Owariya

Tempura with chilled soba, or noodles in a hot broth? At Owariya, the choices range from tempura zaru and zaru soba with shrimp to hot tempura soba and nishin soba, described as a Kyoto classic. Diners who chose the tempura zaru have commented on the soba’s satisfying bite and the well-seasoned tempura batter. It is a straightforward option when you want to enjoy cold soba alongside tempura.

For a change from the usual cold soba, try curry seiro: soba served with curry dipping broth. One diner who ordered it for lunch enjoyed the combination and also had soba-yu, the hot water used to cook soba, after the meal. Zaru soba is listed at ¥780, while toku-zaru, with two portions of soba, is ¥1,360—useful guides if portion size is a factor. A diner who ordered chilled kitsune soba singled out the combination of sweet-seasoned fried tofu, grated daikon and soba. Another small detail from a review: soba-yu was served with a chilled dish in a bukkake style, making for an enjoyable finish as well as a cold bowl.

For a hot bowl, nishin soba is another option. One lunchtime diner recalled the pairing of sweet-and-savoury herring with warm broth. A reviewer also praised the dashi broth in the tempura soba, so your choice may come down to whether you want to focus on the toppings or savour the broth too.

There are rice bowls as well as soba, including Kyoto-style dishes with distinctive names: tanindon, beef and spring onion bound with egg, and kinugasa-don, fried tofu and spring onion bound with egg. If you would like a little of both soba and rice, consider the small zaru soba and small tempura rice bowl set. Lunch is served from 11:00 to 15:30, making this a convenient format for a midday meal combining soba and a rice dish.