Naruto Ramen

It’s a tiny place.
Tiny. And they only offer bar stool seating along the length of the restaurant, facing the kitchen, which is always fun to watch.
I would not recommend going to Naruto Ramen with more than one other person, for conversation sake. And, it might be a wait to get seats.
They have a good menu that varies from ramen, curry, to katsu don.
They also have tako wasabi– raw octopus, tossed in wasabi. It’s a great side to have with a nice, cold beer.
We got their chicken curry (not the Kara Age) and Miso Ramen.
Both were good.
The chicken curry was slightly breaded, not deep fried like it would have been if we got the Kara Age chicken curry.
The ramen was made to order, which is a huge plus.
The employees are not Japanese.
The kitchen staff is mostly Latino. And the waitresses are non-​Japanese Asians. Or in the very least, look Asian.

Solid ramen joint. It’s nice to have a ramen shop in this area serving up decent ramen, however would not go out of my way. Better ramen places in the city, but again Yorkville is lacking in ramen joints so this place is a winner for this part of town. ;-) The Naruto ramen (shoyu) is my go to, basic and tasty. Also enjoy the miso ramen. Very small tight space, basically a counter. Had delivery a few times over the years since they opened and suggest eating in the restaurant. doesn’t deliver well… Cheap lunch set. Good place to satisfy your ramen fix when you’re up in Yorkville and don’t feel like traveling below 86^th St… ;-)

Amazing ramen place — definite go to if you are a ramen fan. Would 100% go back again.
I went around 4pm on a Saturday and had to wait 15 minutes which seemed reasonable. There were other parties waiting before me and motioned for me to go inside and sign a «waiting list» to be seated. The wait went by really fast as they have a quick turnover. The place is very small but I like the idea of everyone eating at the «bar» and looking at where the food is being made.

I really like this place (when you can actually get a seat). It seems to always be crowded– very small place, but if you come at the right time and can walk in and sit down, it’s perfect. They only take cash which I always forget, but it’s fast, fresh and good. The gyoza and fried rice are pretty tasty too– will def continue to visit when I have the craving.

Naruto Ramen is a very small restaurant that holds about 14 people, but that shouldn’t stop you from going. All the seats are placed around the kitchen area, so you can actually see everyone making your food, which is really exciting and worth going for that alone. However, their ramen is pretty damn good. The noodles are firm and the broth is salty and flavorful. The pork in the Naruto Ramen was so tender and unexplainably flavorful. The Tako Yaki which is basically octopus covered in a wheat-​flour based batter, deep fried and drizzled with mayonnaise, a brown sauce and shavings of dried fish. I’ve only had it one other place, and this place does it right! It’s a little more on the exotic side, but should be tried at least once. So yes, I would come here again.

‘How long is the wait?’
‘I have no idea.‘
And then walked away.
Very good job. That’s how you lose business.

My friend and I are eating in the best place for ramen.
Anyone who visit New York must come here! I love eating here.

We came on a Friday night and even at 9pm, it was VERY crowded. The restaurant itself is tiny, and seats about 12 – 16 people all at a bar facing the kitchen. They don’t take reservations.
If you come at a busy time, be prepared to wait outside in their little makeshift entrance way, sheltered from the wind, at least! Even if they say «15 – 20 minutes» it will end up being more like 30 – 45 minutes. Prepare yourself for that!
We tried the naruto ramen, and the spicy ramen. Both were delicious and generously sized, even for girls who were starving (we ended up taking some home).
The restaurant itself is cute, with hooks on the walls for your coats in the winter. THEY ONLY TAKE CASH!

Maybe I am spoiled by Momofuku and Ippudo but I simply don’t get the hype of this place. I liked watching them skillfully cook my food at the open kitchen, and I liked that the kitchen was very very clean, but that is where my positive experience ended.
This is ramen as fast food (which would be great if that is what you came here for), but I was expecting something better than canned corn in my ramen (it actually was canned corn). The noodles were very thick and not that tasty. The pork was ok, but the cheap fatty piece. Really it just wasn’t that good. This may have been the worst ramen I ever had dining out in the city.
I also tried the pork buns. They were better than my ramen, but used the same cheap pork, the redeeming factor was the sauce on them. Then again if I want a good pork bun i’m lucky enough to live three blocks from Ippudo and Momofuku which both have pork buns that are 1 million times better.
I wouldn’t come here again.

Naruto Ramen is a no frills ramen bar just the way it should be. Its a perfect lil stop on the UES for a warm bowl of ramen. It’s a tiny little hole in the wall and I actually walked by it my first time looking for it. Everyone has their favorite ramen bar but this is perfect when you just want to come in and knosh.
I went there around 4pm on a Sunday and still waited about 20 minutes to be seated. Definitely worth the wait but just know you will be outside waiting to get into this place. The place is warm and cozy and the bar is right in front of the kitchen. If you’re in the neighborhood and you want ramen this is the place to go too, hands down.
Nothing special just awesome chewy soupy goodness. Also because there’s always a wait eat your food and gtfo!

One word only: yummy!
All the ramens are succulent, and we love the appetizers such as the sea weed salad or the pork buns.
Just have to know the place is cash only and that you must put your name down on the paper sheet on the wall to get a table.
It can get pretty crowded, but that’s usually what happen when a place serves good food!

What a surprise !!! The ramen place tuning by Indian. When I walked in to the restaurant I kinda shock by all the server and cook were Indian not a Japanese like it used to be.
We decided to give them a short by it not worth it. All the quality has gone. Taste were different.
Now this place is a fake ramen place to me. Time to looking for others ramen place.

Tasty, but go at off hours or you’ll wait.
I like the tan tan ramen. The broth is very tasty and the minced pork is easier to eat than the big pork piece that comes in some other Ramen.
The gyoza are great, glad they started having veggie ones now in addition to meat ones.
The fried rice and fried chicken are surprisingly awesome! Be aware that if you get the chicken it will be dark meat. My wife only likes white meat and was sad.
Service can range from quick and efficient to who died and forgot to put in my order.
This place is really like a Tokyo ramen joint, I enjoy the fun jpop they play.

Nothing like craving Ramen when it’s 90 degrees outside.
Having recently moved from the East Village (aka Ramen Central) to the Upper East Side, I’d been desperately searching for a replacement for my beloved Ramen Misoya. Having tried several places 42^nd street and above I was nearly resigned to having to travel the 60 blocks downtown every time I needed a ramen fix.
Then Naruto Ramen appeared, like an oasis in the desert. Vegetarian ramen, without bizarre vegetables, with loads of flavor?! For the low low price of sitting elbow to elbow with strangers at the bar seating? Totally worth it. Vegetarian broth that is this flavorful, and full is a rarity. Vegetarian ramen eaters — drop what you’re doing right now and get yourself over to Naruto Ramen. You won’t regret it.
Not super expensive, especially given the deliciousness of the noodles and broth. The portions are huge, so huge that I took my leftovers home and had a borderline second dinner.

My friends and i were super hungry around the area and didn’t want to go too far. We were told the wait will be around 10 minutes when it was more like 20. You basically just write your name down on a list and then wait for your name to be called. The restaurant itself is super small only about 15 seats. They take your order and quickly bring you your food.
I got the naruto ramen and it was okay the noodles were chewy. They add a lot of bean sprouts though like almost the same amount as noodles. The pork was tender.
My friend got the pork buns and he thought it was okay not that great.

Lieber Gott. War hier zum ersten Mal nach fast einem Jahr in der Stadt gelebt zu haben.
Essen: niedrige Qualität, sehr durchschnittlich. Zwar billig, aber aus gutem Grund…
Bedienung: freundlich, aber ZU freundlich. Ich bin nicht hier gekommen, eine Unterhaltung zu haben oder eine neue Freundin zu machen. Ich hatte ein riesiges Buch und die Kellnerin hat einfach nicht aufgehört zu versuchen, mit mir zu quatschen. Darauf hatte ich einfach keinen Bock, und tatsächlich war es auch nicht professionell — wenn man Kellner ist, ist es nicht mans Job, mit jedem Kunden befreundet zu werden.
Atmosphäre: komisch. Alle die hier arbeiten kommen nicht aus Japan (die Kellnerin war Nepalesin) aber tun, als wären sie Japaner (zB was man in jedem japanischen Restaurant macht, wobei man Blödsinn schreiet, jedes Mal ein neuer Kunde eintretet). Mir gefällt das überhaupt nicht. Sei einfach was Sie sind.
Danke, nein. Hundertmal nein.

This was my first experience at a ramen shop. As someone who has eaten all types of ramen growing up, I thought I had tasted them all. I guess that’ll explain why it took me so many years to finally try out these types of places. Glad I followed my friend into Naruto.
I tried the hiyashi chu-​ka which comprises of chicken, tomato, bamboo shoots, kikurage, egg, corn and choice of homemade citrus or sesame sauce. I opted for the latter. It’s a cold dish, mind you. And it’s not soupy. Not exactly the type of ramen I grew up with. But I loved it. Next time I’ll try a more classical hot soupy ramen. I’m sure I’ll love it too.

So glad I found an awesome ramen spot a little closer to where I am than all my normal East Village options. There’s only space for about 15 people, you’ll bump into your neighbor’s elbow and spill a bit of ramen broth on his napkin, and like me, you’ll have to twist into a few yoga poses to wriggle out of your stool without hitting anyone, but this place is so worth it. Naruto combines fat-​laden broth with thick chewy noodles and the best half-​boiled soy egg that has come my way. Now add gyoza and takoyaki. Doesn’t get much better.
Okay, I guess a few things could be slightly improved upon:
(1) Cash only.
(2) If you order your own bowl of ramen + 2 appetizers for dinner, you will walk around with a five-​month-​preggo belly for the next day and a half and feel like dying whenever you sit down in anything other than stretchy pants.
(3) Inevitable wait times unless you decide to go the grandpa route and eat dinner at 5.

The good: The price
++$ 12 Lunch specials– choose your ramen + a side (fried rice, gyoza, chicken curry, or a chicken bowl). Had their fried rice (standard Japanese cha-​han) and gyoza.
++Your ramen will automatically include a half egg. Hearty portions.
++Pork slices are a good balance of fat and meat, juicy and flavorful. The best part.
++The traditional ramen bar set up. No frills, quick and go. Great if you want to experience a piece of Japan.
The bad:
–Cash only. Surprise… not.
–Their broth is sweet for their miso ramen. Not thick, rich, or flavorful which is characteristic of good miso broth. Unfortunately their broth was the deal breaker for me.
Came here so we could walk to Serendipity 3 for sweets. Not enough of a stand out factor to visit again, but they offer a great lunch set deal for those in the area.

Naruto Ramen
NY Manhattan UES
12pm Tuesday 24^th February 2015
Four Stars
After visiting the Guggenheim, I went to this 15 seat ramen bar. The place was pretty packed as soon as it was open but I got a seat right away. I ordered the lunch special $ 13 with the Naruto Ramen + Gyoza. The Gyoza was freshly made on a grill/​steamer. The wrapper was thin, soft on top but nicely seared on bottom. The filling had the perfect meat to herb ratio. The ramen had a soy based broth. The thick egg noodles were cooked Al dente. The braised bbq meat added a great deal of flavor. The soft egg had the right consistency. The scallions, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, nori, and single piece of naruto complemented the dish. The service was very good. They made sure my water glass was full and got my check in a timely manner. The food preparation is fun to watch because made directly in front of you. There is a bathroom in the back of the kitchen, just in case you are wondering.
Overall a quick in and out lunch for under $ 15. (Cash Only).

When the ramen cravings get real…
It was a rainy Sunday, so I decided to stay in for the day. After my Saturday night at Momofuku Noodle Bar, I could’t seem to get ramen out of my mind. I decided to hop on Unilocal and search for the nearest ramen spot. Ah-​ha! Naruto Ramen, Upper East Side. I’ve been here once — but this was back in high school, when ramen wasn’t my thing. I wasn’t too sure if I should give it another chance, but after a couple of hours of debating with myself, I finally decided to order take-​out. To make the process easier I called in advance for pick up. Total travel time coming and going: 30 minutes. Thank goodness I made it just in time for my Sunday night shows!
My sister and I enjoyed our food. I was afraid it wouldn’t be as tasty because it was take out, but it was fine. My only issue would have to be the egg. I ordered the Naruto Ramen and she ordered the Curry Ramen (by the way, I’m not really into curry, but her ramen was pretty good).
3.5 stars.