Soba Totto

The Chirashi lunch is so legit. I got there at 11:28 and was second in line. By the time it was 11:45 there were about 15 others behind me. When My friend and I were seated, we made sure to order the lunch set right away.
The salad came first after 5 minutes of waiting. Very simple. Just spinach mix, unknown but delicious and light dressing, and some crunchy stuff. Before I finished the salad, the rest of the meal was served. The Chirashi was a mix of chefs choice fish over rice. All delicious. I got cold soba and that was good also, although I’ve never had bad soba so that’s not saying much.
The place got pretty filled up for lunch. The people that came in afterwards ordered other lunch items and I thought to myself, HA you weren’t able to get the chirashi set.
Suuuper solid lunch choice in midtown, if you don’t mind a little wait.

Ordered a bunch of skewers, the 5 peice sashimi, sukiyaki soba.
The soba was good… everything else was so salty though.
I must have drank like 4 cups of water when I was there.
I know there’s an ocean of salt but I don’t think all of it needs to be on my plate all at one time.

Magaling! This place is the embodiment of what I wish for and want in my yakitori and soba izakaya/​gastropub. Delightful bar area to wait in prior to dinner. My wife and I shared a Kirin malt and were helped by the hostess to get a reservation. Achtung! U must have a reservation for dinner. Follow the rules. Dinner was delightful, just look at my pictures. Im drooling as I am thinking about the meats I devoured and fresh tofu and soba and yummy seafood. Quality and freshness is prided upon and was definitely felt with the beef tongue, chicken liver, and chicken skin. I found the yuzu honey and shoju delightful for firing up my gut on a cold winter evening. But most wonderful of all was the gluttinous rice dumplings with brown sugar. Amazement! Highly highly recommended. Come here and chow down!

I absolutely love Soba Totto. My only wish would be to have discovered this restaurant earlier.
Although the restaurants looks pretty expensive, trust me, they have great deals for lunch. Dinner is about the same price as lunch, with smaller portions.
If you really like the combination having soba with a bowl of seafood rice, you’ll absolutely enjoy Soba Totto. For $ 20, nearly all of their lunch specials are delicious, with high quality fish and ingredients. You can choose from many options. Each lunch special comes with salad and an option of having a cold dipping soba or hot soba noodle soup. Then you choose a main entrée. Since I love fresh fish, my first choices have been the uni-​ikura (sea urchin and salmon roe) don and the tuna-​shaved yam-​salmon roe don. The portions are great. They are generous with the amount of seafood, and the seafood is extremely fresh. You can probably find other places that serve this, but it’s usually $ 5 – 8 more expensive, and does not come for soba.
Soba toto is now my go-​to option for Japanese food during lunch. A notch above soba-ya’s (located in St. marks) lunch special.
If you come for dinner, please save room for their desserts. They are delicious and very unique. I’ve had many Japanese desserts at restaurants in St marks, but this place is my favorite. I recommend the rice dumplings (mochi) with ice cream, brown sugar syrup and soybean powder. The frozen banana coconut milk is so good!

Had an excellent dinner on a Sunday evening after flying in on a business trip. Staying up the block at the Hampton Inn United Nations.
Started with the Negima and finished with the sukiyaki Soba. Excellent meal all around, I will be back.

One of my best Japanese meals in a long time. The goma tofu was divinely rich and delicate! I could eat endless portions of the hotaru ika and fatty salmon yakitori as well. Can’t wait to come back here again. Service was spot on and extremely hospitable were the staff.

Super service
Super food (albeit in homeopathic amounts)
Kawari Tofu was fantastic
Nameko oroshi soba heavenly
Sashimi (5-​kinds) was middle of the road at best
Tem Don was eaten swiftly
… there was more, but I forgot
Kubota Hekiju sake was on the light side
Nice atmosphere because we sat in a nice quiet corner. It was great to get a table for New Years Eve. Being told that we must be out by 8 PM was odd, but understandable on a busy night.

I came here with a friend for dinner after being told they only took reservations at Sushi Yasuda across the street. The interior has the feel of an old Japanese house, with the paneled wooden walls, lanterns, bamboo floors and tables. There was the classic sushi counter where you could watch them make orders. We grabbed two counter seats, and started perusing the menu. We ordered kimchee, cucumber salad, and fermented octopus from the small plates section. All the portions were pretty small, and they were all delicious except the fermented octopus, it had a slimy taste that made me want to puke. The cucumber salad was crispy and fresh, with just the right amount of spice and flavor. Kimchee is a classic Korean dish, pickled cabbage. We also ordered a sashimi plate, with three kinds; fluke, tuna, and yellowtail. I also had an Asaki beer and a cucumber saketini. I was surprised by the excellent quality and display of each dish, I would definitely come back again to try more things!

Wonderful lunch option in midtown! I met up a friend for lunch and was hoping to score two of the $ 10 chirashi and soba lunch specials. When we got there, 20 minutes before the restaurant opened, there appeared to be at least 15 people ahead of us! When we sat down, we immediately placed our order and was able to get the special. It was a good amount of food and it was perfect for a chilly fall day.
This places gets busy fast! I recommend getting here early!

Solid place for a small group dinner! Pretty easy to get reservations, but gets very crowded during dining hours. There is a huge selection of dons (rice bowls), and of course, hot/​cold sobas.
During lunch, they have these fantastic lunch sets where all the rice bowls you get come with a salad and soba as well. That salad… if they sold their salad dressing, I would totally buy it. They also sprinkle what I think are deep fried soba pieces to add some crunch… love it! The other day, I decided to splurge and get the Uni Ikura don, which is sea urchin and salmon roe over a bed of rice. Comes with freshly grated wasabi :) Pretty damn delicious… and super filling too!
I’m sure you’ve heard of the infamous bara chirashi they serve during lunch that is only $ 10! It’s limited to 20 a day, probably because it’s so cheap, and they use the scraps from the fish/​seafood that they cut (obviously edible, but not as aesthetically pleasing). Normally you see bits and pieces of salmon, tuna, ikura, and if you’re lucky, uni! This is fantastic deal, and still comes with the hot or cold soba. To snag this, I would suggest coming to wait outside the restaurant around 11:30 or 11:45 when they open!!!
I’ve always loved their yakitori too, but note that they only serve it for dinner! I would suggest coming early to see what they have on their limited menu (soft knee bone, chicken oyster, heart, etc).
I still like the uni soba at sobaya better, but this is a pretty consistently high quality place to get your soba fix!

At last I was able to eat at Soba Totto and get the Chirashi Lunch set! I have been seeing friends post tons of pictures about this place and its delicious Chirashi lunch sets. I was always so envious because I never had the time to go during lunch but at last, on my day off, I was able to enjoy such a meal. The restaurant opened at 11:45am so I aimed to get there at 11:30. I learned immediately it was definitely necessary to get there early. Already there was a line of at least 10 people in front of me and it continued to grow after me.
When my friend and I were seated, the waiter immediately took our order, knowing exactly what we wanted. GIMME!!! I got the set with hot soba. Everything was so delicious. There were plenty of sashimi cuts on top of a delicious platform of sushi rice. With soy sauce and fresh pickled ginger on the side, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect tray. Fortunately the perfection was further elevated with a hefty amount of soup and soba. So good! Everything was just so fresh and flavorful. AND ALL FOR $ 10! Best lunch deal ever!
I wish I could eat here everyday for lunch. It will just have to be a special treat on weekdays when I have the time.

So first time here and first time soba noodles.
The restaurant is really nice and services are good. Absolutely loved the yakitori but chicken skin one could be a little more done to be more crisp.
Forgot what the table ordered for soba noodles but we all went with hot noodles. Very good broth. Would go again.

We came here for their M-​F $ 10 Bara Chirashi set lunch. Soba Totto serves about 20 of these M-​F from 11:45am on. So we decided to come early. We were maybe the 4 – 5 people on line. When we sat down, after the waitress brought us our drinks, we told her we would like to order the Chirashi special. She ran to the front and came back and confirmed there was only one left. Of course we took it! We asked how there was only one left and she said people place the orders when they walk in. So THATS A TIP! So one of us got the set and the other ordered the uni, roe and crab set.
Everything was delicious. Uni and fish was very fresh! I would definitely come back.

Classy Japanese restaurant with graceful aesthetics and delicious, artful dishes.
I came here with a co-​worker after a long, stressful day — the kind that leaves you famished for a hot bowl of soup. The restaurant was still crowded at 9:00 p.m., an indication of how popular it is. While somewhat nondescript on the outside, the interior was modern but classy, clubbish but Zen. Our servers were attentive but not overbearing, and their recommendations extremely helpful. I started with the seasonal special appetizer: edamame tofu, which was smooth as silk and thoroughly delicious. It had a simple flavor, but it was a delight to my taste buds nevertheless. My main treat was the hot Sansai soba, which effectively restored my energies and filled my tired tummy.
The prices were a bit higher than I normally go for, but the feeling of restoration and readiness for a new battle is priceless sometimes!

Still a huge fan of their lunch deals, but I’m here to make a complaint — with a party of 4, we were exactly numbers 16 – 20. They only have 20 bara chirashis available a day. Now, we sat down, waited for our hot towels to come, and immediately requested 4 bara chirashis. There was only one left. Excuse me?
Why don’t you actually ask people as they get seated whether they’re going for the most popular deal so that it’s fair? People who come in first should be given the opportunity to snatch the deal first. It’s just not right that it’s the luck of the draw. I’m not increasing my stars back until that gets fixed, since the lunch deals is really all soba totto is good for.
Also — people. please stop being jerks by having one person wait in line for a group of 10 showing up the minute doors open.

So glad I finally got to try Soba Totto! Came here for a weekday dinner with a friend. we split everything:
**Uni soba — oh my god! I love uni and I love cold soba. The texture and flavor were so perfect. I probably shouldn’t have poured all the broth at once but it ended up fine.
** Enoki and bacon — I typically don’t like yakitori but since they had an expansive list, we chose this. A bit salty.
**Salmon, salmon roe skewer — delicious and was generous amount of salmon roe. A bit salty.
**Rice ball with chicken meatball — 5 balls and very filling
**Pear red wine compote with vanilla ice cream — there are 2 full pages of Japanese inspired desserts. We would’ve gotten the 3 dessert combo but had to catch a movie and were pretty full by the time we got to dessert so chose this. The red wine flavor wasn’t as strong as the pear but I loved the multiple textures in this dessert.
Soba Totto is a must-​try Japanese restaurant in the Grand Central area! It is very similar to Sakagura and Sushi Yasuda with a menu more inclined towards yakitori, soba, and dessert. Even though we tried a lot of things, our bill was not too bad. The restaurant opens at 6PM on weekdays and fills up very quickly! Highly recommend especially as a date spot!

I actually didn’t try any soba here! But their yakitori and other food here is surprisingly good.
Yakitori: I tried the liver, shishito peppers, gizzard, chicken skin, and all were cooked really well! They could’ve just a pinch more of salt, though.
Smoked mackerel: SO GOOD. I’ve always loved this dish but it’s really good here. The fish is juicy and fatty and full of smoky salty goodness. Had to get another order.
Zaru Tofu: I really like this, but some people might find this a waste of money. It’s light and creamy and comes with ginger and salt, but I like it plain.
Grilled Squid: Nicely cooked, not overdone, and tender.
Takowasa: The takowasa at Hagi was always my favorite but this one tops it! It has a ton of flavor and just the right amount of wasabi (I like it spicy). I liked the radish mixed into the octopus. Also, the octopus was fresh.
I love the ambiance here. It’s not super crowded like other yakitori places and the service is attentive. I’d say it’s a little more high end here compared to others.

My hotel was a block away from this place, so I had a chance to try this place multiple times. It’s definitely one of the top noodle/​Japanese places in NY. However, I have some complaints.
All the reviews that mention the slow service is true. It is slow and leisurely. I don’t know if they’re understaffed or want to give a relaxed atmosphere. But it is slow.
I tried their Zaru Tofu. It was a tasty tofu. It comes with bonito flakes, some chopped scallions, and grated ginger to flavor. That’s it. You can also use the salt on the table to flavor it too. I felt some type of sauce was missing. I wished they provided tsuyu, soy sauce, or anything. Eating it with the dry ingredients didn’t feel right to me.
Speaking of their salt and pepper shakers, it’s poorly designed. The top is open. So it feels like I need a scooper. You have to be careful to salt your dishes. Otherwise, you might spill the whole thing in your dish if you’re not careful.
Their yakitoris are delicious. They are grilled and flavored well. I recommend them.
But if you see their yaki-​onigiri, I would avoid it. It had too much shiso flavor to it. I was expecting a nice, savory, grilled rice ball. But I just got a huge hit of shiso. I think shiso and rice taste weird together. It was not a good dish. Unless you like shiso, I would avoid at all costs.
Their sobas are decent too. I tried their uni soba and their stamina soba. You pour the tsuyu sauce right into the bowl of noodles. You don’t dip them. The sauce is light and tasty. The noodles seem top notch. And I liked all the sobas I tried. They don’t give you a lot though. You won’t get full with just one bowl.
In the stamina soba, their poached egg is actually raw. It’s barely poached. Some people like to crack a raw egg into their sauce when eating soba. So this was typical. I’m just warning you incase you expect an actual poached egg.
Luckily, or unluckily, they only allow minimum $ 20 per order. So you’re forced to eat extra stuff.

Let’s get something straight to set the tone of this review — I don’t like soba. Traditional cold, or contemporary hot, soba just never took the hot seat of my noodle kingdom with other in-​style noodles like ramen and udon paving the way into my heart.
So, I was skeptical of how much I would like this place despite the ravings I’ve heard. I have never been more happy to be proven wrong in my life.
Soba. De. Li. Cious. I ordered the hot one as part of my combo (again, due to me being skeptical as I knew I didn’t like cold soba — the texture and idea of dipping cold noodles into cold sauce always didn’t bode well) and was blown away by how amazing it was. The soba was so fresh, chewy and tasty — the best I have yet to experience. The soup base was also light and a great complement with the hot soba. I also had the sneaky chance of stealing some cold soba from the gf, in which I was also pleasantly surprised — despite my qualms with cold dishes, the soba was gently chilled and absorbed the flavor of the dipping soy sauce well. It was a good temperature and texture — much better than any previous soba experience I’ve had.
Also, the portions are extremely generous. and since I got the combo, I also got a huge bowl of rice with salmon slices on top (8 – 9 good sized portions!) although I wasn’t a huge fan of the grated yam — the texture and taste threw the dish off, and I would request to not include it in the future. The salmon roe was also very fresh, and a good compliment with the Salmon Toro Don, giving me pleasant pops with every bite.
Overall, one of the most satisfying lunch combos I’ve had, and personally a steal at $ 19. Upgrade to some more expensive seafood combo options (sea urchin, snow crab) for only $ 2 0 a combo — my neighbors did so, and they had a very generous portion which is normally unheard of.
So, all in all, I’m a fan, and will be coming back in the future next time I’m in NYC. Love it!

Despite having soba in their name, I didn’t get soba while here. Guess I’ll have to come back again. I heard from a friend that their rice bowls were more delicious. With everything I ordered that night, this place is 4.5 stars.
Takowasa (octopus marinated in wasabi) — This tiny, acidic dish of raw octopus had the perfect amount of wasabi. It it weren’t so tiny, I would have eaten the whole thing in a bite instead of savoring it.
Harasu fatty salmon yakitori — I got what I expected. Crispy skin, delicious fatty meat. Other than that, it’s just salmon. Nothing special. Next time I want to try more of their limited yakitori.
Una Ju (broiled eel w/​kabayaki sauce) — Basically their unagi don. The eel was so soft, and I really love their rice here. Instead of a sticky mass that you usually find in Chinese restaurants, you can see each pearly grain. It is also harder with more texture.
Sanshoku Don (uni, crab, salmon roe rice bowl) — 3 good things in one bowl. What a perfect combination. The uni was very fresh. Given the priciness of those items, i think they gave a decent amount. I understand why this bowl is so popular now.
My work place is too far away to come here for lunch, but my friends tell me it pays more to get their lunch sets here because soba comes with it. But at least during dinner there’s less of a long line and no line at all Sunday night.
I came back at a later date for lunch and got the Pork Sukiyaki Set. If you’re lucky enough that they have this on their lunch special for that day, make sure you get it. Most satisfying comfort food for lunch.