Ramen Setagaya
New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 529-2740
- Price:
- $
- Cross Street:
- Between St. Mark's Place and 9th Street
- Directions:
- L at 1st Ave; 6 at Astor Pl
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu, Sun 12pm-3pm, 4:30-11pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-3pm, 4:30p-12pm
Editorial Review for Ramen Setagaya – by Justin Hartung
The Scene
In a design touch that borders on cruelty, hungry ramen fans are forced to line up in the hallway outside the glass-enclosed noodle house, with nothing to do but peer in at diners slurping broth at communal tables. Cozy dates and neighborhood singles squeeze into the bar seats, which offer a view of the noodle wizards at work.
The Food
Time waiting in line won't be spent looking at a menu, as there is really only one choice to be made: shio ramen, thin noodles submerged in broth, or tsukemen, thicker noodles with a sauce for dipping. Shio means "salt," and the broth has too much of it, but the tsukemen's dipping sauce is a wonder of complexity, potent with hearty blasts of scallop, garlic and ginger. And though the barbecued pork topping of both ramens is dry, a bowl of the addictive oyakodon--ground chicken with raw egg over rice--is anything but.
Hits: The myriad of flavors in the tsukumen dipping sauce will be a sublime shock to anyone whose noodle experience has been limited to Top Ramen.
Misses: Oversalted broth and dry pork will keep this from causing too much busines loss to nearby Momofuku Noodle Shop.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
What to DrinkThough there's currently no liquor served, big bottles of Ito En iced tea ($2.50), are a wonderfully refreshing alternative.
Know Before You GoWhen you walk in from the street, Setagaya is the first door on the right. Further back is a totally separate restaurant, Oriental Spoon.
When to GoThere are no reservations taken, and kitchen frequently runs out of menu items, so arrive as close to opening as possible.
User Reviews for Ramen Setagaya
08/05/2008 Posted by foodID27
Setagaya WAS the best ramen I ever had in NY when they FIRST OPENED. That was when they had an Expert team of Japanese Ramen Chefs making everything. But the experts left, and now the ramen is made by a bunch of local kids who don't care and the quality is mediocre. The broth is still pretty good by new york standards, but not as good as it was the first month or two, and the pork is always too tough now. (it's not roasted long enough) the noodles are the same though, but they come from a pre-made source, so it's almost impossible to mess that up. all in all, my biggest ramen dissapointment in ny. I wish you all could have had their ramen in that first month!!!!
Pros: great dinning area, cool japanese ramen programs on tv, broth and noodles preety good.
Cons: pork is tough and bland, quality of broth and pork dropped after first couple of monthes.
12/30/2007 Posted by cleois300
Came here with three other friends on a Wednesday night, just after Christmas. It was not busy at all but then it was raining that night and it was just after Christmas. We ordered some oshinko, seaweed salad, gyozas, two shio ramens (noodles and broth served together), and two deluxe ramens with pork (not sure which ones; the noodles are served cold and the hot broth is on the side). Everything was good. I wish the noodles were hot. I'll ask for that next time. I believe it was about $66 after tax and before tip. We left $80. BTW: not all of the employees speak Japanese. Some spoke Korean. Not that it matters but don't expect every employee to be fluent in Japanese. (Just because you dine at a Italian restaurant, do you expect everyone to speak Italian? C'mon...)
Pros: Price, food, service
Cons: Small place
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