Back in 2012 and like Ippudo, this was supposedly another must-try ramen place that was highly raved by the NYC food scene. I got to this spot right when they opened, and there was already a small line outside in this frigid cold weather. Inside, they have counter top seating for 1-2 people as well as a some picnic table setups for larger parties. There was no David Chang spotted here, but how was the food? Strangely, the food from 2012 to 2025 hasn’t changed much.
I’ve been to Tsurutontan a few times already in various locations including Union Square and Midtown next to Rockafeller Center. When this Japan udon chain first opened in Manhattan a few years ago, there was a massive line because it was the first international location in the USA. The food was outstanding back then, and now it’s gone down a little in quality but still pretty good. This restaurant is known for having mammoth sized udon bowls which will most definitely satiate your appetite. They also have a variety of other Japanese sushi-esque dishes as well.
EAK Ramen is located on 6th Ave close to 14th. I used to venture here all the time pre-pandemic, and there was always a line or people. I was curious to see how the restaurant was like since. Back in September 2018, I thought it was one of the better ramen places, but now, EAK also has a ton more competition all over the city. We were able to walk in on a Sunday early afternoon around 4 PM. We were the only diners, so we thought it was cool that we can eat at non-prime times.
I had visited Ippudo twice before this time throughout my whole life, once in London and once in the East Village. This original post just had a comment of “Overrated and pricey. I’d skip here any day of the week. Daikokuya in LA is way better”. Because I didn’t take pics of my dinner nearly 4 years ago, I thought about revisiting this Midtown location to try to remember why I was underwhelmed. Let’s just say I now remember why, and it makes perfect sense why I didn’t care for it before.
This is an updated review for the Midtown / Times Square (Theater District) location for Ichiran. I had been to the original Bushwick location years ago, and I didn’t take pictures nor remembered much about it. The only thing I wrote down was it was a much better version of Shinsengumi. Shinsengumi was a popular Torrance (California) restaurant that served hakata style ramen. They also allowed you to select your flavor profiles, and it was far less busy than Ichiran.
This ramen place is near NYU and Union Station, so it’s very accessible.
The spicy miso ramen comes with ox bones and marrow broth, spicy miso garlic base, bean sprouts, roasted corn, toasted nori, naruto fishcake, soy braised beef, scallions, and thick wavy noodle. THe broth is super rich, far beyond what I was expecting. It’s not spicy per se, but the soup doesn’t go down super smooth for me. At the end, the spicy pepper would always surprise for some reason. Maybe it’s attributed to the oil and thickness of the broth, I’m not sure. Regardless, I thought the ramen was acceptable, but there are better ones in the city.
This place has a pretty decent ambiance.
The yuzu margarita was surprisingly pretty good. If you haven’t had yuzu before and like citrus, I recommend you get this if it’s available. I just checked their website’s drink menu, and it’s not on there. This drink wasn’t strong at all, and had a really really good before and after taste. I would drink this over any regular margarita any day.
I’ve been to this restaurant multiple times in various neighborhoods, but I haven’t documented it till now.
I usually get the spicy tingly beef. It’s pretty good, but to be honest I do like Very Fresh Noodles in the Chelsea Market more. However this place was next to me, so the convenience is much appreciated.
The spicy and sour spinach dumplings are also really good too. I love the vinegary taste wih everything.
I don’t know much about this ramen spot other than it was on Chef’s Table, and how it really touched a lot of people’s hearts. So my review will be almost based solely on the food itself.
The pork musubi bites were surprisingly good. Each bite is packed full of flavor, although I am rather doubtful that it’s worth $5 a piece.
The Japanese fried chicken were an interesting spin on karaage. The crust was nicely crisp, and the sauce was very tangy. There was a little kick to it too. They served this with a sauce on the side that I don’t quite remember how it tasted like. I do remember that my first thought was that this was oversauced similar to how PF Chang’s would do orange chicken, but nonetheless it was decent.
Where to start with this. I loathe cash only places considering the price of this is not exactly cheap.
The U & I bowl was really good but not for +$20. The bowl was rather small although the ingredients were pretty fresh.
The flying pig bowl was the biggest disappointment I’ve had. The broth was just OK. It’s subtly different than the normal tonkatsu style broth. I also opted for an ounce of the jamon iberico. I added an additional onsen tamago, which is basically a sous vide egg.