Ichiba Ramen

125 University Place

(between 13th Street and West Union Square)

If you’re looking for a quick ramen noodle fix and been told that the waiting time to get into Ippudo is at least an hour, Ichiba Ramen is an excellent option.

Having just opened in February 2016, service and customer turnover appear to be brisk and quick. It is a no-frills, good ramen spot. Décor highlight are cute wall illustrations of happy faces and noodle bowls.

Liked that each table had soy sauce and ra-yu (chili, sesame oil) sauce bottles on the table.

 

We started off with their tofu appetizer with scallion and bonito dipping sauce. The ra-yu sauce went particularly well with the blandness of the tofu. Gave it a nice kick!

The ra-yu sauce also went well with my Hokkaido Tonkatsu Ramen ($14), which came with scallion, chashu, bean sprouts, corn, black fungus, and nori in a miso broth. I also ordered it with a soft-boiled egg ($1.50).

 

Really liked the bean sprouts and corn!

My dining companion ordered the house Ichiba Ramen ($15), which came with an egg, chashu, onion, black fungus, and nori in a chicken broth.

Since the restaurant didn’t serve alcohol (not sure whether it’s because of not having a liquor license yet or not wanting to serve alcohol at all to ensure quicker turnover), we ordered bottled Saratoga sparkling water ($3.50)
 

And a bottle of Oi Ocha green tea ($3.50).

 

Pros:

Good ramen.

Quick and speedy, no-nonsense service.

Cons:

No alcohol.

Does not accept AmEx.

Final Thoughts

Will return if I’m in the area and in the mood for ramen.