SOBAKATSU Review: Fantastic Soba in Japantown

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Written By Amy Suto
A bowl of soba noodles like the kakesoba at SOBAKATSU in San Francisco Japantown

San Francisco’s Japantown might be one of the best soba neighborhoods in America. Actually — scratch the “might.” It is, and SOBAKATSU on Laguna is a big reason why.

SOBAKATSU is fantastic. Our receipt tells the story of a proper session: hot kakesoba in a clean, savory broth, a tenzaru set with shrimp-and-vegetable tempura for the table, and — the closer — soba warabimochi for dessert, because a soba restaurant that makes its own warabimochi is a soba restaurant that sweats the details.

The Verdict on SOBAKATSU

  • Best for: A proper sit-down soba meal, broth-first
  • Order: Hot kakesoba, a tempura set to share, soba warabimochi to finish
  • Damage: ~$57 for two with tip
  • Where: 1700 Laguna St, Japantown (Google Maps)

Japantown houses both of my favorite soba rooms — SOBAKATSU and Soba Dining Sora, where I’ve had what might be the best soba of my life. Read them both, then walk the neighborhood and thank me. Both live on my best restaurants in San Francisco list.

For everywhere else worth your appetite in this city, start with the best restaurants in San Francisco — every spot on it has its own receipts-backed review. Subscribe to my newsletter for new ones as the eating continues; my travel guides prove the appetite has range.