Kashiyama

For a hot bowl at Kashiyama, the kakiage-topped soba is a natural place to start. Diners have remarked on how the fritter softens as it soaks up the robust broth, and on the chewy pieces of squid tentacle in the topping. One person who added an egg to make ten-tama soba found that it mellowed the broth’s sharpness.

The udon is house-made, too. Hot options include soba with chrysanthemum greens tempura, kitsune udon and grated-yam soba; for a cold meal, there’s chilled tempura soba or chilled grated-yam udon. You can also add toppings such as chrysanthemum greens tempura, chikuwa fish-cake tempura or aubergine tempura, or round out the meal with an inari sushi side.

With its standing-only setup, the shop suits a quick morning bowl. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 6:00 to 10:00 and closed on Sundays and Mondays. Payment is cash only, so come prepared if you’re stopping by before the day gets underway.