| 玉笑（渋谷区） Tamawarai (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) Meijijingumae, Harajuku / Soba  A famous soba restaurant located in a residential area of Omotesando. It has been awarded one star in the Michelin Guide 2024. Lunch:￥2,000~￥2,999 Dinner:￥5,000~￥5,999 (@soba.tamawarai) • Instagram |
There is a soba restaurant that opened in 2011 and is considered one of the most popular soba restaurants in Tokyo.
This time, we would like to introduce you to “Tamawarai,” a soba restaurant that has been ranked No. 1 in Japan in the soba restaurant rankings of major gourmet websites and has been awarded one star in the Michelin Guide in succession.
Please check the official website and the Google map at the bottom of this page for business hours, holidays, reviews, etc.
Heard about a very popular soba restaurant and paid a visit.
It was April 2022 when I returned to Tokyo from a long regional assignment (working alone).
The turnover of stores in Tokyo is very rapid, and new stores were opening one after another.
The soba restaurant introduced today, “Tamawarai,” is one of them.
I had never heard of it until I returned to Tokyo, but when I heard that it was so popular that it was ranked No. 1 in Japan (as of 2022) on a major gourmet website and won a star in the Michelin Guide, I got curious and decided to visit it.
I was lucky enough to get in on the first round.
I visited Tamawarai on a weekday in June 2022.
I was prepared to wait in line as the restaurant has been awarded one star in the Michelin Guide for nine consecutive years, but perhaps due to the rain, there were only three people waiting when I arrived 10 minutes before the restaurant opened.
I think I was quite lucky, as there were five of us, including myself, who were able to get in on the first round.
The menu was simple and there was not much variety, but I wanted cold soba noodles, so I ordered “Oroshi-soba” (1,430 yen including tax).
Classy soba noodles, just like Michelin’s favorite!
The soba noodles were not smooth and smooth, but rather, they were very typical Japanese buckwheat noodles.
It was very delicious, but I felt that it was a restaurant where I could feel a special “elegance” rather than a special greatness.
The atmosphere of the restaurant, from the soba to the sobayu, everything was classy.
In my experience, the atmosphere of the restaurant, the quality of the food, and everything about the restaurant seemed to be what the Michelin Guide judges would like.
However, compared to a typical soba restaurant, everything takes longer.
Moreover, I was quite surprised when I was told “Tempura Soba is not available” even though it was the first round.
I felt that it would be difficult unless you have a lot of time (or more specifically, a lot of “heart”) to spare, as the time passes so frighteningly slowly.
It is quite crowded at lunch time, so it might be better to make a reservation at night to have a relaxing meal.
However, patience is needed here as well, as the phone lines seem to be almost non-existent.
Access and reviews
For access, hours, holidays, and reviews of Tamawarai, please see the Google map below.
