Ellie D: If you like a bowl that packs a flavor punch, tiny tucked-away Minca is for you. Broth so meaty it's creamy. If these noodles can't fill you up, nothing will. Get sides of kimchi and daikon salad too.
Ellie D: Hailed often as the "best" ramen, Totto went surprisingly nontraditional with their veg-tastic Vegetable Ramen dish including blow-torched Avocado. They mean business here, so enjoy fast and get out!
Ellie D: Green curry miso ramen is a MUST, even for a traditionalist like me. Fusion is done right at ZuZu, and enjoyable in spite of snarky service. (Why so angry? Have some noodles!)
Ellie D: All out-of-towners visiting me get a trip here, with an order of Vegetable Hand-Pulled Noodles (comes w/a steamy side of umami Tofu!) and some steamed dumplings to start, one of my fav meals in NYC
Ellie D: I dream of the day I can walk in, sit down, and order at Cocoron without a 40 minute wait. The kind of place I would have loved to keep a secret, soba speaks to my soul, and they do it right.
Ellie D: Walking into Sobaya feels like I'm being transported back to Japan. For an authentic and particularly heart-healthy bowl, get the Maguro Tororo soba, cold. (Grated slimy -mmm- mountain yam and tuna)
Ellie D: Experimental ramen can lead to incredible results. I had the most pure, deep, and amazing shoyu ramen at this spot (and I usually shy away from shoyu).
Ellie D: Yes, it's the crowd favorite & it's really good. Gotta give some love to the others first, but if you're a patient group or a hungry single eater you're in good shape to get a coveted bowl of Ippudo!
Ellie D: Some really fun, experimental bowls from Ivan Orkin's Ivan Ramen outpost. The chilled lemon in the summer is a favorite, and tsukemen is great too if not a bit on the meaty/unctuous side for my taste.
Ellie D: Chuko! Always good, always a wait. Go to Bar Chuko across the street and sate yourself with some wings, okonomiyaki, and chuhai before dunking yourself in glorious ramen broth.