Momofuku Noodle Bar

Doesn't Recommend

vpellsmo

Joined 5 years ago

Don't need to go back. Were there for lunch on Sunday...not the same as going at night-not crowded, no wait. We've been there a few times before, so we decided this time to take the parents for lunch. We were seated at the bar facing each other, and a few minutes after being seated, our neighbors were kind enough to let us know they were leaving, and if we wanted to take their seats (which were better) we were welcome. So, we slid down to take their 2 seats, keeping 2 of our original seats. WELL! Three staff members swarmed us, and the little poser w/ the Metallica band shirt very rudely said, "Can you just wait a minute until we can clean off the tables?!" (and I quote her). In all my 10 years of waitressing, I may have felt like saying that to people, but had the sense and the manners to just say, oh, ok, no problem. Little Hitler needs to get a grip on herself, because MOMOFUKO is not the end-all be all of noodle shops. And if it were, they'd likely have better customer service!! We started going there because of the review in NY Mag, but wtf?? Come to think of it, the service has always been rather eh, and quite frankly, you can get noodles just as good at Minka.

Doesn't Recommend

CheRibiti

Joined 4 years ago

Disappointed with salty food. Hi folks - I was so disappointed with my Momofuku experience. The food was way overpriced for what it was - and SO terribly salty! I began with the mushroom buns and the pickles - buns weren't bad, but the pickles just paled in comparison to REAL Japanese pickles, and the presentation in the pickle jar was just gimmicky. For entree I had the only vegetarian item on the menu - ramen. It was SO salty - my pressure must have skyrocketed after the meal. The ice cream was tasty, but again the gimmicky presentation in a Keebler cone with Stars and Stripes paper cone holder was slightly annoying. It struck me as something tourists would find "really cool". When my bill came for over $50 I knew I had to write this review. I m not a complainer or a hater! I know everyone is doing their best - if you guys are reading cut down on the salt! That's what SOY SAUCE IS FOR. The 45 minute wait didn't exactly endear me to the place either. Also my standards are high - because I've actually been to Japan.

Recommends

chefyinbrooklyn

Joined 4 years ago

Overrated!. The pork buns are delicious but very expensive. The three occasions I've been there the broth in the noodle dishes was too salty. It has potential for having great ramen but the salt factor is unbearable and I have a heavy salt palate than most. The best ramen by far is Village Yokocho and far cheaper.

Recommends

zebu

Joined 5 years ago

Still good, but not consistently amazing. I think this place is still tops. Just not tippity tops. They seem to have some provisioning problems. Tough Steaks and Mussels that were a bit too briny.

Recommends

reef1020

Joined 5 years ago

AMAZING NOODLES, EXPENSIVE BEER. Momofuko is one of my favorite restaurants in NYC by FAR. I have been going there for over a year, and I am absolutely a loyal fan. The noodles are delicious, and any appetizer is to die for. I also recommend the grape ice cream. My only thing I do not like, is the drink menu. It has changed so much over the past 6 months, the prices have been raised, and now the cheapest thing on the drink menu is a beer for 8 bucks. Mind you, i have a steady job, and like nice dinners, but I can go drop 150 bucks on dinner and still be able to buy a 6 dollar beer. My only complaint, more variety or drinks for cheaper.

Recommends

rsgrimes

Joined 5 years ago

CRAMPED, BUT GOOD. The place is tightly cramped and loud, but the food makes up for it. The portions are rather small, my girlfriend and I shared 3 "entrees" that borderline put me at satiety. The pork bun was nice and juicy, regrettably I did not get chicken, which is stuffed with more meat. The roasted chicken wings were unlike anything I've tasted. I had my reservations about the ramen noodles, but its nothing like tha packages that you get 5 for a dollar at the supermarket. It was all very good.

It's a place to go with work buddies or good friends, not with a new date. Oh yeah, and if you don't ask for a fork, they won't give you one. And if you have a lot of pride, like me, then get your chopstick game up because EVERYBODY in there knew how to use them, except me and my date. I was kind of embarassed with my awkward chopstick use, until I gave up and used a fork.

Recommends

scarlett7477

Joined 5 years ago

Good, fun, not outstanding. I've eaten here twice, once for my birthday and the other on a Friday night spur of the moment decision. I would say it's best for a small group of people who really, really like pork and don't mind waiting to be seated or being in a very loud atmosphere. What I did have, I liked a lot -- the pork buns and the Momo ramen, both times -- but the buns were on the fatty side. For a larger group or a time when you'd like to have an intelligible or meaninful conversation, I'd go somewhere else.

Doesn't Recommend

rocksandscissors

Joined 5 years ago

oh lord the service. Had very bad experiences here a few times. Its my fault for trying. Although the food is good, not the best. I love noodles and I think their other stuff are much better. The service is so robotic, and long. it took 35 mins for our soups to come out. yikes!! the other time they brought out one and didn't bring out the other one for another 10 minutes. You hear so much about the chef chang, but where is it coming from? no good.

Doesn't Recommend

OvertaxedUnderpaid

Joined 5 years ago

Way overpriced, get the same dishes in Flushing where it's much cheaper.. Most of the dishes are rip-offs and you can get the same food much cheaper in Flushing.

We got there at 7 on Thursday and was seated immediately. The place was already pretty filled so the 2 of us had to share a table with a party of 4. It was LOUD in there....and I don't mean music. It's a small place with too many people crammed in, too many conversations at once. I could barely hear my friend.

No problems with the wait-staff. Our waitress was very polite and very in control of the busy environment. Because my friend did not order an entree and I did, the waitress was very considerate and asked if she should bring extra bowls and plates so that we could share. We did not think of sharing but were pleased that she wasn't the least bit snotty about it. At the table next to us, a guy made a stupid joke to the waitress and she didn't appreciate it but she was polite and brushed it off. I heard the guy complain about that. If the waitress/waiter does not laugh at your joke, it's a bad joke. It does not mean they are bad at their job. I felt bad for the woman, I would hate to laugh at some jerk's awful joke when it's hectic and I have to be on top of everyone's order.

I ordered the Summer squash salad and it was delicious. The flavors of the arugula, candied pine nuts and dressing worked well together. It was the most innovative dish I had that night. Sure it was $12 but atleast it looked like someone had been creative with their culinary skills. The Swiss chard and bacon salad was also good but it's just sauteed chard with bacon, nothing creative there. I make that at home.

We also had the pork buns ($9) that everyone was raving about, a complete copy-cat. That plum sauce isn't even Chang created, it's the exact same sauce they use in the mom-pop restaurants in Flushing. You can get the same buns for $0.75 each in Flushing...and you can pick, Peking duck, beef or pork.

I had the Momofuku ramen, in Flushing they sell that for $5.

Recommends

SashaAIZ

Joined 5 years ago

Problems with the chef.... The food is great, no doubt about it...But, we were seated at the bar, facing the kitchen, and, where normally it wouldn't be a problem, this time we were appalled. The head chef, a woman, was, I guess, in a bad mood. She was so nasty to her staff and in general that we couldn't eat. She was cursing left and right, complaining that people were placing boring orders, and not washing her hands after throwing out the garbage. It was so bad that we ended up leaving with our food half finished. My advice is...make sure you are seated at a table and not at the bar where you can see the head chef, she ruins the whole experiences.