A Taste of Japan in East Village
We visited Sobaya, a soba specialty restaurant in the East Village, on a rainy weekend. From the outside, it looked like a small restaurant straight out of Japan, and the interior had that same clean, minimal Japanese vibe. Right by the entrance, we noticed a small plaque showing it had been listed in the Michelin Guide for two years in a row, which made us a bit more excited even before ordering.
When we walked in, the place wasn’t too crowded, but by the time we were done eating, there was already a line for waiting. The warm wood tones, the simple but thoughtful table setting, and the calm atmosphere really added to the charm—it almost felt like being in Tokyo. When we visit the authentic or Japanese style restaurant, we prefer to sit at the bar, which gives more Japanese movie or drama vibe haha 😂
Menu
As you can already see it in their name, their most famous menu is. Soba. We prefer the Cold soba, but also wanted to try both hot and cold.
What we ordered
- Yuki Otoko Nigori
We ordered Nigori before we start ordering for the food. Why? because it was on sale! 😂. $35 sake were discounted to $20. We just love the special price. Unlike other filtered sake like Junmai or Ginjo, Nigori is unfiltered sake which makes it cloudy color and texture. Nigori is usually much more sweeter than other filtered sake.
- Zaru Soba
I ordered the most basic cold soba dish. The noodles were served with a light, clean dipping sauce (tsuyu), which paired really well with the wasabi and scallions. We also ordered shrimp tempura and tonkatsu on the side. The shrimp tempura was super crispy and delicious, but the tonkatsu was a bit dry for my taste—probably wouldn’t get that again next time.
- Kitsune
Since it was raining, I went with a warm soba dish instead of my usual cold version. I was expecting a slightly sweet and savory broth, but it was more clean and salty—still really comforting. The sweet marinated tofu (aburaage) on top balanced out the broth nicely.
- Salmon Rice Bowl
This was a seasonal item they recently brought back, so we had high hopes. We were expecting thick slices of fresh salmon sashimi, but instead it came finely chopped like something you’d find in a hand roll, mixed with mayo and yuzu kosho on top of rice. The presentation was a bit unexpected, but the flavor was still good!
How was it?
Overall, the food was clean and subtle—very close to what you’d get in a Japanese home-style meal. The quality of the soba noodles was especially impressive. It was such a pleasant surprise to find such an authentic soba experience right in the middle of New York City.
Final Thoughts : Should you go?
The space was quiet, the staff was kind, and everything felt relaxed and unhurried. Prices were a little on the higher side, but honestly, the quality made it worth it. If you’re looking for a calm meal with authentic flavors, Sobaya is definitely worth checking out.