The Lower East Side beckons ramen devotees with steaming shoyu, spicy miso, and velvety tonkotsu, leaving residents of nearby One Manhattan Square spoiled for choice. Here are three standout exemplary eateries that have come to define the area’s thriving ramen scene.
When master chef Shigetoshi Nakamura opened Nakamura (172 Delancey St) in 2016, he introduced New York to a genre-defying style of ramen. Nakamura makes his own noodles in the basement of this 18-seat Lower East Side noodle shop, using a custom soy sauce blend to produce his signature chicken shoyu broth—simmered for hours with ginger for tangy depth.
That broth shines in Naka’s shoyu ramen, topping house-made strands along with pork belly chashu, spinach, and scallion oil. But his envelope-pushing ‘X.O.’ miso suggests ramen’s future, taking its name from a fully vegan rendition of the pork- and seafood-based ‘X.O.’ sauce popularized by Chef David Chang of Momofuku Noodle Bar (171 1st Ave) fame. With only 18 precious seats to satisfy the ramen-crazed throngs, securing a spot at Nakamura may demand monk-like levels of patience from those hoping to sample its acclaimed fare.
In the ramen-riddled streets of New York, Ramen Ishida (122 Ludlow St) stands out with a sort of quiet culinary swagger. This LES spot, a fixture for over a decade, captivates with a menu that ranges from classic shoyu to a unique take on vegetarian mushroom ramen, whose broth is broth rendered pink with a hint of earthy beets. The showstopper is the signature Ramen Ishida dish, featuring chicken soy broth and thin noodles elegantly topped with Chāshū pork, chicken breast, bamboo shoots, shiso, egg, and truffle paste.
Ishida also serves up an array of sides that are anything but afterthoughts: think uniquely Japanese potato salad, irresistibly tender pork buns, and karaage so crisp it sings with each bite. (A holdover from quarantine days, it’s worth noting that Ishida continues to offer an assemble-at-home ramen kit, bringing their distinct flavors to kitchens citywide.) Amidst New York’s competitive ramen scene, Ishida stands out, its exquisite broths and culinary finesse speaking volumes.
While it’s easy to breeze by yet another ramen spot on New York’s bustling Lower East Side without a second thought, overlooking Mr. Taka Ramen (170 Allen St) would be a culinary misstep of epic proportions. With its warm blond wood and an open kitchen as welcoming as a hearth, Mr. Taka Ramen is like a portal straight to the aromatic alleys of Tokyo. Helmed by chefs Takayuki Watanabe and Takatoshi Nagara (who cut his teeth for over a decade in the kitchens of Tokyo’s Michelin Bib Gourmand-honored Bigiya Ramen), Mr. Taka Ramen’s reverence for time-honored Japanese methods is evident in every dish—from the intricate shoyu varieties—classic, white shoyu, ginger-infused—to the robust tonkotsu with house-made pork broth and hand-pulled noodles, as well as appetizers like spicy pickled cucumbers and sweet-potato tempura. Their restrained beverage offering, a carefully-curated handful of imported beers, refreshing high-balls, and adaptable sakes, ensures a seamless matchup with any meal.
With acclaimed ramen eateries right on your home turf, the One Manhattan Square’s condos offer an alluring opportunity to invest in Downtown luxury living without sacrificing proximity to top culinary destinations.