Sobakoh Ends Noodle Tenure in East Village After 13 Years

After more than a decade of making noodles in a window in the East Village, Japanese restaurant Sobakoh has closed its doors.

Owner Hiromitsu Takahashi wrote in an announcement on Facebook that the last day for the restaurant at 309 East 5th Street was last Thursday. He noted that he would be returning to Japan for retirement. EV Grieve spotted a closure sign on the restaurant over the weekend.

Sobakoh opened more than 13 years ago and helped turn the East Village into a noodle destination. The Japanese noodle is made out of buckwheat flour, and Takahashi could regularly be spotted making them fresh in a window at the restaurant.

Soba never quite gained the popularity that ramen has, as far as Japanese noodles go. Still, a couple other places also have a following for the buckwheat noodle, including fellow East Village restaurant Sobaya and Cocoron on the Lower East Side.

• Sobakoh has closed on 5th Street [EVGrieve]