Chef Hirohisa Hayashi has reopened his former Soho space with a new focus. Soba Ulala started serving customers in late March, taking over the location of his previous restaurant on Thompson Street. The shift marks a new direction for Hayashi, who ran his namesake restaurant there for over a decade.
Soba Ulala’s menu centers on handmade soba noodles. The noodles use a blend of wheat flours sourced from upstate New York and Japan. At lunch, the restaurant offers soba and donburi sets. The kitchen extends into the evening with a dinner menu featuring small plates and sake.
On Wednesday afternoons, a steady stream of office workers and neighbors have been stopping in for the $18 soba lunch set. The dining room, with its pared-back decor, seats under 30, and tables fill quickly after noon.
Hayashi is on site most days, overseeing noodle preparation. Staff describe the atmosphere as more relaxed than the former fine-dining operation. The restaurant does not take reservations for lunch, but accepts them for dinner.
Soba Ulala is one of a handful of new Japanese noodle shops to open in Manhattan this spring. The transition comes as Soho sees more casual concepts in former upscale spaces. Hayashi’s fans say they welcome the new approach as the neighborhood enters the early days of summer.