Ise Menkui-tei

Love this place, My boyfriend and I have come her countless times for a quick dinner date after work, and it has always been yummy!
One start off for a bad experience we had with one of the waitresses that made an issue of us asking for extra broth to dilute the soup and tried to charge it as a food item on our bill.
Although it got resolved it still left an unpleasant feeling since she was very rude.
Other then that I would recommend this place!
The tantan man is amazing!
fried rice is great
most of the ramen has been very tasty! and great price!

Hell Yeah!
My wife, daughter and myself dropped in here after a quick stroll in Central Park. My wife has never had ramen before that wasn’t cooked by me (I am not the greatest at making it). But they offer great options for the broth and toppings. They have vegetarian and fish broths for those who are looking for something a bit different but they hold up really well. The staff were also great with my daughter, making room for her and her stroller and giving things to her for entertainment.
I can’t express how awesome this place was. It nails ramen down and I frankly can’t wait for my next trip to NYC to eat here again. Absolutely love it!

Authentic and delicious. Come once, come again, a very good choice all around.

This place deserves at least a 3 for the fast service and lack of wait unlike other super hyped ramen places. The atmosphere was dimly lit, cute if you’re in a first date with someone.
I had the Hakata ramen. To be honest, it looked better than it tasted. The broth really needed a lot more flavor. It tasted very bland to me. The noodles are not really authentic ramen noodles and had a strange taste to it. I had 2 slices of pork in my bowl which is what it comes with if you don’t ask for extra pork. I did not like the ginger bites in the ramen at all. It ruined the little flavor it had when you bite into the chunks of ginger.
The place is relatively cheap compared to other ramen places, I probably would not trek all the way to Manhattan from other boroughs to eat here, but the atmosphere, fast service and price can’t be beaten at other ramen joints.

I actually frequent this place. Love the ramen, the dumplings, and the level of service. I have taken plenty of friends for a first time ramen choice and they all fell in love. The turn over is pretty quick and they have a lot of people on a normal day. Check it out you wont be disappointed!

Very good ramen yo, come. Uh, nothing much else to say… Unilocal wants me to write more, so here it is:

I love this place!
I’m a ramen enthusiast, so places like this make my heart jump. The takeaways are: it’s cheap, it’s delicious, and they have incredible service.
A co-​worker of mine brought me here when he heard I loved ramen. The first thing you notice is the hoards of people on this block. The tourist bike shop is the biggest offender. Folks are coming in and out of here on the regular. You can’t blame them though. Renting a bike closer to Central Park is expensive; better to get it here. There are a few other restaurants that are also good on this block further increasing foot traffic – notably the Indian place next door and the Cuban place a little further down, Tina’s. Back to ISE though – this place is tough to find. It’s hidden and does not have any obvious signage.
When you go inside you’ll be greeted by the coolest old dude you’ll ever meet. He’s ALWAYS there and he runs things. Things get nuts at lunch time. Do not go in there with a party during lunch. If you go by yourself, you can likely get seated at the bar quickly, but if you’re coming with company, you’re gonna have a rough time. Back to the cool old guy. This guy must have been an air traffic controller in another life or something cause he’s amazing. I expect things he sets the standard for service. Everything is fast and efficient. ISE is a rather small and humble place. There is seating in the front, a slightly more private area in the middle, and the bar is set in the back.
To the food – it’s delicious. In my opinion, this ramen is better than Toto, better than Ivan, and almost as good as Ippudo. The biggest difference between this and Ippudo? About $ 5. Most ISE ramen is under $ 10. The brother is incredible and the noodles are fantastic. Their fish broth is something that you should go out of your way to experience. You can also choose to enjoy from a wide variety of sake or go with a plain old Sapporo. I’ll usually drink a 16oz Sapporo with some Hakata ramen and leave feeling like I could take over the world if I wasn’t about to go and take a nap immediately.
Give ISE a try and let me know what you think.

Overall, the Raman was good and the service was consistent.
I went here with a party of 4 and we were seated right away on a Friday evening. The clientele came and went in a steady flow and their menu was robust but not overwhelming.
The prices were so reasonable! I had the Miso Ramen and my boyfriend had the Hakata. Mine tasted fine, nothing crazy, but the Hakata received rave reviews.
I would definitely come back to try their rice dishes and appetizers.

Always a go to place for a quick lunch! Many ramen and rice options! Price is good too.

I was famished after a two-​hour excursion through Central Park, and couldn’t think of anything better to eat than a hearty bowl of ramen.
Space — Dimly lit, and perfect for a group of 6.
Service — Hostess and waitress were super friendly, so even though we had to wait a half hour for a table, we didn’t really mind too much. The food also came out really fast.
Chicken Karage — Delightful crisp on the outside, and paired well with my ramen.
Hakata Ramen — Beautiful presentation and overall flavor was good. A few complaints: (1) pork was too fatty, (2) noodles were too hardy, and (3) pickled ginger garnish was too sharp a contrast to the overall tone of the dish.

Hakata (pork bone broth) ramen was okay. Not bad, not the best. The broth could have been more flavorful. LOTS of noodles, though (sliightly overcooked) – couldn’t even finish it all. The pork here is very lean, but has a good flavor.
I ordered a boiled egg to top my ramen and it was given to me hard-​boiled as opposed to the typical soft boiled. A little disappointing – especially at 1.50 extra.
Got a side order of curry rice (with minced pork) which was pretty good.
My friend got the gyo don which was also tasty. I’d recommend either of these.
Our waitress was friendly and attentive.
Overall, not a bad place and definitely won’t break the bank for a filling meal.

I’ve been here a few times already. Service was super quick. Our waitress was very pleasant and attentive. The Hakata ramen was quite tasty with the exception of the pork. It was very lean and not as tender I would like. The broth was very rich and flavorful. We shared a small gyu don for an extra $ 3.50. Our bellies were very full over all.

No me gusta la comida ofrecida en este restaurante, aunque los platos son baratos. Esperaba q el sabor hubiera sido mejor.

I was excited about the Ramen and was really excited to see this place packed on a Thursday night! The service was a bit lacking in that we didn’t really understand what to do and no one seemed interested to explain it to us…
Ordered vegetable gyoza for an appetizer which I LOVED!
Tried the tokyo ramen for dinner, it was okay but didn’t have as much flavor as I expected. It definitely is a HUGE serving so if you’re hungry, this is a great place and CHEAP… especially for NYC!

An overall well-​priced establishment in the heart of Midtown, this place is worth checking out, especially on a cold day. They offer a large variety of various Japanese food, including izakaya, ramen, rice bowls, etc.
1. Nabeyaki udon: This was quite delicious! Comes in a cast iron bowl, you get plenty of udon. The broth is addictive.
2. Sesame flavored ramen: I got plenty of noodles and a pretty raw egg. There actually wasn’t much else in the bowl unfortunately, but the flavor was good.
3. Gyu don (side): For $ 3, you can get a side dish in addition to your main course. I opted for this because of the beef and onions over the bed of rice. Thought it would complement the ramen well, which is did. It ended up being my favorite thing I had that night!
4. Mochi ice cream: This was REALLY overpriced, but I was craving this. You get two pieces. We got one vanilla and one green tea.

this place isn’t bad compared to the popular ramen places in nyc. the service is quick and the staff is very nice and attentive. I ordered the hakata ramen and it wasn’t as flavorful as I hoped it would be. the pork bone broth and roast pork tasted a bit bland. Their fried chicken (4 pieces) was good. My only complaint is that it had a little too much batter on it. my friend ordered the ramen w tofu & soy sauce which had a thicker consistency and tasted better than the hakata ramen.

I’ve been going here for years and all of a sudden when I go back it was completely different. The layout, the music, the menu. I’ll admit I was shocked but that wouldn’t stop me from dinning here.
We were used to the old menu so finding what we wanted was a bit difficult. We used to order shrimp pork fried rice with sliced pork on top but we couldn’t really find that so we ordered the Katsu– pork or chicken on top of egg with white rice. I was going to order spicy soup which I know is delicious, but it wasn’t as cold out and it was very warm inside. We also ordered dumplings and those were really good. I need to go back and find my rice that I used to order before.
All in all I was still happy with the food. For 2 Katsu orders, dumplings and wine the order was about $ 30. not bad :)
Ise Mekui-​tei– We will be back!

Cold New York evening… wanted to try some nice hot ramen. This place is pretty small, not huge and is good for small groups (up to 4 people). I ordered the Mabo Tofu Ramen. Very generous portions. The noodles were cooked perfect, topped with ground pork and tofu in yummy Mabo sauce that enhanced the broth.
Ramen bowls all just under $ 10.00. Very affordable for such a great taste. I would come back if I am in New York again.

Is this the best ramen I’ve ever had? No. Is it well worth the price for a good lunch? Absolutely.
Brought two co-​workers here for lunch because we had a bit of time but didn’t want to walk or wait forever. Waited about 15 minutes until a 4-​person table opened up. The staff seemed nice and were very attentive. I had the classic menkui ramen, a seaweed base (which I’ve never tried before), while my friends tried two spicy ramen options. Everyone was satisfied with the large portions (normal portions for ramen, but large relative to the normal lunch options I’ve had).
Very good flavor, the noodles were chewy as I would expect, and the seaweed base was slightly lighter than the pork broth I typically order. Also came with 3 pieces of pork belly instead of two, which was nice.

I’ve been to Ise Menkui-​tei several times already and their food is pretty reliable. Whenever I have show tickets nearby this is my go-​to spot. I hope they never change the prices or the portion sizes because right now it’s what draws me here besides the food, of course.
Sometimes I just want a warm bowl of ramen that doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg, and my first born. They also have rice dishes which warms me up too. The food never fails me here and I always feel extremely satiated after I leave Ise Menkui-​tei. I always give my leftovers to my bf who helps me finish. That is a good sign for me.
If I am ever in the area, I am sure I will be coming back again and again. So far there is always enough room for us to sit. It’s not the tiniest place but it’s not huge either but at least 30 to 50 fit in this restaurant all at once. We always have gotten a table. There is two halves to the restaurant. There is a back section and the section in the front. I prefer the back for more privacy but I guess it might not matter if you leave fast. If there is a line in the front, the wannabe diners will stare at the diners sitting at the tables in the front half of the restaurant which makes me uncomfortable.
I have seen this restaurant busy on a Friday night before. When there is a line, the turnover is fast so don’t worry about that. By all means, it’s not a fancy place it’s just a place like most ramen joints. It’s quick service, quick food, no pomp and circumstance here. Just enjoy a warm bowl of ramen or rice and your tummy will be happy. That’s all that matters really.
**and they really need more than on bathroom!

A pretty busy ramen joint in NYC that is far larger than it looks. We both got the Menkui Ramen (just under $ 10) and shared the Gyoza appetizer for a quick lunch.
Food came out real quick — under 10 minutes. Gyoza were excellent — scalding hot and juicy, so eat carefully. The ramen had nice chewy noodles and three pieces of pork that was soft, but not super juicy so it still required some chew. The broth is a bit lighter than we’re use to. For the price, the ramen didn’t have much extras compared to other places. Still, a good place that’s fast and efficient. Plus, they have among one of the larger ramen menus I’ve seen. (Black Sesame ramen?!). Three stars.

My husband and I both ordered ramen with the set. I had the nekigara ramen with a small gyu don, and he got the menkui ramen with the curry rice. The sides came first and we both thought that the portions were large. The sides were as good as a meal itself and it tasted great. For the curry rice side, they were very generous with the curry, not so much with the pork. The gyu don side was delicious.
Shortly after, the ramen came. The quality was not as good as we expected as the broth and the pork slices were not like the authentic Japanese kind. Usually we’d expect the pork slices to be slightly fatty so that it melts in your mouth. The pork slices here were a bit dry on the bite but it was fair nonetheless. Poached egg costs $ 2 and it wasn’t the typical ramen poached egg either so we were disappointed. Broth didn’t feel like it was prepared in house, felt almost like it was bought.
However, service was amazingly fast and the place was clean and big enough for groups.
Overall we enjoyed dinner but wished the ramen bowls were more authentic.

Wie in Japan. Phantastische Suppen und Gyosa!