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Only a few restaurants have been around for 500 years and as you might imagine, such a creature would be in Kyoto. Honke Owariya, soba shop to the imperial family, serves delicious soba. It has been in business since 1465, when it began as a simple confectionery shop.
Honke Owari-ya has two locations at Karasuma-Oike station near the Imperial Palace and Nijyojo. We visited the main one, and the building was quietly elegant. Service, though not speedy, was expert.
The hourai soba (1800 yen, about $17) was magnificent. Wonderful soba, and all of the accompaniments were excellent, particularly the tempura shrimp. The day we visited was one of the special days when Honke Owariya offers handmade soba ( seiro no teuchi), which we also ordered. It was beyond wonderful, simply the best soba that I have tried anywhere.
The interior was certainly attractive, and seating while not spacious by American standards, was certainly plentiful. However, our seating was, as is typical in much of Japan, not disabilities friendly, so if your ability to climb steep stairs is limited, you may want to call before going. There is an English menu, but our experience was that the staff spoke no English.
After lunch, the area is convenient to both the Imperial Palace and to Nijyojo; a quiet walk to either would be a pleasant afternoon stroll.
Website: Honke Owariya has a very useful website in both English and Japanese. It includes a nice map showing both locations.
