Ippudo NY is the first overseas branch of the famous Japanese ramen chain. It was open in 2008. Ippudo was founded by Shigemi Kawahara in 1985 in the Daimyo District of Chuo Ward, in Fukuoka City. By the time Ippudo NY was opened, there were over 30 branches throughout Japan. By 2012, Kawahara had expanded his ramen empire to over 40 locations.
I arrived at 5pm for 1 person and the wait was already one hour! I wanted to give up at this point since that wait was ridiculous. Fortunately, CanuckGirl really wanted some noodles and they take same day reservations…so we made a reservation for 2 at 10pm.
The bar at the front of the restaurant has some nice decor.
There is even a wall of ramen bowls!
The East Village location features two dining rooms, a sake bar, an open kitchen for non-ramen dishes, and an open ramen bar. The noodles are made in-house in the basement.
It’s very dark inside, but it made for good ambiance.
Complementary tea is something I definitely needed on my travels.The servers were very good about refilling my cup.
Miso Ramen ($15) has soy bean paste flavored noodle in Tonkotsu (pork) based soup with pork chashu, cabbage, menma, ginger, and scallions. CanuckGirl did enjoy her ramen.
“The Kuro Kasane, or Kasane Black is a limited time special ramen at Ippudo NY. It has an authentic “Kasane” tonkotsu & chicken soup with noodles, topped with pork loin chashu, cabbage, sesame kikurage mushrooms, red pickled ginger, naruto, scallions, and fragrant “Black” garlic oil.
It was pretty good, but with the addition of the garlic oil and the broth, it was a bit salty for my liking. It’s still a pretty solid bowl of ramen.
Overall, the waits for a table are ridiculous, but if you make a reservation on the same day, you should have no issues at all. The prices are a bit high compared to what you would find in Vancouver, but you’re in NY, so be prepared to pay more.
Words of Wisdom:
- Make same day reservations
- Has daily specials
- Ramen is a must!
We Rate Ippudo: 
Address:
65 4th Ave
New York, NY
Website:
http://www.ippudony.com/
2 Comments
I went there when I was in NY as well… I thought it wasn’t too bad except we already tipped them 15% for lunch and the waitress came chasing after us saying we should tip them 20%…..
:O You serious? I think I tipped them 15% but no one chased after me. Thats super rude if anyone does that