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| Rating | Avg. Dinner Entrée |
|---|---|
| $$$$$ | Greater than $25 |
| $$$$ | $18.01 - $25 |
| $$$ | $12.01 - $18 |
| $$ | $7.01 - $12 |
| $ | Less than $7 |
Reviews from nymag.com
| Food | ![]() |
Value | ![]() |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service | ![]() |
Atmosphere | ![]() |
Posted by Andrew on 04/06/2009
Forget what you read... Soba Nippon is a great Japanese noodle spot!
There's a lot of misguided reviews here. First of all, regarding the price, yes, it's a bit pricey. But it's not "Yasada prices," as one reviewer put it. It's not even close to Yasuda prices. Another reviewer said s/he thought the bill was pricey "even for Manhattan." That's not even close to true. If that reviewer thinks Soba Nippon is pricey for Manhattan, than s/he hasn't really experienced Manhattan dining. At Soba Nippon, a zaru soba meal is $18. A Teriyaki meal is around $22. A Tonkatsu meal is $24. These prices are for WHOLE MEALS, not single dishes or appetizers. Given this fact and also that they make soba from buckwheat on their personal farm (in Canada I believe), the price isn't bad. You leave Soba Nippon having spent $40 per person (give or take). You leave Yasuda having spent $80-$100+ per person. And you can't even compare Soba Nippon's prices with those of Karuma Zushi ($250-$350+ per person), for exmaple, or other ultra-expensive Japanese restaurants in Manhattan. So while Soba Nippon's prices aren't "cheap," they're far from outrageous. Second, if you're coming to Soba Nippon expecting your typical Japanese restaurant menu, you won't find it. This is a different kind of Japanese. Soba Nippon is a soba noodle house, which is a sub-cuisine of Japanese. It's entirely different than a sushi restaurant where you'd get maki rolls, sushi and tempura (although you can get tempura at Soba Nippon). Soba Nippon, on the other hand, is where you get a zaru soba (cold soba with dipping sauce) and other cooked dishes, not sushi and other "typical" dishes of a New York Japanese restaurant. So there's no use in comparing Soba Nippon to other Japanese restaurants in the city (except for noodle places) or in judging Soba Nippon in those terms. Third, the quality of the soba at Soba Nippon is extremely high. It's certainly as good as the now-closed Honmura An. (Another reviewer claimed that the soba wasn't as good as that of Honmura An.) All in all, Soba Nippon serves an outstanding Soba meal. And these reviewers' misgivings seem quite misplaced.
Posted by Over-priced and Under-whelmed on 07/22/2008
Poor overall value
This place has good ambience but that is about the only good thing one could attribute to it. For $25 one get 2 nari sushi, a bowl of soba with ONE shrimp (yah that's right, one), one slice of eggplant, one slice of carrot and once slice of cucumber tempura. This price is hign even for Manhattan. To make things worse the soba is nothing special. They will tell you it's from Canada but so what...no difference in quality or taste as compared to the products from Japan. There are many other fine choices for lunch and this place is simply pricing itself right out of the market.
Posted by RB-8 on 05/15/2008
I'm a big fan of their SOBA
I recently moved out of City and get to visit less - miss their noodles so much already. Their homemade soba (apparently cultivate their own in Canada), chewy & flavorful, is excellent hot and cold. Good for you too, feels like it burns clean in my body. Lunch is packed with businessmen enjoying value lunch set menu. Definitely need reservation if getting there around noon-1:30PM range. Slurping loud is the proper way to eat soba and fun to observe Japanese businessmen doing so. Dinner is more pricey but less hectic with relaxing atomosphere. Sushi is good too. Gets to try different tapas-style dishes with good sake and of course soba to finish.
Posted by Anonymous on 04/25/2008
Not a good value
The food is ok here, however it's easily two or three times as expensive as every other place in the area. I got take-out and they charged me $3 more for an inside out roll than a regular one. 10 bucks for eel and avocado is a little crazy even for midtown. I work right next door so wish they didn't take me to the cleaners the first time I tried the place. I doubt I'll order from there again.
Posted by Japanese on 08/27/2006
Soba Nippon
Soba Nippon is a fabulous, authentic, Japanese restaurant. The food is spectacular. My favorite is the Chicken Teriyaki; the Soba noodles are also very good. The service is excellent. The waiters and waitresses are kind and the hosts and hostesses are welcoming. The decoration is nice, but is not overdone. Although, with a lot of people it can get expensive. If you love Japanese food you need to go to Soba Nippon.
Posted by a Japanese living in NYC on 05/06/2006
Eat here to taste "mom's food"
Soba is huge on the menu, and most Americans there seem to just eat soba and leave. But they are missing the point. This place is loved by expats living in NY, not so much because of the soba, but because the food is what Japanese moms and grandmas make at home. The authentic way to eat Japanese food here is to share 5 or 6 appetizer dishes with a friend, and perhaps have soba at the end. My favorite are the croquettes, tamago-yaki (Japanese-style sweet omelette), and goma-ae, all of which remind me of my mother's. Oden served in the winter is great, too. So next time you go there, ignore the "entree" dishes, and just stick to the appetizers like we do.
Posted by Anonymous on 03/15/2006
Ab Fab
My office orders dinner from here at least 3 nights a week. The service is very fast and the food is always great! I highly recommend the chicken soba salad.