Popular soba restaurant a short walk east from Shintoku Station. Interior is warm and rustic, with a mix of tatami, tabled, and counter seating, the latter of which is suitable for solo diners. The service is cordial and efficient. It was a little busy when I entered at lunchtime on a weekday, but there were nonetheless several available seats. I had the tenzaru soba, which was prepared swiftly and tasted good. The soba noodles in particular were great.

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You can enjoy Shintoku's famous soba noodles at a reasonable price.

Great soba noodles and a lovely atmosphere

Minatoya” in Shintoku, Hokkaido, is a popular long-established soba restaurant known for its firm, chewy noodles and excellent value. It has also earned high ratings on major food websites, including “3.46” on Tabelog and “3.9” on Jalan net. Specific points of praise and characteristics found in reviews are as follows. 🥢 Soba characteristics and flavor * Noodle chew and thickness: Slightly thick, uneven, handmade country-style soba, characterized by a substantial bite and strong firmness. * Sauce flavor: A strongly flavored sauce that is on the salty side but also has sweetness, coating the hearty thick noodles well. * Portion size: Portions are generous, and many reviewers express satisfaction with the excellent value. 🍛 Popular menu items * Avec don: The restaurant's signature menu item lets you enjoy two kinds of dishes at once: a rice bowl (such as tendon or butadon) and soba. * Goshiki soba: An indulgent menu item that lets you enjoy a little of many toppings, including mountain vegetables, tempura, tororo, grated radish, and natto. * Tenzaru: Comes with large, springy shrimp tempura, praised for how well the crispy coating pairs with the soba. ⚠️ Things to keep in mind when visiting * Heavy lunchtime crowds: Popular enough that people wait in the parking lot before opening, it quickly fills with tourists and locals at lunchtime, with queues forming. Allow plenty of time for your visit. [1, 2, 3] * Different noodle preferences: These have a strong rustic, firm country-soba character rather than refined, thin soba focused on going down smoothly, so preferences may vary.

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🦅Washio★Jiro's “Hokkaido Hyakunen Shokudo” series vol.17 💯Avec don (tendon & hiyashi kashiwa) Founded in Taisho 9 (1920). Turning 106 this year (2026), this century-old eatery represents Shintoku. A neighborhood soba shop long loved by locals and also featured in Michelin Guide Hokkaido 2017. Its specialty is “Avec don,” which lets you enjoy soba and a rice bowl at the same time. This time I had the “Avec don” with tendon and hiyashi kashiwa (cold kashiwa soba) 😋 “Hiyashi kashiwa” is rustic soba made with whole-ground flour, using more than 90% Shintoku-produced buckwheat flour. The savory, less-sweet soba sauce with a strong bonito flavor brings out its aroma and sweetness. Could the kashiwa be local Shintoku chicken? The flavor spreads with every chew. The “tendon” has 2 shrimp tempura, white fish, and shiso. The crispy coating and moderately sweet sauce offer the reassuring taste of a soba shop. A serving that lets you taste a century of history and the quality of Shintoku soba at once. Delicious♪ Thanks for the meal 🙏 (Visited March 22, 2024)

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