Soba-dokoro Kitahara

そば処 喜多原

Small handmade-soba house by Todai-ji, limited bowls a day

⚠ Cash only; closed Tue

Hours

From 11:00 until sold out; closed Tuesdays (reviews)

Budget

¥1,000–1,800 pp

Address

50 Suimon-cho (lane near Isuien and Yoshikien gardens)

A tiny soba house one block off the road to Todai-ji. Past a farmhouse-style entrance guarded by a tanuki statue are a few tables and a tatami room. Handmade buckwheat noodles come cold or hot, and the favourite is the set with tempura (prawns, pumpkin, lotus root) dipped in salt. Once the day's bowls are gone, so is lunch.