Anbai-ya あんばいや
What? Anbai-ya - soba & inn, a popular soba restaurant in the centre of Oarai, run by the owners of a inn with the same name.
Where? Isohama-cho 492-1, Oarai-machi, Higashiibaraki District, Ibaraki Prefecture, 311-1301/茨城県東茨城郡大洗町磯浜町492−1/
Open: Lunch 11 am - 3 pm, Dinner 5 pm - 7.30 pm Closed on Tuesdays
About Anbai-ya is a traditional family-run noodle restaurant, established by the current owner’s great-grandfather, and a popular lunch spot in Oarai. This approximately 100-year-old restaurant is famous for its delicious dishes based on soba noodles, made with Hitachi Aki Soba buckwheat flour. This local Ibaraki brand of soba flour gives the noodles its subtle fragrance, delicate sweetness and a firm texture, which is beloved by customers outside of Ibaraki Prefecture as well! At Anbai-ya the aim is to continue making honest food whose taste transcends generations! Their most popular dishes include a summer favourite known as zaru soba (ざるそば; chilled noodles served with tsuyu dipping sauce) (photo above), and the hearty kare nanban (カレー南蛮; soba in a curry sauce soup, with green onions and thinly sliced pork) (picture below).
Curry udon and katsu curry are also popular crowd-pleasers! They are also looking at including teishoku, or set meals, in their menu in the future~
What makes Anbai-ya stand out from the crowd (aside from its superb soba dishes) is the fact that it is also an inn you can book a room with them at affordable prices, and enjoy Oarai at its fullest!
