Japanese Echizen Soba: What it is and where to eat it

Echizen Soba

Yuriko IKEDA/Flickr

Echizen soba is my most favorite food from Fukui!  It is just so good.

"Echizen soba" is buckwheat noodles (soba) with grated Japanese radish. 

Why is Echizen soba so delicious?

The biggest reason is that Fukui is suited for growing buckwheat. The weather, the water...everything is perfect.

Another reason is because, in Fukui, they grind buckwheat on a traditional mill stone slowly and carefully so that it doesn't damage the flavor.

 

Rasbak/Wikipedia

The color is darker compared to other kinds of soba, and the flavor of black wheat is stronger and more pleasant! 

It is usually eaten cold with tsuyu (soy-sauce-based sauce, but lighter and not as salty) and grated radish.

There are many soba restaurants in Fukui and every place is different. Find your own favorite Echizen soba restaurant!

Recommended Echizen Soba Restaurants 

Amida Soba

It's a tiny and cozy restaurant near Fukui station so it's easy to go there even you don't have a car. 

Their soba is made from 100% buckwheat, and the radish they use tastes quite strong.  The harmony of the radish and the soba is perfect.

They also serve some good sake from Fukui!

 

Amida Soba

1-9-1, Chuo, Fukui-shi, Fukui-ken

Tel: 0776-76-3519

Sano Soba

Sano Soba is probably the most unique soba restaurant in Fukui.  You eat the soba with salt!

Their soba is also made with 100% buckwheat, and you can feel the real taste of buckwheat. The sobayu (soba water) is also really good.  

It's near Sabae Station (in Sabae). 

Sano Soba

2-2-22 Motomachi,  Sabae-shi, Fukui-ken

Tel: 09082628833

 ShingetsuTei

ShingetsuTei is located in Echizen-cho and it's not really convenient to go there if you're not driving, but this is one of the most famous soba restaurants in Fukui.  They opened in 1954 and they have been loved by people in Fukui since then. Their most popular soba is "wasabi soba".