Kuidouraku

As cute and adorable as this place may look, I can’t say the same for their ramen noodles. Since I pass by here all the time, I finally decided to check it out and I’m sad to say, I was not impressed.
I ended up ordering their Shoyu ramen ($ 8.50) and although their noodles were cooked to chewy perfection, their add-​on was awful. First off, their pork was tough as leather and instead of melting in my anticipated watering mouth; the protein fiber of the pork clinched its dear life onto my teeth, which really was not a pretty sight.
Their raw onions were overpowering and their bamboo was not flavorful and tasted bland. As for their broth, it was lacking with the rich pork flavor that I anticipated and ultimately, I’m sad to say, but the soup as a whole failed.
Although, I have to say, the people there were very pleasant and friendly and will greet you as you walked in. The restaurant is small, but it was decorated very well and felt very cozy.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had ramen, but it is maybe only the second or third, so take that for what it’s worth in terms of reviewing Kuidouraku.
I enjoyed it well enough — but was reminded on a few occasions by my dining partner that this was merely the place for us to go when we couldn’t get in to her preferred ramen dining establishment.
However that factoid shouldn’t deter you from coming here, as I found my restaurant requirements to be well fulfilled — the wait staff (waitress? there was only one — the place isn’t large) was attentive and pleasant and constantly refilled my water, the food was served fast and to our specific specifications and it wasn’t too expensive.
We got the plate of shrimp dumplings to split as an appetizer; they were fortunately not too expensive as they’re kind of small. You’re certainly not getting a Chinatown-​type deal here, but in terms of appetizers they weren’t bad. Not enough for a meal, though
And compared to the bowls of ramen they were tiny. I ordered the spiciest ramen on the menu (R13), as I was looking for some spicy food, and they didn’t give me the «white guy» spicy treatment — this stuff nearly burned my face off. But I was committed to finish it, and the waitress was kind enough to bring me a little plain broth to mix in after it became clear I was struggling. Shrimp still had the shells on, which always bothers me, but the rest of the seafood was fine.
We also had the regular ramen (R2 on the menu) which was a little salty, but I like it salty so no complaints from me there. There were plenty of ingredients packed in there, and we didn’t lack for food — neither of us finished our dishes.
Overall I thought everything was fine, though I don’t have a whole lot of room for comparison. The restaurant itself is kind of small, with a four-​person table looking out through a glass wall onto 1^st Ave. which is kind of nice on a winter’s day. There’s also two 8-​top communal tables, which means if you don’t like other people eating near you, this might not be your place.

Alright for some quick Ramen when you’re in the neighborhood, but there are better places nearby, but you’d likely have to wait longer to get a table. The staff here was friendly and quick to serve and the price point, especially for NYC, was decent.

I’ve gone ramen crazy with this string of cold weather. Luckily it’s ramen galore around my neighborhood.
Like my previous reviews, this is how I judge my ramen:
Noodles
Broth
Ingredients in broth
I had the Sho Yu ramen here. Noodles were cooked perfectly. Perfect amount of chewiness.
Broth, decent amount of flavor without being overly salty.
On those 2 things alone, Kuidouraku would get a 4 stars. Biggest dealbreaker of the place unfortunately were the ingredients.
Pork was cardboard hard. Absolutely opposite of melt in your mouth yumminess. Another strike, the chopped white onions. The pieces were so big it made it hard to drink the broth when you swallowed larges pieces of onion. Burn down your throat goodness.
Also, in comparison to other places, the bowls are relatively small. Probably slightly over ¹⁄₃ smaller than places with comparable prices.

Ordered the Shio Ramen and finished it with mixed feelings. The broth was tasty, not great but not bad by any stretch of the imagination. It just didn’t hit you with tons of flavor. The pork on the other hand was extremely dry and tasted like I was eating card board.
Service was cheerful and the prices are reasonable.
Overall I just didn’t find this place to be that memorable. I wouldn’t mind going back but I won’t be making plans to go there either.

This is a Korean Ramen Joint. Their ramen is ok but around $ 3 more than other local ramen restaurants in the E. Village. The Roast Pork Buns are disappointing.

This place is terrible. It used to be Setagaya, and either it still is, and under a different name, or they’re pretty ghetto and still use Setagaya’s signage/​equipment. The ramen is not good, and the old vibe of Setagaya isn’t even there anymore. Definitely not worth the time/​effort. They do offer «recession specials» (isn’t that SO 2009?), but still not worth the price, IMO.

Pretty good Ramen. Definitely not the worst as these other reviews are saying, but I’ve had Setagaya before and didn’t like it as much. I think it’s kinda hard to mess Ramen up and it really does just depend on the broth and the price. For the price and taste, i’ll definitely come back. It’s a nice little place to come and thaw while the temperatures drop.

So, after realizing that Setagaya is now Takumi and quickly checking the latest Unilocal reviews, we took a bus here only to realize that even this Setagaya branch is closed and it’s now Kuidouraku.
Ok, let’s have seat, they even have a «recession special» for $ 8.75. Why not?
I seriously didn’t need this slap in my face.
I just came back from Japan where I finally had a ramen enlightenment and living in SF, where ramen options are very questionable, I really wanted to refresh my awesome zuzutto memories.
Besides, Ippudo and Menkui tei lead me to have great expectations from the NY ramen scene…
AAARGH!
These guys even have the nerve of using Setagaya bowls and market themselves as the best ramen in NY.
Wait a second… the noodles in the miso ramen are not even ramen noodles. What are they spaghetti? Seriously…
The pork tasted of frozen meat, with a good dose of extra cartilage-​fat.
The broth was so thin and pedestrian…
What a waste of time and money.

Beware. This place is NOT Ramen setagaya or remotely connected to it. This is a Korean ramen place. Wish they would be honest about it.
I’d be totally interested in trying Korean ramen. but the miso ramen we had tasted like Shin Ramyun. Perhaps I’ll stick to the Nang ramyun next time.