Kobayashi Soba - Decent Shinshu Soba in Matsumoto but feels a bit "touristy restaurant"
Zaru Soba
Kobayashi Soba
Kobayashi Soba
Decent Shinshu Soba restaurant with a chill and homely ambience few minutes walk away from Matsumoto Castle and literally beside Nawate Street.
But after the meal, just having a tingly feeling in my mind that says it’s a bit of “touristy restaurant” based on the customers and other variables I’ve seen.
Close up on the Zaru Soba
Kobayashi Soba
Fresh Wasabi
Kobayashi Soba
You can DIY and grate the fresh wasabi yourself, I really like such stuff!
By the way, do you know that Nagano Prefecture (specifically Azumino City, which is near Matsumoto City) is famous for wasabi? They have a famous wasabi farm called Daio Wasabi Farm which I really wanted to go too, but sadly there is no free time to schedule a visit on this trip.
Dipping sauce covered by the plate with wasabi, radish, and spring onion
Kobayashi Soba
Zaru Soba (Regular) (¥1400)
Soba: Standard taste, round shape, slightly thin thickness, and medium firmness.
Dipping Sauce: To be very honest it’s been quite some time and I can’t recall the taste anymore, only know it’s decent but nothing memorable (thus I can’t recall). But it’s better than the one I ate at Kusabue.
After adding Sobayu: Same as above
Overall, the soba and dipping sauce is ok. But what I really like is the freshness and quality of the wasabi which really adds to the flavour of the entire dish.
Rating: 3.25/5
Kamo Soba
Kobayashi Soba
Warm Kamo dipping sauce
Kobayashi Soba
Kamo Soba (¥1800)
Wife ate this dish and has a better memory than me, so there’s more taste description to this dish.
Soba: Standard taste, round shape, slightly thin thickness, and medium firmness.
Dipping Sauce: Combination of duck and herbal flavours, comes into a robust and strong meaty taste.
After adding Sobayu: Similar taste profile but just lighter (or specifically diluted version).
Overall, it’s a good choice for someone who wants a meaty and warm sauce accompanying their soba, especially so it was raining the whole day when we visited Matsumoto.
Rating: 3.25/5
Sobayu
Kobayashi Soba
English Menu
Kobayashi Soba
You can click here for the restaurant’s official digital English menu.
Shop Interior
Kobayashi Soba
Overall
Decent Shinshu Soba restaurant with a nice and chill environment, the senior staff (not sure whether he is the boss?) speaks English too, interestingly also situated beside a shrine (Yohashira Shrine). They also provided complimentary buckwheat tea which tastes really nice!
One of the pros will be a very good location as mentioned at the start, a few minutes away from Matsumoto Castle and literally beside Nawate Street. Definitely very convenient and time-saving which you can probably eat over here before/after your visit to those attractions.
Why I feel a bit of “touristy restaurant” due to not much locals dining in, the food is decent but nothing great for the restaurant’s long history in Matsumoto City, and the low ratings and reviews on Tabelog. There’s a few higher ratings Soba restaurants on Tabelog for Matsumoto City (3.5-3.6 ratings), but I gave this place a try due to the history.
Not saying this is bad, it’s really decent. But the tingly feeling I have in my mind whether I made a mistake of not trying the higher rating restaurants with lots of reviews on Tabelog over this? Since I only have this one chance to dine in Matsumoto City, as it is only a day trip. I will never know until the next time I visit Matsumoto City again.
Shop Front
Kobayashi Soba
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Address: 長野県 松本市 大手 3-3-20 四柱神社参集殿
Opening Hours: 11am-8pm Daily, closed on Wednesday for the month of January and February
Payment Method: Cash
Website: http://www.kobayashi-soba.co.jp/
Tabelog: https://tabelog.com/en/nagano/A2002/A200201/20022405/
(Last visited: October 2019)