Mentoku

No wait time, delicious Ramen and top notch service.
I’m sure there are «cooler» Ramen spots, but what the hell… it’s soup!
I would gladly repeat this visit.

**CASH ONLY ** (Annoying)
3.5 stars. It’s nice to have another ramen place in Hell’s Kitchen given the Japanese staples like Ippuddo and Totto are always packed. This place is new looking, with modern décor. I came with a friend at 6pm and no one was here, which was good. We were seated and served promptly. We skipped the appetizers and went just for the ramen. (the Buns and other fried apps look good though)
I got the spicy/​yuzu ramen. It has a really good spiced broth but could have used more pork char siu… the nori was interesting (on the side) and added good texture. I added a soft boiled ramen egg which was perfectly done. The broth didn’t have much yuzu taste though.
My friend had the Jitana (?) ramen which was straight up pork bones but the broth was a bit too. oily and rich? There was ample pork bits though, though.
I’m not sure I would return simply because I love Tabata Ramen so much on 39^th and 9^th which has a lot more variety.
Ramens are $ 10 – 15 ish.

I found out about Mentoku last fall when it first opened and have been coming here regularly for lunch and dinner. It’s a no-​frills ramen shop located in what will soon become ramen alley with more shops popping up soon in the area. Mentoku specializes in tonkotsu ramen using pork bone for the base and utilizing hakata style thin noodles. I’ve had a few of their bowls and here’s how I rate them:
Broth: Arrived piping hot, flavorful and smooth. It’s not the super creamy tonkotsu broth you might be used to. I’ve tried both the genryu and yuzukosho. The genryu is the regular tokontsu while yuzukosho has a nice hint of yuzu and a spicy peppery kick to it. Both were delicious. I still haven’t tried the matcha ramen yet. I love matcha but in ramen I’m not sure. Maybe one day.
Noodles: Hakata thin noodles. Cooked perfectly. My favorite style of noodles.
Toppings: They always give me 2 – 3 slices of pork whenever I get ramen here. Grilled and flattened before they’re dropped in your ramen. Makes me happy. Menma, nori, and egg, are typical.
Portions: Perfect ratio of broth, noodles, and toppings. No complaints.
Price: Quite reasonable for the area. Bowls range from $ 9.80-$ 12! Just awesome. Appetizers on the other hand are slightly overpriced. Be sure to bring cash since it’s cash only.
Overall: I really like the ramen here. Homey, tasty, and affordable ramen. The way it should be in NYC! I recommend coming here just before noon for lunch. Otherwise it gets pretty packed during lunch time. They have good lunch specials. In the evening it’s not as busy but people who don’t want to wait hours at the much overrated Ippudo and Totto ramen down the street are starting to wise up and come here. Highly recommended.

The best ramen I’ve had in NY so far! Close to the Broadway shows and it’s a definite must try. Don’t forget to add the egg! Broth was so tasty and all I can wish for was more noodles! I forgot the name of what I ordered but the bowl was surrounded by seaweed. Nom!

I ordered a yuzu kosho ramen and it was amazing.
Never had this type of ramen before, since they don’t have miso soup base ramen, I try this one.
They also have a green tea ramen, which is very interesting. Guess I’ll try that next time.
Also ordered a pork bun and a mentaiko over rice.
Price was reasonable. My girlfriend like the pork buns very much.

Came across here because ippudo had an hour wait. we both wanted Japanese ramen and it seemed pretty good
*cash only*
The food was pretty great. we got the basic one which was 11.8 with eggs. I want to mention that the eggs were perfectly cooked, seasoned well, and the chasu was pretty good also.
the noodles were thin and chewy, the Broth had a pretty good depth to it. it was a teeny bit salty in my opinion, but the place is actually a little cheaper than what I’m used to.
we also had bun, which is 4 dollars per one. didn’t think it was worth the money, it was just average.
probably will not return but it didn’t disappoint.

My son and were looking for dinner before going to see the 8pm showing of «Get on your feet!» over on 46^th. We were cold (eve of the big storm) and had been standing outside for one of the theatre lotteries («Hamilton») when sonny impulsive selected this place. We Unilocaled to be sure the stars were in alignment and they were! This is the best ramen place I’ve been to, and I’ve been to Japan 50 times or more. If the storm had not shut down NYC, I am thinking we would come back here again despite the distance from his apartment.
The first selection we had were the pork bun. At $ 4/​each, that seemed a bit high, but once we had them, we were totally hooked. As overused as the word is — AWESOME! The pork has just enough tender fat to be nice and rich, but not disgusting. The glaze is very tasty and the slices are generous (about 0.5″ thick). The meat is not overdone and dried out as many places do to pork. It is even cut at the correct bias for maximum tenderness. Immediately, we were addicted. The photo I uploaded does not do this thing justice. These pork buns make the visit worth it on their own.
Of course, on a cold night we wanted to have the hot ramen broth in our stomachs and Mentoku did not disappoint. We both got the spicy Yuzukoshu-​men bowls and we both really liked what we ate. The broth was clearly house made and had layers of flavor. It was not out of a can, but crafted with flavors of shiso. It was not over-​salted or spiced, either. Nice! I uploaded some shots of the nice presentation, where you can see the wonderful pork slices on top. The pork was amazingly tender and tasty. The noodles were perfectly done — cooked to the perfect consistency. Save yourself a trip to Japan!
One of the other indicators of how great this place is were the other people dining there. Most of them seemed to be «actual» Japanese. Businessmen and such, who were looking for a slice of home. They clearly found it. Even the layout is similar to a ‘real” Japanese establishment in that it has as super-​narrow store front, not a lot of space inside and an open kitchen. Perfect.
A word about the chefs and staff. I understand a bit of Japanese. Not enough to be a translator, but enough to know the outline of what is happening most of the time. The chefs and staff appear to actually be Japanese. I am of Japanese descent, and can sort of suss these things out. The cooks, servers — all Japanese looking and speaking. When does that happen over here short of a $ 100/​plate dinner? I may be (a lot) biased, but the level of quality and attention to detail in our food also showed that this was not a run-​of-​the mill ramen hashery. This is «the real thing».
The one thing you should know before coming here is that you need to bring cash. No cards allowed. At all. My son and I had ramen, two pork buns each and shared a sake. Our bill was in the $ 60 range. Plan accordingly. There are a lot of signs reminding you of the cash only policy, too.
When in NYC, Mentoku is on my «must eat there» list!

If there’s another thing New York needs, is another Ramen shop. Mentoku stews a Hakata style Ramen. If you’re like me, your question probably is what the damn heo is that? Thanks to the all knowing wikipedia, it is a pork-​bone broth with «resilient» noodles. I ordered the Genryu, which had a rich tonkotsu base that wasn’t too heavy nor light. Why the quotation marks you ask? Those thin little noodles were tougher to break than dental floss. Keeping with tradition as most ramen restaurants, service was quick and friendly.

Before I praise the ramen here, can I mention how smug I felt walking past the crowds waiting outside the steps of Totto around the corner?
The first sip of their full-​bodied, intense and silky liquid pork will take you to your happy place. Add an egg to improve your experience!
Recommended: Genryu and Tonkichi

CASH ONLY SPOT. This place is a small place and the service is excellent. The only weird thing I found is that since this is a small place the servers end up on the wall behind you while you eat at the end bar which felt like someone was watching over your shoulder.
When it comes to ramen it’s all about the broth. I ordered their Yozukoshu-​men lunch special for $ 12 since for an extra dollar you get a side. The broth on this dish is definitely PEPPERY; it’s more of a fish broth shoyu than a meat broth as well. The broth had a good spicy-​ness but like I mentioned it was not my style of broth since it was pepper based, but it was still manageable as I did finish it all. The ramen was perfectly cooked, tasty and firm. The two meats they provide are deliciously fatty, the only way to get the meat fat in the ramen which I liked. It was garnished with seaweed which enhanced the broth, as well as what looks like green onions. The side green salad was a basic ginger salad with some corn in it.
I also had ordered their pork bun and it was a moist flavorful flat grilled deliciousness. The fatty pork which were good cuts were cooked tender and not chewy. The touch of lettuce and their cream sauce made it extra tasty. And the bun was soft as well. Needless to say I ended up ordering another, although I don’t know if $ 4 for one was justifiable. I guess it’s NY prices but it balanced out since their ramen price was a very good price for NY.

Decently priced — 9.5 for a bowl of tonkotsu and then another couple dollars for the extra noodles.
The ramen here is pleasantly unoily and the noodles are perfectly firm — the only thing is… you leave hungry.
Pork bun was decent but not as tender and melt in your mouth as I have had at other restaurants. This is a small restaurant that seats maybe 20ish so hit it up now while it’s still new!
Heads up: they are still cash only right now

My boyfriend and I both agree that this is the best Japanese ramen spot we have tried in the city. Mentoku is a small restaurant that sits about 20 people. We went close to 2pm, and the place was still packed. With only two servers, we received our food fairly quickly (less than 10 minutes).
We ordered the Yuzukosho-​men, Hakata Tonkichi, and Pork Belly Bun. Both ramen had the same noodles with pork loin chashu. Since we got there later in the afternoon, they ran out of rice so we opted for extra noodles. The Yuzukosho-​men has a nice kick of spicy to it. The Hakata Tonkichi is a traditional Tonkotsu broth. It’s fairly light but milky-​the perfect balance. The pork loin chashu is thinly sliced, but adds the perfect flavoring to the broth.
The pork bun is made of the same pork loin slices as the ramen and includes diced lettuce and spicy mayo sauce. It was delicious!!! The pork loin was grilled to perfection with just the right amount of tenderness and fat. They added the right amount of spicy mayo to complement the meat.
Overall, this place is definitely worth visiting and revisiting. The lunch special is only $ 12 for ramen and a side of rice or extra noodles which will definitely fill you up.

The little restaurant that probably seats 20 is nicely decorated. Looks just like a little ramen watering hole. But the ramen itself is decent but not as richly flavored as some other places I’ve tried.
I had the spicy version of their ramen which also comes with lovely bamboo shoots. It had a kick which wasn’t too fierce and wasn’t bad overall. The piece of pork they put in there wasn’t enjoyable but for me not being a pork eater or a fan having most of the broth was an achievement. Probably thanks to the spice component.
The pork bun was pretty good.
Cash only. Many signs letting you know about that!

Cash only (for now…).
I came across this new place and saw the inside was nice so decided to have an impromptu meal.
Food: can’t beat the lunch deal ($ 12 for a ramen out of two choices and a side dish. You can upgrade your ramen by adding a dollar more). Was intrigued by the matcha ramen so we got that, and then the pork broth ramen and rice topped with fish eggs. Both did not disappoint — I will be returning here again. The fish eggs over rice looks like it’s disproportionate, but you soon realize that a tiny bit of fish eggs is very salty so you will down the rice with it. (Dieters beware) the matcha ramen was very clean and light, and the broth was easy to slurp on because it wasn’t so heavy.
Service: they speak in Japanese to you except when you order. They were fast about refilling the water, and food came out very fast too. I think we waited less than 10 minutes to get our food.
Payment options: as always, my inclination is to steer clear of places that are cash only, but this place (to be honest, the matcha ramen) was intriguing enough that I scraped the bottom of my bag to find all the cash I had before walking in. I do think they will have to start accepting credit card soon enough, this ain’t china town.
Overall a great new ramen option in Hell’s Kitchen. Yay!

Opened recently in New York City, this sleek new shop is not afraid to open in the same area as the city’s biggest ramen branch, Ippudo (Westside). You could easily missed Mentoku since there are so many other restaurants along the block. It’s located by between 50^th Street and 51^st Street on 9^th Ave.
I went in for a weekday lunch to try their lunch special (choice of ramen + choice of simple donburi rice OR salad on the side). The shop offers mainly Hakata-​style ramen, which is basically ramen in pork bone broth. But I went in to try something you normally wouldn’t see at a ramen restaurant: Match Green Tea Ramen.
Their Matcha Ramen is a vegetarian dish featuring a broth based off green tea powder and soy milk. This clear broth ramen is a light ramen compared to the usual porky ramen you’d have in the city. Honestly I could barely taste any matcha (I guess that’s a good thing!) in the soup — but the soup is delicious for a light ramen.
In general this place is pretty nice for first timers. Staff is warm and friendly despite customer problems. I will definitely return to try their Hakata ramen. CASH ONLY
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Tried their Matcha Ramen and it tasted nothing like ramen — just scallions and oil. The buns (both chicken and pork) are skimpy with meat, and I wouldn’t recommend these either.
The service was slow as well; I had to flag down the waitress just for chopsticks.

Mmmmm! So good! I tried the Hakata Tonkichi ramen. I sat at the bar and was served incredibly quickly. The aroma of pork enveloped me as soon as the bowl was place in front of me. The noodles were perfectly cooked with just the right chewy texture. The broth was so flavorful and creamy, with a similar consistency to miso ramen but porky! I think I must be a fan of southern style ramen as I like a thicker broth.
You can get free extra noodles or rice with the lunch special ($ 12) which did sound like a good deal but I knew I would get full without more carbs (and I was right) so I just had side salad. Interestingly, it was just lettuce, carrots and corn, but the dressing was tasty.
At 12:30 on a Friday the place was not empty but not full either. As long as Mentoku maintains non-​Ippudo waits, I think it might be my new go-​to ramen lunch spot near work.

Mentoku Ramen
NY Manahattan Hells Kitchen
10pm Wednesday 2^nd December 2915
Five Stars
This place was completely empty… I was actually the only person in this 24 person restaurant. There are 16 seats for table service and 8 person high top bar. I sat at the bar as to not be a complete weirdo. I ordered the yuzukosho ramen ($ 14) with Kae Dama (extra noodles $ 2). The food was expertly prepared and came out very quickly. The bowl was more shallow than normal but held the right ratio of ingredients. The broth was salty and packed with umami flavor. There was sufficient fattiness and soup oil. The noodles were thin and cooked al dente with slight more bite. The 2 pieces of tender chasu pork had a medium cut and was an overall nice addition to the dish’s flavor. The pickled vegetables were what set this bowl of noodles apart from other ramen dishes. There had a tangy citrus flavor with an herbaceous quality. They also surround the bowl with nori which added texture and counterpoint to the noodles. The extra noodles is a great deal for the extra two bucks.
The service was good since there were two of them and only one of me. However, it was weird being watched so closely while I ate my late-​ish Night drunken meal.
Cash Only.

Ramen in NYC’s cold weather = a dream come true. So many of my friends rave about the popular spots like Ippudo or Totto, but it’s really about these new smaller spots that people need to look out for.
Once we go in we were greeted immediately! Irassyaimase! This place is tiny. Can fit maybe 15 – 20? We came during lunch and since this place is new there wasn’t a line. Ramen was only $ 12 for their lunch special and you get a side of rice with fish roe, veggie toe or extra noodles — you seriously can’t beat that!
I got the Yuzukosho-​Men. It had a spicy broth with bamboo shoots, pork loin chashu, spicy pickles Japanese greens, scallions and they added seaweed paper around the bowl. I added a soft boiled egg as well. This seriously hit the spot. The broth was warm and delicious. Towards the end it did get a little salty, but nonetheless a great bowl of ramen!
Highly recommend this joint.

Had to try this ramen place that decided to open just around the corner from two of the hottest ramen restaurants on this island — could it compete?!
According to the lone article about this restaurant, this is southern Japan style tonkatsu ramen. Just putting this out there but I haven’t researched what element this actually affects.
The broth was great– silky and thick, like a tonkatsu should be. The touch of menma and scallions complemented the birth nicely but did not overwhelm the flavor.
I love this type of noodle — thin (like halfway between spaghetti and angel hair). It was perfectly al dents with the exact amount of crunch.
The pork charsiu — hmm this could leave a meat lover wanting. It was only one piece, thinly sliced and grilled in one of those George Forman type of contraptions. I did like the flavoring, though just a tad salty. Lately, I haven’t been finishing my charsius, so having only one slice didn’t bother me. Now that I think of it, I don’t think they called the pork charsiu, which may explain the flavoring and cooking method…
My only peeve with this spot — the «soft boiled egg» was a hard boiled egg! Completely hard boiled like I do at home when I forget how long my egg’s been rolling in the water. So unfortunate because I depend on my ramen restaurants to be pros at soft-​boiling eggs. Furthermore, the egg was an extra $ 2.
All in all, not to bad for a $ 16 ramen — just barely under par with the area ramens. It’s nice to know there’s a third one I can add into my rotation that offers a different style. Just get that egg right!