The Best 10 Ramen in New York City

To help you in your search for the perfect hangout for the best ramen in NYC, we bring to you a well-curated list of those jaunts that will definitely satisfy your gastronomic delights.

Where: 374 Johnson Avenue (Bushwick); 152 West 49th Street (Times Square)

This ramen shop serves one of the best ramen in NYC. Among the several NYC Ramen joints, street-food cafes, hotels or restaurants, Ichiran had created waves in the media some years ago. They inaugurated with single-seating options where each could dine by themselves with no interaction at all. Their tonkatsu ramen is their specialty, and they have perfected it over the years. With a newly opened restaurant in Manhattan, enjoy the ramen NYC city offers to its locals and tourists with joy. A definite on the bucket list of best ramen NYC has to offer.

Where: 25 Clinton Street (Lower East Side)

Born in Long Island Ivan Orkin, went to Japan to perfect the art of ramen trade and finally ended up as the most recognized chefs in the country. He returned to the United States of America and opened two ramen joints in NYC, and it undoubtedly offers the best ramen in NYC. One of the joints is called The Slurp Shop, which is located in the Gotham West Market in Hell’s Kitchen. The one on the Lower Eastside is Ivan Ramen which has some great options to choose from. Definitely amongst the best NYC Ramen found in the city, Ivan Ramen has the heavy Triple Pork Triple Garlic Mazemen with tonkatsu broth, pork belly and whole-wheat noodles on its menu which is a hot favorite. If you want to go for a lighter option, you could choose The Tokyo Shio ( salted flavor) or the Tokyo Shoyu ( soy sauce flavor). Both of these bowls are served with Ivan’s famous rye noodles which are different from the commonly used wheat variety. And what more, if you run out of noodles before you finish the broth, then shout “kae-dama” for an additional serving. Ivan is among the top of the list for serving one the best ramen NYC has to offer all those who crave for it. With an indulgent menu, add Ivan’s to your best ramen NYC list to experience the unique and authentic taste of Japan.

Where: 366 West 52nd Street (Midtown West)

It started off as a tiny ramen-ya on West 52^nd Street and has now grown into four exceedingly popular joints at four different locations. Definitely, with such popularity, it features in the best ramen NYC guide for locals and tourists. A permanent staple in the NYC ramen scene, it is one of the best in the business. The epic favorites are the paitan broth and the rich, creamy chicken broth. The chicken broth is paired with a springy, golden, wavy noodle that is topped off with pulled chashu pork along with tender pork belly chunks. Adding a poached egg and Totto’s rayu (chili oil filled with garlic, onion, scallops and dried shrimp) gets the flavors to blend together so well, and the special rayu (chili oil) gives a twist that you will not get anywhere else. Another name that must feature on the best ramen NYC bible, Totto Ramen is famous for the chicken-based broth than the more common pork-based broth found commonly at most ramen shops. There is a bit of wait if you go with a group, but it is worth the wait if you have spare time in your hands.

Where: 536 East 5th Street (Alphabet City)

One of the few best ramen NYC joints, Minca predates to when the craze all started. A tiny joint, Minca serves some of the best ramen NYC with over 15 options to choose from. Chicken, seafood, vegetables, and a tonkatsu broth are just a few of them on the menu. The best choice would be the Minca Sio- ramen flavored and peppered with salt and roasted garlic and topped with sliced pork and vegetables stewed. Minca also offers five different styles of noodles for your ramen ( thin, wavy, thick, whole wheat or gluten-free bean). The one which is the star attraction is the wavy noodles that grab the garlic-rich broth. An unmissable attraction is the chef finishing the pork chashu to give it a nice smoky flavor.

Minca is one of the few ramen joints in NYC that pre-dates the full-on craze. The tiny ramen-ya’s menu includes around 15 options like chicken, vegetables, and seafood, and a tonkatsu broth. The best choice is the Minca Sio: a bowl flavored with salt and roast garlic, topped with sliced stewed pork and vegetables. Minca lets you choose from five different styles of noodle for your ramen (thick, thin, wavy, whole wheat, or gluten-free bean), but the wavy noodle grabs the garlic-rich broth best. Don't miss the chef finishing your pork chashu to add a nice smoky flavor. Make sure you have cash in hand as it does not accept card payments.

Where: 172 Delancey Street (Lower East Side)

At the young age of 22, Shigetoshi “Jack” Nakamura saw astounding success in Japan after he opened his ramen-ya, Namanura-ya in the country. In 2015, he debuted in New York as the chef-in-residence at artisanal ramen noodle manufacturer Sun Noodle’s Ramen Lab. In 2017, he diversified by opening his own ramen-ya, Nakamura, a hidden gem set beside the Williamsburg Bridge. Another wonderful ramen joint amongst the best ramen NYC joints, Nakamura also has vegan options making it suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Chef Nakamura’s signature dish- Torigara Ramen is a delicate broth with a deep flavor. It is a traditional, standard style of ramen featuring a chicken-bone broth with ginger, kombu, fish dashi that adds a smoky umami flavor. To give it a fine twist, Chef Nakamura adds another signature- shoyu ( soy) seasoning and tops the bowl with a slice of chashu, menma, spinach, and nori. Nakamura Ajitama ( soft-boiled egg) is always served separately. If you want any extras, then order the thin-skinned gyoza that is possibly the crispiest in town.

Where: 129 2^nd Avenue, New York

Misoya, another unique ramen place that features in our best ramen NYC list, is focused solely on miso (fermented soybean) broths. The place is a narrow noodle house with brick walls that offers three miso options with its ramen. If miso-based ramen is new to you, you can start with the Shiro miso which is the lightest and cleanest of the flavors. You can then work your way up to Misoya’s miso curry chicken katsu ramen which features three large, massive pieces of crispy chicken, ground pork, fried potato, egg and pickled daikon radish all in a rich miso broth balanced by a sweet curry. A hearty bowl of ramen in the city with the miso ramen served at 10 degrees hotter than all other bowls of ramen.

Where: 1209 Jackson Ave, Long Island City

Another jewel in the diverse ramen landscape of New York, Mu Ramen is a feature on the best ramen NYC list we would curate for you. Grab the best seats in the house which are at the bar that overlooks the open kitchen run by husband and wife team Joshua and Heidy Smookler. They operate with a sushi-bar intimacy and crack jokes as the shake pots of freshly-boiled noodles and also juggle glasses as bartenders. The most notable is the flagship bowl with is a mix on a broth of oxtail and bone marrow. The in-house ramen gets an added zing from melting cubes of brisket that is paired with shredded cabbage and sour pickles. Mu Ramen has featured on the New York Times list of top 15 best ramen restaurants in New York City.

Where: 136-20 38^th Avenue, Flushing

At Ajisen Ramen in Chinatown during lunch hours in the weekdays, their deluxe lunch called the Ajisen Ramen Deluxe is just USD8. A huge bowl of ramen with three slices of chashu and a tender rib. At the New York joint, they serve ramen with a creamy, delicious curry that consists of coconut milk and corn topped with slices of pork, green cabbage, carrot and green onions. For those who like to push the limits, Chuka Idako is a red-cooked baby octopus stew which is popular in Japan, the recipe of which originated in Malaysia.

Where: 469, 6^th Avenue, New York

If you wish to try something new, something different, then Eak Ramen is the place to go. Featuring in our best ramen NYC guide, Eak Ramen brings Iekei to the world. A style of ramen that is a blend or marriage between the Tonkotsu style from the West ( Kyushu) and the Shoyu style from the East ( Tokyo). The broth is thick with a mixture of chicken and pork topped with spinach instead of green onions, chashu, a large piece of nori and aji-tama egg. The noodles are thick, straight and bold. Eak Ramen has pioneered to bring Iekei style of Ramen to New York’s growing demand to Ramen and satisfy its ever-increasing appetite.

Where: 1596, 3^rd Avenue, New York

Looking for cheap ramen options, then Naruto is the go-to place on Upper East Side. Even though it is a street-style fare, it does a feature on our best ramen NYC list. Their favorite ramen is miso based with some extra chashu. The ramen broth comes served in three different ways – salt, miso or soy sauce based. You can also find soup that is classified as tonkatsu that refers to the base with pork stock and is very commonly used in ramen for the broth. The Shoyu Ramen is also their specialty which creates a rich, dense soup using the pork and chicken as the base. The Shoyu Ramen is made with curly type noodles so that the noodles and soup blend well together to enhance the flavor. Naruto has two other joints on Upper West Side and Brooklyn. All three of them have dine-in and take-out services. So you can decide which one you wish to choose- if you are having a busy day and want to finish it off with a bowl of hot ramen, eat in. Alternatively, if you don’t want to cook on a cold winter Sunday evening, then just drop by and grab your parcel.

New York City’s obsession with ramen only shows signs of increasing and by no means stopping. This means the city is rich with options of different kinds to whet your appetite. The guide to best ramen NYC joints above is a genuine effort to help you choose the best and enjoy your favorite Japanese culinary delight. This guide includes the unnoticeable slurp joints to the staple and reliable ones. These joints are sure to help you avoid noodles that are limp and bland broths. You could be looking for a thick chicken or pork-based broth, china-white tonkatsu bone broth or the high-end top of the radar tantan, and you will find it all in any of these joints, restaurants or hotels above.

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