The Best Ramen in New York City

Ivan Ramen is a classic of the form, a Lower East Side that helped fuel the city’s 2010s ramen boom. Owner Ivan Orkin ran a series of successful ramen shops in Tokyo before opening this outpost in 2014, and the experience shows in his expert bowls. But there’s a rock and roll ethos on display in the kitchen as well in standouts like the triple pork triple garlic mazemen, a kind of brothless ramen, served with pork belly two ways over a reduced tonkotsu (pork bone) sauce.

Hudson Yard’s Papa San, from the team behind Llama Inn, is a cooler look at Nikkei cuisine, a blend of Japanese and Peruvian flavors, from those who know it well. Inventive takes are up and down the menu, from a scallop ceviche with dragon fruit, to a delicate eel pizza, to their spicy miso ramen, where grilled eggplant shines.

Tonchin’s busy Midtown spot is their flagship location in the U.S., opened in 2017 – 15 years after the chain was born in Tokyo. The Sugeno family is behind them all and has earned a reputation worldwide for a tonkotsu broth that’s lighter than the rest, with a pork base simmered with chicken bones and vegetables, then laced at the end with powerful dark soy sauce.

Shalom Japan, from chef and owners Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi, reflects the married pair’s Jewish and Japanese heritages. A matzoh ball ramen is its most talked-about mashup. And it’s so good that the couple just pulled in a $200,000 investment on "Shark Tank" to sell it nationwide. In their Williamsburg brick and mortar, the ramen comes in a rich chicken broth with wood ear mushrooms, soup nuts and the titular spongy ball.

Chef David Chang built Momofuku into an empire on the back of his ramen. Today, you can even buy the noodles in a dried puck to make at home. But there’s nothing like Momofuku Noodle Bar, the East Village original. Staples like garlic chicken and pork ramen are always on the menu, while seasonal treats like the truffle ramen, made with six grams of shaved Burgundy truffles, rotate through.

This fast-moving Upper West Side spot is a favorite pick for Korean fried chicken, with tenders, wings and sandwiches perfectly crisped and sauced. Fried chicken is one of chef-owner Jun Park’s two favorite foods. The other is ramen, and Chick Chick’s luscious white tori paitan, a white chicken broth, is singular, made with a juicy chicken chashu, a rolled and braised preparation.

The laksa ramen on Rosella’s current menu, like much of this go-to East Village spot’s food, adds broader techniques and flavors to well-made Japanese fare. The dish pulls from Southeast Asia, with a spicy shrimp and chicken broth, piled high with herbs and a traditional soft-boiled egg.

With the styling of a garden party and an eye-popping brunch menu, Vert Frais, in Long Island City, is a sleeper spot for good ramen. Four variations include a clam-based asari and a vegan option with a soy milk and potato based broth, though the classic shio, a light variation, is a must, with a broth that’s both fragrant and deep.