IPPUDO Westside — Restaurant in New York

My first visit here was not stellar. I'm giving three stars (and not less) with the hopes that my next visit will be better overall. My waiter never asked how the food was, I had to wave him down to express my dissatisfaction with the flavor and texture of my Karaage (the breading tasted burnt, biting through it resulted in an uncomfortably hard crunch, and it didn't taste like Karaage). They redid it and it tasted better and was less crunchy, but it again was overcooked, was difficult to bite through, and didn't taste like Karaage, plus they left some of the meat un-covered. This time I waited to see if they would ever check on me and after about 15 minutes they did. I again expressed my dissatisfaction and this time they told me that they can't cook it less because the chicken would be undercooked and that this is their way of making Karaage - so basically they can't cook it without partially burning their signature breading, I will never get this again. For reference, I've been eating Karaage for over 20 years at various restaurants around the world, this is the first time I've had a bad experience. Karaage refers to a Japanese cooking technique in which the bite sized ingredient is lightly coated in flour and potato starch or corn starch and deep fried, it is a simple bar food/street food, in the US it's elevated to a higher level, but it is still an easy dish to make, so it's both surprising and disappointing that Ippudo thinks it's acceptable to call this dish Karaage when it is big boneless breaded pieces of chicken that they can't cook right and doesn't taste like Karaage. Some of the reasons for three stars (and not less) and the reasons I'll return someday - the Strawberry Millefeuille dessert was amazing, the atmosphere was wonderful, and they did a reasonable job keeping my...

Ippudo dates back to 2008 in NYC.

A few friends and I were there for the first week and I remember the loud いらしゃいませs yelled at us fondly after we walked into the restaurant all those years ago.

Life and your experiences are not without irony though. Anyone who visited Japan and its cities know how different the Ippudo experience is there. It hits differently and not in a good way.

Consider this - McDonald's is better in Japan. You cannot convince me otherwise.

Like the comparison above, Ippudo is better in NY than in Japan. 🤯

Shocking. I know.

I was at odds when I had experienced Ippudo in Tokyo 2011 and even more recently in Osaka during my 2022 visit. Ramen is in fact considered fast food in Japan (I know, crazy right) and there are some amazing ramen ya's in Japan that make Ippudo NY seem like an afterthought. For an apples to apples comparison though Ippudo NY wons on decor, presentation, food, and service and that's probably because it's treated like a fancy restaurant here.

Everyone I have taken here (even friends from Japan) are always surprised. For my friends from the rising sun, I think the only thing that continues to shock them is how much New Yorkers are paying for ramen. In short we all agree that it is "way too much."

Like the St Marks place, you can't go wrong if you need a bowl.

So why not 5 stars? Well, its the heat. After living in Japan and now having visited there several times, I've come to appreciate a really hot bowl of ramen and expect it to be served this way.

I think NY in general does not serve it's ramen hot as we tend to take legal action on things that slight us. I'm sure if I asked though, they might actually heat it up even more for me.

Heat aside, the taste, consistency, and options all make it worth my...

Tried rib, fried chicken, also pork bun.

Good to see busy again.

Prefer this place over Ichiran as more than ramen.

Kim ramen good, but space too small and wait too long. Venue more proper here.

One month ago... was perfect day for ramen lunch. First chilly day in NY after long weekend. Just across, I arrived at Ichiran where I found lines formed before noon opening.

Thus, we were so relieved to see no line (although no more table, just bar seats) at Ippudo when rushed to get there in time.

Hmm.

Karaage was saltier. I ate this numerous times here. So I know the flavor. I asked my company to try. She agrees it is saltier. Degree of saltier-ness... not much saltier, nor slightly. But somewhat... feeling bit unhealthy to eat especially with sauce such as mentaiko mayo.

On the other hand...Miso ramen... soup bland without depth, ingredient mix not right. Noodle curvy and bit al dente which is fine.

Two strikes. I remember midtown location took awhile to open after downtown to ensure training on uniform cooking. Very rare for Kawahara-san's creation who is religious on consistency. Unfortunate this is happening when quality competitors sprout in numbers.

I may be tempted to go to Menchan-ko... Or, maybe I should stick with reliable donkotsu ramen?... save me from writing scathing review.

What a shame... last time food was great. Plus starstruck with Toronto Blue Jays Korean pitcher Hyunjin Ryu.

Today... back to normal... good classic donkotsu. Pork bun oishi. Selection of nama biru. Stay safe. Stick with...