Ramen in New York

When most people hear ramen they think of Maruchan instant ramen, but NO! When I am taking about ramen, I envision a beautiful ceramic plate, warm from the rich and oh so flavorful tonkotsu broth, paired with amazing fresh ramen noodles, enoki mushrooms, scallions, pork, and chili oil, THAT IS RAMEN TO ME! 

Before I lived in NY I too was at fault for thinking that ramen was that instant ones you buy in the market, but I was lucky enough to live 1 building away from Ipuddo West Side. If you know what Ippudo is, yes, I understand your jelousy!

When I moved to my apartment my landlord told me the restaurant is good because it always has a waiting line, and I was lazy and did not what to do the 1 hour wait. Lucky enough my mom was visiting and we went to the theater at night and on the way back we found it was empty (almost closing time) and decided to try it. 

LOVE AT FIRST TRY! We asked the waiter for the popular dishes: Pork Buns and Tonkotsu Ramen. 

The buns arrived first and that first bite was heaven, I literally could not believe I waited a month to try this restaurant, then the ramen came and OH MY GOD it was like nothing I have ever tasted. From that moment on I ate at that ramen place almost every week for 6 months, and I NEVER GOT TIRED, the hostess and waitresses already knew me and since most times I went alone (because it was literally 1 building way from my apartment) there was little to no waiting time.

This is how my love for ramen started! And because of it I started a ramen chase in the city, obvi I did not visit all of the ramen places in NY, I would never end, but I visited some of the most popular and best!

For me this is typical NY, ramen is such a huge culture worldwide and in NY you can definitely find amazing ramen. Here are my recommendations: 

Ippudo Westside (51st street between 8th and 9th avenue) : There are 2 ippudo in NY, but this one is the one I always went to since they were my neighbors. I tried the whole menu (almost) and my always go to plates where Pork Buns and Karakamen (spicy tonkotsu ramen). If you like sake and sparkling things (like me), the ikezo jelly sparkling sake is amazing I love it! A must drink for this place.

Mu Ramen (1209 Jackson Ave. near 48th Avenue, Long Island City) : This ramen place is small, cozy and amazing, it can only seat 22 people, and you may have to sit in a communal table, but for this menu anything is worth it. My favorite thing in the menu is the fried chicken wing stuffed with foie gras and brioche, OMG to die for! They have the traditional Tonkotsu ramen but my favorites are Mu Ramen with Jamon Iberico and the Shoyu made with clear duck broth. Accepts only walk-ins so be prepared for a wait.

Lucky Cat Ramen (232 E. 53rd St.): This ramen place is considered big because it can sit 50+ people, so I never experienced much wait time. The gyozas (pork dumplings) are amazing, definitely one of my favorites, you can ask for them pan fried and you will not be disappointed. The ramen is very good, the Tonkotsu delivers flavor, however not my favorite ramen in NY. The place is great to go with friends since they can accommodate larger parties, and they have a great selection at the bar, from prepared cocktails to very good sake. 

Momofuku Noodle Bar (171 1st Avenue): This is the ramen place for one of my favorite Chefs, Chef David Chang, owner of the Momofuku empire, and if you know him, it is just like him. The place is very simple, the main attraction is the food, they have different buns fillings, my favorite as the shiitake, and for the ramen you cannot go wrong with the Pork ramen with pork belly, pork shoulder and egg. 

Totto Ramen (366 W 52nd St): My alternative ramen place when Ippudo had a long waiting list, is this ramen place, 1 block away from my apartment. The ramen place has 2 locations side by side, one was the restaurant where you had your table, ordered drinks, and had a meal, the tiny joint besides it was the "Totto Ramen next door" , there were only 4 comunal tables with 6 seats each, where you ordered, they served you very fast, you ate fast, pay and asked to leave so other customers can enjoy their ramen, it was a great place, and since I did go a lot the servers knew me and were always giving me my free hot green tea at the end of the meal, I loved it here. 

These are my recommendations for the places I have gone and eat the food, I believe there are so many great others that I did not get a chance to try, but when I do, I will be sure to update the list.