My Noodle Obsession 1

New York has a mélange of restaurants of different cultures, and it sure has amazing Japanese ramen. After spending a whole year exploring the city as a crazy ramen fanatic, I have narrowed down countless ramenyas to four personal favorites.

Totto Ramen

Located in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen, Totto Ramen is the cult classic of Manhattan. It is for real fans of ramen—anyone without a burning passion for these wheat flour noodles will probably be scared off by the infamous waiting lines.

The restaurant is tiny yet cozy; three Japanese chefs boil the noodles behind the dimly lit kitchen counters al dente, according to tradition. The spicy paitan ramen has a thick chicken broth as its base, with beautiful red chili oil patterns floating on the surface. It is deeply aromatic; fried garlic and sesame are a match made in heaven. The wavy noodles are cooked to perfection, topped with chewy pork chashu, crunchy bean sprouts, and a sprinkling of thinly sliced raw green onions. A glug of Koji miso is added for an extra kick to this unforgettable combination.

The char-siu mayo don is also nothing less than amazing. Served in a tiny porcelain bowl, the rice has a zestiness due to the ponzu sauce, which is a mixture of citruses, soy sauce, mirin, and dashi. It is topped by pulled chicken boasting an oozing mayonnaise punctuated with white sesame seeds. The garnish is a crisp layer of scallions and seaweed. The overall taste is luxuriously sweet and fragrant—highly addictive.

464 W 51st St, New York, NY 10019

248 E 52nd St, New York, NY 10022

Bt. 8th and 9th Avenue, 366 W 52nd St, New York, NY 10019

Price range: $10-14

Ippudo

Ippudo is probably the most popular ramen chain in New York. Inside, customers dine in a stylish environment designed by none other than the founder Shigemi Kawahara himself. Though the ramenya offers many appetizers, the must-have is the Ippudo buns—pork or chicken chashu stuffed inside fluffy steamed buns. It is deeply satisfying and serves as a great overture to the main course.

The restaurant’s signature ramen is the Tonkotsu (pork broth) ramen, revolutionized by the team in New York City. Unlike other ramenyas, Ippudo’s broth is silky and bursting with flavor. If you’re feeling adventurous, order the Akamaru, a modern spin on the mild Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen. It boasts a dash of the secret umami dama sauce on top of the classic broth and rich spicy garlic oil. The toppings are an oozing marinated egg, juicy pork chashu, chewy kikurage mushrooms, and chopped scallions. If heavy broths are not your thing, try their fish ramen or vegetarian options,which are made from a base of beans, seaweed, and vegetables.

65 4th Avenue (Between 9th and 10th Street), New York, NY 10003

321 West 51st Street, (Between 8th and 9th Avenue), New York, NY 10019

24 West 46th Street, (Between 5th and 6th Avenue), New York, NY 10036

Price range: $14-17

Ivan Ramen

With two locations in the Theater District and the Lower East Side, Ivan Ramen is a holy grail for ramen lovers visiting from all over the world. Made famous by the Netflix show “Chef’s Table,” the owner, Ivan Orkin, sets out to break rules and improve upon classic Japanese recipes.

While the food is definitely on the pricier side, it doesn’t disappoint. Unlike most other ramenyas in New York, Ivan’s specialty is a lighter chicken broth instead of fatty tonkotsu. The Tokyo Shio Ramen is primed with a translucent brown dashi-chicken broth, which is saltier than most Hakata-style broths. The noodles are the firm and wavy type, topped off with silken soft boiled eggs, tender chunks of pork belly, and a thick layer of herbaceous greens. The sliced scallions make up for the loss of depth and fragrance due to the lightness of the soup—the entire bowl is a perfectly harmonized symphony of explosive flavors.

25 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002

600 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10036

Price range: $16-23

Mentoku

The owner of this tiny atmospheric shop is Yasuo Okada, who was classically trained with a Japanese master chef yet strives to create fusion foods. Mentoku probably has the best karaage fried chicken out of all the ramenyas I’ve been to. It is wonderfully savory and covered in a thick coat of breadcrumbs, contributing to the wonderful crunchy texture—perfect when paired with mayonnaise and lemon. For the main course, you have the chance to try the spicy whip cream ramen, or the matcha ramen if you dare. If you want something more traditional, I recommend the classic Hakata Genryu ramen, a no-fuss bowl of endlessly sweet tonkotsu boiled for 15 hours, paired with firm thin noodles and huge slices of chashu.

744 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019

Price range: $12-16