"The ramen is delicious, affordable and both soothing and spicy."
(in 178 reviews)
"Any of the 3 ramens (shoyu, shio, miso) are quite delish."
(in 5 reviews)
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Rai Rai Ken
Rating Details »
- Nearest Transit:
-
1st Ave-14th St (L)
Astor Place (6)
8th St-Broadway (R, W)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
204 reviews for Rai Rai Ken
Review Highlights
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ok so ippudo wait was over an hour... so to my original spot for ramen we went!
rai rai had no wait at all even though the place seats only 12 peeps really max!
grabbed a seat furthest in and we ordered the shio ramen
now shio i typically think of just salt ramen... but this one had a really good seafood taste to it cuz it is a seafood broth... and it makes me feel better that they don't use msg! but then i kinda killed the "healthy" factor by adding in butter!
but my ramen was better than expected and here's why!
- the noodles tasted nice and firm
- lots of spinach in it which is nice
- they don't skimp u on that piece of char siu and its nice and fatty but not overly fatty
- comes with an egg!
so for 8.50 sure this is my default spot anytime!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
1/22/2009
not very memorable cept this is where my friend told me im not supposed to use that tobeyoshi… Read more »
Ken has a special place in my heart.
He and I met on a cold winter day 2 odd years ago, on a special trip to NYC during December. He was my savior - from the cold, the snow, the rain, and the dirty streets of the east village. He was a beacon of light, my first, my...well, you get the picture.
I didn't know that Ramen joints like this existed in NY and Rai Rai Ken was my introduction to real ramen. And I've been hooked since then.
This place is like what every other review describes - small, narrow, red, cozy and cramped. The ramen dudes behind the counter are Japanese and makes me think that my bowl is that much more authentic. Some may not like the cozy quarters of the restaurant, but it was exactly what I wanted that day. It wasn't too busy, so it was nice to sit at the end of the counter and share in the goodness of ramen and the warmth of the room.
The broth is flavorful, although a bit salty for me. The fried rice was pretty good too. They don't give as much meat as some joints, but everything was well balanced.
If Rai Rai hadn't been there for me that day, who knows how many more years I would have lived in ramen-ignorance.
The decor of this place reminds me of Japan and it is very narrow and small. It is always packed with people and they only take cash.
I do like the flavor of their dishes but the only problem is they don't give you a lot of food. So yes you pay about $7 a bowl and you merely get $7 worth of noodle soup. I would rather spend a little more and go to Menkutei or Minca. They gave you more meat and the broth is better.
They do not have my favorite tonkatsu ramen here, but offer three other varieties that all satisfy. Rai Rai Ken definitely wins for atmosphere and a general level of hush that can be rare to find in a popular East Village restaurant. All the selections are actually quite good, and it is such a positive experience to sit down, slurp a bowl of noodles, and go on with your day.
What's the best thing to warm you up on a cloudy chilly day? Ramen!
Ramen from Rai Rai Ken!
This is a TINY narrow place. Tiny and narrow! It's best to only go with a small group of less than 4 since there is only bar seating with swivel chairs. Menus are posted up on the counter in front of you as you shout you order of choice.
The curry ramen was really good. The scallions fresh and the ramen just right. The broth was light yet had a hint of curry. It was a hint too salty but it was forgivable as I slurped the ramen up. The gyoza and half shrimp fried were good as sides to share with your company. I wouldn't order the cha seew or kim chi since I have that pretty often. I'd definitely return for the other ramens. Too bad I have to wait till the summer for the cold ramens!
Tis good. Good for the price. 8 dollar bowl of ramen definitely satisfied my cravings. Very small place, very Japanesy. The pork wasn't as tender and juicy as I expected. The broth didn't have much depth. I'd go for Setagaya instead.
Rai Rai Ken isn't just a hole in the wall - it is a very slender hole in the wall. Everything happens in close quarters, with the ramen assembly taking place on the other side of counter style seating. While this set-up means hell for claustrophobics, for rameniacs, it recalls the austere noodle shops of Japan, all rustic wood and rising steam.
The menu is blessedly short, as should be expected from a place so small. Thin-skinned gyoza steamed to piping hot submission make for a great appetizer. The shoyu ramen is rather lackluster, a poor sign for a ramen shop, but the miso is fantastic. Deeply flavorful and loaded with goodies like chicken and crispy garlic, it's definitely the right choice.
For authenticity, Rai Rai Ken tops all other ramen shops I've tried in New York. The set-up is very Japanese, and the place is operated by an entirely Japanese staff. The noodles, however, are not the best in town. That said, they are cheaper than say, equivalent bowls at Ippudo or Momofuku, and that miso is nothing to sneeze at.
Love the atmosphere of this hole-in-the wall ramen joint. It's always exciting to sit at a bar (the only seats available) and have the ramen chef actually serve you.
I had the half fried rice with seafood (shrimps n scallops), which was pleasantly delicious. It wasn't too oily and had a clean after taste, exactly what fried rice at a ramen place should be like.
For the ramen, I chose the Shio ramen, which had a very clean flavor as well. It wasn't too oily (like other ramen joints..aka Ippudo), and i would say the flavor was quite nice. However, i wish they gave me more pork slices (i think i had ONE slice in there..booo). And, after a while.. the ramen just started to get a little boring.
I also had the luxury of trying the Shoyu ramen, which had a deeper flavor, but was also a bit boring. I felt like they just used the broth of shio and added soy sauce to it (which they most likely did). I don't blame them for this technique but just saying it can get quite 'blah'!
We had to order a pickled dish from the appetizer section, of course being korean, i needed that little umph. We didn't want to go with kimchi because that would probably overpower the ramen and kill the flavor, so we went with the takuwan (radish pickle). I would say this was a ripoff, they give you about 5 slices- and this should just be included as a side dish with the ramen. But of course, that's just my opinion....
Overall, it was still a good experience, as which most ramen experiences are for me. :) I probably wouldn't come back here until I tried allllll the ramen places in the city.
Konnichiwa! This place makes me feel like I'm in Japan in more ways than one. Size (super small), atmosphere (steamy, busy, no nonsense), and best of all quality (outstanding, authentic, top notch).
their broth was perfectly seasoned, not greasy, the pork was plentiful but not overwhelming and the noodles were done expertly. I will definitely return again. it ranks right up there with Setegaya. It gets 3 stars only because it is small and can get a bit warm in there. May be a problem for some for I think it's part of the ambiance.
Great ramen shop! I loooove the Shio Ramen! The Miso ramen is delicious as well, and never tried the Shoyu. I ate here around 8 PM on a Friday night, and no wait! Yay! Sure, the place is small and if you're a germophobe, don't eat here. But you're going to miss out on yummy and cheap ramen. Your loss.
The authentic atmosphere is always a plus. The signs, banners, and "rusty" brick walls and the wooden bar-like dining makes me happy! I'm not a fan of fancy Japanese eating, especially when it comes to ramen. They serve REAL noodles (not that plastic stuff in instant noodles) packed with flavour, and low maintenance. Just like how it should be.
Well... I should have known better... you know all these ramen places, no matter what they say or what they promise, put pork in on and over everything you touch. As I've been a vegetarian for a very long time, this not only annoys me (okay it kinda pisses me off) but it also turns my stomach with oh about 20-25 minutes, and I'm hittin the can.
So upon ordering a miso-broth soup with mixed vegetables, and a hard boiled egg on top, I was surprised to find the flavor rather... um funky. I tried eating a bit, for the sake of my friend who had joined me. I don't like to be a party downer if I can avoid it. But she didn't like her ma-bo tofu either. What's more I ordered Menma which is "marinated bamboo shoots, seaweed, scallion, red pepper mix, soy sauce" and despite that, I'm am very sure there was pork in that sauce too. wtf
The layout of the place is fine I guess, but there isn't any service per se, just the cook behind the bar who will take your order and serve you.
Anyway, I have something in my stomach now which will take me a few days to get rid of, so I don't feel any sorrow over my one-star review. They suck!
I went here the first time for Hiyashi Chuka, the classic summertime cold noodle dish (and one of my favorite foods ever). We went for lunch and it was quiet and fast. I'd say this place gets four stars between May and September for that dish.
I went back and had the Miso Ramen... while it was good, it was not great by any means. It was so salty that I ate the noodles and had to leave the broth (usually my favorite part). Also, for a 9$ bowl of soup, I'd like more than three small chunks of cold chicken. But hey, maybe that's just my American prejudice to lots of meat. On the plus side, the food comes about 35 seconds after you order.
I love the old wooden bar, and it's a great place to go alone since there are no tables. On the other hand, this set up makes for very close proximity to your neighbors. Man o man, on one side I had a cooing new couple trying to impress each other with stupid stories told at full volume (one too many Sopporos?). On the other I had a man texting with furious speed, only to give up on that and switch to a very loud and heated cell phone discussion with someone who had ruined his night. Yeah. I was in and out of there in about 10 minutes. In the future I'll stick to summer lunches.
The annoying part about this place is that when it's busy, they don't take names down. They don't take reservations either. It's a whole in the wall so you have to wait outside with everyone else that is waiting to get in. My bf and I walked away for a a few minutes to check out Chickalicious and there were two other couples when we got back.
The mabu tofu ramen was yummy. The portions are pretty big. The shio ramen was good too. I haven't been to many ramen places so I have yet to see how this compares to others.
This place is also cash only so be prepared. I tried to eat here again and had to leave because they don't take debit.
It's ramen and I can't ever say no to ramen! It's good but I wouldn't say great. I would choose Ippudo over Rai Rai Ken anyday but there's not wait here so maybe for a quick fix I'd come here.
I've been here twice...had their mabo tofu ramen, which was good and the next time had their miso ramen (I thought this was good too). The gyozas were actually really good! I'd come back just for those.
The place looks exactly like something you'd see in Japan, and that's what you don't get in Ippudo. Everyone speaks Japanese here too:) It's very tiny...probably only fits 10 ppl max. So again...don't bring your whole family to a place like this unless you want to take it over! :)
We came here because the wait at Ippudo was ridiculous (we got there around 6:20 and the wait was 1.5-2 hrs... what!?). The ramen was ok, nothing to rave about, the the place itself felt (looked) a lot like a Japanese ramen stop. Of course that also means you're somewhat squeezed for space.
The food itself was... well... it's ramen. Good, but not awesome. But it's still decent ramen.
The service was quite good and quick. When we were leaving we saw a rather long line though. I think this probably wouldn't be one of my "hotspots," especially if I have to wait more than 1/2 an hr for a seat, but if there's no line and I feel like ramen (or yakisoba), I would definitely give this place a try.
This used to be my all time favorite place for ramen in NYC so it makes me really sad to say that the quality of their ramen has declined. I used to LOVE their broth and the slices of thick, fatty pork. But sadly, with the onslaught of ramen bars opening up in the city, Rai Rai Ken has not been able to hold it together. I still like the size and atmosphere of the place but unless they improve the quality of their ramen to what it was a few years ago, I don't think I will be returning.
Ramen heaven in the East Village, Rai Rai Ken stands out as the best Japanese noodles in NYC in my eyes. No frills authentic shop, a friendly staff of soup chefs and incredible Miso Ramen soup. My boyfriend loves the Gyoza- but I usually stick with their amazing soups. Brings me into the world of Tampopo- and always proves to make us incredibly happy. Enjoy some yourself this winter...
This is my go-to ramen place. I've tried other ramen and non have yet to compare to this ramen!
Their Miso ramen is EXCELLENT. The noodles are always cooked perfectly and the broth is quite tasty. I especially love adding corn to my ramen whenever I come. I've had their Shoryu ramen, and it was pretty good as well, but overall the miso is the best.
The dumplings are good, but not something I'd bother getting, especially coming to a place like this.
Rai Rai Ken is cute, looking like an authentic ramen shop. They make their ramen right in front of you. They also have a stamper card so if you want to come often, remember to get your card stamped for free ramen after your 10th one!
Quite afforable place. Expect to come out from here with a very VERY full stomach!
Shoyu ramen is exceptional. The fried rice is exceptional. Not everything else on the menu is, so I stick to these. If you do, I think you'll be happy.
The joint is kinda cute. I'm told it's "authentic." Though I'm a sucker for a cute place, that wouldn't make a difference to the flavor. And while I'm sure authenticity matters for some reason (I guess if you're looking for a cultural experience), that doesn't have anything to do with how it tastes to me. (It's a really small place, just one longish counter with 10 or 12 seats.)
So cute, authentic. I guess. But I go because I'm craving ramen and I know I'm gonna have some happy moments in Rai Rai Ken!
Had the zha jiang men and it was disappointingly bland, although to be fair, I'd only previously had the Chinese and Korean versions of this noodle dish, and it's possible the Japanese version is just meant to be plainer. It's tiny and cramped, without air conditioning, so be prepared to sweat in the summer, especially if you're having a steamy bowl of ramen (which I will say is pretty good, as I sampled my wife's).
The best part is that the "CASH ONLY" sign is placed right on the bathroom door.
Should I only give this place two start??? I should give it three because the service was great and fast, the seating was comfortable and they have gyoza on the menu unlike so many ramen places these days. Also the price was RIGHT!
BUT there was chicken on the miso ramen.... and I don't mean delicious chicken, I mean like mealy, dry chicken out of the salad bar at Jazzys! The gyoza was not as well done as I like.
Still, this is ramen! I guess I should have gotten the shoyu ramen. It's not a bad place.
This is my NYC standby. I love this place. I have yet to go to Ippudo-- so this review isn't for comparison. Rai Rai Ken is just good in its own right. And the prices are the best I've seen for quality ramen-- at roughly $8 a bowl.
I've had both the miso and the shoyu ramen. Both are great. If anything, they can be a bit under-salted by my standards. But the pork is tender with ribbons of good fat, the broth is porky and the noodles are perfectly al dente.
Not bad. The ramen here is authentic but nothing special.
The fried rice here however is probably one of the best tasting Japanese fried rice I've ever had in NY.
The best Ramen in East Village!
Cheap, simply and fast. It's a good place to go by yourself. The ramen is okay, nothing to write home about. They only have small counter seats, so if you're really tall or big, you might want to reconsider.
Make sure to grab one of their stamp collection card. One meal will get you one stamp. Once you have collected 10, you get treated to a free ramen.
Love it! A friend introduced me to this place and now I go every once in a while when I feel like dealing with the East Village, which has become quite mediocre. I love the old school vibe and no frills service.
Nice hearty meal that won't break the bank!
Heard about it for a while, but quite disappointing when I finally went, probably because the rash of invading Ramen Setagayas are so amazing.
Rai Rai Ken has very bland, "old fashined" broth choices/completely forgetable/not enough depth of flavors.
The space is so narrow I was playing full-body Tetris with fellow diners and our coats and belongings. Too much of a workout for me! Won't be returning.
This place occupies a unique ramen niche than Ippudo and Momofuku Noodle Bar. It is fast food Ramen, tight counter seating and cheap (8.50 vs 14-16 dollars at Ippudo or Momo)
That being said, good portions, the Shoyu and Shio ramen are both solidly hearty and tasty.
Considering the price gouging going on at Momofuku Noodle Bar (2 pork steamed buns for $9 and $16 ramen bowl), I'd welcome a visit to Rai Rai Ken anytime.
A man told me the pink thing that was floating in my ramened-soup was some sort of fish.
Indeed.
The Miso broth was a little too salty. Noodles were so-so
And I was expecting roast pork in my ramen, only to be disappointed by plain chicken..
Quick. Fast. Cheap. Small. Limited. Narrow. Decent ramen. Not the best but definitely ramen worthy. Came here for lunch so it was really empty. Had the basic Shoyu Ramen - soy sauce based noodle soup topped with bamboo shoot, boiled egg, roast pork, spinach, fish cake, dry seaweed, and scallion. Pretty decent. not overly salty. Worth the 8 bucks, since it's like a "fast food" ramen place.
Tampopo is a Japanese film about a woman's quest for the ultimate bowl of ramen. After watching the plucky heroine accomplish her dream of opening her own ramen shop by learning and perfecting the elements of the Japanese dish, I knew I had to fulfill my own destiny of filling my belly with delicious, ramen goodness.
A rain-drenched trek down to the east village led me and my dining companion to Rai Rai, an incredibly slim dining establishment designed in the scheme of traditional ramen shops like in Japan. I was instantly charmed by the exact same design elements I had seen in "Tampopo," down to the outdoor red banner and the counter-top service. In true New York fashion, our chefs were two Mexican dudes, not cute Japanese women, but I was hungry and ready to consume my bowl of noodles.
Our order of gyoza, shio and shoyu ramens came out immediately and we got down to business. The first slurp of my shio ramen broth led me to think, "wow, sodium overload," but after a few more spoonfuls I got used to the saltiness. The noodles were nice and springy but the one large piece of pork in my bowl was overcooked and a little tough. Gyoza pieces had a delicate wrapper but was a little under-filled and sadly, not memorable. As I picked up my bowl and slurped the last green onion-filled spoonfuls of broth, I couldn't help but compare Rai Rai to Ippudo-- yes this place is about $4 cheaper but sometimes things are worth the extra bucks...
Portion sizes are decent and after our serving of dumplings + ramen, we were pretty full, although it was the "liquid full" feeling where it's soup and not substance. Rai Rai definitely fulfilled my ramen craving and allowed me to live my own version of "Tampopo," right down to the pouring rain (just like the movie!) But for my next noodle fix, I'll probably be more eager to venture back to where I know the art of ramen has already been perfected-- Ramen Setagaya or brave the lines at Ippudo.
When I'm in the area, this is where I NEED to go. It's perfect for a quick and satisfying meal. I always get their curry ramen and I'm never sick of it. I love their decor as well. Even though it's a hole-in-the-wall sort of place, the decor really makes the whole dining experience so much better.
Good, but their broth is eons away from the orgasm that is Ippudo's. Granted, I'm not sure if the two should even be compared considering how different they are in atmosphere, decor, and price. That is not to say that I don't like the atmosphere, decor or price (I very much like the price in fact), but it just strives for a different crowd and dinner/late night experience. Tucked into a tiny little sliver of a space, Rai Rai Ken wants to be the affordable ramen shop you don't need to worship after every slurp, but it manages to be tasty in its own, simple, right.
I tried two of the ramens here -- shoyu and miso. As expected, miso is definitely the heavyweight of the two ramens, but I found the flavor a little overpowering and salty, without much subtlety. It's a 1-2 punch KO kind of ramen.* Gyoza is also a popular order here, but I like my gyozas with a slightly burnt exterior to give it more texture. They were tasty, but slippery and glistening in its own grease.
I would probably come back if I lived in the neighborhood, but it's not really a destination ramen shop -- at least, not in this city.
* Disclaimer: I know nothing of boxing, but you get the point.
So we stopped in here for a late-night dinner, and we enjoyed it. 3-Stars may look like it's not-that-great, but no, it was pretty good overall. I think this experience was a bit disapointing for me simply due to the fact that Tampopo is one of my favorite movies of all time.
As a litmus test, we both ordered the standard Shoyu Ramen, and shared sides of Kimchi & Menma. This was our first time here and we ordered in a hurry, so we didn't realize that Menma comes in their Shoyu Ramen, even though, duh!--I would expect any reputable ramen shop to do so. I guess I saw the option to add toppings including butter, corn, extra pork, and sides, etc, and thought -- well, it wouldn't hurt to have it as a side since I love Menma, just in case they don't add it automatically. We are still in NY, and not Tokyo, after all.
And for those of you that don't know, Menma is marinated bamboo shoots that are soft, not crunchy, and have a very similar texture and flavor profile to sauteed mushrooms that have been marinated in a bit of sesame oil, black pepper, and garlic, and then stir-fried, like Korean-style banchan. Delicious!!! However, it was a tad on the salty side, even though I'm a salt fiend, --esp b/c the soup broth in the ramen was a bit salty. It was still very tasty.
Unfortunately, it was rather hot by the kitchen, and after having walked around in heels on a hot humid night in NY, I decided to opt for a seat that didn't face the ramen cooks. So, I couldn't watch them prepare our noodle bowls and that was kind of a big bummer for me (and if you've seen and loved Tampopo, you'll know exactly what I mean). Oh, and the stools were jammed pretty close together, -- at least where we were sitting by the front window, it was borderline not-enough-elbow-room so that you couldn't help but touch your neighbor's arms even if you're contorting / twisting your body so that you're not constantly on top or underneath their arms while talking to them, and it didn't help the fact that my boyfriend is tall with long arms. But, once you hunch down to eat, it's fairly comfortable b/c then you're hovering over your bowl and so are they. Like selfish, selfish pigs. Selfish quiet little pigs who are too busy slurping to engage one another... well, at least for the first few slurps.
The Menma and Kimchi came out first so we could nosh on it while we waited for our ramen. Like I said, the Menma was good, -- a little salty, -- and the Kimchi was excellent, but was different from Kimchi I've had growing up (like normal Korean kimchi!!). It had some sort of extra flavor that was almost smoky for some reason, and it seemed to be missing a lot of great garlic and ginger flavors. But it was still very good, came sprinkled with a generous garnish of chopped scallions, and had just the right amount of salt and spiciness. Well, it wasn't spicy at all for me, but my BF said it was a bit spicy for him, -- and I grew up being the only one in my family who needed to wash my kimchi when I was little, often to their ridicule that I wasn't really Korean or one of the family, but an abandoned gypsy baby adopted by them b/c they felt sorry for me. No, it wasn't funny! -- but they had a hoot, and I eventually learned how to eat red Kimchi and found that it wasn't that spicy, as my overly sensitive baby-tastebuds deadened a bit with age and constant introductions to "difficult" foods.
Then the Shoyu Ramen arrived and almost knocked me upside the head, -- no, literally! We were sitting with our backs to them and couldn't see that our food had arrived and all of a sudden a large shadow looms over my head and I can see in my peripheral vision that something big is sailing slowly toward me, so I gasped and turned, almost knocking my head right into my bowl of soup! So, be on the lookout when you're sitting with your back to the goodly ramen cooks b/c they can sneak up on you like hot noodle soup toting ninjas and put a hurt on you!
The Shoyu Ramen didn't have the very complex broth that I was looking for. It tasted like a "decent" beef-based broth with soy sauce added to it. There weren't many tiny bubbles of fat on top of the broth that glitter the broth which was odd, --something I look for in a great bowl of ramen, and it was heavily salted to the point that adding more of the salty Menma seemed, I don't know, harmful. The ramen noodles had a nice healthy golden color from the eggs in it, and felt smooth and elastic, with a nice firm bite to them; very good. They were a bit on the "heavier" side of ramen noodles, but still, the noodles really shine, overall. There's also a nice, 1cm thick slice of rolled and roasted pork with some bits of fat clinging to it that was delicious! I ate the rest of my BF's pork when he said he was full, so I almost got another whole piece! heehee! =)
Overall: good value, good impression. Will come back to try the Miso, Curry, & MaPo Tofu Ramen.
So what if it's not the best ramen in the city? It still fixes my cravings...I like all the ramen flavors they have, but their miso ramen is a bit too heavy for me (it's oilier than any other miso ramen I've had). Not sure if I'd be eating there as frequently if it wasn't across the street from my boyfriend's apartment....the noodles are still $7.50/bowl so you can't beat that.
An interesting experience I had at Rai Rai Ken was when it got later (around midnight-2am) one night, the Japanese chefs went home and there were only Mexican chefs left. They were friendly and great. Then they started blasting Mexican music--it was an amusing scene as I slurped my noodles and pretended that I was in Cabo...
Gotta love it.
MJ's Star : 3
Price : remen $8.50 (except tip & tax)
Come here to try ramen other than plain soy. They have good miso and curry ramen more impressive than the average ramen place. It is small and crowded but is good for a dinner with a friend. Price is o.k
Rai Rai Ken gets five stars because they do Ramen pretty damn good and because they are so reasonably priced, I don't see why they aren't deserving of five stars. I normally don't give five stars to places that take cash only, but man, this place is worth the money. You get a lot of bang for your buck, so I make it a point to always have enough cash to have RAMEN the way it should be had. ;)
14 seats, not a lot, but this business knows what it's doing that it doesn't require a lot of square footage to make the bank it does. Unlike momofuku, that place needs all the space it can get to make a decent buck.
super cute place. i love that down home personal vibe that seem only to be visible in mom and pop shops.
anyway, is it terrible to say that i like the ramen from ramen setagaya better?
but i love the feel of the place so much so i have to give them 4 stars.
