EAST VILLAGE, MANHATTAN
Sobaya
Fresh buckwheat soba made by the window since 1996 — cold on a bamboo mat, or hot with duck.
East 9th Street between Second and Third avenues has been a small Japanese town since the 1980s, and Sobaya, open since 1996, is one of its anchors. The buckwheat noodles are made fresh each day behind a glass window by the door, and the small dining room has the calm of a place that has stopped needing to prove anything.
Eat the soba cold, on a bamboo mat with a dipping sauce, to taste the noodle itself; in winter, switch to a hot bowl with duck or with shrimp tempura on the side. The udon is good too, and the rice bowls make it easy to round out a meal. It has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand for years, and on weekends there is a line.
Editor’s tip
Order cold soba first — it is the purest test — and a hot duck soba if you're two.
Make an evening of it — beautiful stops nearby
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Editorial draft — core details last reviewed October 13, 2026. Confirm practical details with the official site before you go.