cozy and clean soba spot in chinatown! service was attentive and i really enjoyed the hot beef sukiyaki soba and agedashi tofu appetizer. the agedashi tofu's crispy outside and soft inside was well paired with its umami sauce, and the beef sukiyaki meat was the perfect amount of fattiness. read more

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Absolutely amazing. Can be a bit of a wait to get in and there's not a lot of room, but the cozy environment, personable staff, and amazing food make Somenya a real stand out. We got the beef kimchi udon and the karaage curry soba and each one was amazing. Delicious broth (could be a bit spicie), good chunks of means, and uhmazing noodles! 10/10 recommend and one of the best areas in town! read more

Somenya - Soba restaurant - Karaage Cury soba - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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So amazing! The cold spicy beef udon was a religious experience. It's not often that I'm basically licking the bowl clean after a meal. My bf ordered the chicken karaage donburi bowl. The chicken was juicy and crispy on the outside. The sauces were delicious but it needed more of them. Overall portions were pretty good sized. The seaweed salad was a yummy appetizer too and everything was fairly reasonably priced (for today's standards). I went to bed dreaming about the udon and I will be returning. read more

The shop is very cute! I loved all the banners hanging around. I got the duck udon which came a nice medium pink. The udon noodles are thinner than normal udon but still have that characteristic chew. We quickly got seated as soon as a table opened up. read more

Somenya - Soba restaurant - Duck Udon - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Somenya Soba in Boston is seriously a hidden gem. I tried the soba sukiyaki, and it was amazing--the broth was super rich, the beef was super tender, and the soba had the perfect bite to it. I also grabbed a couple appetizers: the agedashi tofu was on point, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the gyoza was perfectly crispy with a great filling. The place has a chill vibe, the service is super friendly. Definitely coming back next time I'm in Btown! read more

How is this single piece of agedashi tofu $10? Flavor aside due to take out, the pricing is absolutely unreasonable. read more

Somenya - Soba restaurant - How is this one single piece of agedashi tofu $10? - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I've been obsessed with soba noodles since my last trip to Japan. Big fan of Somenya! Just on the edge of Boston's Chinatown, this compact restaurant is cozy and welcoming. The staff are all absolutely lovely, making recommendations if it's your first time. All sorts of hot and cold dishes, with soba (or ramen). The cucumber salad appetizer is delicious, don't miss it! Delicious teas, sakes and wine. read more

Somenya - Soba restaurant - A warming bowl of deliciousness on an icy cold Friday. - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

My first impression was "wow this place makes me feel like Im in Japan!" Even though the place is small, it doesn't feel like it at all. It was a comfortable space between you and the next table and the place was very cozy! It's kinda like a quick eat udon place, but the staff is very friendly. We ordered Tanuki udon and the Yasai Kakiage udon which was both really delicious! Can't wait to come back and try some other ones! read more

Somenya - Soba restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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My GAWRSH. What a delight for this place to be here in Boston Chinatown. Easy quick place to get your soba or udon. Quick spot to get a table if you call too. Got the beef curry udon- chewy, delicious, umami. Also got the soba kanten. Interesting flavor, but definitely can taste the wheat Other things we have tired are the takoyaki, fried oysters, and karaage- all a delight and an izakaya classic. Can't hype this place more tbh read more

This restaurant has a cute, very Japanese-like interior. I felt like I was actually sitting in a restaurant in Japan. We got the Beef Sukiyaki Udon and Zaru Soba. The Sukiyaki was really good, but the portion was a bit small. read more

Somenya - Soba restaurant - Beef Sukiyaki Udon - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Super cute interior that is unique from any other place in Chinatown. It's unassuming from the outside but it feels cozy inside. The different noodles we tried were all good. I got the soba with my dish but I think udon is actually the way to go. Each broth has its own unique flavor that's light and not heavy to eat at all read more

Simply put, as a first timer to having sobthis left a great first impression! I came in right after work on a Wednesday with the goal of trying Somenya. Walking inside felt like I was being transported back to spring with all the bright and beautiful cherry blossom & Japanese decor. Perhaps bc/ I was the only one in the restaurant for a majority of my visit but my service was great! My server whom I presume may have been the owner was very attentive and personal. I started off with the crispy squid tentacles which were TO DIE FOR!!!! So good I wanted to order more but had to hold back. I will note that the sauce was a bit inconvenient being placed on the parchment paper with the squid tentacles - it was a bit hard trying to dip. Perhaps it would have been better placing the sauce in a separate bowl? But I can also understand that you'd only need so much anyways so it's not the a big deal to be frank. After, I had the Truffle Snow Crab Meat Soba. This was absolutely amazing if you are a fan of truffle and seafood - Everything just collectively made sense together. Towards the end of finishing my bowl, the last couple of bits were a bit salty but not drastically where it was off putting! Now usually I don't get dessert but after speaking with my server, I was convinced! She had recommended the ice cream and I was completely shocked with how delicious the Soba Ice Cream was! It was nice and nutty and was crunchy from the toasted buckwheat seeds! It was the perfect way to end the meal! Overall, I was really satisfied and definitely will be frequenting. read more

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More towards 4.5- TLDR: I would go back for certain dishes! Been wanting to go for a while and finally made it to Somenya in Chinatown, a soba speciality shop for all your soba needs (with some udon and rice dishes too!!). We ordered four different dishes and here are my thoughts on all of them: Salmon Ikura Soba (o$26) Clearly a very photogenic dish, but actually not my favorite of the four we had. The salmon was super fresh and a good size, and when dipped in the soy sauce, complimented the soba noodles really well since it comes in a light yuzu "juice" (so imo it's yum but needs more flavor) Beef Sukiyaki Soba (can also be udon, $20) If you like udon from Yume, you'll love this dish, so obviously I love this dish and it was my favorite one of the night!! The premium shaved ribeye + poached egg + all the toppings and sauces Curry Beef Udon (can also be soba, $20) This literally healed me from the rain yesterday I needed something soupy and this was so comforting, but it's a flavor overload. We all agreed it was bomb, but would be more ideal to share since it's quite rich. This was my sister's dish, so what I did was take her broth and ate it with my Salmon Ikura Soba for more flavor! Roast Duck Soba (can also be udon, $22) It comes in a light broth and a good amount of duck, but it was my least favorite. My cousin said he liked this one, I just preferred the others more tbh. read more

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WOWOW a must go in Boston. This place does not disappoint. Literally everything was delicious. All the appetizers were fried to perfection with a light tasting batter. The curry beef udon was SO GOOD. Savory and delicious. The curry taste was perfect, not overbearing. The udon was cooked well, not too soft nor hard. The kanten dessert was a nice and light dessert. Not too sweet. The decor inside is adorable. The flowers and banners really make a difference. It was a lil spot that made me feel like I was jumping into Japan. Service was fast. We didn't have to wait too long for our group of 6. Very accommodating. If you make a reservation, make sure to be on time. They are strict which is understandable because it's a small space. Super great! If you are in Boston, you gotta try this place!! read more

Good service, decor, and seating for Chinatown. No complaints for any of the dishes we tried. The soba & tofu dishes were good. They had initially brought us the wrong tofu dish, but they had come back to let us know & corrected it. Overall, I'd return to try their other noodle dishes read more

Incredible restaurant - interior was so cozy and warm, service was quick and servers were so friendly and kind. Loved the throwback music. Soba I ordered was super delicious, great noodle texture and flavor of the beef. I enjoyed the texture of the egg. Loved the takoyaki, shishito peppers, brussels sprouts. Dashi on everything was a nice touch. Highly recommend!! read more

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We came in on a cold rainy night and needed something warm. The husband wanted to revisit simenya for the beef rice. It is a lovely cozy place with cute Japanese decor. I just learned the soba and udon noodles are house made!! Service is always attentive and kind. read more

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Loved trying this restaurant in Chinatown! We came on a weekend for lunch (they open at 12pm) and there were plenty of tables available. We split the Koji fried chicken as an app, which was delicious (excellent seasoning). For mains I got the sukiyaki noodles (beef) which had the option of either soba noodles or udon noodles. I got soba which was super yummy - the broth is very complex and rich without feeling too heavy, and the beef was especially delicious- almost had a bacon-like profile. The interior is very cute and clean. Will be back! read more

Somenya - Soba restaurant - Sukiyaki with soba - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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I was craving something light and refreshing for lunch, so I walked in specifically looking for some cold dipping udon with hot tempura (my favorite meal in Japan). I was delighted to find the tenzaru soba option and even happier when I found out that you could sub the soba for udon (my preference). The udon came perfectly chewy with just the right portion for lunch. The dipping dashi was good but needed just a little more potency for my taste. The tempura was nice--nothing like what I had in Japan in terms of texture (it's a thicker batter for sure with smaller shrimp), but it was seasoned really nicely. I also wish the price was lower--$22 was pretty steep and makes this hard to make a more regular lunch. In fact, I felt like everything here was about $4-5 more than it should cost, from the apps to the mains, but that's potentially a side effect of the expensive Chinatown rent these days. The atmosphere was really lovely inside and would make a nice date night. I'll definitely be back to try more dishes! read more

I love coming here to eat. The fried chicken was really good and the snow crab udon is great. Since coming here last time, the service and time to make the food got so much quicker read more

Somenya - Soba restaurant - Fried chicken - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

3.5 stars Was really excited to try this soba place since it's been super hot in Boston. The interior is very lovely and unique. It's perfect for a date or get together with a friend. We ordered the truffle edamame, shishito peppers, spicy salmon tartare, salmon ikura soba, and truffle snow crab meat soba. We enjoyed the edamame and shishito peppers. The spicy salmon tartare was okay. The sobas felt like they were missing something. The broth wasn't that great and was a little bland. For $26-$28 per bowl, I expected more. We ended with their soba icecream and matcha kanten (like a jelly). A bit pricy but definitely the best things I tried from somenya that I haven't seen at other places. Service was very good and our waiter was friendly and patient. It was good to try, but I won't be rushing back read more

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Interior is cute, food is delicious, servers are kind. I will definitely be back to try other menu items! read more

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Food is pretty good but I would prefer the hot soba over cold soba. I went in right when it was open so there was no wait. Decent size restaurant in Chinatown. read more

Somenya - Soba restaurant - Koji Fried Chicken Kimchi Beef Udon Spicy Beef Udon - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

After doing much research into where to eat in Chinatown, we decided to try out Somenya. We were excited to try this new udon/soba place after seeing the great reviews. The restaurant has a really cozy and cute ambience and the service is good, but overall I don't see myself returning. The koji fried chicken ($12) was good -- decently crispy and tender inside -- but nothing special. I was expecting more interesting flavors. It's also quite expensive for what it is. I got the spicy snow crab hot udon ($20). The broth was decent, and I liked the crispy chili garlic crunch on top. The crab was good, though there were some soft shell pieces mixed in. I didn't like the noodles. They are made in house but were a bit overcooked/soft, and didn't have much chew. I wanted more of a bite. I would rather have the storebought frozen udon noodles. Overall this restaurant is very cute, but I don't think I would come back. I prefer the snow crab udon at Futago -- though their noodles are also a bit soft, they are still better, and the portion size is much larger. Yume ga arukara remains the best udon I've had in Boston. read more

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Don't bother ordering the uni soba. Was charged $5 additional for the "Japan imported" uni that is very small and tasted just like any other uni that you get at the supermarket. Portion is very small as well. Won't be back. read more

Somenya - Soba restaurant - Don't bother ordering the uni soba. - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Have gotten both the hot karaage curry udon and the unagi don! both have been very good. portions are more generous on the noodles for sure but quite good especially for the price. will be coming back :) read more

Food was not bad but did not match expectation - possibly the ambience gave the wrong impression. The interior is in fact beatiful with lots of details that altogether create a very Japanese vibe. Service was good. Price seemed ok to high because the quality of the food varied across the menu. read more

For starters, I usually roll my eye when it comes to noodles since that's what my family usually chases when we go somewhere. Somen caught my eye because I'm familiar with cold noodles, but haven't been to one in ages, when ramen shops pop up all over frequently. It's a small space, maybe a little bigger than Tora a street over. But I do like the decorations and art on the walls. The tables are a bit too low for me and I'm low enough as it is. With low expectations, I kept skimming through the menu, but after talking to the waitress (super friendly and awesome through the night!), I knew what I'm going for. Salmon Yamakake - light and refreshing sitting in some shoyu sauce. Next time, I'd put the wasabi in the bowl it came in, instead of a separate one since the shoyu sauce was just salty enough. Ikura Uni Soba - I forgot what Ikura and Uni is, but I just remember taking one bite and then lifting the bowl to make inhaling this delicious bowl of soba easier! Must be the lemon they placed atop it, which also seems to be a theme of their dishes as well. Matcha Kanten - first time I came across this, but love how you can add the black sugar and make it even sweeter. The flower shaped spoon's cool, too! First time here and definitely a fan now. I just hope that the joy I felt trying the items for the first time continues with every visit! read more

Food: 8/10 Tried a few solid appetizers including the Hiya Yakko Japanese Cold Tofu, the Koji Fried Chicken, and Fried Oysters. It comes out as it's ready. The tofu had a nice creamy texture and it went well with the chili oil and dipping sauce. The dipping sauce provided most of the flavor and should definitely not be sipped like a broth! The fried chicken and oysters were also delicious without being too salty. I had the shrimp tempura hot soba as my main. The broth could have been hotter and a little less salty. It came with 4 shrimp tempuras with a slightly thicker and crunchier texture than I imagined. The soba itself still had a good bite to it. Overall, still happy with the dish. Ambiance: 10/10 Super cute soba/udon spot in Chinatown! The place is very picture-worthy with lots of colors and decor that really plays up the Japanese vibe. Service: 9/10 Friendly staff! Frequent water refills. I would have love not to feel rushed at all when they came around asking if things could be cleared but I understand the place isn't super big and they probably need to turn the tables around quick. read more

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I would always pass by this restaurant, but never went in until I decided to go one day with friends and the interior literally blew me away. The workers had such welcoming vibes and so sweet when I was having a trouble ordering. Let's start with the appetizer. The crispy squid tentacles were crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and so flavorful. As for the main dish, I got beef sukiyaki udon and woww the noodles were chewy and the broth was amazing not too salty. Highly recommend for anyone who loves a good bowl of noodles. :) read more

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This restaurant is truly a hideaway gem in Boston's Chinatown!! It's on the outer edges of Chinatown and it isn't super visible so it's hard to stumble upon. But trust me when I say it's worth it. They hand make both their udon and soba too :) We started with some Japanese sake and our server poured it for us so beautifully, great balance of alcohol with rice flavor. For appetizers, we got the spicy salmon tartare and fried chicken karaage. For noodles we got the beef curry udon and the cold spicy beef noodles. We ended with the matcha jelly dessert and homemade soba ice cream!!! The appetizers were amazing. The salmon was so fresh and the collaboration of ingredients made a perfect balance 9/10. The chicken was lightly fried, juicy, hot, and the sauce had great levels of acidity to it 8.5/10. The spicy cold soba was so good. It was fresh, spicy, acidic, with warm beef, and overall a great concoction 8.25/10. The curry udon was flavorful with good spices and beef was yummy but it was a little too watered down. If it was a little thicker it would be great 7/10. Now onto the dessert. The matcha jelly (homemade) comes with brown sugar on the side so it can be as sweet as you want. It was bouncy and I loved the texture. The soba ice cream. Oh my God. This is probably my favorite dessert I've ever had at a restaurant. They use buckwheat seeds and make the ice cream themselves. It's nutty, not too sweet, and so unique. I just loved it so much. I would go back for this ice cream 9/10. This restaurant serves both cold and hot noodles so it's perfect for any time of the year! The service is also so kind, the ambiance is beautiful, and the food is well-rounded and delectable. read more

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I enjoyed eating here overall. Food-wise, I got the beef sukiyaki soba and we shared the brussel sprouts (I really wanted a veggie dish) and shrimp tempura. The beef sukiyaki soba was decent (loved the noodles and broth, the beef was cut up small) , but I'd probably try some of the other noodle dishes next time. The brussel sprouts were done well and I enjoyed those. I'd skip the shrimp tempura though, our batch seemed like it was mostly breading even if I liked how it was cooked. The people were nice and the interior was a pleasant place to be! read more

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Yes and yes and yes. I knew from the Yelp reviews that this place was going to be great. Came here for lunch right at its opening and we were not disappointed. The ikura and the combined gave the soba a refreshing sweet taste. The thinly sliced scallions and the leaf gave me the right amount of crunch. It was everything i hoped for in a soba bowl. It was refreshing and healthy. My Irish friend came with and she said this was DELICIOUS and a new flavor palette for her. Service was excellent. Never had low water and always was asked if everything was ok! It was more than ok - it was AMAZING! Interior reminds me of a little ramen place in Tokyo I went to and it's the vibe for me! read more

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Another restaurant located on the outskirts of Chinatown that takes you back into an old style Japanese place as you walk down the stairs. I came here for dinner on a weekday with a friend and we were able to grab a table around 6 without waiting. I decided on getting roast duck with udon noodles, since I'm not a huge fan of somen noodles. Overall the dish was okay, the udon noodles were pretty thin, but the broth and toppings made up for it. The weather was cold, so this bowl will definitely warm and fill you up. They were not too attentive to our table and it took us a long time before we got the check to pay. Somenya is a nice place to go for the vibes and is worth checking out if you're in the Chinatown area. read more

Somenya - Soba restaurant - Roast duck udon - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I came here with some friends on a Sunday night and it was surprisingly not that busy! This is a cute new spot in Chinatown for some noodles! I love the all the indoor decorations, it definitely gives Japan vibes! We ordered the fried oysters, koji fried chicken, and the crispy squid tentacles to share. These appetizers were tasty and they are a small portion so you might want to order more for a larger group. I got the beef sukiyaki soba and it was flavorful and the broth was refreshing! I think I would've liked the udon version better tho! My friends got the curry beef udon and the cold kimchi beef which they liked! I definitely would come back here to get the udon! read more

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The staff were nice and attentive. The interior was very cozy and beautifully decorated. The takoyaki was good but the balls were on the smaller side and could be crisper. The calamari was really good and definitely better than the traditional ones. I ordered the tempura soba and it was $20. I thought the broth was clean and delicious. I do think the noodles could have been chewier and lastly the tempura could have been more crispy. Overall, I thought the whole dining experience here was good and worth trying. read more

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Great service and yummy food! I tried the spicy beef cold soba. It was very good. I will try the udon and salmon sashimi. The host was very friendly and helpful. read more

My first time eating here at Somenya and I was throughly impressed. There was a line into the restaurant but I waited less than 10 minutes. The seating area was clean, comfortable and inviting. Me and my friend ordered the chicken karage and shishito peppers as a starters. We both ordered the beef sukiyaki udon for our entree. The food took a while to come out, but when it did it was piping hot--just how I like it. I'll chalk the wait up to Somenya being a new restaurant. I'm sure it will improve with time. The chicken karage was very crispy, tender and juicy. It came with a nice dollop of kewpie mayo and served as a delicious appetizer to our meal. The shishito peppers were alright. Unfortunately, they were not too crispy and lacked a kick of spice. The beef udon I got was terrific! I wish they would give a little bit more noodles though. The soup was a little spicy but I loved that! I will most definitely come back to try more items, especially the soba noodles. read more

Incredible little Japanese food in Chinatown. Great service and atmosphere, killer music playlist and one of the best bowls of noodles I've had in a long time. Go here. read more

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Food was good and well portioned The vibes were cute and calm There was three of us and we got there around noon on a Sunday. We had to wait a bit before we were able to sit down. In the future, if I'm able to, I will make a reservation just to cut on time. I would definitely go here again. read more