01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Stroll along the Old Tokaido in Kita-Shinagawa, once bustling as the first post town out of Edo, and the welcoming noren curtain of Ittetsu comes into view. By day, the dining room fills with local workers and neighborhood strollers stopping by for a comforting bowl of soba; as evening falls, the tables shift to patrons relaxing over seasonal drinks and savory small plates. It is a restaurant firmly woven into the fabric of its neighborhood.
The dish to start with here is Shinagawa-juku Soba, highlighting ingredients deeply tied to the district's coastal heritage. Tender asari clams and abundant nori seaweed—a proud local specialty in Old Shinagawa—are served alongside chilled noodles with a warm, gently spicy dipping broth. Each bite carries the rich, briny aroma of the sea backed by a satisfying savory depth. For a heartier meal, you can pair your noodles with one of the mini rice bowls, such as the gently sweet-savory simmered beef tendon bowl, tsukune meatball bowl, or curry bowl.
The classic chilled noodles are equally dependable. Options range from basic mori soba and zesty grated daikon radish soba to kakiage seiro crowned with a crisp mixed tempura fritter studded with shrimp, allowing you to tailor your order to your appetite. When the noodles are finished, pouring hot sobayu into the remaining dipping broth lets you savor the lingering bonito dashi down to the last drop, a time-honored soba shop ritual.
Izakaya Plates Infused with Soba Dashi for Relaxed Evenings
At night, Ittetsu reveals its charms as an izakaya, with an extensive selection of appetizers designed to accompany drinks before noodles. Meat dishes cleverly draw on the house noodle broth: thinly sliced pork belly is gently braised in soba tsuyu before being sauteed for the ginger pork, chicken cartilage is tossed in sweet-savory noodle broth for the yagen sanzokuyaki, and Imabari-style yakitori is finished on the griddle with a fragrant house-made tare sauce. Alongside these are humble regional delicacies like raw nori simmered in soy broth and ginger-simmered clams, ideal for nibbling slowly with a chilled beer or a pour of junmai sake.
The spacious interior accommodates varied visits, offering solo-friendly table seating, roomier settings for dining with companions, and low zashiki seating where you can stretch your legs. Whether you drop in on a whim for a quick lunch or settle in for an evening drink capped off with a finishing bamboo tray of soba, it is an easygoing, reliable destination.
