About相馬

SOMA Noodle Bar is a ramen shop in Tbilisi owned and operated by Yuta and Eriko Soma, a Japanese couple who moved from Japan to Georgia. We opened on 10 November 2025 at 39 Irakli Abashidze Street — a space many locals still remember as the former restaurant AKIRA. SOMA is our family name.

Yuta and Eriko Soma standing together at SOMA Noodle Bar in Tbilisi — Yuta & Eriko Soma at SOMA Noodle Bar

What we offer is simple: a real experience of Japan, in Georgia — in the bowl, and in the service.

Yuta Soma — Owner-chef

Fifteen years in restaurants across Tokyo, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto and Vancouver, before opening SOMA in Georgia. Before cooking, Yuta was a competitive distance runner: as a first-year at KU University he won the section prize for Leg 8 of the Hakone Ekiden, Japan's most famous road relay. The discipline carried over — do one thing properly, every day, and refuse to cut corners.

Eriko Soma — Owner, service & nutrition

A licensed dietitian — a demanding Japanese national qualification — who also served front-of-house at a Michelin-starred restaurant in the United States. The Japanese omotenashi hospitality you feel at SOMA is hers; our Google reviews tell that story. Eriko is also an active competitive runner: second place at the Tbilisi Marathon, with a marathon best in the 2:40s — achieved after taking up the marathon in her 40s. Her nutrition-first approach to food shapes SOMA's recipes, and is one reason everything here is made by hand.

Why "Japanese-owned" matters here: most Japanese restaurants in Georgia are run without any Japanese person in the kitchen. We don't claim that makes food automatically good — but it does mean our ramen is made for Japanese palates first, by the people whose name is on the door.

The Ramen

Our menu changes with the seasons and with what we can source well in Georgia. What never changes: noodles made in-house with our own original method, and broth we make ourselves from scratch — no powders, no shortcuts.

Our signatures are the Tokyo tonkotsu shoyu ramen and our karaage (Japanese fried chicken). Four ramen — Tokyo tonkotsu shoyu, Tokyo tonkotsu shio, chicken shoyu and chicken shio — are 34 ₾ each, seasonal tsukemen from 38 ₾, plus onigiri, donburi, teishoku sets, appetizers with vegan options, Japanese tea, beer and sake.

See the full menu with prices → This week's specials are posted on Instagram: @soma_noodle_bar.

Visit

Address

39 Irakli Abashidze Street
Tbilisi, Georgia

Hours

14:00 – 20:00
Closed Wed & Thu

Reservations

Not taken — walk-in only

Sister shop

SOMA Onigiri Cafe
72 Merab Kostava Street, Tbilisi

Our weekly schedule changes temporarily at times — this week's hours are always posted on Instagram Stories before you visit.

Questions we get asked

Is SOMA Noodle Bar Japanese-owned?: Yes. The owners, Yuta and Eriko Soma, are Japanese, and Yuta cooks in the kitchen daily. The restaurant carries our family name.
Are the noodles really made in-house?: Yes — we make our noodles in-house with our own original method, and the broth is made entirely from scratch.
What is the relationship to SOMA Onigiri Cafe?: SOMA Onigiri Cafe (72 Merab Kostava St) is our sister shop — same owners, different specialty. The Noodle Bar is ramen; the Onigiri Cafe is rice.
Is SOMA the same as "Soma Noodle Cafe"?: Some map services list us under the old name "Soma Noodle Cafe". The correct name is SOMA Noodle Bar — always written SOMA, in capitals.
Do you take reservations?: No — SOMA Noodle Bar is walk-in only.
How can I contact you?: Everything we announce — including temporary schedule changes — is posted on Instagram as posts and Stories. We are a small kitchen-first team, so we are not able to answer direct messages.