At Sakaeya, a soba restaurant near Nishinasuno Station, I learned the meaning and origin of “chilled” while eating a large serving of chilled soba.

Sakaeya is a soba restaurant just a 3-minute walk from the east exit of Nishinasuno Station.

I spotted it while browsing Google Maps, so I decided to give it a try.

There, I learned about the origins of the famous “chilled soba” in this area.

Basic info about the Sakaeya
Ordered menu and prices
What the inside of the restaurant looks like
My impressions of the “chilled soba”

Basic infomation on the Sakaeya
Review of my actual experience visiting
Features & Usability of Sakaeya
1. Recommended for different occasions
2. Facilities
Access & map
Summary｜Who I recommend Sakaeya for

Basic infomation on the Sakaeya

Name: Sakaeya
Category: Soba, Udon
Address: 8-8 Nishiasahicho, Nasushiobara-shi, Tochigi-ken
Access: 3-minute walk from the west exit of Station Nishinasuno
Business Hours: 11:30 ~ 14:00
Regular Holiday: Sundays & Mondays
Phone Number: 0287-36-0548
Official Website/SNS: N/A

Review of my actual experience visiting

I believed I entered the restaurant around 13:00, and locals were coming in nonstop.

I had seen several reviews mentioning “order and pay first, then sit down,” but when I visited, I ordered after being seated and paid after finishing my meal.

Ordered Menu and Price

The menu features only soba and udon noodles; rice dishes such as tempura rice bowls or pork cutlet rice bowls are not available.

I ordered the famous “chilled soba” around here.

・Chilled Soba, Large Portion* (1,050 JPY)
　*The menu said “Large portion is an extra 120 JPY,” but the price remained unchanged.

About taste and portion size

It arrived about 8 minutes after I placed the order.

The broth wasn’t sweet, featuring a rich, savory flavor with a pronounced soy sauce taste.

What’s soaked in it felt closer to tempura crumbs than actual tempura.

The noodles were flat-cut soba with a moderate bite, featuring a mild flavor and aroma.

The portion was large, but it felt like “I could probably handle another bowl?”—maybe about the size of Kadoya‘s medium serving.

I asked the staff, they brought me soba-yu.

Meaning and origin of “chilled”

Why is the famous “chilled soba” around here called “chilled”?

It’s not actually “chilled” since we dip it in warm broth, so wouldn’t “dipping soba” or “soaked soba” convey the meaning better?

I’d always wondered about this, but the answer was on the back of the menu.

A photo that explains why tsukesoba became “chilled soba”

In this region, the word “hitashi” (which usually means “dipping”) has long been referred to as “hiyashi.”

The word “hiyashi” usually means “cooling” or “chilling.”

So when people eat soba or udon by dipping the noodles into broth, they say they’re “chilled” it rather than “dipping” it.

That’s why it’s called “hiyashi soba” (chilled soba) instead of “dipping soba” — even though the main idea is dipping the noodles into the broth, not temperature .

Whether it’s a dialect or an accent, the details are unclear, but I finally understood the origin of “hiyashi” and feel relieved.

The atmosphere inside

The restaurant was spacious, with both table seating and counter seating available.

Tea was self-service, and I ordered it a little while after being seated.

I could see a large display of tempura in the back of the kitchen.

When I asked the staff about portion sizes, they replied, “Most men go for the large size,” which was disappointing since I couldn’t picture the volume.