Dojo Restaurant

I like their curry udon. it’s very tasty and full of flavor. I also like biting into the noodles cause they’re very springy. we also ordered the soy burger. the winner for me in the entire meal was the salad that came with it. the salad has this pumpkin sauce that was oh so delicious!

The service makes it tough to love this place, but their food is delish. Their orthodoxy around where one can slurp soup or put curry on a non-​curry dish is vexing. But once these barriers are overcome it is time to enjoy their chicken katsu curry and all the ramen are great. The chicken is particularly well executed.

Restaurante japonés de Ramen (sopa caliente con fideos carne huevo y mil cosas) estaba muy rico, pedimos un Ramen (muy típico japonés) y un yakisoba. Ambos muy ricos y fieles.
No nos pareció nada caro para la zona donde se encuentra. Recomendable si os pilla de paso y queréis probar algo asiático fuera de Chinatown.
Miso Ramen + Yakisoba (plain, sin carne) = 24 $

Went to this place several times after class. Prefer to have ramen in the bar section as it has a more Japanese vibe. Set meals like curry beef are okay. About 18 dollars per person.

Don’t know how long it’s been up, but they opened a ramen bar next door to the main restaurant. Small space, can’t be more than 16 seats.
Having eaten at the main restaurant many years ago (I can’t imagine it’s gotten any better over time), I was surprised at the quality of the ramen here. I ordered the traditional tonkatsu ramen (there’s only 5 or so types on the menu). The broth was really tasty with great depth. The noodles were appropriately chewy (not the best but still pretty good), and the pork not over-​cooked like many places new tend to do. And the portion was perfect, maybe just a bit too much for the average diner but perfect if you’re hungry.
The place showed brisk business around 2pm, catering to the NYU crowd. At $ 13/​bowl, this place is affordable with great value. The staff was friendly and attentive. I’d definitely come back to try their other ramen.

Nice ramen spot– quick service and pretty good food!
Tried the Yuzu Kosho Shio ramen– topped with a shrimp dumpling, fish balls, seaweed/​kale and menma, the soup was spicy and peppery (the kosho!) The yuzu kosho and shio broth blended to make a really great soup.

It was remodeled to look dark and much less appealing. I have no idea why the owners chose the new look, but the old décor was much cheerier, warmer, and more human.
Also, there are NO FREE COFFEE REFILLS!!! Coffee doesn’t cost you much once it’s brewed — why on Earth would you make people pay for a refill when they’ve already paid you over $ 2 for a cup? Before the remodel, this place used to give you free coffee refills.
It makes no business sense to put off customers with something as easy to provide as coffee refills. It’s the standard almost everywhere else. Next thing they’ll do is charge for tap water.
Very mediocre place. The food was really salty and not as good as before. Only go here if you don’t have another choice.

Based on my wife’s experience (she is of Asian descent) Staff here will highlight and circle tip reminders for only Asian customers in a way that is incredibly offensive and could be considered racial profiling. Dojo management and staff. you don’t deserve to be in business.

This review is for the actual restaurant part. Not the ramen shop. Came here with friends for dinner who frequents this place. It is a very clean and nice looking restaurant. There were very few customers in the dining area when we were escorted to a table. Our waitress was very friendly, attentive and knowledgeable of the menu items. We placed our order and our food came in a timely manner.
I ended up ordering the Unaju Eel over rice which comes with a very small salad and miso soup. Everything was delicious, especially the eel. It was cooked perfectly and it just melted in my mouth. However, for $ 17 the portions were rather small and it felt more like a snack rather than an actual meal. Great service and décor but only let down is the price to portion ratio of the food. I know it’s Manhattan but I think there are better places in the city to get more of your money’s worth.

I came here with a friend because it was nearby and I think the ramen was some of the better ramen I’ve had. The broth was extremely flavorful, the noodles were perfectly done, the toppings were delicious, all in all an excellent meal. The service was great too, and the prices seemed reasonable. Unlike some places I’ve been they don’t charge by the topping unless you want something non-​standard.

I took the miso ramen without any seaweed, cannot swallow this stinky fishy stuff. Anyway porkbelly inside was little to fatty, but the consistency of the ramen was good, ribbon nudles surrounded with minced meat inside made me feel like I am eating a bolognese, that’s what I’ve been looking for. Afterwards joining the all night happy hour — see you tmrw, bro carry me home.

I haven’t eaten here in years. I am so happy it still makes/​serve carrot ginger salad dressing. I love that pureed carrot-​colored dressing. I loved it with any salad.
The restaurant interior has had a slight face lift. The bar area and that room has communal table seating. The staircase to go downstairs for the restroom is even nicer, like it belongs in a house. The women’s restroom is new, cleaner and modern.
A more welcoming place to eat and lounge.

Note: this review is for their late night happy hour
My friend and I had a long night of shopping and we just wanted a place to sit, drink and maybe snack and we were happy to see that Dojo offers late night happy hours. We found a bar top table right by the front door area and sat down. First, it took for EVER to get anyone’s attention, and when we finally did, we got conflicting information. Our server said that it was order at the bar, but when I walked up to the bar, bartender said tables are service only.
When we finally got the attention of a server (and it wasn’t the same one as the lady who first said it was bar ordering only), we were finally able to place our drink and appy’s order in. Service is slightly on the slow side for food. I’m just glad our drinks came in pretty quickly… otherwise bad things could have happened.
In any case, I will likely not return to Dojo *except* in dire circumstances and I need a happy hour fix in the late evening time. Otherwise, do your self a favor and opt for another Japanese restaurant in the area.

I was extremely dissapointed with my bowl of Chicken Shio Ramen. The soup Base tasted bitter due to the spinach which was cooked along with the broth.
The chicken slices were overcooked and the meat was rough and extremely tough. The ramen was soft and overall it was a really bad experience.
Will definitely not be back to dine here.

Dining here makes me feel like a college student again. Those were simpler times, when your biggest concern was completing your 10-​page essay in time for Greek Week. Food always seemed cheap and plentiful, probably because you only had 10 bucks in your wallet at any given time, and you and your friends only ate at bottomless margarita-​type places. Ah, to be 18 again.
Anyway, Dojo reawakens that sensation with its vast menu of cheap, delicious, Japanese eats. The Vegetable Gyoza, Ika Geso-​Age and Takoyaki are izakaya favorites, while the Salmon Shioyaki makes a great entrée. Feel free to spread your books across the plentiful space and take your time with your food; none of the friendly staff will kick you out. #NYUlife

The gilded age façade and large windows that cups Dojo, is perhaps a bit grand for its simple but tasty economy izakaya plates.
«This is a NYU café.» My friend fleshed out,
as our plates came out with soulless affect from our doll like Ukrainian waitress.
Fried tofu $ 7 came with 8 good sized pieces, and so did the fried octopus $ 8, which was surprisingly in fried ball form.
Had I known that, I might not have ordered the sweet potato croquette $ 6, which came with a nice horseradish sauce and a sweet red sauce. The broiled Saba, whole mackerel, was tender yet salty, and looked small, which got me an offering of my friends chicken lo mein $ 12, which was satisfying and tangy sweet.
Annoyingly, the ramen side of the restaurant doesn’t serve to the dining room, another piece of this quasi-​good puzzle serving up a mainstream Asian dinner for less than $ 20 a piece where the quiet clean ambiance and food is perhaps the best part.
I wouldn’t consider this place a destination, but it might provide you some comfort if your feet are tired.
Happy hour

Great ramen and awesome lunch specials!
The tonkotsu broth is super yummy and served with chicken chashu (atypical, but it works) and straight noodles.
I’ve also had both their salmon and eel lunch specials and they’re pretty good. I would recommend the ramen over either, but you cannot order ramen in the main dining room (very odd policy, I know). Overall, it’s not super cheap but thanks to its nice atmosphere and convenient location, I’d recommend it for a friendly and casual lunch/​dinner. Service is not so wonderful though, so don’t expect professionalism and do expect to be rushed if it’s busy.

When I first saw the menu for Dojo, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. You see everything from traditional Japanese food (bento boxes, ramen, donburi, takoyaki, karage, etc.) to vegan food to diner-​esque plates of eggs. And there’s even a lone burrito on the menu! Ummm what?
I’m happy to say, however, that I was super impressed! I got the oyakodon (chicken, egg, and onions over rice, served with miso soup and Japanese pickles for $ 10) and it was ON POINT. And this is coming from someone who studied abroad in Japan/​is very picky about Japanese food.
Everyone else at my table enjoyed their meals as well, which ranged from sandwiches and salads to bento boxes. My only criticism was that service was a bit slow.
My meal definitely hit the spot, and it was a large enough portion that I enjoyed it for dinner too.

This review is for the ramen section of the restaurant.
On a cold day like today, some warm and yummy ramen should warm your belly. Sadly, it didn’t here. My boyfriend and I ordered the tonkatsu ramen. The broth was not super flavorful, even after adding garlic flakes, and the noodles were stuck together. The worst part was that the piece of pork in the ramen was more fat than meat. AND! No narutomaki. REALLY. The pork gyoza was oily and slightly burnt on one side.
My second issue is the spacing. I’m not sure why the restaurant is split in two. There are only about 10 high chair seats in the ramen section with not much space to move. Every time the door opened, the cold air blew right in. I ate with my jacket on.
The positive was the quick service.
Overall, I would have been more satisfied with making my own instant ramen at home. Pass.

This is a restaurant I would recommend you to go if you are with a big group of people, this place doesn’t take reservation but usually you can be seated pretty quickly given the dining area is spacious.
The price is relatively inexpensive, but watch out, some of the items have really small portion. For example, their spring rolls comes with only 3 pcs small fried rolls, I would not think it’s good value to order that dish at all.
I would highly recommend you to order their fresh oysters, I was a bit concerned while my friend wanted to order this dish, but it was surprisingly good, the oysters are big, fresh and the dressing was also very good, too. I would definitely order oysters again next time!

++Delicious tonkotsu ramen (berkshire pork based ramen) $ 12.
Broth was milky and flavorful. Their pork belly was divine– soft with a good balance of fat. Noodles are thin, soba like. You also have the option of having a mixed broth– tonkotsu shoyu or tonkotsu miso– but forego those, they’ll drown out the taste of the pork broth. A whole egg is included within your order, which is generous according to NYC standards.
Dojo’s layout is rather confusing. One side of their restaurant is a small, narrow hole-​in-​the-​wall ramen shop that seats around 12 people. Pass through an archway and you’ll be led to a sparse, modern bar that serves fusion food. It’s hard to believe these 2 areas of the restaurant are affiliated. Located steps away from NYU. Non-​Japanese staff, courteous service.