Kamonegi

"Star chef Mutsuko Soma makes soba from scratch every day at this Fremont destination, which was chosen as one of Eater’s Best New Restaurans in 2018. Soma serves traditional soba shop dishes like seiro soba (cold with dipping sauce) and tempura but also more creative dishes like soba with oysters and gochujang broth and oreo tempura served with mini toasted marshmallows. Make a full night of it by sampling some sake and snacks at next door sibling bar Hannyatou before heading over to Kamonegi for dinner." - Harry Cheadle

"With Kamonegi, Seattle has a top quality restaurant that features fresh buckwheat soba noodles in which even the flour is ground in-house. Preparations run from basic (zaru: cold noodles with dipping sauce) to complex (Kamonegi’s namesake dish: soba with duck, leek, and a duck meatball). The Fremont spot also highlights seasonal tempura, which pairs perfectly with soba, including a classic tensoba combination of soba with vegetable tempura." - Jay Friedman

"Star chef Mutsuko Soma makes soba from scratch every day at this Fremont standout. Soma serves traditional soba shop dishes like seiro soba (cold with dipping sauce) and super-crunchy tempura but also more creative dishes like soba with oysters and gochujang broth and oreo tempura served with mini toasted marshmallows. All of that in an intimate little space tucked away from the not-romantic-at-all mixed-used buildings on nearby Stone Way. If it’s more of a “sake and shots” type of date night, try next door sibling bar Hannyatou." - Jade Yamazaki Stewart, Harry Cheadle

"Star chef Mutsuko Soma makes soba from scratch at this petite Fremont destination, which was one of Eater’s Best New Restaurants in America in 2018. Soma serves traditional soba shop dishes like seiro soba (cold with dipping sauce) and super-crunchy tempura, but also more creative dishes like noodles topped with tri tips or oreo tempura. Make a full night of it by sampling some sake and snacks at next-door sibling bar Hannyatou." - Eater Staff

"You don’t have to be loud or boisterous to be a big deal—just ask a baby bat, Jake from State Farm, or Kamonegi. A meal inside this quiet soba-focused Japanese restaurant can be reserved for a massively special night out that’s disguised as a tame one. There’s a relaxed mood in the dining room that’s most appropriate for knocking things back like fresh sea urchin and marinated ikura on a delicately battered shiso leaf, chewy buckwheat noodles swirled in potent curry broth streaked with melted mozzarella strands, and spicy habanero-infused plum sake. The fried kabocha “wings” tossed in sticky duck demi-glace and toasty sesame seeds alone are worth putting Kamonegi on this guide. " - aimee rizzo