Shokudo 34 — Restaurant in New York

My friend and I decided to check out Shokudo 34 on a Saturday night around 7:30pm due to the glowing reviews on Google and Yelp. We were seated immediately, and the restaurant was about at half capacity. At first, we were seated near the door and someone didn't close it well on the way out, so the draft was strong, but one of the staff members felt it and closed it. The interior is a no frills, casual dining spot.

I got the tempura nabe udon ($17.95) and my friend got the vegetable nabe udon ($16.95). While I agree this is pricey for udon, I was shocked of the reasonableness of the price given the location. My friend thought the vegetable udon was good, but needed more flavor, so we asked for chili flakes. I had the opposite problem with mine. If I'm getting udon, I do not want spice. There were a noticeable amount of chili flakes in my udon, and it was a noticeable kick. I think they should advertise that on the menu, but now you know and if you also do not want a kick, make sure to make that clear to them when you order. Flavor-wise, I liked the flavor of the shrimp tempura. The batter was the right thickness and the shrimp tasted really yummy! The broth was standard for udon, noodles were chewy, and they provided a lot of "throw-away" vegetables. I would prefer a smaller amount of higher quality ingredients, but that's personal preference.

Service was decent! They made a few check-backs and refilled water. They also asked before clearing away plates and did not make us feel rushed at all. I'm torn between 3 or 4 stars, but overall, the experience was average. If I do end up coming back, I will change my review to 4 stars, since that means I enjoyed it...

Very disappointed with the way my food allergies were handled. I ordered the vegetable udon and told the waitress about my allergy (nuts and sesame seeds). I also gave her my business card that had my allergies written out to bring back to the chef. I saw & heard her go to the chef to confirm that it would be okay.

I’ve had the vegetable udon before at the Hoboken location, where the waiter & chef told me the udon would be okay if they left out the spice mixture they put on top. Yesterday at the 34th street location, they brought out the udon and I noticed the spice mixture on top but didn’t immediately see any sesame seeds. I asked the waitress again if the udon/spices had sesame and she said it did not and that she checked. Since I heard her talk to the chef I believed her and started eating. I only had a few bites before I noticed a few sesame seeds in the udon.

I stopped eating and informed the waitress who apologized, took the dish back, and removed it from the bill. I appreciate the apology however I am not sure where the miscommunication occurred. Despite a written business card, two verbal confirmations, and a conversation with the chef, somehow I was still served a dish with sesame seeds. Thankfully I am okay but I felt the need to share this as it could have been a matter of...

Ambiance & Service was commendable. Server was really attentive. Gave me options and choices that fits my taste best. They gave me a seat that was supposed to be for 4 but rather they did adjust and made it for 2. That’s service right there. Thank you!

Since I have been into Ramen, I would be honest, pricing is a bit up there, but not surprised since the spot is right in Manhattan. I was maybe expecting a lot since the reviews were really good, not my best option but definitely something to try. The Takoyaki might have been more better if it had a lot of sauce or an option to have more sauce on it. A little bit dry for my tasting but good since tasted fresh.

Tonkatsu Ramen, I had the option to make it spicy by them giving me chili sauce on the side and it made me happy since I can’t consume too spicy food at the moment but would love to pour all that chili sauce in it to make it more spicier but great option they gave me.

I would recommend the place. They have a big space to accommodate certain big groups. It was a little bit warm inside. There’s bar seating too for beer drinkers definitely...