Local Guide
5 great soba restaurants recommended in the Aso area

The Aso area is one of the areas in Kyushu where the temperature difference between day and night is particularly intense. The climate with morning mist is said to be suitable for growing buckwheat, and there are some famous buckwheat noodle production areas such as Namino district in Aso City and Kugino district in Minamiaso Village. In addition, in Minamioguni Town, there is a "Soba Road" where many famous soba noodle stores are located, and soba is a must-try food in Aso. Here are five popular soba restaurants you should definitely stop by.

Enjoy rare cuts of akagyu beef and handmade soba together.

The popular
The popular "Akagyu Nanban Soba" (1,850 yen). The soba is handmade in the restaurant and is characterized by its smooth texture and rich aroma.

Soba Kaido" is located in Minami-Oguni Town in the northern part of the Aso area. Located near the entrance of the street where many famous soba restaurants are gathered is a soba and kudzu cuisine restaurant. Its popular dish is aromatic nihachi-soba, handmade with stone-ground buckwheat flour and spring water from Aso.
One of the most popular dishes is the "Aka-gyu Nanban Soba" (limited number available per day). The rump of Aso red beef (the part next to the sirloin and around the waist) is quickly grilled and simmered in an original sauce with a delicious dipping sauce. The dashi is well mixed with the soba and the tender meat is superb.

Soba and kuzu dishes in an old private house style restaurant

The restaurant has a total of 70 seats, including table and tatami room seats, making it spacious and comfortable. The interior of the restaurant is decorated in the style of an old private house, and the view of plants from the windows is relaxing.
The restaurant has a total of 70 seats, including table and tatami room seats, making it spacious and comfortable. The interior of the restaurant is decorated in the style of an old private house, and the view of plants from the windows is relaxing.

The restaurant's soba is a blend of soba produced mainly in Aso, with some selected from Nagano and Hokkaido depending on the season. The soba is handmade from early in the morning every day.
The menu includes a variety of dishes such as "Suzuran-zen" (1,950 yen), a course of all kinds of soba, "Jidori-soba" (1,450 yen), which has a delicious broth full of the flavor of jidori chicken, and "Kuzu-set" (1,250 yen), which includes kuzukiri, kuzu mochi, and kuzudofu all in one sweet dish. Whether you enjoy a casual bowl of soba or a full-course, luxurious soba lunch, there are many ways to enjoy this restaurant.

Local Guide Comment
The set includes buckwheat porridge with a delightful crunchy texture of buckwheat seeds, kuzu-dofu made from Aso Jersey milk, and a small bowl of Aso vegetables. You can also enjoy the tastes of Aso on the side menu.
Soba Road: Waimokou
  • Address 3220 Akababa, Minami-Oguni-machi, Aso-gun, Kumamoto MAP
  • Direction Approximately 30 minutes by car from JR Aso Station
  • Hours of Operation 10:30-17:30
  • Closed No holidays
  • TEL 0967-42-1820
  • Parking Free of charge

Lava-roasted red beef and horse sashimi. Enjoy the tastes of Aso with soba noodles.

Matsutaro KAI Local Flavors (3,500 yen). Using fresh wasabi yourself is a rare experience!
Matsutaro KAI Local Flavors (3,500 yen). Using fresh wasabi yourself is a rare experience!

Located about 5 minutes by car from Kurokawa Hot Spring, this is a popular soba restaurant in Oda Onsen. You can enjoy nihachi soba made by a craftsman trained in Izumo. A must-try here is the "Matsutaro Local Flavors" course meal.
The horse sashimi, a specialty of Kumamoto, is a choice of tender red meat. The set also includes lava-roasted triangular belly, a rare part of red beef. With a salad from the restaurant's own farm and a small bowl of Aso ingredients, this luxurious KAI Local Flavors course allows you to enjoy the tastes of Aso all at once. Of course, the flavorful soba noodles are also superb. The soft spiciness unique to fresh wasabi enhances the aroma of the soba even more.

Wariko soba (buckwheat noodles) is also popular, allowing you to enjoy various kinds of soba at once.

The spacious tatami room. There is also an old-fashioned veranda where you can enjoy the view of the garden.
The spacious tatami room. There is also an old-fashioned veranda where you can enjoy the view of the garden.

The restaurant grinds the buckwheat produced in Aso on a millstone in a hut on the premises. The soba is ground slowly and without heat, which gives it a richer aroma and more flavorful taste than the usual nihachi soba.
Zaru-soba is thin and easy to eat, while kake-soba is thicker and more smooth to the throat. The "Sanshoku Wariko Soba" (1,100 yen) and "Goshoku Wariko Soba" (1,600 yen), which are small bowls topped with different ingredients, are also popular as a way to enjoy different types of soba at once. Enjoy the aromatic soba noodles while relaxing your eyes and mind with a view of the well-manicured Japanese garden.

Local Guide Comment
There are also five "private baths" on the premises that can be reserved by the hour (60 minutes, 1,000 yen per bath, 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for children, 11:00-15:00). You can also enjoy the famous hot spring water of Oda Hot Spring.
Soba Restaurant Sotaroan
  • Address 5956 Manganji, Minami-Oguni-machi, Aso-gun, Kumamoto MAP
  • Direction Approximately 30 minutes by car from JR Aso Station
  • Business hours 11:00～14:30
  • Closed No holidays
  • TEL 0967-44-0108
  • Parking Free of charge

Home-made Jyuwari-soba and the extravagant set menu are the talk of the town!

In the foreground on the left is the
In the foreground on the left is the "morisoba" (840 yen). All other dishes can be added to the "Umakata Set" (limited to 50 servings) for an additional 350 yen.

This soba and home-roasted coffee shop is located along Route 57 from Kumamoto City to Aso City. The stone-ground, flavorful juwari soba is popular, but what is even more talked about is the side menu "Umakata Set. The set includes curry soup, tempura, salad, several small potted dishes, tofu, pickles, and dessert, just like a course meal.
This set was started with the hope that customers would fill up, and the portions are increasing every year. Moreover, the set is prepared by Japanese food artisans, and the handmade taste that they put in so much time and effort is irresistible.

We are particular about our home-roasted coffee and have coffee pots at each seat!

All tables are equipped with coffee pots to enjoy freshly brewed coffee.
All tables are equipped with coffee pots to enjoy freshly brewed coffee.

Umakata soba" is the common name for coarsely ground soba (buckwheat noodles), which was used in the Edo period (1603-1868). As the name suggests, the buckwheat from Kumamoto Prefecture (or Hokkaido, depending on the season) is coarsely ground on a stone mortar, and you can enjoy the flavor and nutritional content of the buckwheat. In addition to the standard menu of both cold and hot soba, the restaurant also offers such oddities as "Aso Takana Spicy Soba" and "Soba with Mozzarella Cheese and Bacon".
In addition, the restaurant offers a selection of home-roasted coffee beans imported from around the world, which you can enjoy freshly brewed. The hospitality that can be felt in every corner of this famous restaurant will warm your heart.

Local Guide Comment
On weekends, people start lining up after 10:00 a.m. for the "Umakata Set," which is limited to 50 servings. Many customers skip breakfast for this set.
Umakata Soba Restaurant
  • Address 1351-1 Nagakusa, Aso, Kumamoto MAP
  • Direction 15 min. walk from JR Ichinokawa Station
  • Business hours 11:00-15:00
  • Closed Friday (open on national holidays)
  • TEL 0967-35-1040
  • Parking Free of charge

Home-grown native buckwheat noodles from Kugino have an exceptional flavor and feel great in the mouth!

Tempura Seiro Soba
Tempura Seiro Soba" (1,980 yen). The "Soba Gaki" (880 yen), pictured above right, is served with nama shoyu (soy sauce) and spicy radish.

This soba restaurant is located in Minamiaso Village's Kugino, one of Aso's most famous soba production areas, with a magnificent view of the five Aso peaks. You can enjoy nihachi-soba made mainly from home-grown native buckwheat in Kugino and carefully selected buckwheat flour from nearby prefectures such as Takachiho.
The soba is carefully ground on a stone mortar and handmade every morning using spring water from Minami Aso. The finely ground flour is exquisitely blended with coarsely ground flour for aroma, and the thinly ground flour is about 1.2 mm, which goes well with the hard, dry dipping sauce. The rich flavor unique to native buckwheat noodles can be experienced with all five senses, from the tongue to the nose.

Feel the soba that can only be tasted in Kugino with your whole body!

The restaurant is surrounded by trees. Outside, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the five peaks of Aso.
The restaurant is surrounded by trees. Outside, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the five peaks of Aso.

The most popular is the Tempura Seiro Soba, which comes with two shrimps and five kinds of seasonal vegetables crisply fried in tempura. Other cold and hot dishes include "Kamo Seiro Soba", "Oroshi Soba", "Kamo Nanban Soba", and "Kakiage Ten Soba". In addition, the "soba gaki," made from kneaded buckwheat flour, is enchanting with its rustic flavor that maximizes the aroma of the flour.
A soba-making workshop is also available in the warm wooden store. The restaurant is a soba restaurant where you can experience with your whole body the unique flavor of soba that can only be experienced here in the unique scenery of Kugino.

Local Guide Comment
The "soba gaki" is as big as your fist. Soba-gaki senzai" and "soba-gaki kinako kuromitsu" (660 yen each), sweet dishes using buckwheat, are also recommended!
Handmade Soba Noodles Minami Aso Kugino An
  • Address 266-2 Kawagin, Minami-Aso Village, Aso County, Kumamoto Prefecture MAP
  • Direction Approximately 25 minutes by car from Aso Kumamoto Airport
  • Business hours 11:30-15:30 (L.O. 15:00), 17:00-20:30 (L.O. 19:30)
  • Closed Tuesdays, 4th Wed.
  • TEL 0967-67-0373
  • Parking Free of charge

Enjoy crispy and chewy kawara soba in the nature of Aso.

Tsuki gozen
Tsuki gozen" (2,100 yen) includes kawara soba noodles (photo shows beef topping), dagojiru soup, and homemade pickles.

Nishihara Village is located in the southwestern part of the Aso area. At this popular restaurant located in the mountainous area, you can enjoy kawara soba (kawara soba) and wild vegetable dishes, which are rare in Kyushu. To ensure that the soba is crispy and retains its heat for a long time, the soba is carefully cooked one by one using traditional real kawara tiles.
The tea buckwheat noodles, which are procured from Okayama Prefecture, have a moderate tea flavor and a crispy, chewy texture after baking, and are perfectly mixed with the dipping sauce. The toppings on top include not only the most popular beef, but also a choice of wild vegetables and mushrooms. Mix the toppings thoroughly and cook to your liking.

The restaurant is surrounded by a beautiful garden with a stream running through it, providing a relaxing and soothing atmosphere.
The restaurant is surrounded by a beautiful garden with a stream running through it, providing a relaxing and soothing atmosphere.

Founded in 1989, the first owner fell in love with the taste of a famous restaurant in Yamaguchi Prefecture and trained there before opening the restaurant. The delicious taste and the enjoyment of kawara soba, which is rare in Kyushu, became the talk of the town, and the restaurant became so popular that many days there were lines of customers waiting in line.
The restaurant also offers a side menu that includes such Aso delicacies as "dagojiru," a country dish of Aso made with a slightly sweet miso paste, "onigiri," rice balls made with rice produced in the prefecture, "assorted pickles" made with local seasonal vegetables, and "grilled yamame," a grilled yamame (Japanese pond smelt). The beautiful garden view, fed by a stream flowing from the Shiraito Waterfall, is another attraction. You can enjoy your meal in a spacious and large tatami room.

Local Guide Comment
A 5-minute drive from the store is Shiraito Falls, a popular power spot and autumn foliage spot. Since you are going to be there, we recommend that you make a side trip.
Shiki Sokuzeikuu
  • Address2281 Kawahara, Nishihara-mura, Aso-gun, Kumamoto MAP
  • Direction 20 minutes drive from "Mashiki Kumamoto Airport" IC
  • Business hours 11:00-15:00 (L.O.14:00) *Saturdays and holidays: ~16:00 (L.O.15:00)
  • Closed Sunday, Monday
  • TEL 096-279-2919
  • Parking Free of charge
  • Memo This restaurant specializes in kawara soba. Please note that regular soba noodles are not available.
The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.