As the name implies, this place serves tsukemen. Unlike the tonkotsu tsukemen at Tonchin, the dipping broth at Okiboru is a thick, emulsified broth made with chicken (known as a “paitan”), and it’s packed with dried fish. However, just like at Tonchin, the noodles are made in-house, and while the toppings are thoughtfully prepared—jammy, marinated eggs, tender braised chashu, a segment of lime to brighten up the soup—the noodles are the star. The menu is otherwise very limited, and while they offer a soup ramen, it’s unremarkable. Stick to the tsukemen–they even have a vegan variation.
118 Madison Ave, NoMad
Nonono is primarily a yakitori restaurant and izakaya, with a focus on grilled chicken skewers and small plates that pair nicely with its extensive list of cocktails, but it has a small selection of ramen, too. A few years ago, the ramen was excellent, maybe the best in the city; nowadays, it’s very good. Nonono’s soups contain shellfish and are very chicken-y (thanks to the fact that the trim from all the yakitori goes in the soup), and the standout bowls are the shoyu and the “miso tan tan ramen,” which is a sort of odd mashup of a miso ramen and tantanmen, the ramen equivalent of dan dan noodles.
7 Cornelia St., West Village
Menkoi Sato is the only shop in the city that serves Sapporo-style miso ramen, which is characterized by chewy and curly noodles sunk in a miso-flavored broth with very hot lard slicked over the top. It’s an outpost of a shop from Japan, and there’s a bunch of other kinds of ramen on the menu, including seasonal specials and some truly out-there variations on curry ramen. The theme here is “gut-busting,” and while it’s great for filling up the tank after some drinks in the West Village, if you just want the best ramen the shop offers, get the miso ramen.
48 Carmine St., West Village
52 7th Ave., Park Slope
Ramen Danbo is a huge Japanese chain that offers straightforward tonkotsu ramen and very little else. (It does, however, offer vegan ramen, too.) The quality is comparable to other big chains, but at a lower price point, and the emphasis is, like at Ichiran, customization: you can dictate how salty and thick the broth is, how you’d like your noodles cooked, how much lard gets ladled on top, etc. It is in many ways an ideal chain ramen restaurant—consistent above all, tasty enough, and you can settle into a regular order if you go enough times. Here’s mine: Classic, rekka, thin noodles, standard firmness, strong broth, rich fat, a lot of karadare (spice paste), and karashi takana (spicy pickled mustard greens) as an add-on. Also, Danbo has the best gyoza in the city.
