This place is totally worth the hype and deserves its reputation and Bib Gourmand. The soba brought me back to one of the best meals I have ever had, at a traditional old school soba joint in Tokyo. I certainly can't claim to be a soba expert, but all of the flavors and textures in the cold and hot sobas here went together perfectly and reminded me of that long ago meal. The tamagoyaki was excellent. The tempura was light and airy and crunchy in just the right way. The ebi croquettes were out of this world good. The fiddlehead ferns were unexpectedly awesome and a real treat for us, since we've never had them before. The pressed salmon was just "okay" and was the only component of the meal that wasn't even better than we'd hoped. The Okinawa mochi was probably the best mochi I have ever had. The service was excellent, as well. Oakland is lucky to have this gem of a restaurant.

Soba Ichi has both a great outdoor and indoor atmosphere. They are able to design both areas with similar design elements but keep cohesiveness. The staff are all excellent in being attentive and exemplary in their craft. All staff members, chefs, etc all are wearing masks from taking your order to carrying out their routines. Remember, order your food first, then grab a table! Not the other way around! The food is quite good, tastes great as well. The only thing was the slight wait time for the food. I understand that the orders are made when ordered and can be long. Which is why I would recommend you, viewer of my review, to order one or two appetizers along with your main and finish with a dessert! Parking is a hit or miss as we drove around the block twice before we found a space. If you can, maybe do carpool with friends so you can all try this establishment! Thank you Ichi Soba!

So overpriced for what it was. $27 for a small bowl of soba with 5 tiny bite size pieces of meat (I got the nanban). I guess you can charge whatever you want when you have no competition in town. Service is insanely slow I waited for 40+minutes after sitting down on a not so busy weekday night (half of the indoor tables were empty when I sat down). The vibe was great though guess that's what you are paying for but I'm not coming back.

I had high expectations for this restaurant but it didn't quite meet the bar. The restaurant ambiance is cute with lots of outdoor seating as well as a smaller indoor space. You line up outside to order first before you sit down. We got there at 6:30pm on a Friday night and there were still lots of open tables. We ordered their duck soba (roughly $25). After sitting down, it took a while for the food to come. While the soba + duck meat + soup were good, it didn't really impress. The soba noodle itself didn't stand out, the portion size was fairly small for $25, and there wasn't anything else beyond the noodles and a few slices of duck meat. From a service perspective, there wasn't much to comment on. The server only came when the food was ready and to clear out the table. Didn't really check in on refilling water or anything. Note they also have a cake fee if you bring a cake for a celebration ($3/pp). Overall, the food is good tasting and the ambiance is nice, but it's a bit overpriced and left me unimpressed. Would probably rate as a 3.5. Still worth trying out once.

One of the best and most unique culinary experiences I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. I really enjoyed the Orion beer, and Shibata Black saki, I have never had or seen either brand before. The Ten Seiro, Kamo nanban and the tamagoyaki were all delicious. The duck was exquisite and the broth had so much flavor. The broth didn’t rely on salt or soy, just the essence of duck. The Salmon Pressed Sushi was the least impressive dish. It was good, but very basic. I would like to try everything on the menu. So many unique dishes perfectly executed. The fiddleheads were surprising, with so many unique and flavorful dishes, I was surprised how much I enjoyed them. The sauce was peanut based but not too sweet, and so delicate. The sauce didn’t overshadow the flavor or ruin the crispness of the fiddleheads (kogomi goma-ae). The ebi cream croquettes were perfectly fried and the flavors melded together so perfectly it seemed exotic, so creamy and there was plenty of shrimp in every bite.

Back here again for dinner with my food industry friends and it was just as delicious! They have the entire outdoor space and an indoor space now as well! You order first and get a number for the food to be delivered to you. I ordered the cold soba with tempura but only veggie bc I'm allergic to shrimp and they easily accommodated. Still super delicious and high quality. Perfect for the warm weather right now. I also got their desserts and they were both INCREDIBLE. I'm still craving the pudding which tasted like Filipino leche flan. Come here when you want the highest quality soba and tasty desserts!

Good place for Japanese appetizers and authentic soba in a chill setting. Portions are smallish so recommend an appetizer in addition to the main dish.

Not much to say about this restaurant other than it's authentic Japanese soba served in a somewhat cozy setting. They have outdoor heating for most of the outdoor seating, but not all unfortunately. Didn't get a good look inside but they do have tables all around. You order and pay upfront before sitting down. The staff are very attentive and will refill your water right away. My only problem with the food is.. it's expensive even for Bay Area standards. Each soba we ordered was $25 before tax and tip. I know soba is more rare than ramen, but this is kinda crazy.

I heard about this place from the Michelin guide and I am very glad that I was able to visit. This is the first time I've tried soba and was unsure of what you expect. At Soba Ichi you start by getting into line and ordering before taking your seat; there was two parties ahead near the time that they opened but I can see how this can be an issue during busy hours. The menu left me wanting more in the drink department for something more familiar such as an IPA but the food options were on point. I ordered cold soba tempura. The noodles were smooth with a little bite and chew to them. The dipping sauce was fantastic. It was not overly salted by any means and has tremendous depth of flavor to it. The assorted tempura consisted of a shisito, shrimp, squash, and a mushroom that was lightly fried to absolute perfection. The dish came with additional seasoning, onion, and wasabi. Service was excellent by keeping the water glass filled. I love this place and look forward to returning again soon.

Soba Ichi has been on my list for many moons. And boy was it worth it. Get there early because there will likely be a line. - Rotating special Short Rib was melt in your mouth delightful. Served with soft and chewy buckwheat crepes. - Pressed Salmon Roll was Incredibly fresh. Wasabi packed a punch. - Soba couldn't have been more perfect. Duck breast was tender beyond words and the tempura was crisp to perfection. - Dessert you ask? Yes they have it and yes you need to get it. Soba Gelato was light and creamy. Kosuke's Special.... I can't even describe... apple mousse was fabulous. This is a top 5 pick for sure.

Love this place. I had the hot & cold tempura soba, duck soba, and veggie soba, and hot broth with tempura is my favorite. The noodle and batter texture are perfect, and I like to save the citrus zest (?) for the final spoonful. Such an elegant and flavorful dish! Goopy mountain yam salad is fun to eat! I enjoyed the the crunch, slime, and toastiness. The croquette & tofu are both reliably good too. Pressed sushi is okaay. The kombu cure makes it feel homey, whereas I usually prefer to taste the sweetness of fish in sushi.

100% lives up to the hype. Had hoped to come here for months and sure enough it’s SO delicious. My wife and I split a veggie soba and tempura soba and both had a unique & delicious broth. Already planning to come back again soon.

Great spot in an unassuming neighborhood! The menu has something for everyone. It really feels like this restaurant spends on the quality of ingredients and takes pride in making sure their dishes reflect that. Excellent dinner spot!

Very nice outdoor seating, and you can bring your dogs. A lot of appetizers choices, the tempura is a nice add to the soba. We ordered cold soba noodle, the dipping sauce is delicious but the soba noodle itself lacks some flavor.

We saw Soba Ichi on the Bay area show called Check Please and were immediately interested in checking them out. When we were reading the reviews, it almost convinced us not to go to the restaurant but we still took our chances and we were glad we did. A lot of people mainly mentioned the food being overpriced but I think it was worth it for the quality and depth of flavor of their food. Their soba noodles are handmade in restaurant and has a good bounce and chew to it. This restaurant is as close as you can get to authentic Japanese food and atmosphere. They have a nice inside and outdoor atmosphere with a zen bamboo fountain trickling water, which is calming too. We ordered the smoked salmon appetizer and cold soba with tempura. Everything came out great. Salmon was super smooth, melted in our mouth, and tasty. We like to make soba at home with the dried store bought noodles, and those dont stand a chance against the noodles at Soba Ichi. The server was very polite, quick to fill up our waters, and good about checking up on us. The server also mentioned that they will have different seasonal appetizers. We're curious to check out their different options when we go next time. This restautant is also next to a Japanese sake brewery and offer a good selection of freshly brewed Japanese sake. I heard great things about their sake and drinks. Wouldn't be able to come too often because first we're poor and second live a distance away, but we definitely plan on coming back!

Very good food. It tends to get crowded. 4 stars because i feel it was slightly overpriced.

Arrived 20 minutes before opening, and a line formed behind me, about 20 people. I had the tempura soba, warm. Broth was good, noodles were of good texture. Tempura was a reasonable portion, maybe slightly smaller than I expected but still good. I liked it. The interior seating was clean and comfortable. Staff were attentive and friendly. The exterior is definitely the low point. Located in an industrial area of Oakland with lots of abandoned cars, dilapidated buildings, trash everywhere. Typical Oakland dump. The barbed wire on the fence surrounding the restaurant tells the tale. $26 including tip for one meal feels really high for what you get. It’s authentic, 手打ちそば. But I went in there wanting a quick, solid meal, and was disappointed because these guys really want to squeeze you on side dishes, alcohol, etc. Similar to Ippudo in the Bay Area. It can’t just be a simple bowl of noodles. Ultimately, delicious but disappointing.

Seiro soba and soba gelato were my favorites! They also have a delicious tamagoyaki. Soba noodles had a bite to them and tasted great.

We arrived at the gate 5pm sharp in hope to beat the crowd. As it was a cold day, there were not many people waiting. We were able to order the food right away, and find seating easily. Options of cold or hot home made soba. It is cooked just right. Their menu changes all the time, we were luck as they were searving two kinds of mochi as desert when we visited. update with new photos and menu for may 2023.

How did I never hear about this deliciously authentic Japanese soba restaurant till now? The flavors truly tasted like I was in Japan and the efficient service reminded me of Japan too. I'm only taking away one star because it was all a bit pricier than I would have liked. (But what isn't these days) We sat outdoors as we had a larger group and the tables inside sat a maximum of 4 people. It wasn't cold despite it being November as there were heat lamps scattered around the tables. The tables are spaced apart but are pretty cosy. We ordered a variety of things to share including: Shira-ae persimmon salad - pretty good and an interesting idea for fall Dashimaki - alright, not the best I've had and on the sweet side Nama yuba age - a spring roll made with fried tofu skin and served with a starchy sauce. It was really good! I would order this again. Ten-Seiro - cold soba with a dipping sauce, tempura on the side with matcha salt. The soba had a nice bite to it and the dipping sauce had a good smoky flavor from the katsuobushi. I liked the matcha salt with the tempura which made it a little different from how it's usually served. Kamo nanban - a Kyoto classic! In hot broth with grilled duck breast and leek, this was warming for the cold weather. The noodles didn't get soggy which was nice and the duck was nicely cooked. There wasn't much duck considering what you pay though, so that was a bummer. Tip: there's a long line when they first open but if you have anyone in your party arrive first, they can order and get a number and for anyone who arrives subsequently, you can add your order to the same table number without having to line up again!

Delicious? Yes. Overpriced? Absolutely. Soba is done right, but portion is very small considering the price. 2 soba + 1 appetizer + 1 dessert cost us $100+, but I was barely full. Environment is pretty nice though.

Best soba (and more) I’ve had in a long time. We got the hot bowl of duck soup with soba and it was so flavorful and savory… just a hint of yuzu. Also tried the cold soba alongside the most delicate tempura. Perfectly cooked noodles with a toothsome chew. A Hoi Polloi Red Ale was just right with the salty broth. Ended with yuzu fromage mochi that was like a light cheesecake in a chewy rice skin. Worth the trek on the BART + Bus to this industrial hideaway!