Jackie Lin is bringing Toronto's first dedicated soba restaurant to Yorkville this fall

Jackie Lin, the Michelin-starred chef behind Shoushin, is opening Toronto's first restaurant dedicated entirely to soba this fall in Yorkville. Osoba Ni-hachi takes its name from a Japanese tradition: "ni-hachi" means 28, referring to the classic 20:80 wheat-to-buckwheat ratio that has defined soba recipes for centuries.

Traditional soba noodles are notoriously difficult to produce. Made primarily from buckwheat with minimal gluten for structure, they demand perfect hydration and swift, confident kneading, rolling, and cutting. Rather than producing them in-house, Lin has partnered with a two-generation soba specialist in Yamagata, one of Japan's most soba-obsessed regions. The fresh noodles are made using Dewa Kaori, a fragrant and elastic buckwheat varietal grown locally in the prefecture, then shipped frozen to Toronto.

"I've developed a really special relationship with my soba provider," Lin says. "Their 80 per cent soba noodle is their signature noodle. The 100 per cent soba one is made only for us—you can't even buy it in Japan."

But Lin insists that great soba is about more than the noodles. The tsuyu—the dipping sauce—is equally crucial. Osoba Ni-hachi's tsuyu is made from kaeshi (various soy sauces, mirin, sugar) aged three to six months, blended with a house dashi made from kelp, bonito, shiitake, and saba kezuri (dried mackerel flakes). "Our tsuyu has one of the longest, cleanest finishes I've ever tasted," Lin says.

Lunch will feature soba sets built around the noodles and their accompaniments. Evenings shift into a soba-driven izakaya with à la carte and omakase menus. The restaurant's opening date and confirmed Yorkville address have not yet been announced.