba I ever. Even my boyfriend who was really not a fan of soba liked his hot soba. All the sides we ordered, mackerel/​omelet/​baked miso were pretty good too.
The service was attentive; they explained the menu, patiently served out multiple orders, and filled my water bottle :)
The decoration was zen/​Japanese-​ish. Reading the reviews, I was a little bit worried about the «jail cell» experience, but it actually felt cozy and serene for me. They were pretty thoughtful putting up a warm waiting room for guests; I was grateful.
Overall it’s a fantastic little place for soba.

Objective: small (probably seats ~14 people) soba restaurant in the side streets of Harajuku. Awarded 1 Michelin Star. Ala carte dishes at lunch are in the 1000 – 2000 yen range (with the most expensive being around 2500). First come, first serve at lunch.
Subjective: It might be difficult to find as its located in a non-​descript building on a residential side street, but Google Maps will get you there. Went on a weekday for lunch near opening time and the wait was less than 5 minutes as they set-​up. There is a small waiting room with seats, however fits no more than 4 people. Staff is attentive and helpful. Casual atmosphere. Had the Hot Soba with Egg and, personally, feel that the soba texture was one of my favorites.
Definite return visit when back in Tokyo. Even ignoring the hype of a Michelin star, this was an excellent soba restaurant with a warm, comfortable atmosphere.

Okay soba, confusing service, expensive, and no hand soap in the unisex bathroom!
We were the first there at opening (11am) but they still put us in a tiny waiting room that felt like a jail cell and closed the door for about 10 mins. The host opens the door and guides us to our table. The place was empty. Why the jail cell experience? Why?
Our waiter comes to our table 15 mins after wearing baggy MC Hammer pants that looked like he used for painting houses because they were very worn and paint stains all over the front. Modern chic or maintenance? I don’t know but he didn’t look appropriate to serve food. He spoke English and explained menu well for us. We order our choice of soba dishes and some side dishes. Here is how it played out:
1) Side dishes don’t come out the same time as the main course, they are served as appetizers. We ordered two of the same. They served the tofu first. We didn’t know if we should wait for the rest of our order to come out or to start eating our side dish as an appetizer. Since our waiter disappeared we couldn’t ask. After 5 mins of wondering what to do we ate them as appetizers. 20 mins after we were served the fist side dish we were served our second side dish, the egg omelet. We got the gist of the course now so we just ate our second side dish. Each «side dish» is about $ 6USD. the quality and taste is there but in the end it is 2oz of tofu and 1 egg.
2) Main dishes (soba). I had them cold with regular dipping sauce (soy sauce and green onions) my wife had them warm with the raw egg and stinky beans. We wait 20 mins from when they picked up our last empty side dishes until the waiter showed up with only our dipping sauces. We waited another 15 mins with only our dipping sauces until he showed up with our 3oz portions of soba noddles. I didn’t know if there was a third component that I should wait for before eating my noddles since it felt like they were bring the main course in parts. It felt incomplete. So I got someone’s attention to ask. They confirmed we had it all to start eating. Each soba dish was around $ 20USD each.
I get it. The minimalist décor, the natural ingredients, the traditional process. Yes I can taste the difference from a $ 6USD soba. But to me the difference is not that great. Especially for the confusing service method and the price. I believe the only reason they have lines out the door is because of slow confusing service and that they only have a total of 15 seats.
I don’t recommend this place and I would not come back.

Very, very delicious!
I had the herring and cold soba. The noodles were so chewy and delicious.
The fish was cooked perfectly!
The restaurant is located behind another restaurant. Quite easy to find if you use google maps.
The ambience was very warm and welding and the staff was extremely friendly.
English menu available.

Super Soba on Shibuya Side Street!
When Instagram serendipitously informed me that one of my close friends from high school was headed to Tokyo whilst I was there on a work trip my thoughts immediately turned to food. After cracking up at the many #OnlyInJapan products at Loft in Shibuya, my friend’s native Tokyoite wife lead us to Tamawarai (a soba spot I’d bookmarked awhile back). Getting there was a bit of a hike, and it was raining, but one bite of this soba made it clearly worth the effort expended.
Since we arrived for a late lunch they were out of tempura which was a big let down. (Word to the wise: go early!) We pressed on and ordered three different versions of soba, all excellent. Many of the soba dishes at Tamawarai feature eggs. Unless you are allergic to eggs, order one of these (my vote is for «soba in an egg soup»). The eggs here are much, much better than any ordinary egg. Trust.
We came to Tamawarai in the winter and it definitely warmed us up. I’m absolutely coming back in the summer to sample the tenzaru soba!

83%
Wonderful soba prepared hot or cold. Truly as good as it gets.
***
Came here with a small group Oct ’14.
Tamawarai is a soba eatery in Shibuya, Tokyo in Japan. Based on the lunch menu, there are some other smaller dishes that are done very well. The menu isn’t large, with little more than a dozen or so items outside of soba. The cooking is uncomplicated but executed well. Certain diners may be interested to know that Tamawarai holds a michelin star as of 2014.
One of my fellow diners had been here before, claimed to have tried many of the soba centered restaurants in the Tokyo area. He mentioned that this was his favorite spot for soba. After my meal here, it wasn’t difficult to see why. I’ll break down my review into different areas that focuses on the food, value, ambiance, service, and other additional notes.
The food was very well done. Everything we had here was done nicely. I can’t offer much in terms of notes because the food does not appear complex. If it is, such qualities are sadly beyond what I could tell. Nonetheless, the end result in cooking was successful overall. I’ll get into each dish sampled individually.
Tofu. 700 Yen. (dish rating, 92%)
— I loved the more chilled refreshing temperature which worked great with other components.
— Flavor likewise is refreshing with a delicate but discernible sense of sweetness that comes from the soy. The flavor was almost dessert like. Contrasting nicely against this in a subtle manner was a light, rich dollop of wasabi which provided some heat and spice. The overall effect is such that the dish is both delicious and heightens the palate.
— Texture seems to work well in that the tofu is hardens more on top and forms a chewier layer thats pulled together. The bottom section is more akin to the texture of a panna cotta as it seemed to remind me most of. Both are delicate and play well against each other in subtle and effective manner.
Herring. 1,200 Yen (Dish rating, 79%)
— Very good dish, but not quite as effective as the soba and tofu. The fish was covered with a sweet sauce that I wasn’t sure what the ingredient may have been. It did remind me of miso in that it had the same intensity of sweetness.
— Flavor wise, the fishiness of the herring was not quite as aggressive as I’d prefer, but present enough to be delicious and perhaps intentionally mild. Although it holds it own against the rich, sweeter sauce, I may have preferred something more fishy and less sweet. To its credit, I found this to grow on me more with additional bites. My dining companions found it too fishy, so its a matter of preference.
— Texture of the fish is fairly dense, yet falls apart tenderly with each bite with a soft chewiness.
Cold soba with soup. 1,000 Yen. Soba refill without soup 800 Yen. (Dish rating 88%)
— Agreed with Julie that the soba here had a more aggressive chewiness, and a notable grainier texture. Its a subtle effect when conventionally bitten into. The sensation is entertaining when slurped into the mouth and chewed into faster. For me, its the texture that shines the most.
— Flavor wise, the presence of earthy, toasty buckwheat is notably more intense for soba, but not an intense flavor as is. Nonetheless, its a soothing, mild sensation I find quite delicious. The chilled soy dipping was thankfully subtly sweet and balanced.
— Portion size is small. One order would get you closer to cup serving of noodles. I had it refilled on three occasions, such that it was so addicting.
Hot soba topped with seaweed. 1,500 Yen. (dish rating, 80%)
— Had this from a fellow diner, so I did not have a chance to notice much. Overall the soup has dried seaweed dropped in, where it gradually melts into the light sweet broth and gets infused with its flavor. The buckwheats flavor gets lost, but its wonderful texture is retained. Along with the hot, but not scalding temperature, this was a very comfortable and delicious, although I may prefer the cold version more.
Value seems fair. Although the food is good, prices can add up easily for those with a heartier appetite. Hard to prevent this when portion sizes are small while the food is irresistibly tempting.
Service seemed a tad indifferent, but not to the extent that things were uncomfortable. It was oddly refreshing in the sense that the past few meals we had in Tokyo, the service tended to lean on being too overbearing and at times rigid. I suspect that coming from the US, its just a matter of me not being used to the culture of hospitality here. Strangely enough, the restaurant would not take reservations when we requested our hotel to make them. As Tamawari is generally busier, it may be a risk to show up to find whether they are too busy or not to take customers.
Ambiance is pleasant. Its an intimately smaller and quiet restaurant, with a more rustic character. Note that the location may take some patience to find.
Recommende

Simply amazing soba served in an adorable minimalist space. Portions are small so you can order a hot and cold soba as well as some appetizers. I arrived at 11:30 on a weekday and there was no line. I don’t think it gets crowded on weekdays at lunch.
The soba here is slightly chewy, al dente, and grainy. The flavors are all very light but tasty. It overall feels like such a light healthy meal than ramen would be. I tried their omelette as well. It was very moist and juicy. I’d order it again for sure. As for the soba I prefer the cold version but that’s just a personal preference; both hot and cold were amazing.

TAMAWARAI
a co-​worker from japan said this to me when i asked him to recommend a restaurant in tokyo.
«when there’s a line, just get in and wait.»
i listened, and it paid off rather handsomely.
we were on our way to have tonkatsu for lunch, and saw a line forming at what seemed like a residential building. at first we hesitated to join the people in line, but as soon as i heard someone saying «michelin 1 star» and «soba», it piqued enough interest to test our hungry stomachs and patience.
the wait turned out to be more than 30 minutes, but the customers were asked to sit in this small waiting room which provided shade from the blazing sun. it also gave us chance to interact with the locals who only had good things to say about this noodle house.
upon the recommendation from one of the regulars we met, the hubby and i each ordered their basic cold zaru soba and some oden appetizer to share. our soba was indeed simple (and tiny in portion wise), yet amazing. it was earthy, organic, grainy, sumptuous, clean and perfect. when we were done with our soba, they poured the water that was used to boil the noodle into our cups of remaining dipping sauce which created this soulful soup. i loved every drop of it!
tamawarai soba house is not to be missed. do not let the unpretentious restaurant front and hidden location deter you from trying out one of the best soba noodles in the world.