3 of the best soba noodle restaurants in Osaka

This outstanding soba restaurant is easily one of the most affordable Michelin-rated meals in Osaka, with a serving of buckwheat noodles costing as little as ¥1,100. The downside is that Takama is only open for about three hours over lunch. And oh, there’s always a queue. The tiny restaurant can only seat 12 diners, eight across a communal table and four around a smaller one. 

But good things come to those who wait. Takama offers two types of noodles: mori is the regular style of soba made from hulled buckwheat flour (known as marunuki) while the inaka soba uses whole buckwheat flour, hull and all. The latter looks rough and rustic, but it’s revelatory in its firmer bite and nuttiness – definitely a winner in our books. You can enjoy the soba as is with a dipping sauce or have it served with either an assortment of tempura (¥2,600) or a hot duck broth for dipping (¥2,000).

Set in a restored traditional Japanese house in a quiet part of Osaka, Ayamedo is an affordable Bib Gourmand restaurant in the city. Its retro interior, coupled with a calming inner garden, is made for long meals – and you’ll want to linger over a few choice delicacies off the short but well-curated menu. 

Soba (from ¥1,000) is the speciality here, with varieties ranging from cold dipping soba to belly-warming soup soba. As for the noodles, the restaurant makes them two ways. The hosogiri (thin-cut) soba is made purely from hulled buckwheat flour; it’s smooth and has a delicate sweetness. The arabiki (course-ground) soba, on the other hand, has a rustic appearance and a richer, nuttier mouthfeel, thanks to the buckwheat that is ground whole with chaff.

There’s also a varied list of classic and seasonal home-cooked dishes to complement your noodles, including miso-cured tofu, salt-grilled duck, and Japanese rolled omelette, just to name a few. Pair them with any of the sake options on the menu and you’ll have one of the most satisfying quintessential Japanese meals in Osaka.

Sobakiri Tensho takes soba to another level, sourcing multiple varieties of high-grade buckwheat from throughout the country to ensure its noodles – whether thinly cut or roughly ground – are always on point.

If you prefer cold soba, opt for a regular portion at ¥1,200 or a large for ¥1,600, both served with a side of savoury dipping sauce. Alternatively, try it with creamy grated yam or a warm duck broth for dipping. For hot soba, a simple soup is deeply comforting on a chilly day, while nishin soba with simmered herring offers a richer, distinctly Kyoto-style flavour.

However, to savour the ingredient in its purest form, try the sobagaki, an oblong-shaped, lightly boiled dumpling made from dough containing nothing but buckwheat flour and water. Get there early: the day’s meals often sell out in about an hour.