Slurping affordable soba in a hurry at a standing shop is becoming more and more popular. It is an ideal meal in a busy city like today's Tokyo and these soba counters are gaining more and more popularity. In this article we have selected 15 shops that serve first-class soba in no time.

1. Sobadokoro Minatoya そば処港屋

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Its exterior is so stylish you can't tell it's a soba shop from the outside.  Good hearty portion of soba is served with satisfyingly tasty broth. No wonder there is always a long line of waiting customers at lunchtime. 

Address: 3-1-10 Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

TEL: 03-5777-6921

Opening hours: 11:30～17:00　17:30~20:00

Closed: Sat, Sun, Public Holidays

2. Sobayoshi そばよし

Dried bonito wholesaler is running this soba counter shop so the rich broth made of plenty of good dried bonito simply stands out. It's so good you can drink the whole thing and won't feel any greasy or heavy aftertaste. A bowl of soba with hot broth is only 270 yen. (Now that's a steal!) There are also plenty of okaka (おかか- dried bonito flakes) on the table. Try it as a topping on a bowl of rice and pour some soy sauce. It tastes heavenly.   

Address: Honcho Yamazaki Bldg 1F, 1-1-7 Nihonbashi Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

TEL: 03-3241-0884

Opening Hours: 7:30～20:00

Closed: Sat, Sun, Public Holidays

3. Akiba あきば

Akiba is a standing soba shop but there are also tables with seats. The place gets busy on weekdays so if you want to slurp your soba in a quiet setting, try it on weekends. 

Address：Dai 95 Arai Bldg 1F, 1-10-3 Taito, Taito-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

Opening Hours: [Mon～Sat] 6：30～15：00（Closes when sold out）

Closed: Sun, Public Holidays

4. Ooyoshida 大吉田

Ooyoshida is famous for its kakiage (かき揚げ), a type of tempura with vegetables and seafood. It goes well with hearty soba which leaves you feeling content for sure. 

Address: Minami Sakuma Bldg. 1F, 1-9-8 Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

TEL: 03-6206-1660

Opening Hours: [Mon～Fri]6:30～15:00　[Sat]6:30～14:00

Closed: Sun, Public Holidays

5. Futaba 二葉

Glass shop front and the retro-chic interior make this soba shop look rather cool. Its signature kakiage tempura with clams is something you won't see elsewhere  but it tastes really good.    

Address: Nishikawa Bldg. 1F, 1-4-6 Kanda-Izumicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

Opening hours: 7:30～17:00

Closed: Sat, Sun, Public Holidays

6. Touge no Soba 峠の蕎麦

Soba noodles are on the thin side with firm texture and won't go soggy after it is soaked in broth.  Namasoba （生そば- raw soba）, yudesoba (茹でそば- boiled soba), and ishiusuhiki  (石臼挽き- soba using stone ground flour) are the 3 types of soba noodles on offer at Futaba.   There are 3 ways of eating them: kake soba (かけそば), bukkake soba (ぶっかけそば), and mori soba (もりそば).

Address: 2-14-8 Minowa, Taito-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

Opening Hours: 5:30～21:30

Closed: Irregular holidays

7. Daikoku Soba 大黒そば

Once you place an order, raw soba noodle will be boiled in front of you. It takes time but do be patient. Tensoba (天そば) is a substantial bowl of soba that comes with a thick, chunky kakiage tempura.

Address: 3-26-6 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

TEL: 03-3986-0853

Opening hours: [Mon~Fri] 6:30～16:00,  Open till 18:00 on Sat 

Closed: Sun, Public Holidays

 8. Yamadaya 山田屋

Once it opens its door at 7 am each morning, the place becomes full house at once. Cold and warm soba are both very popular and  very good.

Address: 3-33-9 Senzoku, Taito-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

TEL: 03-3874-7215

Opening Hours: 7:00 - 17:00

Closed: Sun, Public Holidays

9. Sobausa そばうさ

Sobausa is a modern soba eatery. It offers unusual, western-style soba dishes like cold soba with basil dipping broth which is very popular.  

Address: Kanamori Kyodo Bldg 1F, 2-5-2 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

TEL: 03-6380-9912

Opening Hours: [Mon ～ Fri] 11:00～15:00; 17:00～20:00  [Sat] 11:00～15:00

Closed: Sun, Public Holidays

10. Sobadokoro Musashino そば処むさしの

No preservatives and MSG have been added to its broth since Musashino was founded so its soba dishes are easy on your body and taste buds. 

Address: Muraoka Bldg. 1F, 2-1-7 Iidabashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

TEL: 03-3261-9628

Opening Hours: 7:00～9:30／11:00～14:30

Closed: Sat, Sun, Public Holidays

*This place has closed down.

11. Yomoda Soba よもだそば

Weekly soba is on offer together with unique range of  menu that changes throughout the season.  Its curry is also very tasty and popular.  

Address: Yaesu-Kogyo Bldg. 1F, 2-1-20 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

TEL: 03-3273-0505

Opening Hours: [Mon～Fri]7:00～22:00　[Sat, Sun, Public Holidays]：10:30～15:00

Closed: Irregular holidays

12. Tongarashi とんがらし

 

There are various dishes other than soba like Tendon (天丼 - rice bowl topped with assorted tempura) are on offer. Its freshly fried tempura are really good and worth a try. 

Address: Ikemoto Bldg. 1F, 3-2-10 Misaki-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

TEL: 03-3234-1610

Opening Hours: [Mon～Thu]11:15～15:45　17:10～19:00　[Fri] 11:15～15:45　[Sat] 11:20～14:20

Closed: Sun

13. Soba Hiyamugi Sagatani Shibuya Shop 蕎麦　冷麦　嵯峨谷　渋谷店

ayumew/Flickr

Sagatani is a chain of standing soba shops. Here you can choose either thick or thin soba noodles.

Address: Plaza Dogenzaka 1F, 2-25-7 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

TEL: 03-6416-4248

Opening Times:  [Mon～Sun] 24 hours

Closed: Irregular holidays; 1/1 - 3 

14. Kameya Kanda Higashiguchi Shop かめや　神田東口店

Scrumptious kakiage served at Kameya proves extremely popular. It's open 24 hours on weekdays so you can go and eat any time you want. 

Address: 2-7-3 Kajicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

TEL: 03-3254-0285

Opening Hours: [Mon～Fri] 24 hours　[Sat] ～20:00

Closed: Sun

15. Fuku Soba (福そば)

The popular broth at Fuku Soba is not too sweet with impeccable balance of dashi and soy sauce. 

Address: 1-16-3 Ningyocho, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (Google Map)

Tel: 03-3662-1138

Opening Hours: [Mon～ Fri] 6:40～19:45　[Sat・Holidays] 6：40～15:45

Closed: Sun

（This information is accurate as of May 2015）