Soba 1

Not much to say about this restaurant other than it's authentic Japanese soba served in a somewhat cozy setting. They have outdoor heating for most of the outdoor seating, but not all unfortunately. Didn't get a good look inside but they do have tables all around. You order and pay upfront before sitting down. The staff are very attentive and will refill your water right away. My only problem with the food is.. it's expensive even for Bay Area standards. Each soba we ordered was $25 before tax and tip. I know soba is more rare than ramen, but this is kinda crazy.

We saw Soba Ichi on the Bay area show called Check Please and were immediately interested in checking them out. When we were reading the reviews, it almost convinced us not to go to the restaurant but we still took our chances and we were glad we did. A lot of people mainly mentioned the food being overpriced but I think it was worth it for the quality and depth of flavor of their food. Their soba noodles are handmade in restaurant and has a good bounce and chew to it. This restaurant is as close as you can get to authentic Japanese food and atmosphere. They have a nice inside and outdoor atmosphere with a zen bamboo fountain trickling water, which is calming too. We ordered the smoked salmon appetizer and cold soba with tempura. Everything came out great. Salmon was super smooth, melted in our mouth, and tasty. We like to make soba at home with the dried store bought noodles, and those dont stand a chance against the noodles at Soba Ichi. The server was very polite, quick to fill up our waters, and good about checking up on us. The server also mentioned that they will have different seasonal appetizers. We're curious to check out their different options when we go next time. This restautant is also next to a Japanese sake brewery and offer a good selection of freshly brewed Japanese sake. I heard great things about their sake and drinks. Wouldn't be able to come too often because we live a distance away, but we definitely plan on coming back!

We arrived at the gate 5pm sharp in hope to beat the crowd. As it was a cold day, there were not many people waiting. We were able to order the food right away, and find seating easily. Options of cold or hot home made soba. It is cooked just right. Their menu changes all the time, we were luck as they were searving two kinds of mochi as desert when we visited. update with new photos and menu for may 2023.

I heard about this place from the Michelin guide and I am very glad that I was able to visit. This is the first time I've tried soba and was unsure of what you expect. At Soba Ichi you start by getting into line and ordering before taking your seat; there was two parties ahead near the time that they opened but I can see how this can be an issue during busy hours. The menu left me wanting more in the drink department for something more familiar such as an IPA but the food options were on point. I ordered cold soba tempura. The noodles were smooth with a little bite and chew to them. The dipping sauce was fantastic. It was not overly salted by any means and has tremendous depth of flavor to it. The assorted tempura consisted of a shisito, shrimp, squash, and a mushroom that was lightly fried to absolute perfection. The dish came with additional seasoning, onion, and wasabi. Service was excellent by keeping the water glass filled. I love this place and look forward to returning again soon.

I had high expectations for this restaurant but it didn't quite meet the bar. The restaurant ambiance is cute with lots of outdoor seating as well as a smaller indoor space. You line up outside to order first before you sit down. We got there at 6:30pm on a Friday night and there were still lots of open tables. We ordered their duck soba (roughly $25). After sitting down, it took a while for the food to come. While the soba + duck meat + soup were good, it didn't really impress. The soba noodle itself didn't stand out, the portion size was fairly small for $25, and there wasn't anything else beyond the noodles and a few slices of duck meat. From a service perspective, there wasn't much to comment on. The server only came when the food was ready and to clear out the table. Didn't really check in on refilling water or anything. Note they also have a cake fee if you bring a cake for a celebration ($3/pp). Overall, the food is good tasting and the ambiance is nice, but it's a bit overpriced and left me unimpressed. Would probably rate as a 3.5. Still worth trying out once.

This place is totally worth the hype and deserves its reputation and Bib Gourmand. The soba brought me back to one of the best meals I have ever had, at a traditional old school soba joint in Tokyo. I certainly can't claim to be a soba expert, but all of the flavors and textures in the cold and hot sobas here went together perfectly and reminded me of that long ago meal. The tamagoyaki was excellent. The tempura was light and airy and crunchy in just the right way. The ebi croquettes were out of this world good. The fiddlehead ferns were unexpectedly awesome and a real treat for us, since we've never had them before. The pressed salmon was just "okay" and was the only component of the meal that wasn't even better than we'd hoped. The Okinawa mochi was probably the best mochi I have ever had. The service was excellent, as well. Oakland is lucky to have this gem of a restaurant.