Located just nearby Ueno Station is “Kinojiya.” Kinojiya is a restaurant where you can enjoy jūwari soba, which is soba made with 100% buckwheat flour noodles.
During lunchtime, the popular restaurant is consistently crowded, and for good reason. At Kinojiya, you can enjoy authentic juwari soba for a reasonable price.
The restaurant offers a variety of creative items on their menu, ranging from standard to unique soba dishes.
The uniquely spicy flavor of “Jalapeño Hiyakake” soba noodles
“Jalapeño Hiyakake” is a creative dish that you can only savor at Kinojiya.
“ハラペーニョ冷やかけ,” Jalapeño Hiyakake 850 JPY (tax included)
This dish features cold soba topped with plenty of Kujō green onions. It is then drizzled with a sesame sauce blended with Jalapeño.
The soba’s soup is made from dashi extracted from bonito, combined with an original mirin-based sauce. It offers a balance of sweetness and richness while still maintaining a refreshing taste.
The bitterness of Kujō green onions complements the broth perfectly, bringing out its sweetness. The addition of the spicy sesame sauce creates a truly distinctive flavor.
The aromatic scent of the sesame sauce, as it wafts through the air, is delightful. For those looking for some more spice, adding the shichimi tōgarashi (seven-spice chili pepper blend) available at the table is also recommended.
You can enjoy a drink with your tempura! Kinojiya in Ueno is perfect for a bar experience
Kinojiya has a well-stocked selection of alcoholic beverages, making it suitable to enjoy as a bar-like setting.
One popular menu item is the “Kakuuchi Wine,” where wine is poured into a masu (a traditional cup for drinking sake that resembles a wooden box) for a unique experience. They also offer champagne, and customers can choose and pour their own drinks
“角打ちワイン,” Kakuuchi Wine starting at 500 JPY (tax included)
For a delightful combination with wine, be sure to try the tempura. You can order individual tempura from a selection of over 10 types.
The Umami bites editorial team recommends ordering the big-sized kakiage (mixed tempura fritter), the fluffy-textured “Maitake Tempura”, and the succulent Ebi Tempura (shrimp tempura).
“かき揚げ,” Kakiage (front center) 200 JPY (tax included) “舞茸天,” Maitake Mushroom Tempura (back left) 250 JPY (tax included) “えび天,” Shrimp Tempura (back right) 250 JPY (tax included)
The tempura is freshly fried upon order, featuring a hot and crispy coating.
Dipping them in salt or dipping sauce is a great way to enhance the natural flavors of the ingredients.
When paired with wine, you’ll experience a taste sensation like never before!
The surprising harmony between traditional Japanese tempura and Western-style wine is truly delightful!
Kinojiya’s special care delivers exquisite flavor and satisfying texture
Kinojiya continues to challenge itself to this day in providing authentic juwari soba at a reasonable price.
Their simple offerings like kake soba (soba served in broth) and mori soba (soba served on a dish with accompanying dipping sauce) are both priced at 430 JPY (tax included).
And still, they deliver an authentic flavor. The restaurant’s claim that “Kinojiya is the only place that offers authentic juwari soba at this price,” speaks to the confidence they have in the taste of their soba.
Careful attention is also paid to the boiling process. The specialized machine used for boiling at the restaurant minimizes the time the soba is exposed to air.
This ensures that the flavor of the soba is preserved, maintains its satisfying texture.
If you want to fully enjoy the unique flavor of juwari soba, ordering it cold is the recommended way to go.
When you dip the soba, chilled with cold water, into the dipping sauce, you can savor its original aroma and taste.
Kinojiya cherishes the idea that soba, which became popular during the Edo period, continues to be loved by many people even today.
Visit the restaurant to taste the soba they proudly offer and experience the rich history and flavors they preserve.
Kinojiya’s exterior
Information
| Store name | 喜乃字屋 Kinojiya |
|---|---|
| Address | Ueno no Mori Sakura Terrace 1F, 1-54 Ueno Koen, Taito-ku, Tokyo
|
| Acesss |
Ueno Station（UEN） 2-minute walk from Ueno Station Shinobazu Gate
Keisei Ueno Station 2-minute walk from Keisei Ueno Station Main Exit
|
| Phone number | 03-6803-2808 |
| Reservations | Not accepted |
| Payment |
|
| Service charge/Table charge | None |
| Hours | 10:00-23:30（last order: food 22:30, drinks 23:00） |
| Closed | January 1st Unscheduled holidays |
| Seating | 30 seats 14 counter seats, 16 table seats |
| Smoking | All seats are non-smoking |
| Official website | https://www.kinojiya.com/ |
| Other information |
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※Menu contents, prices, store information, etc. are current as of January 2024.
