Soba

Excellent Japanese-ish fusion in Shadyside"Hey, how about Soba?""Soba is never wrong."Countless visits across many years: This upscale Japanese fusion bar/restaurant delivers consistently solid renditions on their seasonal menu which is supported by one of the better scratch bars in Pittsburgh. Staff is consistently gracious and atmosphere is warm. Highly recommended for dinner or light bites or even a cocktail to finish out the evening.

We tried Soba for Valentine's day and were pleasantly surprised. It was easy to find parking nearby and they do offer complimentary valet. We had a reservation and were seated upstairs. I'm not gonna lie, this space is dark. Really dark. So older folks make sure you can take a pic of the menu to enlarge or use your light. It's a great romantic vibe but hella hard to see what the food preparation even looks like. We had to ask our server what herbs were in one dish. We tried the spicy pork lettuce cups that came with crisp little romaine leaves and a dish of the pork that you could add to each leaf yourself. It was not overly spicy and very delicious. We also tried the pork dumplings that came in a really yummy five spice ginger soy sauce. The pork was a denser grind and nicely flavored. For entrees, we had the short rib over mashed potatoes with tempura mushrooms that was very tender and flavorful. The drunken noodles with filet pieces was truly divine. I would definitely order that again.Wine selections were great and their warm sake carafe was perfect with our apps. Our server was very attentive and made sure we were enjoying our meal.

Soba has an upscale feel that's not stuffy and our food was delicious as well! It's hard to choose favorites but I loved my wok smashburger and the drunken noodles. I changed our reservation like three times and they were super gracious about accommodating our group of nine and were able to do separate checks! The only constructive thing I have to say is that it took a really long time for our checks to come and a friend was waiting for us at my house. Looking at my text message time stamps, we asked for our checks at 8:54pm and our server finally came back with our checks and credit cards at 9:28pm. Other people at my table said they saw her serving others during that time period.

Went to Soba on Valentine's Day and thoroughly enjoyed our dinner! Service was friendly and we were seated immediately. They have a nice selections of specialty cocktails and extensive drink selection. The inside of the restaurant is beautiful, with a fireplace and unique lighting. It feels cozy and warm and is a great place for a date night or a dinner with friends. We had the special Four course Tasting Menu. The Sea Bass was the best I have ever had! You cannot go wrong with whatever you choose! We hope to be back soon!

Beautiful decor, excellent service and delicious food. They have sushi and many Asian inspired dishes. A full bar with speciality cocktails and Mocktails. I had the Snapper which was perfectly prepared. Make a reservation because it's a popular spot.

I think this spot does good fusion food! It's really nice and trendy on the inside. The sushi is very fresh and the presentation is nice. I did not love the appetizers though. Usually you aim to impress with the appetizers since it's a small plate you need to make an impression with. But the tuna crispy rice was bad. The rice was chewy and stick to your teeth in a bad way like it was fried before and reheated. It was not crispy at all. I didn't love the fried tofu either, the texture was not good. My friends loved their mains though. I liked the drinks a lot, their drinks are really creative and fun with an Asian twist. The chocolate maki for dessert is awesome. Service was really slow honestly but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt since we had a big party and it was a busy Thursday night. I really wanted to like this spot since I've heard great things but it's only decent.

We've been to Soba several times previously and enjoyed it a lot. But kept forgetting to write a review. This time we only took a picture of the appetizers - crispy tofu and spicy pork lettuce wraps. Dinner was so good we ate it before we could take photos! Our server was on it and checked on us periodically. Great space (a little dark and could use a little more lighting) with a cool vibe! Give it a try if you haven't been here yet.

I recently celebrated my birthday at Soba in Shadyside, and it was an unforgettable experience! From the moment we walked in, the staff made us feel special, even surprising us with a sweet birthday card signed by the whole team.We kicked things off by sharing the spicy tuna roll, tuna crispy rice, chicken bao buns, and rock shrimp tempura. Each dish was beautifully presented and bursting with flavor. I also appreciated their selection of non-alcoholic cocktails, which made the celebration feel even more festive.The highlight of the evening was definitely the complimentary chocolate mousse dessert--it was rich, indulgent, and the perfect way to end our meal. The atmosphere is fantastic too; the music isn't too loud, making it easy to enjoy great conversations. Overall, Soba is a perfect spot for any special occasion. The kindness and attentiveness of the staff truly made our birthday dinner a memorable celebration. Highly recommend!

After many years of visiting Soba, and many good memories and experiences (pre-pandemic) I have to say that the last couple of times we visited were just not good. Pre-pandemic we came here several times a year. Birthdays, anniversaries, friend's birthdays. It was always a great celebrating spot. The last time we came was one of the worst experiences we've had, and I proclaimed I would not be interested in a return visit. I made reservations for my husband's birthday. I made it for 7pm on a Thursday and we were early (6:45ish). I assumed we would be done and on our way in 40-45 minutes. We arrived and were seated in the bar area along the wall, with a mostly empty bar and scarcely seated dining area. Our server came to get our drink orders. We both only wanted waters, but I said I would also like to order an appetizer and went with the tofu lettuce wraps. He left and we chatted for a bit. What I couldn't see since it was behind me, but what my husband saw was our server at another table for about 10-15 minutes socializing with the people there. We continue to wait and wait and still did not see him again. About 20 minutes goes by and he shows back up, no food in hand, and apologies and says he got the order in late. I mention to my husband that I was getting the feeling we were forgot about because we didn't order drinks. And now he hasn't even entered the app order. That's when he says he's witnessed him talking at length to another patron, (who appeared to be a friend) so he is clearly behind. The general theme of the night.Another 10-15 minutes passes and finally our app comes out. So, we waited about 35 minutes from time of order to receive our app and he only stopped over once to let us know the app was delayed. He tried the whole drop and run routine, but I was not having that I said we'd like to order. He seemed a little surprised, like oh ok, and pulls out a pad. I kept my cool, and let it slide and we ordered. My husband got the salmon, and I ordered the Vegetable Dolsot Bi Bim Bap, no egg. We waited for about 15-20 more minutes before our entrees arrived. I wanted to be gone by this time and if we were waiting on appropriately, we should have. When my food came, and I started eating it I found it to be so overwhelmingly vinegary. It had kim chi but this was so one note and consuming, just not good. I picked around the bowl and decided I was done with it but would take the rest home thinking I could maybe pull out the remaining tofu, which was the best part, and add to my own rice and veggies. My husband was also a disappointed in his dish. He looks forward to salmon for his birthday but the overall quaintly wasn't there. We wait a while more as I was birddogging the room on the look out for our once again MAI waiter. I saw him and flagged him down, he saw me and turned around to go out of the room. I was just holding my tongue because I didn't want to upset my husband on his birthday. He finally came back and brought over a couple caramels and some chocolate on a small plate that said happy birthday for my husband. Before he had a chance to split again, I asked for my leftovers to be boxed and the check. Took another 5-7 minutes when he came back with the check. I quickly signed it and said let's go. He never brought the leftovers out and I said I am not waiting any longer. Can't imagine another return this was a very unpleasant experience from start to end.

Great place to eat, very relaxing vibe. Mat was an awesome server! Thai Chicken Curry is a 10/10, 100% will be back.