It’s hard to imagine a Kyoto restaurant with more history than Honke Owariya. Founded in 1465—that’s 551 years ago—as a confectionary shop and now run by 16th-generation owner Ariko Inaoka, it’s beloved for its soba noodle sets prepared with mineral-rich well water. The shop actually began in Owari (present-day Nagoya) and didn’t serve soba-kiri until the mid-Edo period. The noodles were a hit—both at 16th-century Zen Buddhist temples and with the royals up at the Imperial Palace. Nowadays, the restaurant caters to a mix of hungry locals and intrepid travelers. Lunch is an elegant but casual affair. A hourai soba cold set comes with noodles, plus eight toppings (shiitake mushrooms, shredded omelet, shrimp tempura, Japanese leeks, grated daikon, sesame seeds, nori, and wasabi), or choose from any number of simpler soba, udon, or donburi sets/bowls. On the way out, stop by the small takeaway counter near the front door to pick up boxes of individually wrapped soba-gashi, a.k.a. black sesame crackers and sweet soba rice cakes made from buckwheat flour and red bean paste. (Hello, souvenirs.)

322 Niomontsukinukecho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, Japan; +81-75-231-3446.