100 year old Soba by Zenkoji Temple in Nagano Japan [Kitanoya Soba]

Must-try soba by Zenkoji Temple in Nagano

Kitanoya Soba opened its doors in 1903, mostly to guests visiting the 7th century Zenkoji Temple nearby. For 100 years, the Kitano family served home made cut soba with a secret-recipe broth.

Kitanoya Soba has been open for over 100 years and sits next to the Zenkoji Temple in Nagano

One of the earlier photos of Kitanoya Soba.

We stopped by for lunch on a cold day. Half of us ordered hot soba, the other half, cold. With soba made from buckwheat and a special broth made from homemade kaeshi our lunch helped restore and regenerate us from our long car ride.

We ofcourse also had to get the side of tempura. All the favorites were deep fried in a tempura mix: shrimp, shiso leaf, pumpkin, mushrooms, and more.

We can never resist a hot plate of tempura.

I ordered the mushroom soba which came with a variety of delicious funghi. The broth had so much umami!

You can also order an egg on top of your soba!

Fresh out the kitchen. Handmade soba with their special broth.

Their noodles are chewy, flavorful, and perfect in hot and cold soba.

Our table ordered several hot sobas, all different flavors. What surprised me was that every soba dish tasted so different from the next! The broth perfectly matched the chosen toppings. One of our favorites was the chicken. For a thicker meal try the curry!

We ordered hot soba for the table. All different flavors. Mushroom, mountain vegetables, chicken, and curry.

For 1200 yen ($8 USD), Kitanoya Soba also offers great lunch deals. From tempura, to fried chicken & oysters, to sashimi and yakiniku, each weekday theres a meal to look forward to. Order early as they can run out of the lunch sets. (See the menu at the end of the blog)

Shoes-off when sitting on the group tables!

You feel at home at Kitanoya Soba in their 100-year old shop.

The interior is decorated with plenty of trinkets and artwork throughout the decades

A chestnut-colored squirrel eats the famous soba outside of Kitanoya.

I loved the interior of Kitanoya Soba. Trinkets collected over the decades, children’s drawings taped on the walls, photographs showing the restaurant over the years. You are immediately blanketed in a feeling of being home, sipping your warm soba, and resting before exploring the rest of Nagano.

Zenkoji Street Food Market, Nagano

A must-visit while in Nagano is the Buddhist Zenkoji Temple which was built in the year 642! The temple is open year round with morning service and rosary blessings in the mornings.

Leading up to the temple is a street full of Nagano treats and eats. Chestnut sweets, grilled mochi, crisp apple desserts, and ofcourse soba noodles. We picked up plenty of snack souvenirs here to bring back home to Taiwan.

Walking through the Zenkoji Market looking for our next snack.

The gate into the Zenkoji Market in Nagano, Japan.

I love the street covers of Japan. Here in Nagano they’re decorated with the famous crisp apples.

Kitanoya Soba Menu

Website: https://www.kitanoya-soba.com/
Hours: 11:00-20:30
Closed on Tuesdays
Address: 393 Higashinomoncho, Nagano City, Japan
Telephone: 026-232-2492

Comment if you’re a hot or cold soba person!

Book a tour in Japan

Nagano Snow Monkey Park and Zenko-ji Temple Day Tour with Sake Tasting

All of Japan JR Pass

FOODBABY