At stand-up soba restaurants unique to Japan, you can enjoy soba casually while standing at a counter. You can often find them near train stations in urban areas, and they are loved for their reasonable prices comparable to those of ramen and beef bowl restaurants, as well as for their convenience that lets you finish your meal in a short time. Especially in big cities like Tokyo, many business people go there during their breaks, and they are essential for their busy lifestyle.

Suba VS, which opened in September 2024, reinterpreted the traditional stand-up soba restaurants in a bold way. It is the second location of Suba, a popular soba restaurant in Kyoto. In this article, we would like to introduce the appeal of the unique and creative new restaurant.

As you step inside, you will be amazed by its innovative spatial design. As with the Kyoto location, the simple interior with the exposed concrete finish has been designed by ambitious Japanese design team Yusuke Seki Studio. To create an association with the Kyoto location, which attracted attention for its slanted countertops, they intentionally slanted the floor underneath the counters.

The menu items are also brimming with creativity. You can enjoy The Famous Beef & Onsen Egg Soba, which is popular at its Kyoto location, and summer-only Citrus & Fig, as well as the Shibuya location’s exclusive Mao Zedong Spice Chicken Tempura.

Limited-time Citrus & Fig is also popular at the Kyoto location

Shibuya location’s exclusive Mao Zedong Spice Chicken Tempura

All items use handmade noodles, which are made with carefully-selected buckwheat flours from around Japan, and combine them with Kansai style broth that is carefully extracted from Rishiri kelps, bonitos, mackerels, round herrings, etc. These creative combinations of ingredients create new tastes unique to Suba.

The second floor houses a wine shop, and a wine bar called Virtus VS. Here you can enjoy over 48 different wines by the glass from dispensers and try out combinations with soba that you never imagined would go well together. For example, Dashiwari, which mixes soba broth and wine, is one of Suba’s unique drinks. You can also take your wine to the first floor and enjoy it with soba.

Dashiwari combines soba broth and Virtus VS’s wine

There are over 48 kinds of wines in the wine dispensers

Enjoy paring the soba and wines

The innovative stand-up soba restaurant, Suba VA, is only three minutes’ walk from the B3 exit of Shibuya Station. Why not enjoy the delicious pairing of soba and wine in a sophisticated atmosphere when visiting Shibuya?

■DATA Suba VS Address: 1F Miyamasu ON Bldg., 1-15-8 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Opening hours: 12:00 - 23:00 Closed: Irregularly Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/subasoba_vs/ Virtus VS Address: 2F Miyamasu ON Bldg., 1-15-8 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Opening hours: 12:00 - 23:00 Closed: Irregularly Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/virtuswine_vs/ (Information as of January 2025 )

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