Location(s): 65 4th Ave b/w 9th & 10th St
Phone #: (212) 388 0088
Method(s): Eat In
Price Range: $$$
Food: A
Value: B
Service/Atmosphere: A-
Overall Rating: B+
Already a hugely successful chain with 34 outposts all over Japan, Ippudo made its way to NYC in 2008. The creator, Shigemi Kawahara, is such a legend in Japan that he is actually called "The Ramen King" there, and he is quite famous. He creates a special variety of ramen for each Ippudo, which is definitely a cool idea. In general, Ippudo specializes in tonkotsu (pork-based broth) ramen served with spicy miso sauce and it will certainly taste different from other bowls of ramen you have tried in NYC. They open early at 5PM and I would recommend getting there not much later than that, unless you intend to wait 45 minutes to an hour. If you do end up waiting, the saving grace is that they have 2 for 1 beers at the bar during happy hour, so you can get a bit sloppy while you wait to eat your ramen. Once you are finally seated, make sure you are prepared to be greeted with the cooks and servers yelling "welcome" in Japanese as you walk toward your table. In fact, you should be prepared for loud banter throughout your meal, which adds a certain element of chaos to the experience (for the better in my opinion).
What I liked
In my opinion, the eternal debate between the pork buns at Ippudo ($8) vs. those at Momofuku is not even a debate. Momofuku's are far superior. However, the buns at Ippudo are quite good and certainly different from Chang's version. The big difference is that instead of cucumber, these have lettuce. Perhaps most importantly, Ippudo's have a "special bun sauce" on them, which I would describe as "mayonnaise." They are tasty but just pale in comparison to the competition. The Samurai Ribs ($10) are extremely tender and delicious; the meat almost falls right off the bone.
As far as the ramen goes, Ippudo does not disappoint. The flavor/broth is extremely unique and is best described as spicy and porky. Besides the variety referenced below, I have also tried the special ramen ($14), which is much spicier than the rest, as well as the Shoyu Ramen ($13) which is a different broth from the tonkotsu and is more soy based. Pay attention to the "Ramen Toppings" options, which could add some flavor to your dish if you so desire. I added a poached egg ($2) to my shoyu ramen and I feel that it added that perfect element of egginess, but you can also add extra pork belly, hard boiled eggs, extra Ippudo spicy paste, etc. Also make sure you ask for the chili flakes and Sarachi hot sauce (if that's your thing) because without those ingredients the ramen at Ippudo is not all that spicy in my humble opinion.
What Could Use Work
The wings were pretty tasty, but the fact that they serve 3 wings for $7 makes them just a bit less tasty.
Killed It!
For a first timer, I would recommend ordering the Akamaru Modern ($13), which is tonkotsu soup noodles with ippudo's special sauce, miso paste, garlic oil, pork, cabbage, onions, kikurage & scallion. My roommate tried this variety for the first time last night and was absolutely floored by the explosion of flavor. I couldn't agree with him more, this dish is to die for and would be high up on the list if I was considering a "last meal" before my execution. Make sure you leave some extra broth in your bowl so you can get an order of Kae-dama ($2), which is an extra serving of Ippudo's delicious noodles that you can plop right in to the halfway eaten ramen.
Method(s): Eat In
Price Range: $$$
Food: A
Value: B
Service/Atmosphere: A-
Overall Rating: B+
Already a hugely successful chain with 34 outposts all over Japan, Ippudo made its way to NYC in 2008. The creator, Shigemi Kawahara, is such a legend in Japan that he is actually called "The Ramen King" there, and he is quite famous. He creates a special variety of ramen for each Ippudo, which is definitely a cool idea. In general, Ippudo specializes in tonkotsu (pork-based broth) ramen served with spicy miso sauce and it will certainly taste different from other bowls of ramen you have tried in NYC. They open early at 5PM and I would recommend getting there not much later than that, unless you intend to wait 45 minutes to an hour. If you do end up waiting, the saving grace is that they have 2 for 1 beers at the bar during happy hour, so you can get a bit sloppy while you wait to eat your ramen. Once you are finally seated, make sure you are prepared to be greeted with the cooks and servers yelling "welcome" in Japanese as you walk toward your table. In fact, you should be prepared for loud banter throughout your meal, which adds a certain element of chaos to the experience (for the better in my opinion).
What I liked
In my opinion, the eternal debate between the pork buns at Ippudo ($8) vs. those at Momofuku is not even a debate. Momofuku's are far superior. However, the buns at Ippudo are quite good and certainly different from Chang's version. The big difference is that instead of cucumber, these have lettuce. Perhaps most importantly, Ippudo's have a "special bun sauce" on them, which I would describe as "mayonnaise." They are tasty but just pale in comparison to the competition. The Samurai Ribs ($10) are extremely tender and delicious; the meat almost falls right off the bone.
As far as the ramen goes, Ippudo does not disappoint. The flavor/broth is extremely unique and is best described as spicy and porky. Besides the variety referenced below, I have also tried the special ramen ($14), which is much spicier than the rest, as well as the Shoyu Ramen ($13) which is a different broth from the tonkotsu and is more soy based. Pay attention to the "Ramen Toppings" options, which could add some flavor to your dish if you so desire. I added a poached egg ($2) to my shoyu ramen and I feel that it added that perfect element of egginess, but you can also add extra pork belly, hard boiled eggs, extra Ippudo spicy paste, etc. Also make sure you ask for the chili flakes and Sarachi hot sauce (if that's your thing) because without those ingredients the ramen at Ippudo is not all that spicy in my humble opinion.
What Could Use Work
The wings were pretty tasty, but the fact that they serve 3 wings for $7 makes them just a bit less tasty.
Killed It!
For a first timer, I would recommend ordering the Akamaru Modern ($13), which is tonkotsu soup noodles with ippudo's special sauce, miso paste, garlic oil, pork, cabbage, onions, kikurage & scallion. My roommate tried this variety for the first time last night and was absolutely floored by the explosion of flavor. I couldn't agree with him more, this dish is to die for and would be high up on the list if I was considering a "last meal" before my execution. Make sure you leave some extra broth in your bowl so you can get an order of Kae-dama ($2), which is an extra serving of Ippudo's delicious noodles that you can plop right in to the halfway eaten ramen.
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