noodles here are amazing. can't wait to come back here. i had roast duck soba, holy crap it was so good. despite the fact that i think i could actually feel my blood vessels becoming turgid in my body from hypertension, i couldn't help but suck down every last drop of broth until i was in a complete sodium coma. anyway, also they have real life toto washlets in the bathrooms! talk about authenticity. made me feel like i was really in japan. plus, there's nothing like sitting down on a curiously but comfortably warm toilet seat and pondering water spray options as you do your business. i think my eyes actually lit up when i pushed open the door to the bathroom and i saw the toilet. pretty exciting stuff. read more

Ok so it was a HOT afternoon and I was thinking cold soba would be an excellent dinner option. So we came here to feast. I ordered the Ikura cold soba and he had the Uni soba both served cold. We had the tuna steak don to share...OMG, I cannot emphasize how much I love this tuna steak don. The buttery garlic flavour is enough for me to crave this yummy bowl of goodness :P Mmmm mmm.. read more

Very very good noodles, decent pricing, good classic menu

It's strange that neither of the two things I like most at Soba-Ya are, well, soba. Maybe it's because I know crap about soba. Maybe it's because I just don't get that much soba elsewhere, so I am not aware of the spectacularness of Soba-Ya's soba. I happily slurp it (and, alas, yes, I'm afraid I do probably slurp it... usually because I've had one too many drinks at Angel's Share beforehand, which might be why I can't properly assess the food). Anyway, I digress. What I really like at Soba-Ya are the shumai (!!!). And the honey wasabi ice cream. I usually hate such flavors of ice cream. In my world, ice cream really ought to be chocolate, smothered in hot fudge, stuffed between some bananas, and covered in sprinkles (in essence, I like my ice cream just as a 6-year old would). But somehow I have developed this odd desire for the honey wasabi ice cream, to the point that I might just start ordering other crazy (ie, not chocolate or vanilla) ice creams. And, frankly, I'm not the world's biggest shumai lover, really. But those two things, I love. That's seriously the main motivation for me to go to Soba-Ya. And while I'm there, I enjoy the soba, too, so I guess it's all good. Oh, and they've got this crazy heated toilet seat thing going on right now. read more

I'm a believer! Boyfriend RANTS AND RAVES about this place. He loves the tuna steak-don with a side of udon. The first time I went, I wasn't impressed. But, as I went back, I really grew to love the food. It's clean and simple- not overly dressed. Also, their hot green tea is fab! read more

Delicious soba, warm or cold. Menu is extensive and there's enough for carnivores or vegetarians. It's pretty busy on the weekend but you can easily get a seat during the week. They also have a great lunch special if you're in the 'hood! read more

I've been here a couple of times and really enjoyed it. It is a little pricey for a bowl of noodles, as others have commented, but, hey, this is NYC so I guess I better start getting used to it. The food is delicious though, and the service is quite fast in my experience. I was very relieved to find pictures on the menu to guide my selection, though I think very little on the menu could disappoint me. I loved coming here in the winter time. Slurping down one of those giant bowls of noodles was like having the life breathed back into me. Will definitely be back again. read more

This place is small, clean, and the wait staff is very attentive and friendly. They make the noodles fresh on the spot and is very tasty. I will say however that portions are very small and this place is expensive ($18 for a bowl of Udon???!!!). But you can't argue with the taste and the quality of the food and the overall dining experience, which is why I've been a regular here for the past 4 years. read more

Currently my favorite Soba place in NYC. The noodles are awesome, with the buckwheat flown in from Japan and worth the wait. Soba-koh is getting close but I still pick Soba-ya. read more

Good, though not great soba noodles...i had the lunch set menu and, while a good value for price, the noodles just didn't do it for me. I'll stick with soba-tatto/ read more

Came here a few days ago for some Pho! Very tasty. Fast service, nice pieces of meat. Definitely a good spot for some soup. Also had the shrimp spring rolls -very tasty. Will def come back or order delivery. Love Phooooooooooooo Very cheap too. read more

After reading the solid Zagat review, I decided to check it out. Had the tempura soba which I thought was a tad too salty. Noodles definitely tasted fresh though. For apparently authentic soba, this is the place to go, but not sure it should be your choice if you are in the mood for anything else Japanese. read more

Ramen is more my thing but this was pretty good too. The udon was the cleanest, tastiest I've had. The appetizers were also pretty good. However one dish I did not like so much was the vegetable cold soba - it was quite slimy from one of the vegetables I think (the seaweed?). Awesome being able to watch the guy make soba right there in the restaurant though. However the banging was a bit annoyi read more

I really enjoy this place, their soba is pretty great. It's freshly made and the texture is just right, especially the cold soba. Their kitchen dishes aren't bad either, but the soba is the real winner. They have pretty reasonable lunch sets too which come with either hot or cold soba. Their soba salad with crab is also great! Wish they did take out, that would be my go to dish. read more

Good for a real-deal soba fix. Nice sake selection too.

I have been going here since 2001. It's still amazing and always consistently good. Service always consistently efficient and nice. They have great lunch specials. Expect a wait for dinner. read more

Every time I come here, I'm reminded why I love the simple, clean flavors of Japanese food so much. I've tried many of the noodle dishes, both cold and hot, usually with the soba. I would recommend trying the starter dishes...just amazing, clean flavors that I miss eating a largely Western diet even in NY. The eggplant and the sweet potatoes are two of my favorites. I usually go for the no frills cold or hot soba with the mushrooms and radish. For a more hearty and intensely flavored dish, the duck is delicious! read more

Amazing food! Fun Japanese atmosphere with very friendly, happy staff. Quick service and very clean!

Very good soba shop. Good lunch specials with yummy side things. Zaru soba is good, as are hot soupy ones.

Their lunch set that includes hot or cold soba with your choice of rice bowl (ex. katsu don, unaju etc) is excellent. I love their nabeyaki udon and curry soba too. yum yum yum read more

Been here many times already. Still an great authentic Japanese restaurant. I am not a fan of soba in general so cannot comment much on the soba noodles. The udon however, is delicious. I suggest the chirashi if you are hungry (too much rice) and also the special monkfish liver pate. read more

Too expensive. Nothing is special with the shrimp tempura noodle and the taste is extremely plain, almost no flavor at all.

Had a very relaxing lunch here, dining inside, with soft jazz music that took us away from the hubbub and rain of the street. Quiet, attentive service. Bare tables and surrounding decor of wood beams. Nice variety of ceramic plates for the meal. The food was top notch - the salmon sashimi was buttery and luscious with wonderful seaweed salad, the steamed shrimp shumai extraordinarily delicate yet full of flavor with a very interesting take on shape and texture, the pork belly with poached egg could be served in a Michelin star restaurant, it was tender and had incredible depth of flavor and the addition of the poached egg was luxury; the broth and soba noodles also were enticingly flavored, it was hard to stop eating them to turn to the other dish on the tray - the beautifully tried amber colored shrimp tempura, which tasted fresh, greaseless and had a delightful crunch. Left satisfied with all except the hit to the wallet -- I would have preferred to come in under $120 for lunch for two with no alcohol, but understand things add up fast these days with the Covid 10% surcharge along with the +20% tip we left. read more

Really average. Not bad but not particularly good soba. Avoid the tempura unless you have a deadly Oil Deficiency.

really good spot for soba noodles. all the noodles are pretty good so I can't say I have a favorite however I do like to start with the tempura and tatsuta age. read more

Was rushed out when half the restaurant was empty. Will not be returning due to overpriced menu and mediocre service

The food? Alright. The service? Fucking terrible. The servers were garbage and inattentive such as, Nook. She was our server and when we ordered, myself being vegetarian, wanted clarification on menu items. Nook offered 0 assistance. Not only did she not offer assistance, she didn't even take my order!!! All the items were brought out, and I waited 10-15 before realizing she never entered my order. Then, Nook and the hostess began to whisper and--what I assume--talk shit. read more

Always order the warm duck soba. Normally I don't bother finishing up soup but at this place, I enjoy the very last drop with Soba-Yu. Seen many single eaters at the counter bar too, for those who would rather come and simply enjoy the taste of it, this is the place to come. It'll be perfect if it isn't as noisy as it's been though. (Maybe I'm just being too Japanese.) read more

Excellent sashimi, tempura. Run by Thai folks apparently, but that just adds to the good service.

It's a lovely atmosphere, but it's quite expensive. I didn't find the soba to be really exceptional; I'd rather go to a cheaper place and get the same quality food, with perhaps even more flavor. read more

Everything is of high quality here, and we were surprised to see the B rating sanitation grade they received. This did not hinder us to exploring their hand made soba noodles though. If you check in with yelp you get a free sake, soda, or beer! score. As for appetizers we ordered the shiso sasami which was chicken tenders wrapped with shiso leaves with tempura batter served with a side of green tea salt. It was just OK, not as good as it sounded. The soba dish i ordered was one of the daily specials the Age Tofu which was 2 pieces of large fried tofu with yuzu chili infuzed in the middle served in a fish based broth. The broth was yummy, and the yuzu chili tofus were pretty awesome. They also give you a choice of either soba or udon, but comon if the name of your restaurant is Soba-ya you already know what to choose. Unfortunately I have discovered that soba is one of my least favorite types of noodles. Good broth, but lacking noodles read more

Had this twice in the past 3 weeks. Always get the lunch special tempura soba bento! Really way too much food for one person but soo good (and I'm greedy). You can definitely tell that the soba is fresh with a slight chew. I even got to see one of the chefs knead and cut the noodles in the station next to the hostess table. Service is impeccable and prompt. Love this place! read more

Disappointed at the latest visit. They took away some of the best menu items and the service has gone down. I'll stick with Cocoron, at least it has character (and tofu!) read more

It was really chilly today so my friend and I had a hankering for something warm to fill us up. We both ordered the hot Kamo Seiro (duck and green onion) noodles. I had soba, and she had the udon. I personally LOVED the soba noodles in it, but my friend said she enjoyed the udon style as well. The broth was really good, and very rich from the duck. We weren't looking to have a huge meal so we both got the smaller portion of noodles and the portions actually ended up being really filling. They also have a great early bird special where you can get this prix fixe dinner with apps, noodles, and dessert, but it ends at 7pm. The service was good and the place was pretty packed as we were leaving. I want to come back and try some of the cold noodles at some point too. read more

their soba is otherwordly. i love that they make it fresh and in-house. you can even watch they cut their noodles, which is great. i ordered the eel tempura soba, which i would absolutely recommend. the broth itself was really good and the soba noodles were awesome. i also had the yuzu ginger sake with hot water. they also offer it with sparkling water, but i like it much more with hot water. it's a great drink. it tastes like a bit like honeyed tea, which encouraged me to drink it fast and the sake was like a surprise kick in the face (but i mean that in the best way possible). the wait staff are really nice and very accommodating. this place gets super packed on friday and saturday nights. read more

The cold soba (tempura soba) was very refreshing for this hot summer night. The noodles were firm and tasty. The hot duck soba was good but less interesting. I am ambivalent about its broth: I found it somewhat tasteless at the beginning, but it got tastier. The lotus roots with pickled plums were very... plumsy. You could feel the lotus somewhat. A very nice place overall. Reasonable price too. read more

Got the hot Udon noodle soup with mixed vegetables and mushrooms. It was amazing, I have never had soup like that. Highly recommended!

Sobaya has been so highly regarded by many and I had great expectations for this place only to find that I was highly disappointed. Compared to Soba Totto, this place is not even close to being in the same league. After waiting so long through an endless line, I was shocked to learn that the food is mediocre and that this place has been overhyped by the media. I came to this place twice to give it fair judgement and I am writing to let you know that Soba-ya is "NOT WORTH WAITING IN LINE FOR." Go to Soba Totto, you can cut the line and have a much better soba. As a matter of fact, Soba Totto has better portions, better quality soba than Soba-ya for the same or less price. For example, I tried the Uni Soba at both places. I found out that Soba Totto has more Uni in their soba than Soba-ya and it is much better quality. And the price? Same. Soba Totto beats Soba-ya both in quantity and quality. I have given tries to their appetizers and other dishes. But, the results are the same. I have no bias on any restaurants, and am writing to distinguish the difference between overhype and what is really good. Soba-ya is an overhype. read more

This place seems to always be busy but with the variety of Japanese options on the block, the waits never seem to be too bad. The interior is very cozy and makes you feel right at home once you are seated. Staff are prompt and friendly. My last visit, I had a tuna sashimi don since I was craving tuna. Sliced tuna was neatly arranged on top of a soft bed of white rice and seaweed flakes. Texture and flavor of the tuna was fantastic but there was too much rice. The sobas here run a bit on the larger side (even the smalls) and I have never had any complaint. The duck soba and curry sobas stand out as particularly delicious. As an aside, I prefer Soba-ya over Corcoron because of the larger portions. My only complaint is that it runs a bit on the pricey side, but that seems to be the trend with many of the better Japanese restaurants in the area. read more

I usually love soba-ya and am hoping this just chalked up to a bad night. I ordered a regular sized curry seiro udon. While the bowl was huge, and I'm sure the noodles were measured out - I'm upset that it only came with 4 bite size pieces of chicken. For a price of $16, I expected more. read more