Soba Ulala is a new concept from the Hirohisa team, where it’s centered around house-made soba and how they carry forward their familiar restaurant flavors in a more relaxed a’la carte style. The former Michelin star restaurant will be moving to a new location, and this Thompson Street location converted to this concept. We were in in the Soho area, and I abruptly made the reservation for 5:30 PM for 2 on a Thursday evening at 5:15 PM. Reservations seem fairly easy to get, so thankfully it wasn’t too stressful.
Ambiance & Service
The interior uses much of the former Hirohisa decor. There is a lot of light wood textures, and there are dining table seating areas and counter table seating areas. The counter table was previously used for the tasting menu for Hirohisa, but when sitting here, you can just watch the cooks prepare food for the other tables. We were seated in front of the area where they slice the fish meat and prepare some of the courses.
Food
The Masu Misozuke ($20) came with grilled arctic char and miso marinade. The arctic char tastes similarly to salmon, but with less oil and leaner. The skin was perfectly crispy, and the miso smear on the side was a delicious, savory condiment.
The Agedashi Tofu ($14) came with fried housemade tofu and dashi broth. The tofu had a batter that was a little gooey when it was soaking in the dashi broth. My partner didn’t like it because it had that wet mochi texture, but I thought it was fine. The dashi broth was very good and clean.
The Grilled Chicken Thigh ($18) came with yuzu kosho marinade. The thigh was delicious, and the yuzu kosho marinade had a nice balance of savory and sweet. At first glance, I thought it’d be similar to the sauce you serve with Japanese fried pork (tonkatsu), but it had different flavors that was really good with the chicken thigh.
The Niku Soba ($35) came with simmered black angus beef. The soba was thin and clean. The beef was very delicious and tender. And the broth tasted simple, yet flavorful.
The Maguro Zuke ($24) came with soy-marinated bluefin tuna bowl. The tuna was very good and flavorful. With the rice, it was a very rustic dish.
The complimentary caffeine-free tea was similar to those lightly, roasted rice teas.
The Blue Elderberry Ice Cream ($6) reminded me a bit of açai. The texture was similar to mashed berries, with some earthy, tart, and grassy flavors to it.
The complimentary chocolate soba was pretty good. It reminded me of fried noodles with chocolate all over. In a way, it tasted like mini, thin-Pocky sticks with chocolate.
Overall Impression
Soba Ulala was a surprisingly pretty tasty restaurant that I felt was not too expensive for what it was. It offers light, but delicious kaiseki-style food with a relaxed feel. If you’re in the area, this is a restaurant that can be a great option if you’re looking for a light, delicious dinner without feeling you’re uncomfortably greasy.
Yelp & Google Jabs
If you’re hungry expect the bill to be expensive.
I have a strong opinion that you don’t go to a Japanese restaurant looking to be “full”. The price to value is not a great ratio. However, if you’re looking for a healthy and well-cooked meal, this is a great place to check out.
After we paid and left a 15% tip, our server asked whether there was anything wrong with the service and told us that most guests leave at least 20%. This was honestly surprising. While I understand that tipping is common in North America, a tip is supposed to be voluntary and based on the dining experience. I have never had a professional server directly question a tip percentage or suggest that a certain amount is the minimum expected Our bill was several hundred dollars, so a 15% tip was already a significant amount. Unfortunately, neither the food nor the service felt exceptional enough to justify being pressured into tipping more.
They were probably genuinely asking if they did anything wrong because normally it’s 20%. It’s a reasonable question by the server. Sometimes the servers in restaurants will hand you the tablet kiosk and wait there for you to input the tip. You might feel pressured to hurry, but as a customer, you also have the right to input what you think their service deserved. For those coming to NYC to dine, just return the directness back to the server.
Revisions
- Sep 24, 2026 - Initial revision.