The Oldest Soba Restaurant in Akihabara

Soba is a Japanese dish greatly popular among tourists, that is both inexpensive and healthy. It is no wonder that there are more than few soba restaurants in Akihabara – one of the biggest tourist spots in Tokyo.

Kanda Matsuya

Kanda Matsuya was opened in 1884 at a location that is now just five minutes from Akihabara station.

Before opening, you can usually see people lining up. However, once the restaurant opens, the waiting time is relatively short because of their fast service and more than 65 seats. However, during lunchtime, table sharing is quite common.

When you enter Kanda Matsuya you are warmly welcomed with a glass of water.

Popular items on the menu are simple morisoba and kakesoba.

Mori soba is chilled soba with dipping sauce while kakesoba is a bowl with soba noodles in hot broth.

Here is morisoba. It arrived it 3 minutes after order.

This dish is only 700 yen. Its size is small enough for kids to eat it all up. For those with bigger appetites, we recommend asking for extra-large portion or adding tempura – fried vegetables or seafood.

Extra-large soba: +150 yen
Tempura soba: 2100 yen

With every portion, you get a small plate with thinly sliced leek that is usually added to broth or dipping sauce.

With soba order, you also get hot soba water that you can add to sauce to make tea after you finish your dish. This is a traditional drink that is said to have great health benefits.

As shown in the picture, just add hot water to the sauce bowl. Mixed with water, the sauce dilutes enough to achieve enjoyable, light taste.

This is the traditional way of eating soba that is not available in every soba restaurant.

Besides soba, there are also other items on the menu, such as tempura-don (bowl of rice with tempura on top), oyako-don (Chicken and Egg rice bowl), tofu, etc.

For those with soba allergy, there is a plentiful of other dishes, too.

Just be sure to mention that you are allergic to soba before ordering your dish.

The interior is still traditional and keeping the style it had when it was first opened. Here you can try Japanese traditional taste in the surroundings that will make you feel you traveled back in time.