Kanda Yabusoba

Description:

• This is one of Tokyo's most famous soba (noodle) shops, established in 1880 and rebuilt after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. The house, which is surrounded by a wooden gate with an entryway through a small grove of bamboo, features shoji screens and a dining area with tatami mats and tables. It's often filled with middle-age businessmen and housewives, so you'll probably have to wait on the bench at the entrance if you come during lunchtime. There's a menu in English. The specialties are hot and cold wheat noodles, which you can order with grated yam, grilled eel, duck, or crispy shrimp tempura. Listen to the woman sitting at a small counter by the kitchen -- she sings out orders to the chef, as well as hellos and goodbyes to customers.

• © Frommer's 2013