IIKO Mazesoba located in Haymarket Sydney serves a rather unique dish. Mazesoba is a broth-less noodle dish where noodles are mixed together with fresh vegetables and meat. The original IIKO Mazesoba, for example, consists of housemade fresh noodles topped off with pork belly chashu, onions, shredded nori, bamboo shoots, and an onsen egg.
Mazesoba was introduced back in the 1950s in Musashino City at a restaurant called Chin Chin Tei. The Japanese word Maze-soba literally translates to mixed-noodles. To eat the mazesoba, you simply add lashings of kombu vinegar and chili oil before “Maze” (Mixing in Japanese) everything together. The final result is this noodle dish drenched in a thick, flavorsome sauce.
I had seen this for some time on the gram and decided it was time to give in. Sydney was rainy and cold for the whole week prior, and the cold weather made me crave noodles. We ordered the Original Mazesoba and the house special Wagyu Mazesoba.
The Original Mazesoba

This is the dish to go for If it’s your first time. This bowl of noodles highlights the appeal of mazesoba and speaks to why this restaurant is such a local favorite. I went with a friend, and she had this mazesoba; needless to say, it was love at first taste for her.
Wagyu Mazesoba

The season special features the same fresh noodles and vegetable toppings that you usually get but topped off with fresh wagyu beef slices. I decided to be more adventurous and get this one as I’ve been to IIKO Mazesoba a few times. The wagyu slices were tender and soft, making them blend perfectly with the rest of the ingredients.
Karaage Chicken

We also ordered their karaage chicken, a side dish that has been consistently praised by the foodies on Instagram and Zomato. The meat was tender and didn’t have the rich oil-fried taste that so many fried chicken dishes often have; I highly recommend this.
There are seven different mazesoba variations on the IIKO Mazesoba menu. They also always have seasonal specials, so you can be sure there’s always something new to try here.
In case it hasn’t been made clear, I am a massive fan of this restaurant and cannot recommend it highly enough.
A post shared by PhatLife Project | Food Blog (@phatlifeproject)
Restaurant: IIKO Mazesoba
Locations: 86 Hay St, Haymarket NSW 2000
Contact – +612 9188 8534
Opening Hours – Monday – Friday – 11:30am–2:30pm; 5:30–8:30pm
Saturday and Sunday – 11:30am–3pm; 5:30–9pm
Enjoy reviews like this? Subscribe to my newsletter and get the latest reviews sent to your inbox