I arrived on Saturday at 11:20, 10 minutes before opening, but about 5 people were already lining up. Even solo diners sit at tables, so it’s popular enough that almost all the seats fill up right after the 11:30 opening. Time moves very slowly and leisurely here. The seasoned way to enjoy it seems to be ordering alcohol and having snacks with it, but we’re non-drinkers, so we just keep waiting for the snacks and soba lol. Here’s what we ordered. ・Coarsely ground soba 1200円 ・Pure buckwheat kake soba 1100円 ・Soba miso 500円 ・Smoked duck kamowasa 950円 We sat down at 11:35, and the first snacks came 35 minutes later. The soba miso was strongly seasoned, the kind of snack that makes you want a drink. Another 25 minutes after the snacks, the soba arrived. The coarsely ground soba comes with salt, and eating it with salt is really nice. The long wait is a drawback, but I recommend it to anyone wanting to enjoy drinks and soba at a leisurely pace.

+3

I had a chance to share a meal with a former client for the first time in a while, so we went to “中清” in Kichijoji, a place they recommended and regularly visit. The alcoholic drinks, sake, snacks, small dishes, soba—everything served was delicious!! How long has it been since I had such a delicious meal out? The “sobagaki,” “豚珍感,” and the “coarsely ground soba” and “Sarashina soba” we had that day were especially outstanding. We also enjoyed many premium sakes that would cost tens of thousands to buy on the market, so the value was almost too good. An outstanding restaurant known only to those in the know, which I don’t want too many people to discover.

+3

We arrived right at opening time, with 5 groups already waiting, and just managed to get seats in the raised seating area. We ordered Kirin Lager (medium) 700円 and kamo seiro 1200円, then waited. After about 7 minutes, the place was full. Everyone seemed to be there to enjoy soba-mae, and I think we were the only ones ordering soba. The kamo seiro—wow, delicious! The soba held its own against both the hot dipping broth and the duck fat. Even though we arrived later, we were the only ones ordering soba, so we ended up finishing first. Thank you for the meal.

+1

①Katsudon→②北極カレー南ばん ①【First visit on April 10, 2026=katsudon】 Just after opening for weekday lunch in a light drizzle, I visited this long-established soba shop, which displays a framed verse by poet Akira Shimizu out front, and went straight to a table. Inside are 4 tables (3 seating 4 & 1 seating 6), plus tables in the raised seating area (2 seating 4). Today I ordered katsudon (1250円). A tray arrived with a rice bowl topped with a large pork cutlet cut into 5 pieces, mini kake soba, a vinegared cucumber & wakame & aburaage dish, and pickles. The katsudon, with freshly fried pork cutlet cooked with egg over piping-hot rice, was satisfying in both flavor & portion size. The thin, flavorful soba and broth were delicious too. Perhaps because it was lunchtime, the customers’ orders while I was there were mostly kamo seiro:katsudon in a 6:4 ratio. They may be the two most popular dishes. Possibly because I entered just after opening, there was a wait of over 30 minutes from ordering to receiving the bowl. I waited for the food while reading a collection of Akira Shimizu’s poems kept in the shop. ②【Return visit on April 17, 2026=北極カレー南ばん】 I returned and ordered a large portion of “北極カレー南ばん,” which had caught my attention last time. The set includes inaka soba (sato soba), a curry nanban dipping sauce with simmered pork and scallions, scallions, and a small side dish. The extra portion is served later in a separate seiro, as nihachi soba. The thick curry dipping sauce coats the flavorful soba deliciously. Lucky to enjoy two types of soba. Partway through, I sprinkled shichimi togarashi on the noodles to change the flavor, and finished by diluting the remaining dipping sauce with sobayu. Incidentally, “南極カレー南ばん” on the dipping soba menu apparently contains chicken.

+3

The taste is top-notch, but the service, well... I understood why there are so many 1-star ratings on Google. The firm, springy soba is fantastic, but the staff are so unfriendly and the food takes soooo long to arrive. I was satisfied because I got to enjoy delicious soba, but some people might completely lose their temper. Such an unbalanced place.