The closest station is Inogashira line Shinsen station. Turn right on the Old Yamanote street, up the Dogenzaka from Shibuya station. Since it is far from Shibuya, so they are calm and quiet commercial and residential area.
This shop was liquor store for long time. They change their business to convenience store and then added stand-in soba function. Their stand-in service is not only soba noodle, but alcohol too. You can have quick drink just after your work.
Once you step into the shop, you can tell it is a convenience store. There are wall-in refrigerators filled with soft drinks and shelves filled with snacks. One thing this shop is different from other convenience store is a table located in the middle of the shop. Right height for to drink and to eat. There are chopsticks and a water pitcher for the customers.
The other side of the shelves is the kitchen where they make their soba noodles. Their kitchen is fine and authentic, much better than the other places where convenience store and soba noodle shop are together. You can feel the authenticity by just looking at the many tempuras they made. Their uniform is for soba noodle and not as a convenient store, which adds more authenticity.
I added kakiage as a topping for my soba noodle. You slide your tray delicatessen style, putting whatever toppings you want in your bowl, and pay at the end of the counter.
■Soba: Raw noodle, blackish color with middle thickness and squared shape. There is a slight fragrance of the soba.
■Soup: Mild dashi(※2) made with sea kelps and katsuobushi. Strong kaeshi(※3) with slight sweetness.
■Kakiage: Made with onions, green onions, and carrots. Thin batter and has nice crispiness. Nicely shaped, not too oily.
You can’t forget about the stand-in drinking section. It is called “Kado-uchi” in Japanese. You can pick your snacks and alcohol from the shelf and pay. The price is always only the purchase cost.
Like always, shop is filled with businessmen who just finished their work. They might start their drinks with just few people, and it will become a huge crowd by friends adding their friends to the group. People started early chucks their drinks, and people who came later drinks little. You can decide how many drinks you will have and how much you pay. All the customers know how to enjoy this place.
The picture below shows how the shop on a usual day. The customer in the middle is having the pickled ginger tempura, a topping for the soba noodle. Very nice.
■DATA
Tokyo-to Shibuya-ku Shinsen-cho 9-6
4min walk from Inogashira line Shinsen station
Open Hours: 8:00 – 22:00
Closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays
A Two-star Sobaya
(※1)Deep-fried mixture of battered vegetables/fish/meat
(※2)Seafood broth mainly made with Katsuobushi
Katsuobushi is dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna
(※3)Soy-sauce based soup