Ramen may dominate the stateside discourse about Japanese noodle dishes, as proven by New York’s extensive array of great places to procure the dish. But there are indeed some exemplary versions of soba and udon to be found around town. The former are more delicate in girth and made from buckwheat, touted for being gluten-free, low in cholesterol, and generally a pretty damn healthy option on the cross-cultural noodle circuit. In stark contrast, there’s udon, a hefty, chewy, pale wheat noodle.
There are acclaimed, venerable temples devoted to udon throughout Japan, yet New York still hasn’t hit peak soba appreciation, and has a ways to go in terms of udon choices, too. A small but mighty crop of high-quality soba establishments have enjoyed loyal followings for years, though stalwarts like Midtown’s Soba Nippon have shuttered, and a handful of promising udon-centric spots have debuted in recent years. Ahead, 11 places to satiate that soba or udon craving, ASAP.
Note: This map is arranged geographically, north to south.
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