Izakaya Juraku

Stumbled upon this cute little gem over the weekend! Love the vibe inside! Food was excellent. We ordered a couple of ramens and some skewers as well. Everything was delicious! The black garlic oil ramen was amazing! It was the best I ever had. They also had a special, Matcha Sake Bomb which was great as well.

Came here with my wife on a random Sunday night and was pleasantly surprised with everything. The loaded karaage fries are fire. Basically amazing cheesey fries with some of the best Japanese fried chicken you've ever had. We also had the pork belly and chicken thigh skewers (not pictured). We finished off with the black garlic ramen and the mazzemen. I personally felt the black garlic ramen had overpowering bamboo shoots. The mazzemen on the other hand was super creamy and delicious. Service was some of the best I've ever had. Stuff is super attentive and friendly. And the restaurant has tons of fun decor. I would recommend and come again.

I ordered the brown butter miso Ramen, a flavorful and rich take on a classic dish, priced at $18. The star of the show was undoubtedly the broth, a buttery and complex concoction that showcased the depth of flavor achieved through the brown butter technique. The Char Siu was tender and smoky, adding a delightful meatiness to the ramen. However, the noodles were a tad soft, which slightly detracted from the overall texture. The portion size was generous, and at $18, it felt like a fair price, especially considering the quality of the ingredients and the trendy ambiance of the restaurant. To accompany my meal, I enjoyed two excellent beers: the Rydeen Pilsner and the Lucky Cat White Ale, both priced at $14 each. While a bit pricey, the quality and rarity of these imported brews justified the cost. The service was efficient, though not overly friendly, and the wait time was minimal. The contemporary Japanese memorabilia and artwork, coupled with the anime playing on the big screen, created a unique and vibrant atmosphere. While the soft noodles were a minor drawback, the overall dining experience was positive, and I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a trendy spot with good ramen, an impressive beer selection, and an interesting vibe.

The staffs were friendly, we ordered pork belly, steak skewers and chicken karage. This place is usually packed, we were able to get seats on a Tuesday night. Food was delicious, would recommend coming here! Food: 5/5Service: 5/5Ambience: 5/5

Their Mentaiko Mazzemen is the standard of how this dish should be - creamy, full of Mentaiko, with the sauce just hugging the noodles. Their skewers are so tender with a savory and sweet sauce. The Takowasa is a perfect palate cleanser, with that kick of wasabi. Their loaded fries are loaded - many pieces of chicken, stretchy cheese, and fries. This small spot is a bit of a hole in the wall where some of the dishes are served in a paper container, but wow is the food good!

Tried to get a table at the spot across the street and there was too long a wait, so we just literally walked in here. Vibe is chill and the server was really nice. Black Garlic Veggie Ramen.... Woooooooow, so good and vegetarian I assume. The broth was super delicious and rich, noodles properly chewy and veggies & tofu tastey..Garlic Edamame was great and my wife enjoyed her Spicey Ramen.

I came in a group of 5 with a reservation. The service was quick as the staff handled numerous orders. If you're an anime fan, you'll like the decor and the shows playing behind the bar.The Boozy Yuzu Slushy tastes like a straight up slushie without the booze, but I'm not mad. It was delicious.The Signature Karaage was juicy and crispy, and it was definitely a standout. (I like ordering karaage whenever I see it on the menu, and it was one of the better ones I've had in NYC.)The Kuro Black Garlic Ramen was flavorful with a unique taste (at least for someone who hasn't tried black garlic ramen before).I also tried some scallop and steak skewers, which were both great. The steak was really tender. While everything I had here tasted amazing, the food and drinks were on the pricier end.

I always come here for the croquette. It's perfect when I'm craving fried food and want something besides regular french fries. The lemon and tonkatsu sauce is a great combination. The takoyaki is also great, but I wish it came with more pieces for $12. The service is amazing, I've never had a bad experience. Everyone is very friendly and helpful.

Stumbled into this place with a friend completely on accident because our reservation at Sixty Three Clinton got nixed due to a burst pipe. Figured I needed to get completely hammered after my bad luck. And I knew izakaya would do the job. Probably my third Izakaya experience and easily my best. The employees have a deep knowledge of sakes and Japanese beers. ALL of the food we got was absolutely divine. Especially the kushiyaki items. Those combined with copious amounts of sakes I can't fully recall and Orions led to a truly religious escapade on the Lower East Side. I wasn't one of these soul-stirring, slightly aberrant individuals that believes strongly in some omnipresent invisible hand of fate before Izakaya Juraku. Now... I'm not so sure. I missed a starred meal, but that burst pipe led me to this sanctum. I cannot imagine an alternate universe without me knowing about Izakaya Juraku.

Finishing up one of my last reviews of July to celebrate New Years. Why not?I went to this izakaya with a bunch of others several months ago as per most of my other recent reviews. Shoutouts first goes to their drink menu compared to even most other izakayas. They might not have the sake selection compared to some other places but the beer selection from all across Japan is better than most craft spots and they also have a wide variety of other liqueurs including a nice shochu collection to cocktails to other. I believe I had the Japas Black Daruma which is an imperial stout followed by some type of shochu drink later. The lighting was a bit dark for photos and the staff was friendly and dealt with our large group quite well.We had three different Yakitori; Chicken Thigh, Skirt Steak, and Hokkaido Scallop. The latter was the best of the group with very tender delicious scallops. The steak was alright and the chicken was decent. They would all make pretty good bar food while going through their drink selections. The Signature Karaage was very solid. It came out very freshly fried and was quite hot with tender chicken and a lightly spicy mayo.There was also an excellent version of the Pork Kakuni referring to a braised pork belly. Very tender pork with a lot of fat of course as expected and the shishito peppers on top was a nice touch. The following dishes were split between more people.The Gyudon or Gyu Don as listed on the menu was solid. Listed as braised sliced beef and onion with egg, served on white rice with pickled ginger and scallion, the beef was tender and not too sweet compared to some other spots from the onions. The egg was properly made and overall it was a solid donburi.The Miso Bacon or Japanese pork belly marinated in red miso, Hitachino Anbai Ale, maple syrup and smoked with cherry wood was excellent. Very tender sweet pork. The portion is small for the price but they clearly put a lot of effort into it and it's not like they're marinating it in a cheap alcohol either so it's honestly worth it.We also got the Mentaiko Mazemen. The Pasta-style ramen dish with spiced pollock roe, fresh shiso, and shredded seaweed. The noodle texture was good but I found that there wasn't enough Mentaiko. It was more like a creamy pasta and not salty enough for my liking. This was probably the other weakest dish along with the katsu listed below.The Pork Katsu Curry listed as Japanese curry with Mugi-Fuji pork cutlet and Japanese pickles was the other weakest dish. The curry even by the other Japanese curry standards was a bit on the light end and the pork while tender had a bit too much batter. Portion was decent but it was just OK. Outside of two of the entrees, the food was pretty good. Very good alcohol selection and the smaller plates in particular were excellent. There's better izakayas but still it's solid. Low 4.