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Ramen is all about the layering of flavors — slow cooked bone broths, rich slabs of braised pork, a tangle of chewy noodles, a jammy egg if you know what you’re doing, maybe some house-made chili oil, and all manner of cooked and fresh veggies on top. Here in New York, you can’t throw a rock without it landing in a steamy bowl of excellent ramen — a dish that just might be defined in the encyclopedia under “most comforting food on a cold and rainy day.” Here are the best places to order ramen in NYC.
Karakatta
This Washington Square Park-adjacent eatery is all about bringing the heat with their appropriately named Spicy Ginger Stamina Ramen, which has a chicken broth base and is full of wavy flour noodles, pork belly, ground pork, fresh ginger and, of course, chili oil. It comes in five levels of heat: original, spicy, extra spicy, very spicy, and extremely spicy. I’ve only reached level 2, and I can tell you, it was spicy enough for me!
Chuko Ramen
Chuko means "vintage" in Japanese — a nod to the restaurant’s appreciation for tradition, but also perhaps a testament to the fact that it's been operating out of its Prospect Heights brownstone storefront for more than 10 years. And in a city with turnover like this, 10 years counts as vintage. Order a lush bowl of the sesame garlic ramen with wood ear mushrooms, mustard greens, and scallions; pick a protein (roast pork, crispy tofu); add an egg. Oh, and don’t forget a side of their crispy fish sauce-laden chicken wings.
Momofuku Noodle Bar
David Chang has been serving steamy bowls of ramen filled with housemade wheat noodles since 2004. Choose from two rotating bowl options: the surprisingly flavorful garlic chicken ramen with clarified broth, baby bok choy, and a poached egg is a perennial favorite, as is the unctuous smoked pork ramen. Pair them with a couple of fluffy buns — the pork belly is especially delicious.
Wanpaku
This hip little izakaya and ramen shop in Greenpoint is a destination for its signature house-fermented shoyu chicken broth ramen. It comes with pork or chicken chashu, wavy noodles, an ajitsuke tamago-marinated egg, bok choy, and scallions, and you should absolutely heed the restaurant’s recommendation to add a splash of their homemade spicy chili oil. Come summer, try their seasonal cold bowls, like the seafood ceviche ramen — an extravaganza of raw salmon and tuna, cooked octopus and shrimp, ikura, avocado, onion, jalapeño, red peppers, corn, grilled tomato, cilantro, and lime. It’s unlike any other ramen you’ve seen or will see again, guaranteed.
Jun-Men Ramen
Opened in Chelsea in 2015, Jun-Men Ramen is a noodle parlor without pretense. Executive chef Jun Park serves a succinct yet luxurious menu of ramen options, each of which shines in its own unique way. The classic pork bone ramen is always a win, or you can go big with the dry-style (i.e., no broth) uni mushroom ramen, which combines roasted pancetta, porcini butter, truffle oil, fried shallots, and Parmesan cheese in an unexpectedly delicious way, with a jewel of uni on top. The mushroom-packed veggie ramen might look straightforward, but the creamy sesame purée in the broth is a stroke of vegan brilliance.
Minca Ramen Factory
Chef-owner Shigeto Kamada spent 20 years studying ramen — tasting through the wonderland of Tokyo and reading and watching everything he could — before opening Minca in 2004. His rich broth is made from a melange of pork and chicken bones, along with prized ingredients like seaweed, dried bonito, and dried shiitake mushrooms imported straight from Japan. The popular Minca Sio Ramen, or pork bone soup, is a belly-warming testament to the depth of his education.
E.A.K. Ramen
E.A.K. started in Machida City, Japan, in 2008 with a mission of bringing the lesser-known Iekei style of ramen to the world. (It’s a blend of creamy tonkotsu and Tokyo-style chicken shoyu.) Less than a decade later, the West Village location opened its doors and has earned scores of fans, as has the newer Hell’s Kitchen outpost. The signature E.A.K. Ramen — thick, bold, and delicious with grated garlic on top — is the best way to get acquainted with this style.
Ivan Ramen
Though he was born in Syosset, New York, Ivan Orkin is a true student of ramen, having moved to Japan in the 1980s to study the craft after college, and back again in 2003 to open his own ramen shop in Tokyo. He returned to the states a decade later to start Ivan Ramen, and the creamy tonkotsu ramen he serves there is still some of the best in town. The sides deserve their own spotlight, so be sure to add some Japanese fried chicken or crispy eggplant to your cart for good measure when ordering from this NYC ramen restaurant.
Jin Ramen
Jin Ramen, which has repeatedly earned Michelin Bib Gourmand nods, opened its first spot in New York City in 2012 and has since opened two more. The spicy tonkotsu is the obvious route here, with 25 optional add-ins, including tofu, enoki mushrooms, sesame oil, and a pork-seasoned egg. Like some spice? Try the tangy kimchi ramen. Craving something cool for the summer? Check out the hiyashi chuka. Served cold, this seasonal special has cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes, and is dressed in a refreshing lemon soy vinaigrette dressing.
HinoMaru Ramen
This Astoria gem is known for their HinoMaru Ramen, a hakata-style 17-hour pork bone broth-based bowl with tender braised chashu pork, kikurage mushrooms, menma (fermented bamboo shoots), and their signature fireball: a piquant sphere of ground pork and chili paste. The tonkotsu shoyu ramen, made with the same 17-hour bone broth, is also a win. Order it topped with a couple of crispy-fatty honey glazed ribs — it’s one of the best bowls of ramen in NYC.
Kuu Ramen
The menu at Kuu Ramen in lower Manhattan reflects centuries of family tradition. They have nine varieties of ramen — all excellent — but I’m partial to the Kuu Chili Chili Ramen with chicken and fish broth, spicy ground chicken, Kakuni pork, egg, green onion, bamboo, sesame, panko, chili skin, and chili oil. It’s an unforgettable and delightfully spicy spin on the classic bowl.
Hide-Chan Ramen
Ramen runs in the family at Hide-Chan. Hideto Kawahara opened the first outpost in Japan back in 1993, and came to be considered a pioneer in the world of ramen. His father has run Daruma Ramen in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, for more than 50 years. When Hideto brought his creamy pork hakata tonkotsu to Midtown, the media took notice — and the place has been slinging bowls to happy slurpers ever since. Don’t miss the spicy garlic ramen with kikurage mushrooms and luscious rounds of sliced pork.
Ramen Ishida
If you’ve only tried tonkotsu ramen, likely the most popular in America, Ishida is here to open your eyes. Chef-owner Yohei Ishida (formerly of Ippudo) opened his eponymous ramen shop in 2017, embarking on a mission to introduce New Yorkers to ramen in the Shoyu style of Tokyo, his hometown. Made with clear chicken and mushroom broth, filled with a nest of thin flour noodles, and topped with grilled chashu pork belly, chicken breast, marinated bamboo shoots, shiso, soft boiled egg, mushroom paste, and pork fat, it’s every bit as flavorful as any tonkotsu you’ll find.
Raku
Famous for his erstwhile East Village sushi restaurant, Kura, chef Norihiro Ishizuka turned his attention to udon in 2016 with the opening of Raku. Though they’re not technically ramen, the belly-warming bowls from a guy once described as the “Tony Bennett of sushi chefs” deserve an honorable mention. At Raku, Ishizuka channels Japanese home cooking with a menu centered around this iconic thick-and-chewy noodle, served in big bowls of his delicate dashi soup. Try the Gyunan Udon with tender Washugyu beef, or the Niku Udon, full of beef short ribs, honeycomb tripe, tendon, and daikon, and served only in limited quantities each day.
