When considering the quintessential dish of Tokyo, it would be heretical to not place Kanda Yabu Soba’s kamo-nanban soba on the shortlist. The rich duck slices and springy buckwheat noodles boast rare symmetry, providing a dining experience that’s been nearly unrivaled in the city for 142 years. However, Tokyo almost lost this mecca of summertime delights when a fire swallowed the historic building in 2013. Over a year passed before fears that the soba icon would never return were put to rest with a new building across the river from Akihabara. While the space may be more modern now, Kanda Yabu Soba is still serving superior noodles, accompanied by distinguished servers who roam the dining hall singing out orders in a haunting, warbling soprano. Their harmonies—like their soba—resonate well beyond the walls of the restaurant, enriching the city it has served for more than a century.

If you’re looking for more places to try soba in Tokyo, check out our full article here.

2-10 Kanda Awajicho Chiyoda-ku
3 min. walk from Kanda Station
yabusoba.net