Soba

Easily one of the better places in town and parallels great Asian around the country. Certainly not quite up to Hakkasan or Nobu standards, but on a trajectory. I have been happy nearly every time and have been here about a dozen times over the last year. Bar staff very attentive and good. My favorites are Bao buns, filet satay, dumplings, Burmese tea leaf salad, most of the sushi and sashimi, some noodle dishes. Haven’t really gone through the entrees in a while, but I’m sure they are very good. All in all, a great dining experience 4.5÷5).

This is a copy of my review for the event that this fine establishment hosted. I was not aware that the review would not show up on their restaurant page. I am kinda new at this! But yeah… Here it is.

Overall experience with the drinks was really good. The tai mule gave me a little tickle in the back of my tongue, with a taste of lemon and mint. The sangria was served with a orange (of course) and was blended perfectly with fruity and wine. The desert drink was different for me as I don’t usually drink something with such a kick. So with that said, I am not sure if it was brandy or whiskey. Overall the drinks were fab.
The seared bar tuna was served with peanut and Korean bbq sauce. It was very tasteful and not dry at all. My head needed a minute to wrap itself around how good it was.
The double salmon roll was very good. The salmon was definitely fresh and put together very nicely. The other roll was cucumber and avocado. I enjoyed this one because you were able to taste everything, including the seaweed wrap, which has been a while for me, so I know it was fresh.
The Korean fried chicken on a boa bun (rice flour), with a tomato, cilantro, and sweet pickle was delish! I really with I could have had another one!.. And will!
The rock shrimp was very good as well, with a nice spice to it. It wasn’t dry and was very flavorful. This was also served very cute in a paper cone.
The sea bass kabob was cooked with perfection! The meat was juicy and flavorful with a sweet tasting glaze, and was not overwhelming with a seafood taste.
The shishito pepper were mild and either grilled or chard. Not sure if it had a taste of cayenne, but over all they were good. The edamame was good as well.
Being that this was an special event, I can not really being critical of the actual service we received, I will have to do that when I come back for a regular visit, but it was very good. The ambiance was very nice and romantic, casual, and comfortable. That’s all I can say!

My first trip to Soba was as a +1 at a Unilocal Elite event (yay!). The event occupied the bar area, which was lovely, had ample seating, and a beautiful (well stocked) bar. The food and drink provided was well designed to represent some of the better tastes of the menu. We chose a poor table, and tended to get the ends of each service, but ultimately, we were well fed and pampered by the end. The shishito peppers were truly outstanding. Lovely and smokey, but not too spicy. The rock shrimp tempura and seared rare tuna were tasty and definitely worth getting, but the highlight (for me) was the bao buns. Dear Lord. The dough was light and soft, the chicken deliciously fried, and then my brain kinda melted into nirvana rather than thinking about the other ingredients. We also sampled the edamame, spicy tuna roll and a vegetarian roll, which were good, but sort of as expected and not my favorite. We also sampled the plum sangria (very tasty), the thai mule (very gingery, delicious, and my favorite!!), and the midnight manhattan (amazing, if you’re a rye drinker). For dessert, we all received a chocolate maki, which was very creative, well presented, and good. A nearby Unilocaler had a birthday, which called for a soba banana split. After the banana split, which was truly outstanding, we were all left a big jealous. Also of note, their happy hour specials were good. A nice selection of reasonably priced cocktails, wine, beer, and beer on tap. I would definitely come back for a nice dinner sometime!

The menu here is very pricey, and some things are complete hits, and others are total misses, thus I give it a 3.5-star rating. We started with the crab and corn chowder (creamy, spicy and delicious — $ 8), chilean sea bass satay (large cubes of cod, cooked rare, tender, with a sweet, tasty sauce — $ 12). I had the shiitake dumplings ($ 9 — 5 or 6 in an order, fried, pretty good but nothing stupendous). We got the double salmon roll, which had a lot of mayonnaise on it for my taste, especially since this was not listed as an ingredient on the menu. I probably wouldn’t have ordered it if I’d known. The fish was delicious ($ 14). We also got the hamachi sashimi, a favorite of my dinner partner’s. He said the fish was great, but the fennel, apple and avocado sauce added to the dish were a total miss and detracted from the great fish underneath ($ 14). We both wished the hamachi had been combined with flavors that made more sense for its delicate flavors. Finally, we shared the red curry and rice, which neither of us particularly cared for. It is an all vegetable dish, with tofu, broccolini, butternut squash, and a fried egg I never found in the dish ($ 17). We opted to skip the entrees, which run from $ 22 – 34, and we were glad we did, as this amount of food more than filled us up, with enough for at least one meal of leftovers, despite coming very hungry. We finished our meal with the cashew terrine ($ 9), which was essentially a trio of pureed cashew and coconut milk bars served with chocolate sauce, candied cashews, and raspberry/​passionfruit sauce. Finally, we had the port trio, all of which were wonderful and a relatively good deal ($ 14 for 3 small glasses).
At a previous event, we also tried soba’s food, and got the chance to taste the crispy tofu (bland, but inoffensive, $ 9), roasted chicken ramen (delicious, $ 22, enough for leftovers), and pad thai (good, but way overpriced with too many noodles and costing $ 19, for something I could get at my neighborhood thai joint for $ 12 – 14).

The ambiance is perfection. However, I enjoy excellent food, timely service, and well balanced cocktails. If you prefer outstanding décor over all other elements listed. Then I’m sure you will enjoy your experience. I can only hope you trust and find my review helpful. Unilocal on y’all. So as a side note soba had taken their listing down from Unilocal.I’m not sure why, in response I posted my review to umi which they also own. Since I couldn’t find the listing I accidentally ordered delivery from here after spending a long night working. It was horrible. The fish was tough and the other dish was simply inedible. The drinks are strong but this was my second time eating here, again an accident since they had removed their Unilocal page after my first bad review. This place is far too expensive to be serving food as poorly prepared as this. Side note this isn’t a craft cocktail sort of place it’s more like bad resort or Cruze drinks. I guess if you like to pay too much for terrible food and drinks then go for it. I’ve never been so disappointed with my dinner since I tried Porch.

If you want a classy evening with great food, creative drinks and a very nice interior, you can do far, far worse than Soba.
First, it’s much larger than you might think at first — with a restaurant proper and bar /​lounge area to the side. Your first decision will be whether to dine in the restaurant area or go for a more casual (but comfortable) chat near the bar. Either are great options and the bar /​lounge area can be particularly awesome for a big group. I’ve been there with 20(!) people and we had enough room and felt very comfortable. One downside (and the reason this review is a four star, rather than a five star, review is the service in this area. When I have been there, there has only been one server allocated to the bar area, even when there were over 30 people present! This is a seriously tough person-​to-​server ratio and we were waiting about 20 minutes to catch their attention and place new drink orders. With this kind of ratio, you can also rule-​out someone spotting that you’re drink is finished and you might want a top-​up. If you do visit the bar, try the lobster tacos — delicious!
In the restaurant area itself, you can have a classy meal with very attentive service (which makes the lounge experience all the more puzzling). There is an impressive drinks menu and the food was uniformly excellent. This would be a very good location for a date or a celebratory meal.
So overall, come here for a very nice meal or a casual hang-​out in the lounge or bar area. Prepare to be patient if you do sit in the lounge area as you might be waiting a while for a drink, but as there aren’t many place that can support the numbers that Soba allows, it might be a price worth paying.

Dining solo so my review is somewhat biased because of a slight uneasy feeling doing so at this establishment. Don’t get me wrong. I dine alone and have done so quite often throughout the many years. My point is that I shouldn’t feel uncomfortable while doing so and some establishments seem to go out of their way on this point.
I chose this restaurant as a recommendation by my hair stylist as a treat to myself after getting a great new coif. I walked the several blocks from the salon to the restaurant because it was a nice evening weather-​wise and I hadn’t really explored Shadyside before so it was fun taking in the architecture of homes, shopping, and seeing other restaurants in the neighborhood I want to try.
Upon entering, I stood for a few moments more than necessary to be greeted. I was asked if maybe I wanted to sit in the lounge area; I looked and opted for a table, instead. I then waited a few more moments more than necessary when he returned before he made eye contact after searching for an open table. All I’m saying is that I definitely felt second-​rate at the host (ess) station, whether that was because I was alone, alone as a woman, because I didn’t have a reservation, or maybe my new coif wasn’t as great as I thought (ha!). I don’t know and didn’t really care for the feeling. I did manage to stay; however, to be escorted to the top floor patio that is open but covered. It was an exquisite place to dine.
My server was pleasant but definitely reserved. I ordered a glass of Riesling ($ 10), a fair price amongst restaurants. I also ordered Thai corn chowder and pork lettuce wraps, each coming to the table separately. The corn chowder was flavorful but the texture wasn’t what I expected. It was more of a thick purée than chunks of corn. Though good, I’d order something else next time simply because of the texture. The pork lettuce wraps were excellent and plentiful to make a dinner portion for one. All totaled, the bill was $ 30 for the glass of wine, soup, and lettuce wraps, a fair price in such a beautiful setting.
All in all, I would come here again but definitely with my husband. It’s a great date venue but a little more hoity-​toity and prissy dining solo (aka «pretentious») than I particularly cared for. Thus, 4 stars vs 5 stars for the review.

Really solid food, and excellent service thanks to Bart, our extremely genial waiter. I’ve been to Soba twice before for entrees (thank you, Birthday Club!) and been satisfied, but tonight’s sharing plates + maki dinner had me downright impressed. The shishito peppers are delicious, and a nice foil to richer, porkier dishes. The Chilean Sea Bass skewers were very nicely flavored, though we were disappointed to not be served the skin – it’s the tastiest part! We also got the Korean fried chicken bao (Vietnamese style slider), and while the chicken was very authentic in its sticky sweet glaze and crispy coating, we felt the buns were missing some spice and acid… a little gochujang would have made them much more balanced.
We also ordered both the double maki rolls, and they were tasty although the tuna roll didn’t seem to have much of the spicy mayo. We were also tempted into dessert… I usually take one look at the menu and think «I could make that, and that, and that…» but Soba’s dessert menu is quite thoughtful and creative. We got the banana split and the pretzel stack, and while both were quite tasty (the miso caramel was especially interesting), neither was particularly remarkable (the raspberry ice cream of the night clashed with the banana and caramel, and the stack needed a bit more crunch to cream). If you’re into desserts, I would highly recommend saving room at least for a peak, because it’s rare to find a restaurant that puts such effort into the post-​dinner menu.
I would be remiss if I didn’t give a fuller commendation to Bart, who jovially kept our water glasses filled, offered recommendations, and ensured that everything was prepared to our liking (even going so far as to sub out the coffee-​flavored ice cream on the split). He struck the magic balance of being there every time we looked for him but nowhere in sight when he was not needed. Soba is lucky to have him.

I think Soba has one of the best/​coolest atmospheres of any restaurant in Pittsburgh. My first experience at Soba I did the tasting menu (I can’t remember most of the courses, but I know I loved it)…I would do it again in a heart beat! My second experience, I ordered the Tandoori grilled Scottish Salmon as my main course and it was fantastic! I normally fill up on appetizers and my main meal and don’t have room for dessert, but this time I decided to skip the appetizer and get a dessert instead, excellent decision! I would recommend any of their desserts (we ordered the chocolate pretzel stack and we agreed it was in the top desserts of all time). Will be back in the future!

Fantastic Interior! Swanky Bar! Smooth lighting!
It’s all here!
I’ve loved this place since since setting foot in the door a long time ago.
It was always a 5 star experience… but in the last few months somethings different and thus the 3-​star status.
I’m not sure what it is… whether it’s taking exceptionally long to get attention for service (here’s a hint… if you get everyone drinks faster, they’re probably more likely to have a better experience!), or the quality of food, or not feeling like you got the best value for the price paid when you walk out…
I haven’t given up on it here yet — and have high hopes that it’s just a bump in the road.

Came here for dinner and drinks. Initial impressions from ambience and cocktails were good. Appetizers were mostly good, especially the buns. Sushi was decent. However the red curry was one of the worst I’ve had.
It’s really pricey for the portions and quality. I might come back for a quick cocktail and app.

We came here for my birthday dinner and it exceeded my expectations. Soba is a pan-​Asian restaurant and they definitely showed the Asian influence in their food. I had ordered the seared rare tuna and it was cooked perfectly while my boyfriend went with the salmon entrée (cooked medium rare).
The atmosphere is very intimate, with low lighting and candles and a waterfall wall.
The food was delicious and the waiter was attentive and informative. Would definitely go back! Definitely one of my new favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh.

I enjoyed pat tai smelling exotic scents and fried cuttle under the golden candle light. Taste was good and I felt romantic. It was a little expensive but worth it.
There was a nice bar also even though I didn’t drink anything. When I have another chance to visit there, I will treat myself cocktail filling beautiful glass with its vivid color.
You would rather make a reservation to get comfortable seat.
Be careful about extra ordinary scents that can be unbearable to someone though I loved it.

After hearing so much about Soba over the years, I knew it had to be my February destination for my New Year’s Resolution: one Pittsburgh restaurant each month that I’ve never been to!
My 3 girlfriends and I made a reservation for shortly after they opened for the evening, so the space was nice and quiet for the majority of our dining experience. I ordered a glass of chardonnay ($ 10) to start, and the four of us decided to split the crispy tofu appetizer ($ 10). The appetizer portion was perfect for the four of us to snack on and could easily be made into your meal or hearty shareable plate for two. For my main course, I ordered a bowl of the Thai corn chowder ($ 8) and the double tuna fat roll ($ 14). There were so many delicious entrees to choose from, but I had to remind myself that my eyes are always bigger than my stomach, and settled on the soup and roll — I will definitely be back again to try one of their entrees: the Long Island duck & seared rare tuna dishes sounded phenomenal.
Our first round of dishes was served shortly after we finished the crispy tofu: my Thai corn chowder was excellent — perfect consistency, temperature and flavor. One complaint is that the menu description for the chowder touts jumbo lump crab meat and I had one measly piece, which was rather disappointing. The other girls in my party had a couple orders of steamed dumplings, which looked good and again were large enough of a portion to make into a meal.
Our waiter was extremely attentive, checking on us regularly and making sure our water glasses remained filled. This is such a subtle task, but for as much water as I gulp down at each meal I greatly appreciate when waiters and waitresses keep my glass full.
It was a bit of a wait for our maki rolls which surprised me a bit, seeing as (I would assume) they take less time to prepare than other entrée-​style dishes. About 15 minutes after our first course was cleared, our rolls were served. I’m not sure if there was an error in submitting our order to the kitchen, but both courses that were brought out were served to the wrong person at our table. Perhaps the breakdown came when a different waiter served our food than the waiter that took our order. Obviously the fix is as easy as exchanging a couple of plates across the table, but it’s something that could most definitely be avoided. Regardless of the musical plates that we played, the rolls were delicious and I soon hit a sushi wall… they say you’re never to leave a soldier behind, but I had to leave one lone, tasty piece of the double tuna fat roll on the plate by itself. I had just enough to eat at that point and was mentally high-​fiving myself for not ordering an entire entrée, half of which would’ve likely ended up in a doggy bag.
Overall, I am pleased with my experience at Soba and will most definitely be back. The interior is intimate and dimly lit so it would be a perfect date night spot or, as I did, a girls night out. There really doesn’t seem to be a bad item on the menu. On this particular visit, they were even offering a special prix fixe menu in celebration of the Chinese New Year. It looked tempting but again, my eyes are always bigger than my stomach and I had to politely decline the opportunity.

Soba is beautiful, simply stunning. This time I sat solo at the bar for happy hour. You really can’t beat $ 6 glasses of wine and cocktails. The Thai mule cocktail was so refreshing and smelled exactly like a delicious fragrant Thai dish. Please keep this cocktail on the menu for summer… this is the perfect summertime drink. Even though it is 15 degrees out, I’ll continue to drink at Soba in the winter and let them transport me away to somewhere warmer :)

Went to Soba for an anniversary dinner since we wanted to try something new and trendy. The interior (which I hear was renovated) was just that — NYC style trendy and the ambience was romantic. I had requested a seat overlooking the waterfall when I made the reservation which they said they could accommodate on the mezzanine but when we got there, they said it was closed. So we sat in the side room — not a huge deal.
We had the Korean BBQ appetizer, which was DELICIOUS! It felt kind of funny eating with my hands whilst in such a nice restaurant wearing a pretty dress, but I would totally get these again. *mouth waters*
For entrees I got the chicken ramen soup bowl which had a lot of chicken in it (pleasant surprise!) and was nice and hot. I added a little of the hot chutneys to it :) BF got the bim bam bop which he said was so-​so. He asked for the egg on the side, but they plopped it in the middle. I’ll have to say the service was so-​so.
Nice for a special occasion and with 2 $ 10 off entrée holiday coupons it didn’t break the bank.

I love, love, love their pad thai! My boyfriend had bi bam bap which he loved as well. We shared the tuna tartar for an appetizer then finished with the chocolate pretzel stack! All in all, it was a delicious meal which is why I give it 4 stars.
The service was good, but nothing out of this world.
Unfortunately due to its ambiance and set up, our table was next to an obnoxiously loud table which caused us to not hang out and drink anymore cocktails. A little more space between tables would be nice, but it’s not stoping me from going back.
Well done, Big Burrito!

Amazing Two Fish Tempura Fat Roll… one of the best things I’ve tasted, seriously.
Excellent Thai Corn Chowder.
Incredible Black Cod.
This place does Asian Fusion well!

Definitely one of the better and more upscale modern Asian restaurants in Pittsburgh (excluding Thai food– so many good options). This was my first time at Soba after spending many visits at Umi. I would argue that Umi is the better sibling with excellent sushi options (with a hefty price tag) but Soba is a bit more approachable to the person who is less familiar with or doesn’t want sushi. In all, it’s a good place for a date with a desire for reasonable and modern Asian fusion.
Ambience:
Trendy, dimly lit and very clean décor. It suits the cuisine and is well set for small groups or a date. Not too loud but certainly not dead either. I loved the bar area– has a mix of bar and casual couch/​lovechair seating that’s well suited for a date or small group. Based on the clientele and set up, I’d lean towards trendy attire if you come here– not a casual place by any means.
Food:
Thai corn chowder– so good and very rich. I would return just for that dish. For an entrée, I had the seared rare tuna. They definitely didn’t skimp on my portion of tuna and cooked it well. Granted tuna is a bit bland, I was hoping for more seasoning and oomph from the Korean barbecue sauce. The ginger fried rice made up for any disappointment I had with the tuna. For dessert, the chocolate pretzel stack was fantastic– perfect mix of chocolate, sweet caramel and the salty wonton chip.
Drinks:
The old fashioned was well-​executed. Went back for a second. Can’t speak for any of their other cocktails.

Had the famous «Birthday Coupon» and decided to make it worth the free entrée. This place has been on my list for a while, and I was finally able to convince my husband make the trip for date night.
The only seating available without a reservation was at the bar, which is never a problem for us. We were two of the only three people there, and it was really quiet, so perfect!
We were greeted by the bartender who was very knowledgeable and friendly. He provided us with drink menus and gave us an ample amount of time to decide.
We started with the hamachi sashimi, which was a brilliant blend of pomegranate, pear, and avocado with amber jack tuna. A spicy little sauce was plated along with it, and the mix was really tasty. Beautiful presentation as well.
My main course was the Thaikkal curry, which was a fun, educational dish for me. First, the eggplant was fire-​grilled, which blended so well with the curry sauce. It was plated with bean sprouts and slices of fresh mango, which I had never thought to pair with a curry. The roti was fried, which I didn’t prefer.
My husband ordered the seafood hot pot. Quite a full portion of seafood with a side of rice, this vast array of shellfish went down quick. His comment was «It’s Big Burrito salty.»
Really savory food and pleasant service in an atmosphere drowned in Massive Attack. That’s Soba.