Izakaya Zest — Restaurant in New York

As an very experienced Ramen eater, I would rank Zest as some where in the middle ... their broth was pretty average, but I will say, they provided very large and succulent pieces of pork belly in their soup. There isn't a large selection, from recollection, they had basically 4 choices.

March 20th 2022 Update: i have recently re-visited Minca, Gorin on 14th ; and I no longer place Zest somewhere in the middle, I now place them above average. But not on the same level as Menkui Tei. A solid 4 stars.

They have littleneck clams for $1 during happy hour.

Jan 18th 2024 Still going to Zest, I have again visited more Ramen shops since my last post on Zest in 2020 and again, the value and flavor compares to many other more well known and upscale Ramen shops like Ippudo.

August 8th 2025 Still going to Zest, they have now added sushi rolls to their menu, they still have a happy hour, and also have added a new ramen item to their other usual soup flavors. Still many years later for me a solid Ramen choice. My only gripe, they do not have a robust AC system, at least not when i go, I will wait till fall / winter to revisit.

August 25th 2025 I went back again and now have realized, they have pivoted to a sushi spot that...

Seeing as this was my cheat meal for the week and only meal for the day i went with takoyaki, squid tentacles on skewers, pork belly bun, pork gyoza, and shoyu ramen. takoyaki was a little underdone for my taste but some people like them creamy in the middle. Good flavor, but the octopus inside was a bit chewy. Not too much or too little mayo. Fish flakes were plentiful and moving with the heat. The squid tentacles on skewers were a bit rubbery meaning slightly overcooked but good flavor, kind of a sweet tangy taste. Would like to try again. Gyoza was standard. Pork belly bun was great, could make a meal of just these. The shoyu ramen was the star of the show though. Came with seaweed, 3 slices of pork belly, bamboo shoots, a slice of naruto, and a creamy medium-soft boiled egg. The broth was delicious and had some collagen in it so you can fill your lips sticking a tiny bit. It was hearty and filling and i drank the broth once I was done eating. The noodles were normal ramen noodles, but are put in as you order so they don't get soggy. On a normal day this bowl is big enough to fill you up by itself. All this paired with some sake and i was a happy dude. Try...

I came here with a friend on a Friday night around 6PM, and it was already packed! We ended up sitting at the counter which was fine and a bit quieter than probably the rest of the restaurant. We came during happy hour which was great, and I ordered the spicy miso with wavy noodles. The food took a bit of time to arrive, but once it did, it was great! The noodles were perfectly chewy and there was a load of them. The meat wasn't very good though as it was hard, not flavorful, and thick; not the normal chasu. There was quite a bit of it though, four thick pieces. One of them was tender, the way it should be, but the other ones were really hard. It was also quite fatty, which I'm personally not a fan of. The egg was runny and awesome, but it wasn't flavorful enough either. There was one piece of fish cake, and lots of spicy oil. I liked how spicy it was! Service was alright as our waters were filled and dishes were cleared away appropriately. I may come back just for the cheap ramen, as $10.88 post-tax for a bowl of ramen is pretty much unheard of! I was mostly turned off by the pork belly, but maybe I'll try the chicken next time and...