In the Edo period (1603-1867), soba was a popular food among the common people, and in order for people to enjoy freshly made soba, soba restaurants made soba only after receiving orders. While waiting for the soba to be served, people enjoyed sake and snacks, and the relationship between soba and alcohol became inseparable, so much so that the term soba-mae (before soba) was coined. Enjoy this style of soba food culture at the famous soba restaurant Soba Shop Honoka in Ryogoku.
Seasonal soba that you must taste when you come here
From the outside, the restaurant has a luxurious atmosphere and may look intimidating, but once inside, you will be warmly welcomed by the manager, as is typical in downtown Tokyo.
The restaurant offers seasonal soba, such as chagiri in early summer and yuzukiri in winter, so you can enjoy a different kind every time you visit. If you order seiro, it is served in two pieces, so you can choose to have two different kinds of soba.
Hokusai Seiro
The Gate Hotel Ryogoku staff recommends the Hokusai Seiro, which is served with duck meat and a hot sauce filled with vegetables such as eggplant and leek. This excellent dish was selected as one of the “Sumida Modern 2017”, a regional brand recognized annually by Sumida Ward.
The handmade buckwheat noodles, made from buckwheat flour selected with particular care for its production area, are pulled through a millstone in the restaurant and are truly delicious.
Sake and snacks to be enjoyed before soba
A la carte dishes such as seasonal tempura, baked miso, and sobagaki (buckwheat cake made by kneading buckwheat flour in boiling water), etc., which are unique to soba restaurants, are all dishes that you should try at least once.
Soba-mae also offers a wide variety of sake, ranging from junmai (pure rice sake) to authentic shochu (distilled spirit). Like the buckwheat flour, the selection of sake is also carefully chosen from all over Japan.
The restaurant is so popular that there is sometimes a line outside the restaurant at lunchtime, so reservations are recommended for those who want to be sure of a meal. Preschool children are not allowed in the restaurant.
It is a 10-minute walk from The Gate Hotel Ryogoku. If coming by train, it is a 9-minute walk from the East Exit of Ryogoku Station on the JR Sobu Line or a 3-minute walk from Exit A5 of Ryogoku Station on the Toei Oedo Line. A small entrance with a fluorescent curtain marks the entrance. The “Hokusai Seiro” menu sign can also be used a landmark to spot the shop.
SHOP DATA
Soba Shop Honoka
| Address | 1-25-7 Midori, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0021 |
| TEL | 03-3634-2918 |
| Business hours | 11:30-15:00 17:30-22:00 (L.O. 21:30 ) |
| Closed | Sunday |
*For the latest information on business hours and holidays, please contact the restaurant directly.
