You’ve probably noticed from some of my posts, but there are lines everywhere here. Everywhere.
They don’t bother me all that much (and in fact, sometimes I’ll seek out a line since it’s a fairly reliable indicator that a restaurant is serving tasty food). But I was going to Kanda Matsuya, a really well-regarded restaurant that’s been serving up soba noodles for over 130 years. There was no possible way there wasn’t going to be a line.
So I showed up just after they opened, at around 11:20. The place was already quite busy, but no line — success. By the time I left, it was packed and the line was several people deep, as you can see in the photo above.
As for the food? Yeah, it would have been worth a line. I ordered cold soba noodles with a sesame dipping sauce, and it was seriously delicious. The noodles had a hearty chewiness, with a flavour that’s much more robust than, say, what you’ll find in a bowl of ramen. When dipped in the sesame sauce, they’re delicious and addictive.
Plus, when you’re done with the noodles, they come around with a pot of boiling water and use it to dilute what’s left of your sauce. You can then drink that like a soup, and it’s surprisingly good.