Soba-ya, literally ""soba shop,"" is overpriced and mediocre. Although the food is prepared correctly, I have visited many restaurants, in Japan and Michigan, that better expand on the soba theme, for less cash. The concept of Soba-shop, as it appears in Japan, developed out of a need for quick, cheap, tasty food, consumed after visiting a temple or shrine. Soba-ya is neither quick nor cheap and the food is quite bland. For Soba-ya is a mere bastardization of a good concept. In my opinion, it lives up to none of the soba/temple restaurants that blanket the Japanese countryside.
Pros: traditional
Cons: overpriced, mediocre, bastardization
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