Ippudo - Westside

This has got to be my favorite ramen in the city. I love the feel of the restaurant, it's cozy but not too small. The staff is always phenomenal, they're not obtrusive, but are there exactly when you need them. But the food...wow, it's amazing. As always we over ordered. We started with the Shishito Peppers, Pork Bun, Edamame, and the Oishii Kara-age (Soy marinated boneless fried chicken with dill and caramellized lemon). The shishitos were flash fried and served with a seasonal salt (which had an acidic bite to it...it was killer). The same salt was served with the edamame (that our five year old couldn't get enough of). The pork bun was decent but not the best I've had (the pork was very thin). The chicken...that was the best of them all, perfectly brined and fried and the lemon squeezed over top took it to the next level. Onto the ramen. Our son has never had it before and as much as we try to expose him to different cuisines, he can be picky. We ordered him the Shiromaru Motoaji, which is a pork tonkotsu with thin noodles, we did order all the toppings on the side. He loved it, and who wouldn't, the tonkotsu is insanely good. My wife went for the Akamaru Shinaj with a Tamago (their marinated soft boiled eggs). The umami paste they put in this one takes their already phenomenal tonkotsu and put's it on the "best meal I've ever eaten list". Since they were ordering the tonkotsu I went for miso on this trip; the Spicy Miso to be exact. It was good (although the spicy tonkotsu is still my favorite). The thick noodles gave the perfect amount of bite and helped make the broth feel more full. I'm not a fan of corn in ramen, but maybe that's because every else I've had it doesn't do it right. The sweetness of the corn was perfect for rounding out the dish. Oh yeah, and I had to do a tamago on mine too.This meal, paired with a carafe of Sake was one of the best I've had in a long time. And the fact that I saw my five year old eat his first bowl of real ramen; this will be something I remember for a long time. Go to Ippudo, order a lot of food, have some drinks and make some memories.

I was pleasantly surprised with my experience at this location because of the mixed reviews. My friend and I had reservations for 1:30pm on a Monday & we arrived early and were seated right away. I think the best time to come without waiting or making a reservation is from Monday-Wednesday after the lunch rush. We started off with their appetizer & ordered the oishii Kara-age. I thought the chicken was fried to perfection with a nice crunch on the outside. Flavored wise it could've used more seasoning but the caramelized lemon did add some acidity to the dish. Then the main course came out. I got the Karaka spicy and my friend ordered the Dragon Tantan. My soup came out scorching hot. The broth was rich, creamy & very porky. The noodles were a little soft for my liking but it was still good. The chashu was tendered and melt in your mouth. The egg was marinated to perfection and the yolk was runny. My friend broth was on the lighter side but still had a lot of depth to it. A hint of sesame was just right for this dish. The meat was tendered and the noodles were fine. I wasn't a fan on the concept of the staff seating us with folks we didn't know but it also gave us a chance to chit chat on our dishes we've ordered. Was it worth $27 for a bowl of ramen? No, but it was a solid meal nonetheless. What's crazy is that none of the ramen dishes came with an egg & we had to order it separately, so it definitely added up. Ippudo and Ichiran compared to one another is just about the same. The only difference is Ippudo has a full menu. Overall, the service was swift and friendly and the food was solid. Will I come back? Yes.

The ambiance is nice and one of the great aspects is that it is opened late. The portions are just enough to feel full and the textures of the noodles are well cooked. The dragon tantan was delicious and had a light kick of spiciness to it which was very enjoyable. my friend had the karaka spicy and found it also delicious. The broths are nice and hearty for a rainy day that was in that day. another great option is this place if you are seeing an off broadway show at the new world stages on the street over. The service was really fast, we got seated fairly quickly at the large center high top bar type area. Once we placed the orders, they came out fairly quickly.

After attending the Tonight Show, we decided to grab a bite at my favorite ramen noodle place. They do not accept reservations at this location, but it's worth the wait. Luckily, we only had to wait about 10 minutes to get a table for 4. The service is amazing, the atmosphere is cozy, and the courses are delicious. We keep coming back for more!!

I'm partial to the thin noodle they use for ramen and will go out of my way to find Ippudo if there is one wherever I'm visiting. I always get the classic tonkotsu broth which is very rich in flavor but not super salty. The wait during peak hours can be a bit much so generally try to go during non-peak times.

Service: 4.6/5Food: 4.1/5Came here ~40 minutes before closing, so grateful they still took us in. Nice ambiance, quiet enough to feel intimacy, but not so much that you feel like you're trapped in a library. Nice bathrooms, tucked behind a curtain near the exit. A more focused menu, which is good for when you need to make a quick decision.What I Ordered:- shiromaru motoaji: their most basic ramen, I think. not too salty, decent meat, springy noodles. very fresh scallion flavor

Holy cats this was the best ramen I've ever had. It was absolutely mind blowingly good. I didn't even end up putting the spices on the side with it because the broth was so flavorful and delicious. I would 100% eat again when in NYC. This place is a good spot if you are looking for a nice dinner before a broadway show. It is popular and you may need to wait, but the service is fairly quick. Also ordered the cucumbers and some pork buns. Loved the cucumbers, but probably would pass on the pork buns. They were good, but not as memorable.

I haven't had Ippudo in forever so this was such a treat! I remember coming here maybe 8+ years ago and the lines were out the door and you had to wait for more than hour. For a party of 2, we were able to get bar seating on a weekday night immediately with no wait which was great.- Takoyaki - I never have had a good experience eating takoyaki in the states yet so I really don't know why I keep giving it a chance. Either way, this takoyaki was pretty okay with one small octopus bite in each takoyaki. Otherwise, most of it was some sort of flour mixture. - Akamaru Shinaji - This ramen was fantastic, with the Ippudo flavor I remember. I loved the al dente noodles, and the amount of pickled bamboo shoots they gave you was great too. The chasu was also incredibly tender without a large meaty flavor. The only thing I wish they had in the dish was a soft-boiled egg.Overall great ramen place even though the prices were pretty high, although I feel like this is the standard now, unfortunately. I will say that my friend got the Yuzu Shoyu and the broth was pretty confusing and not great. I would not recommend getting that dish.

I'm no expert on spicy noodles, but I am an expert on great food! Within walking distance to Times Square, it was a perfect place to try after a cold ( and I mean COLD!) jaunt in the city. Definitely get a reservation. The server is a great spice guide so take advantage of their expertise.We opted for spicy miso and spicy karaka with extra heat and corn. I felt warm and satisfied down to my toes. I'd love that feeling every day! Really a new experience for me! Not my last, they had some great sounding appetizers as well.

Ippudo never lets me down when I want ramen. I like this place for many reasons, my top one being that you could come here over and over again and still find something new to try. They have so many different types of ramen, with something to satisfy everyone in your party. One of my bffs doesn't eat pork, which makes finding good ramen with rich broth that's not pork based a challenge, but Ippudo rises to it. For the vegetarians out there, there's an entire vegetarian menu. This time around I went with the AKAMARU and added an egg. I could seriously swim in this broth its so good, and the pork they include is incredibly tender without being too fatty. I opted for wavy ramen noodles for this instead of their traditional straight noodles because I just prefer that texture more, which they were willing to accommodate. I was really tempted to Kaedama and get some extra noodles, but decided to just drink the broth because it was so good on its own. If you love ramen and you're in the area, definitely a place to visit.