ippudo V Brooklyn — Restaurant in New York

i am sad to write my first negative review but i feel it is important to warn fellow vegans of this restaurant as well as notify management of the importance of due diligence when offering vegan food. my first time going here was shortly after they first opened, i was told by the staff that the menu was fully plant based and i even had some conversation about how i was vegan and glad to see a vegan spot finally open near my work. i ordered some apps and a ramen with my friends and we enjoyed the meal. i was actually so thrilled by the service that i submitted this location to the happy cow app in hopes that it could attract vegan traffic and the chain would see the demand for plant based alternatives. i uploaded them to happy cow as fully vegan, and saw several other vegans leave positive reviews on the app in the following few weeks. soon after, i brought my partner on a date here, who is also a long time vegan. we rarely splurge on nice food but i wanted to support a new vegan business and we decided to go all out spending upwards of $100. we ordered several drinks, apps, and entrees. again, we discussed with the server before ordering that we were both vegan. at this point in time nothing on the menu had been labeled vegan or vegetarian, and we had been told the whole place was vegan. last night my partner and i went to leave a positive review, and i checked up on the listing on happy cow. i was confused to see it was labeled as “vegetarian” and further investigated to find a review reporting that the staff told a customer that several dishes were in fact not vegan and contained egg based mayonnaise. i revisited their menu to find new labels on every item, discovering that several dishes served to me and my partner were not vegan. people often do not understand the importance of our dietary choices, but please believe me that this is a deeply devastating experience for a vegan. to find out our money funded something that we are in complete moral opposition to, and that we unknowingly put a product of animal suffering in our bodies is both upsetting and helpless. i do not expect nonvegans to empathize with this but surely anyone could at the very least see the health risks and extreme negligence of a restaurant to misinform customers on their ingredients. i dont want to blame wait stagf as it seems they must have been mislead by management in order to consistently misinform vegan customers in this way. i am really disappointed that this restaurant did not do more research before deciding to open a “plant-based” location. i would say that it is now more suitable for vegans as they have added labels, but i would feel uneasy returning for fear of more misinformation, and generally would prefer to support a legitimate...

This is world-class ramen, vegan or not. I'm speechless.

Before going veg, I had ramen all across Asia, including in Fukuoka, the home of Hakata/Tonkotsu ramen. Since then, I try to sample meatless versions whenever I happen upon them, but honestly, most of them are just good. You just don't find the heart and soul of ramen often in veg world, the decadent but delicate broth. Much less the classic chewy noodles with enough body to stand up to the broth and thoughtfully curated toppings.

I'm happy and shocked to report that the tonkotsu ramen here is one of the best I've had, ever. Tonkotsu (literally "pork-bone") is a very uncommon flavor for vegetarian ramen; normally you see a miso or shoyu base. So of course I had to order it, with no small amount of trepidation.

It was flawless. The broth is deep and rich while remaining light and not overly greasy. It passes the hardest test: can you drink almost the whole bowl without feeling like a bloated whale? The noodles, though vegan, are meant to mimic thicker egg noodles and arrive at the table with a pleasant chew and a lightly slippery texture. (Enough with the insipid kale noodles that fall apart in your mouth, veg ramen chefs.) The main protein is a delicately marinated tofu, dense and sliced thin with an excellent natural soy flavor that complements the broth. (Potentially homemade.) Fried mushrooms and a few other toppings round out the bowl, each bursting with flavor but never going overboard.

Even beyond the meal, I can't say enough about how open and welcoming the space is, or the attention to detail. The wooden chopsticks are high-quality for disposable, the togarashi chili at the table is actually lightly fried and deeply fragrant (normally it would be a raw powder), the natto quite literally slapped me with salty funk. (This is real natto, not for the faint of heart. It's a good deal stinkier than any beans I've bought at asian grocery stores.) The bottle for drinking water has a cushioned base so that it doesn't make any noise upon its return to the table. The waitstaff are kind, relaxed, and generous. I could go on.

(The only negative I found was that the sushi was underwhelming. Delicious protein and toppings but rubbery rice. Still not barely enough to dock a star.)

After I finished eating, I sat and stared at my bowl for a good few minutes, reminiscing about that perfect gustatory experience. I'll...

As a Dumbo resident for 20 years, I am thrilled to have this restaurant in the neighborhood. The Ramen was absolutely delicious. We also had a very nice sake and some tasty small appetizers. On my way out tonight, I mentioned to the wait staff that I was worried this restaurant would not survive. The Ramen is simply priced too high. The meal, while delicious, was very simple and the portions were small- the price was exorbitant. This is compounded by the fact that the menu is vegan. I love vegan food. But we all know meat tends to cost more, so it’s even harder to sell a vegan dish that is so overpriced. I understand there is a so-called Michelin starred Ramen restaurant a few blocks away on Old Fulton Street. That Ramen is nowhere near as good as the Ramen here… but the prices are the same. If you priced your Ramen lower, and continue with the superior and far better quality, eventually people will find you. The ippudo V location is out-of-the-way, it is on a corner that very few people walk by. You need word-of-mouth, repeat customers and recommendations in order to survive and thrive in this neighborhood. That other, not as good, Ramen has an excellent location for tourist traffic. It is great that this restaurant is not overrun with annoying tourists. I would love to see it become a reliable spot for a repeat local business. But the prices must come down. Many, many restaurants have failed in Dumbo. The stunningly beautiful presentations and delicious food will make me want to return. The exorbitant prices will limit my ability to do so, and I fear will prevent you from gaining loyal customers. Please stay in the ‘hood - please adjust your pricing so your restaurant...