Crème de Bacon Mazémen
a plate of food on a table
a bowl of noodles and clams with chopsticks
Vongole mazemen
russ & roe
yuzu flavored mazeman
Russ and Roe
bone marrow ramen
uni toast
Uni toast
duck mazeman
Steak mazemen
Off menu mushroom purée with egg, noodles, bacon and fried mushroom whatuppp
Duck mazemen
food, sushi and sashimi
Cold MaPo Tofu ($8)
Interior
food, pasta dish, pasta
Creme de Bacon with a side of Uni.
food, pasta dish, pasta
Yuzu green tea ($4), creme de bacon ($23), steak mazemen ($21 + $2 poached egg)
Mushroom dip
Wolf M.
Jun 2, 2023
Niche offers an omakase by reservation only. It is a bit different from what you would expect from an establishment that is mainly known for ramen. This is an omakase course with about a dozen small dishes, and not all are with ramen. There is even fried dishes, and bolognese! Nakamura hand makes everything from start to finish. Yelp says temporarily closed but call and make a reservation. You can still get in if you put some effort in. Small space with a bathroom beyond the kitchen. Intimate, fun space for good times and food.If you're a fan of Nakamura's ramen and you like omakase, then this is definitely worth your time. Delicious.
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Jaya N.
Dec 3, 2021
One of the most unique and delicious ramen experiences I've ever had! Niche is simply delicious. They have an incredibly innovative menu featuring uni, salmon roe and even Italian flavors as well. My favorites were the steak mazeman, the Russ and Roe (pictured) and the crème de bacon. The crème de bacon was so good I spent a lot of time determined to recreate those delicious flavors. I recommend going with a group and trying a little bit of each of these dishes. They're ramen dishes like you've never had before!
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Lolin L.
Dec 21, 2019
Came around 6 as a party of 3 on a Friday and we were seated right away. They have maybe 16 seats, and a bathroom past the kitchen if you ask. We started with the cauliflower fritters/ fried cauliflower and Parmesan fries. The cauliflower was lightly fried and seasoned with a curry powder. The fries were the thin kind, could've been more crunchy but both good options. I had the creme de bacon mazemen and expected to be super heavy but surprisingly it wasn't. Think about a lighter version or Alfredo with thick bacon bits. I really enjoyed this and enjoyed the thick ramen noodles they used. My friends ordered the Russ and roe and steak mazemen. I tried the steak and it was super flavorful. My friends thought their noodles were kinda heavy and the salmon in the Russ and roe to not be super fresh. A good experience and a bit on the pricier side but definitely worth a try.
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Johnny W.
Dec 9, 2021
This is their medium rare, so be careful everyone and don't make the same mistake as I if you decide to give this place a try. This costs 25 dollars now and is very underwhelming. Although it's a Japanese restaurant, there's very little resemblance of actual Japanese cuisines. Definitely won't come back here unfortunately. Portions are very small and the the flavors are lacking. Good luck everyone!
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Regina L.
Mar 11, 2020
I've always been a fan of Niche's sister restaurant Nakamura, and Niche did not disappoint! The mazeman (brothless ramen) is a cozy noodle alternative. We ordered+ the Russ and Roe (It has an interesting texture because of the roe sauce and I loved the contrast of the cold salmon with warm noodles. The dish did get a bit repetitive after a while, though definitely worth a try because it's so unique)+ steak mazeman (my boyfriend really liked this)+ uni toast (not the highest quality uni)
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Vicky L.
Jul 6, 2019
I was chatting with a friend the other day and they mentioned that they wish that Yelp had two ratings - one for the actual food itself and the other one for all the other stuff - service, ambiance, and whatever else people base their ratings on that has nothing to do with the food.I thought about it for a bit and realized that in the past, I also have done the same thing. I would rate a restaurant based on overall instead of the food. But, I think it makes more sense to rate the food and maybe add a note on some of the things to be aware of regarding the restaurant. At this point in my life, I think good food is good food, it doesn't have to be any certain way, and I'd want to share that.So, that being said - Niche, being of the few, if not only restaurants that serves mainly Mazemen, I thought it was really good. I tried the Ribeye Steak Mazemen and the Duck Magret Mazemen and the Umami Kombu Fries. Everything was really delicious. I love a good brothless ramen. If I had to choose, I'd definitely go with the Duck Magret Mazemen if this was my first time here. Now for some things to be aware of:It's a bit expensive for what you are paying for. Poached eggs are $2 extra. The wait is a bit long, but you can use the Yelp app, which is pretty accurate. The space is extremely small - only one large communal table that fits about 16 people. It barely has space for a bathroom, so at first you might think there isn't one, but it's actually in the back past the cook. There's also only one cook, one helper, and one waitress. We went on a Friday night at around 7pm, and the hostess/waitress that was there that night was extremely nice and awesome, so I just want to make sure she gets props for that!!If I lived here, I'd definitely come back. But it is a bit out of the way if you don't live in the area.
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Sandy D.
Jul 14, 2019
Ramen without the soup? AND with steak and salmon on top?Sounds like a place worth checking out to me!The place is located in a not so populated area, so that might be why the place was pretty empty when I went one Saturday afternoon.It's a pretty small restaurant, with one long table. You would go up to order but pay at the end. I ordered the Russ & Roe Mazemen ($20 and my boyfriend ordered the Steak Mazemen ($21). Both are pretttyyy pricey for what you get. Right away after taking a bite of the salmon, I knew that was the maximum amount of sodium I was intaking today. I love that the ramen was just coated in delicious roe, but that and the salmon were just way too salty! The Steak Mazemen was also pretty salty but not as salty as the Russ & Roe. The ribeye was really juicy! Both mazemen were delicious though! The ramen is firm and full of flavor from the sauces. I also appreciate that they give plentiful steak and salmon pieces.Service was mediocre, to be honest. I usually have a pet peeve about workers who place the bill down on your table before you are even done eating. I also felt like I was being rushed when the worker thought we were done eating when we were only taking a break. But service aside, which isn't too big a deal, the saltiness level here was a turnoff. I became a fan of mazemen but I seriously never ate something this salty at a restaurant before.
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Tony L.
Feb 16, 2020
I came here with a friend on a Tuesday evening, eager to catch up. It was a bit of a trek from Brooklyn, and it reminded me of my college days haunting around LES's grunginess. It took a while to find the place, as it was truly a hole-in the wall and tiny -- just wide enough to fit one large dining table, comfortable enough for 8 guests at a time, with the kitchen in the back. If you need to use the bathroom, you have to awkwardly pass them by.We arrived at 6:30 PM and took our seats in the middle. The plating was very simple, but beautiful, as most Japanese eateries are. The menu was interesting because it wasn't necessarily a ramen bar, as a lot of their mains were broth-less (but not sauceless or flavourless!). The menu also stood out in that it was had clear indications of food allergies/meat types, which I appreciated.Service was impeccable, naturally, as the sole waiter/maitre-d/cashier was within a 5 foot reach. We decided to have an alcohol-free dinner, so I went with the duck mazemen and my companion the steak mazemen as our mains. To start, we got the uni-toast, which was AMAZING. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was not the tiny square cracker-sized buttered crunch goodness with generous dollops of uni. I will think about this starter until I die. The duck mazemen and steak were both strong in umame and delightful as dishes, though a tad small if you're looking to get full off of that alone. The flavours were amazing and I was really impressed that there was no broth to back it up.I'd definitely come back to Niche if in the area, and I might even seek it out. However, I'm only giving 4 stars for a reason that is a double-edged sword -- as aforementioned, the menu is simple, but with that, it didn't offer me enough things that I wanted to try, so after the starter/dishes we had, I was still left hungry.
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Tiffany F.
Apr 27, 2021
*temporarily closed right now*Good food & atmosphere, small shop--yuzu dashi vongole mazemen: it was delicious but nothing special tbh, sauce is key--steak mazemen: both of our favorites, my brother swears by their mazemen--spicy tonkatsu: yummy--drinks: great complements to meals here, especially soju(mazemen = no soup broth)SHOP: Very small shop (10-15 seats?), everyone's crowded together, Nakamura ramen (sister shop) is next-door (bro & I went to whatever wait time was shorter)
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Raquel Y.
Apr 7, 2019
Amazing. Must order the uni toast, and any of the mazemen. I think this uni toast converted me to loving uni. I love the crunchy texture with the creamy uni, foodgasm in your mouth. I got the duck magret ($28) and my bf got the steak mazemen ($21), both were so good. We loved it. The steak mazemen was definitely more rich and heavier. The duck Margit was super flavorful. Both had amazing saucy flavors. $28 for this dish might be a bit pricey but still think it's worth it. Although it isn't soupy ramen, you'll still be stuffed.
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