Ippudo/New York

 

I was on a combined business and vacation trip to NYC in early June so I decided to stop by the New York branch of Ippudo that opened in April. It's located on 65 Fourth Avenue near/in Greenwich Village. There were a large number of people crowded around both outside the shop and inside, there is a waiting area with a bar in front. The look of the place is halfway between a hip New York bar and an actual Ippudo restaurant, with the round tables and seats. Unfortunately there are no free veggies on the table. The place was crowded inside and I got a single seat at the counter since there was one available. The menu was about the same as the Japan version, obviously all in English. I had the shiro tonkotsu ramen, katame. It was $13.00 IIRC. The noodles were about the same as in Japan but the broth was a little different, not as salty and it didn't really have the same tonkotsu taste, almost like it had something else mixed into it like shoyu or miso. Served in the same agezoko bowl as Japan. No suspended fat at all, very little pork. Noodle amount was smaller than Japan. How much do these noodles really cost anyway - they couldn't have given a more generous portion for the price? When I ordered kaedama ($2.00) I got the same small portion. Overall I would go if I was in the area, just to say that I went, but the Ippudos in Japan are better. Some people on some of the NYC food boards talk about 1-2 hour waits. I wouldn't wait that long for this ramen. I must admit that the service was excellent.

Ippudo NYC page (English)
Google Map