I am wondering if, to make tons of money, people should not open a ramen restaurant!!! Each time I went to any restaurant of this sort, it was packed and there was a line outside! This time, I went to Menkui Tei (literally "noodle eating shop"), a Japanese noodle shop located Midtown Manhattan for lunch. We had to wait for a table for 10 minutes (not bad), but I can tell you that the place was very crowded and people were happy to see us leaving... I ordered one of their best sellers: the Hakata ramen. It is made of a pork bone broth, straight noodles, roast pork, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, scallion, pickled ginger and sesame seeds. I also asked for a boiled egg, but I wished the egg was not cooked all the way through and that the yolk was runny so it mixes with the broth. I think the star of the dish was the pork: it was delicious! Tender and very tasty. I liked the broth, although the ones at Ippudo or Momofuku are far better and tastier. But still, it was a good dish! One last ele
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Cocoman
Zomato
Oct 27, 2011
4.5
Best ramen in nyc, traditional, not creative, tonkatsu the best - better than cooper sq location
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Ragnar Avery
Zomato
Apr 27, 2011
4.5
Locals turned us onto this noodle spot and we always come back when we're in town. Great value and very consistent quality. The sungle of Cho Pan was enough for two at lunch.
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Scott K
Zomato
Feb 12, 2011
4.5
Inexpensive, good ramen. If you need a hearty, cheap meal, I'd recommend this place. It's not fancy, but it's does things well enough to more than satisfactory.
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Eat The World NYC
Zomato
Dec 31, 2010
4.5
Midtown is a really awful place to be, but unfortunately my MoMA membership and moviegoing on 53rd Street has forced me to look around the area for good eating options. Walking over to 9th and 10th Avenues is a good option, but I usually end up sitting down at Menkui Tei since it is just three blocks north. The place has a real good feel to it, walking down the stairs into the restaurant is definitely a transportation to Japan, a far cry from Midtown. Even the tourists that accidentally stumble into this p
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Meredi
Zomato
Oct 01, 2010
4.5
Solid ramen. My wonton ramen was only ho-hum. The noodles were good, the pork slices were good, but the wontons wrappers were completely falling apart, and the wontons just weren't that tasty.<br/><br/>My husband's spicy ground pork ramen, on the other hand, was awesome.
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Lisa
Zomato
Sep 12, 2010
4.5
Big bowls that keep your tummy and wallet full! Ramen noodle bowls were amazing! Fried dumplings were a great appetizer as well. Its a tiny restaurant (maybe seats 40 people total) but great if you can get a table. Waitstaff is friendly (although at times slow!). Definitely not glamorous but a great place for cheap and good eats.
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Steve M
Zomato
Jan 21, 2010
4.5
Delicious Ramen Near Carnegie Hall. I went here for lunch during a rehearsal break at Carnegie a while back. Nice to have such a great and affordable place so close to the hall. It was pretty crowded for lunch, mostly dressed up Japanese guys all speaking Japanese (good sign?). We had to wait <br/>about five or ten minutes to be seated but it was certainly worth it. <br/> <br/>Ramen soups are the main thing you go here for and they really are terrific. My first time, I had the Canton Ramen: a large bowl of ramen soup with mixed seafood, pork, carrot, Chinese cabbage, shitakes and snow peas. The seafood was fresh tasting and tender, the pork also was tender and tasty, neither overcooked. The flavor of the broth and the texture of the noodles knocked me out! The person I went with had the Tonkatsu Ramen. Delicious! As wonderful as mine was, I'm ordered that the next time I returned. DEFINITELY worth going back for! I'll be making many return visits due to the way too many other good looking things on the menu that I want to sample too. <br/> <br/>Service is polite, friendly and brisk. Certainly not "fine dining" but with it's excellent food, great service and overall satisfaction factored in it's hard to not rate this up there with the greats.<br/><br/>I won't need to be playing at Carnegie for an excuse for more Menkui Tei - this place is "special trip" material!
