229 East 9th Street
Ever end up in a pickle when you crave noodles, but it’s too warm for ramen? Enter Soba-ya where the dishes are offered cold and absolutely delicious. I loved, loved loved, my meal of cold udon, dipping sauce, and tiny shrimp and leaf tempura.
It was the kind of meal (sans tempura) that I could eat any time of the day, any day of the week. I’ve had the dish elsewhere, but there’s something indefinably special about the noodles here, which is probably why there were throngs of people waiting for a table by the time we left.
The authentic spot does unique takes on their appetizers, offering a shrimp ball with soft noodle shell version of shumai and veggie options like fried taro in broth, which was excellent.
The staff is polite and the crowd is hip to the fact that this is a step above some other St Mark’s area eateries. The restaurant also boasts a washlet, which you’ll read more about in this week’s how to spend a couple minutes section.
But what do you think?