Tamawarai

The owner-chef at this Harajuku restaurant can tell you the story of his noodles firsthand, from seed to soba. This is because he cultivates and harvests the buckwheat with his own two hands, before transforming it into Michelin-starred soba. It’s a painstaking process. Every sheaf is harvested by hand, and ground using manual techniques which were used in the villages of centuries past. Tamawarai, located just off the stylish Cat Street which runs up from Shibuya to Omotesando, goes largely unannounced from street level. There is no signboard, no white curtain over the entrance, no red lantern hanging outside. Instead, the primary indicator that the restaurant is even there is the long line of hungry diners gathered on the bamboo-railed staircase. While it often takes a while to be seated, few — if any — have ever left Tamawarai feeling like the line wasn't worth the effort. The noodles here are truly world-class. They are equally delicious whether hot or cold, with a wide selection of toppings including herring, natto, radish, tempura, and raw egg. The restaurant also serves a large variety of small plates — called soba-mae — to either whet one's appetite before the soba, or to enjoy with the noodles.