Honke Owariya Main Branch — Restaurant in Kyoto

The oldest soba restaurant in Japan! It was incredible to visit a place with over 500 years of history, still run by the 16th generation of the same family. The atmosphere was steeped in tradition, housed in a beautifully preserved machiya building. We climbed a set of steep wooden stairs to reach the second floor, where the dining rooms were spacious, serene, and perfectly quiet - a calm setting where you could almost feel the weight of history in the air.

We ordered the cold soba set with tempura and a mini-donburi (rice topped with a lightly cooked egg) for ¥2,915, as well as the Nishin Soba (herring fillets and soba in a warm soup) for ¥1,650.

While the food was enjoyable, I wouldn’t say it lives up to claims of being “the best soba.” The flavours were good but not exceptional - nothing that justified the higher price point. That said, the experience of dining in such a historic space was worth it.

If you’re planning a visit, I recommend coming not just for the food but to soak in the centuries-old ambiance. The restaurant opens at 11am, but I suggest arriving about 15–20 minutes earlier. We happened to pass by at 10:40am, joined the queue, and were lucky enough to be seated in the first round of customers.

Overall, while it may not be a destination for mind-blowing soba, it’s a memorable stop for anyone wanting to savour a piece of...

Food: My family ordered several of their soba sets. I had the cold soba with vegetable tempura. The only way I can describe the food was that it was simple, elegant and fresh-- a testament to the wonderful produce of Japan. Serving sizes were more than adequate: their soba sets can feed up to 2.

Service: Fast, friendly, and professional. There is a looong queue outside the restaurant, but they're quite efficient in moving the queue. Great of them to hand over menus so you can already have an order the moment you're seated.

Atmosphere: Having read up on Japanese architecture, stepping into the restaurant feels like a time capsule of the era albeit with a few modern conveniences (Japanese toilets and air conditioning). You get a sense of the history of the shop with what appear to be artifacts dating back centuries. Quite happy with how well the place has been maintained / restored (as the case may be).

P.S. Fair warning: the steps going up to the 2nd floor dining room are rather steep, which I must stress is not limited to this restaurant, so I will not dock off any points for that. If you are traveling with someone with weak knees, try to reserve a table in...

A historic delight of a soba noodle place. As their menu states in the back, this establishment has existed for hundreds of years passed through generations of the same family. It’s unclear whether the building has been around that long, but the architecture reflects its long Japanese heritage.

For food, I would say it’s a bit of a mix. They do make delicious soba and dipping sauce that tasted rather perfect, which is what they’re known for. Surprisingly, my favorite thing was actually the minidon, as it was bursting with flavor.

They lose a star for the vegetable tempura. Though tasty, some of the root vegetables were rather hard and borderline crunchy. It was a little too unpleasant for a place so highly rated and famous. The service as great, and I would still recommend this place overall.

I came during the dinner rush and had a 25 minute wait. I feel it was worth that wait, and they don’t...