Momofuku Noodle Bar
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.
Ambiance & Service
In the East Village location in 2012, there were always lines for this restaurant. I actually waited in line about an hour before the restaurant opened to get a convenient bar seat.
Fast forward to 2025, David Chan and the Momofuku Noodle Bar chain has expanded. In the Columbus Circle mall, they opened another Noodle Bar location a few years ago. Due to the competitive nature of restaurants nearly 15 years later, I don’t think any ramen place is worth waiting in line for more than 30 minutes.
The service for the Columbus Circle was average. They seated us at the counter, and they even disrupted our dinner asking us to move a few seats to make room for another group. The front host mentioned that they’d buy us dessert, but that never came.
Food
December 16, 2012 - First Visit in East Village
Momofuku ramen (pork belly, pork shoulder, poached egg). The noodles surprisingly were just how I like them. They are similar to top ramen thickness if not slightly thicker and cooked al dente. The broth was actually pretty salty. I almost feel as if the broth was drenched in soy sauce, and that they didn’t infuse it with the pork. Don’t get me wrong, the broth did have tons of pork meat in there, but it wasn’t as oily or tasty with pork flavors as Ippudo. All I could taste was salt. So that made eating the soy sauce egg even more difficult.
Soy sauce egg (crispy shallot, chive, maldon). I ordered this to eat along with my ramen. I was expecting this to be a decent complement to my ramen, but I was terribly disappointed. Because the ramen was very salty, this was also salty too. They infused the yolk with too much soy sauce, so it ended up tasting like a salty boiled (creamy centered) egg. It was painful to eat and was not enjoyable at all.
November 15, 2025 - Second Visit in Columbus Circle
The House Yuzu Lemonade ($9) was non-alcoholic. If you’re a fan of yuzu flavors, this is a must-get. I wish that the lemonade was served more chilled.
The Pork Belly Steamed Buns ($17) came with 2 pieces per order. The pork belly here was fatty and a good sized portion. The overall bites of this were tasty and very similar to many of those roast duck bun places.
The Shrimp Patty Steamed Buns ($17) also came with 2 pieces per order. The shrimp patty was surprisingly pretty good. It was a ball of shrimp paste that they press onto the grill and develops crispy edges. The shrimp flavors definitely come out pretty prominently.
The Smoked Pork Ramen ($23) came with pork belly, poached egg, and bamboo. It’s interesting coming back here more than a decade later to try the ramen that marked this restaurant on the map. I honestly was not a fan of the ramen here. The ramen still has that top ramen texture. The soup was very liquid, but they added a lot of different ingredients to it. Because it lacked richness to the broth, the ingredients basically just sunk to the bottom of the bowl. As you finish the ramen and begin drinking the soup, you can tell it will be quite salty towards the end. It certainly has flavors, but it will come at a price with thirstiness. Overall, I found the ramen here to be mediocre at best still, and I think there are better ramen places to go here. I think the side dishes here are better instead.
Overall Impression
The ramen so far that I’ve experienced in New York has fallen below my expectations. Los Angeles has far better ramen establishments unfortunately, so I’m a pretty disappointed. If I had to choose between Momofuku Noodle Bar and Ippudo, I would easily choose Ippudo. Momofuku Noodle Bar lacked flavor in their broth, was too salty, and was also expensive for what you get ($15+ for the ramen, and $3+ for the egg).
Yelp & Google Jabs
The smoked pork ramen was soooooo good. I’m a sucker for the poached egg and the broth has a balance of flavors I haven’t seen remotely anywhere before. Would come back and try the same and more dishes!
This Elitist from Texas probably hasn’t had much ramen in their life. In Los Angeles, there were several of these types of ramen bowls with smoked pork belly.
Food is flavorful with the noodles of course being the star of the show!
The noodles reminded me of packaged ramen. If that’s what you like, then you’re missing out on better ramen in the city.
Revisions
- Nov 15, 2025 - Second visit.
- Dec 16, 2012 - Initial revision.