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49th St-7th Ave (N, R, W)
50th St-Broadway (1)
47-50th Sts-Rockefeller Center (B, D, F, V)
"I went for their 50% off all meats special during the month of September. When I went into the website to make reservations, I was surprised…" read more »
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I have been eating out for a week now since I'm on travel and arrived in NYC tonight. I had a craving for some rice or udon and stumbled to Sapporo. The other two Japanese places next to Sapporo didn't sound as good, plus the interior looked like a tiny Tokyo ramen shop and that tempted me.
I ended up ordering the katsu don. It was delicious and very large portion. Also got the cold tofu since I assumed portions were small, but cold tofu was very large, too. A miso soup magically appeared on my table. That and my Sapporo. Too much food.
Great service though! I was in and out in about 30 mins.
Okay, I'm getting a major vibe from most ramen reviews that "your tastes may vary" really does apply when it comes to the art of ramen. I'm sure some of us would find it pretty foolish if we didn't live in a city where a slice of pizza can taste completely different depending on the block and what kind of Ray's it is.
I'm going to be part of the people for Sapporo. Their miso ramen has a nice unique taste to it and I like the way it feels so casual here even if lunch here means getting stepped on by random salarymen during the afternoon. I'll admit that I haven't tried their other stuff, but every time I come in I want that miso broth. For a place that's known for ramen, I'd say that's good enough to judge a ramen shop.
"Can I have extra pickles [with my curry]?"
"It's $2 extra"
"What?!?!? I always get extra pickles and they never charge extra!"
"We have a new manager..."
I honestly witnessed this happen at the table to the left of me AND the table to the right of me. It was so strange. Apparently, pickles are a big deal, and apparently, I should have tried this place out before new management?
Needless to say, the ramen was solid and the weekday lunch service was spectacularly fast. I got nervous at first when I saw a line out the door, but we were seated almost immediately after my decision to wait out the line and then served almost immediately after that. We got the gyoza, Sapporo special ramen and Menma ramen. All good. About $26 later, we walked out full, sleepy and satisfied. As 2 frequent ramen-eating people, take my word for it when I say this one is a solid choice.
This is one of those staple Japanese restaurants. It's a no frills place but you'll find great food here. My favorite dish here is their tonkatsu. One thing to note is that they don't take credit cards.
NO frills, but who needs them when you're slurping down the best traditional ramen in the city. Mouthwatering - my DH always gets the Sapporo Special, I generally get the Vegetable Miso (almost the same porky broth, but with more veg, and no slabs of pork). My mouth is watering just thinking about it. CASH only.
After getting off a nauseating plane ride and a daunting hour and a half cab ride, my friend and I stumbled over to Sapporo for some comforting ramen. Well, comforting it was and it made us feel much better!
I got the special sapporo ramen and I LOVED the flavor of the soup. It's the perfect amount of spice and complimented my al dente noodles. My friend's soup was not bad, but I felt her broth was a little bland. I believe she had the ramen with scrambled egg and spinach.
Both bowls for about $8 a pop. Service was prompt and our waiters were very courteous. The sitting situation was a bit tight, but we don't mind if it's for food. Good food at least.
I've been here for lunch only, and man, the lines are long. It's good ramen, but it's not GREAT ramen. Then again, the lines are probably packed because lunch options in that area suck. You can get a good value here, so that's probably why I've waited in that line multiple lines.
Great Ramen place if you are in the mood for noodle soups. we ordered the vegetable miso ramen and the ramen with pork eggs and vegetables, in addition to that we got some shrimp shumai for appetizer.
the shumai was good but not great, tasted normal. the vegetable miso ramen was a disappointment, i did not like it that much, it was very oily. the ramen i think it was #10 on the menu was a lot better, and came in a bigger bowl.
the price was cheap for midtown. 2 noodles and an appetizer was $28 including tax and tip.
Paid an impromptu visit here last night for a quick dinner. Food was a notch above average. Prices are recession-friendly. Service was nice and quick.
As legend would have it, this place is known for their ramen noddles, but I opted instead to try the "tofu nuggets" as a direct result of the following two factors, 1) I was trying to shy away from carbs so late at night (it was past 9 or 10pm), and -- the second reason being the more determining factor -- 2) I was sold by the photo of the dish conveniently posted on the wall right beside where we sat. I barely skimmed the menu since I knew one look at those tantalizing tofu nuggets was enough for me to decide I was going to give it a shot before even considering this place's bread and butter, the ramen. But trust the outcome b/c I did not make a mistake; my tofu nuggets were marvelous. I especially appreciated the fact that the actual meal looked exactly as depicted in the picture (except for my missing lemon wedge).
A taste of this dish even got my carnivorous, non-vegetarian friend, (I'm not a vegetarian either, but for some odd reason, I often go the vegetarian route) pleasantly surprised! The tofu seemed to have been lightly deep-fried and dressed with a slather of teriyaki sauce. The accompanying cabbage salad was not entirely raw, I think they may have blanched it, which brought out the natural sweetness and softened the texture of the cabbage. Along with the side of seaweed salad, this made for a hearty and satisfying meal.
On the downside the edamame was cold and not salted enough. Who serves cold edamame? It seemed as if it were mass produced and refrigerated for the pure sake of efficiency which did not inspire much respect. But other than this violation (at least in my opinion), Sapporo serves up a good meal. And the ramen must be outstanding since my friend was barely able to lift his head from his bowl (ok, small exaggeration, but he sure was scarfing it down). I'm sure I'll need to pay a visit to gauge this ramen goodness for myself, but that's only if I can resist the call of their yummy tofu nuggets.
Terrific ramen place in a surprising, low-key location. Easily on par with all the East Village heavyweights (Ippudo, Setagaya, et al) in terms of authenticity, at about half the price. Let's be honest; you're only going here if you happen to be within a 20 block radius around dinner time. But if you are, don't miss it. Myriad varieties of excellent ramen, a no-frills atmosphere, and a very Japanese crowd sitting shoulder to shoulder in the dining room. The short order chefs keep up a loud, cheerful patter in the open air kitchen -- another touch sure to remind you of your favorite ramen-ya in Japan. Best of all, most everything on the menu is under ten bucks. Be sure to start with an order of crisp, hot gyoza and a draft beer.
I had this place for the first time about 3 years ago and it was okay. I had other places that were great so I forgot about this place but then recently I discovered that it only takes me 2 minutes of walking to get here from work, and so since then, I've gone back twice in the past week.
What's nice about this place is that it's not pretentious. I go in by myself, take a seat at the bar, order my new favorite miso ramen, eat it, and then peace out. No huff huff with waiting in line and looking at specials or forking over more than a $20 bill. The soup is delicious (not too salty as Minca broth can get) and the noodles are always perfectly al dente. And depending on which one you order, you also get corn, bamboo, scallion, cooked cabbage, sheet of nori, etc. The price is also very nice coming in between $7.5 and $8.5.
Downsides of this place is that it's cash only and from what I remember 3 years ago, the bathroom is purty dingy.
I LOVE Sapporo! This is my go to place for yakisoba and ramen. I still miss Dosanko but this is a great replacement. Great service, cheap and super comforting food. It doesn't get any better!
yum! i love ramen.
i was so in the mood for some yummy japanese noodles with some savory broth and i must say, i'm sorry i never went to this place before. i will make sure the next time i'm in the city, to go.
it is inexpensive and fast. i like not having to spend a lot of money or wait in a long line to be seated. not that this place was not not packed. it was very busy, but they are very efficient. great hole in the wall. no frills.
we had the #5 sapporo special ramen, which has a special assortment of meat and vegetables. it had an excellent broth, almost peanutty.
we also ordered the #11 tantan men which had a sesame flavored broth.
we also ordered the special side of curry and rice for $3.50. it reminded me of the packaged curry you get in the asian markets. it was tasty too.
i highly recommend this place.
of the two, we liked #5 best.
I have been coming here since 1990. The same manager is working here. I like stir fried vegetable meal. It is always busy during weekday lunch time.
Had a craving for ramen, and being that we were wandering around midtown we trekked uptown to this place. You have to wonder about a place that offers extra butter in their ramen.
Overall they had decent ramen. It was good, it wasn't terrible. We were starving, and we ordered gyoza and it was pretty good. They also offered the ramen and a half serving of curry rice or rice for 3.50
The staff was friendly and attentive. The only thing that seriously bugged me was that some bug flew in and kept hanging around the window. This place doesn't take credit card, cash only.
Flavorless ramen...
I've known this place for 5 years, but sadly they are getting worse and worse... Now there are so many good ramen restaurants in city so it is hard for me to find a reason to go to Sapporo. Also, I understand the place gets busy sometime but the waiters can't ignore customers asking for water or waiting to order. Besides, they always bring the check way before you finish your meal...
I don't get why this place is so famous and crowded all the time. Every single one of my Japanese friends who've tried this place said the same type of thing as well. The food here isn't terrible but there are more places in NYC where you can get better Japanese food for the same price or less than Sapporo.
I guess what I learned in my Business class last here did make sense. Location is the biggest key to success.
Went with my boyfriend and his father, who described the ramen as "sincere" which was based on some article he read somewhere or another, but honestly- I can't think of a better way to put it. Now, it doesn't have quite the same feel as Shin Sen Gumi back home in the OC but for $7 you can get a huge bowl of hot yummy miso ramen with tons of pork, veggies and a never ending supply of hot crushed pepper, and really- how could you go wrong with that?
Who would have thought a good and inexpensive Ramen place would be so close to Time Square and not overrun by tourists? Meals are less than $10 and tasty. They do give you lots of noodles and not much of other ingredients, but a great price for a warm meal on a chilly day.
Delish!
Almost as good without having to fly all the way to Tokyo.
Miso ramen was yummy. The broth was sufficiently salty without being over loaded with MSG. The noodles where done well with the right amount of 'bite'.
This was recommended by a friend as a great noodle place in the Times Square area with reasonable prices. We knew it was good when we saw it was packed with Japanese customers. My husband and I ordered the Sapporo Special Ramen ($8.75 each) which was excellent. The portions were generous and the noodles were firm, which I like. We also ordered fried squid. That was okay. I would not order it again. It was 8 1" pieces of squid in a katsu type batter with a katsu sauce. It was okay but not worth the $5 it cost. The noodles were great. I would go back.
Surprisingly good for being so close to Times Square. I never would have stepped in it solely for that reason, but my friend's boytoy, a native New Yorker, dragged us here after our exhausting Colbert Report taping. Cheap food, quick service, prompt water refills--what more could a girl want?
The air conditioning could have been stronger, but I'm not sure there's much you can do when the kitchen is rightthere. It wasn't very crowded at all, but about 5 minutes into our meal, old boss lady came around handing out bills. Nobody pressured us to pay or hurried us out the door, but it was a bit weird nonetheless. It seems like its their policy to drop the check as soon as all the items are on the table.
My friend got the curry (or something )ramen, her boytoy the Sapporo, and me the miso. They were definitely all delish and finished quickly. Mine had a combination of ground pork and sliced pork in it, as well as a decent portion of noodles. I suspect I would have still been a little hungry if I were a big hungry guy, but as such, the portion was perfect for a starving me. The soup wasn't too salty, something I also appreciated greatly. Like I said, service was prompt and our water was always refilled promptly. There were more Japanese people (like actual living in NY Japanese, not tourists from Japan) than I expected to see in what I assumed was a tourist joint, and that in itself was reassuring.
Bill came out to about $26 for the three of us, but note that they don't accept credit cards.
There's nothing better than a nice bowl of ramen on a blisteringly cold NYC day.
As cliche as that sentence sounds, there's nothing cliche about the portions or the food at this midtown Ramen joint.
This is no Ippudo but these ramen connoisseurs have it down pat when it comes to giving you a bang for your buck. Don't expect anything fancy but do expect fast service, decent broth and mammoth bowls of ramen.
Located on the edge of Times Square this is no tourist trap.
The prices are good and the service lightning.
This is a no frills kind of place and a bowl of Sapporo Special Ramen runs you $8.50 but includes nice al dente ramen, thick slices of pork (not very tender but lean), fishcakes and even contributes to your daily recommended veggie dose with corn and spinach.
It provides a much-needed dose of sodium that won't break the wallet.
In this recession, what more could a gal ask for? ;)
We recently came back from Japan, and there really isn't anything like authentic Japanese ramen. However, Sapporo is far from authentic, even as compared to the must-eats in New York.
Hubby and I have given this place several chances, but it always seems to fall short. We've ordered just about everything on the menu and there is just something lacking. Whether it's the noodle consistency, the soup broth, the pork, the extras... there is just no comparison.
We went back again this past Sunday, and the recession must be hitting them hard because it was dinner time and only 4 tables were taken. Also, we've noticed that they've switched out all of the staff? They used to have an all Japanese staff, but now it's very ethnically diverse (which adds to the non-authenticity of it all).
Yes, the food came fast. But I'd rather wait for good food than not wait for so-so food. This time we had the Miso Ramen and the Gomoku Ramen. Both were disappointing.
I agree with Chris H below - epic ramen fail!
Epic ramen fail.
Having been jaded by ramen institutions such as Minca, Ippudo and Setagaya, Sapporo's ramen was a half step above the crap that comes out of a packet. You know, the shit you'd microwave and choke down freshman year, before a rousing game of ultimate frisbee in the quad.
To be objective, Sapporo fails in all three of my ramen litmus tests:
1. Broth: Thin, watery, boring, insipid, totally forgettable
2. Noodles: Overcooked, cardboard flavored, tastes very processed
3. Toppings: Sparse with pieces of completely overcooked and watery pork
A saving grace for Sapporo is that the curry isn't bad. A huge portion of pork laden curry over rice is totally filling, flavorful, and enough to give Go Go Curry a run for its money.
At the end of the day, this place is best left for the throng of tourists from the midwest that don't really know better. Do yourself a favor and catch the NRW downtown to St Marks and get yourself the good stuff.
Decent ramen in Times square area. I come here mostly for the Sapporo Special ramen and Cha-Han. Both are very good. I wouldn't bother getting anything else. One thing I've discovered about ramen shops is their best ramen usually is their signature ramen. Everything else usually is sub par. Over the years I have noticed their staff decreasing in Japanese with more Mexicans in the kitchen and thus the quality has declined slightly. A sign of the recession? Who knows.
Unfortunately I work in midtown, and any casual stroll around the place will prove it to be a culinary wasteland of chain restaurants and mediocre fast food, punctuated occasionally by delicious food carts. In this desert of the real, Sapporo is a welcome oasis. It's totally unpretentious, service is prompt and the ramen is fresh and delightful. They serve other things but don't bother with them. Sure, better ramen exists in Manhattan (Ippudo springs to mind) but for a hassle-free meal under $10 in midtown there is little competition.
Bustling and good. Nothing fancy here, but the noodles and other food are tasty.
Its not Ippeudo or any of the fancy ramen that's being touted around the city. But this place is still a reliable place for a big (I mean, BIG) hearty bowl of good ramen. Lots of variety, decent prices, and if you prefer something cold during the hot days of summer, try the Hiyashi Chuka - cold noodles in special soup (either soy or sesame based, but sesame tastes soooo much better!) with ham, cucumber, egg, fishcakes and corn. So delicious! Plus you get a really Japanese feel to the place, from the interior to the staff. Though obviously watered-down with the lunch crowd/midtown/NYC presence.
Ok. So I used to go here with a used-to-be "good" friend because he "used to" work around the corner at the "used to be" bank called "Lehman".
And I "used to" think this was a good place to go.
"Used to be"... oh how fatal those 3 words can be.
In the past, I had other things besides the ramen. Like the katsu curry, which I remember being pretty good!
But today, I went with my cousin (no "used to be's" with him, ha ha). We started with the Gyozo. One bite and we both looked at each other.
It was bland. sort of just tasted like filler. empty. and it left us both empty. He asked of there were 5 or 6 pieces. i said, "no luck, there were 6 so I can't pawn off the last piece on you and say, 'you take the extra one!'"
I had the Sapporo Special Ramen. Bland. tough pork . . . indifferent.
Maybe this "used to be" good, but now that I've been to so many ramen places in the city, this is on the low end for me. I think even Ajisen in Chinatown has more tender pork (though the broth is probably more tasty at Sapporo).
My cousin had the Chicken Katsu Curry. As soon as the plate went down in front of him, we both looked at it. I said, "where's the other half?" he remembered it being bigger, too... and tasting better!
He said the curry was better than Go curry, but still "used to be" better.
On a happy note, it looks like they cleaned up the place a bit. so I guess I can say, it "used to be" grungier.
$28 for lunch for 2. I don't think we'll go back. I think it "used to be" cheaper too!
I am constantly confused by why people always rate this place as one of the BEST ramen places in the city. I think the ramen here is decent. Its not bad and its not good. I actually come here and rarely ever get the ramen. I usually stick with katsu curry, katsu don, or oyakodon. I've had the ramen a few times when i first came here but then i decided to venture onto the other items on the menu.
I think the katsu don, Katsu curry, oyakodon are delicious and would give it 4 stars but the ramen is just so mediocre that it drags it down. THe ramen seriously tastes like store bought preserved ramen even tho i heard its "made from scratch" it still tastes processed to me. My only complains about the Katsu is there have been times where my katsu was seriously 1/2 FAT. that is unacceptable.
This place is awesome tho for its price and quick service. Its impossible to find a restaurant at these price with the quality of food in the middle of time square. There was a period of time i came here once or twice a week.
If you decide to come here i highly recommend the other dishes.
The noodles were firm and not over-done. The broth is good, but average in caliber. I have eaten here several times when in New York for business. The food is good and the service is fast.
it reminds me of being home in Hawaii with a large availability of good Japanese comfort type foods. Compared to what I can usually get in the Mid-Atlantic region the food here is spectacular. While it is not a gourmet night out on the town the food is simple, well made, and delicious.
I will continue to come to Sapporo while I am in New York for a long time. it is a great place to eat especially when on the run or when missing that good old Japanese diner food.
Steaming large bowls of ramen (to quote Amy Y. "the size of your head") for under $10 on a blistering cold December day?--Sapporo was just what we needed! We ordered the Sapporo Special ramen with a side order of Gyoza. Ramen was flavorful and the meat decent. Sapporo definitely hit the spot, but don't expect mind-blowing ramen. What makes Sapporo special is it's location & value-- it's the only ramen place in the heart of midtown and close to my work place, providing a much needed respite from all the Rockefeller tourist lunch spots. :)
Tip: Lunch time is very hectic, so limit to small groups if you want to be seated immediately; otherwise, expect long waits
This place is just ok. I'm not a huge fan of Japanese Ramen bowls, but the noodle bowls here are lacking flavor.
I tried the Miso Ramen Bowl, it was huge and steaming hot, but geezz this needed some spice to it! My friends pretty much ordered the same thing or close to it and they all agreed that it wasn't very satisfying.
The good points of this restaurant are the service is fast and they aren't complete jerks to you. Dishes are not dirty, but the free glasses of water seemed a bit cloudy.
If I were to somehow find myself in New York City again, I think I would try their curry.
Wonderful Japanese comfort food. I love it when the hostess (mama-san) barks at the whitebreads when they come in from the theater district -" we don't have sushi!" It's NOT a sushi place. thank jesus.
After eating here probably 200x i can say its all good. Lamen, Katsu Curry, ChaHan (fried rice) and Gyoza are the best in NY- seriously.
And people commenting on Lamen being too salty- haven't eaten Lamen in Tokyo - it's salty, and it should be. Japan is humid and sweaty and no A/C everywhere like here in the US, you loose your salts, Lamen replenishes.
freakin' awesome comfort food.
Popped in just before closing on a weeknight and I don't know if it was the low-budge atmosphere, the thin crowd (i.e. few people, not thin people), but I found that this place but a damper on my appetite. I got the vegetarian ramen and, after a sip of the broth, decided to concentrate on the noodles, which were good and plenty, and the veggies, which consisted of cabbage, scallion, corn, onion, and a little carrot. I don't think there was any rice cake in the vegetarian ramen -- an unnecessary omission! It was filling but nothing to write home about. Ippudo is still the ramen gold standard to my relatively inexperienced ramen-palate.
oh boy... gotta downgrade this place...
why?
tan tan mian is zha jiang mian.... which is NOT a soup!!! or so i thought...
and so i got ramen... minced pork and tons of veges... otherwise um nothing zha jiang mian bout it at all!!!
noodles were nice i guess... firm not too mooshy... and i was in and out wihtin 30 minutes eating by myself at the bar!
i only come here if i'm in the area... but it does its job of satisfying my hunger at a cheap cost!… Read more »
Very simple. Had their Hakata Ramen. Excellent quality and quantity for noodle, meat, and broth. Humble atmosphere. Notched spoons to hang on your big ramen bowl FTW!!!
I had the Sapporo Special Ramen here and also tasted the Shio Ramen. The broth is packed with a strong flavor and the added ingredients and portion they give you is so generous. I do not think I've tried better tasting ramen anywhere and I've been to quite a few places when I lived in San Francisco. And it's been a disappointing experience trying to find a good place in LA and in the OC for ramen. And none of them can compare to this place. I don't get the mixed reviews here.
I've never been a huge ramen fan but I'd definitely come back here. If you can find better ramen in NYC, please let me know and take me with you!
I used to really like this place when I first moved here but there's been a decline in quality and I've tried so much more ramen that it no longer ranks on my ramen short list. It's still a decent bowl of ramen in Times Square - meaning it is one of the only options nearby.
The pork tonkatsu curry is actually pretty good-and a huge portion. I recommend it over the ramen. But its hard to not order ramen. The pork is cold but tender, and the noodles are the traditional type. The miso broth is pretty salty but I like that you get the standard fixings like corn and sprouts.
It's not as good as east village ramen houses but its pretty cheap and a decent bowl considering the location. Go early to avoid the lunch hour lines
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Neighborhood: Lower East Side
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Neighborhood: East Village
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Japanese
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