Nishida Sho-ten

I’ve been here a couple of times now and although I like the small ramen shop vibe and find the prices to be quite reasonable for a big bowl of ramen, I find the food to be good but a bit more on the unmemorable side.
I got the tan tan noodles this time around as the the spicy chili oil drew me in. The noodles were plentiful, wavy and al dente which was nice. The soup was slightly on the thicker side which I appreciated as well. Although it looked to have plenty of flavor, I found it be just okay, maybe a bit oily. It could have been from the chili oil but unfortunately the chili didn’t contribute any spice to it so nothing was enhanced. The quality was fine, I guess I was just hoping for something with alittle more punch.
Overall good vibe with sufficient service. The food was plentiful and average at reasonable prices.

Cozy spot for a nice ramen meal. Always crowded for lunch time. Ramen is excellent. Service is prompt and courteous.

There was a very short wait for a lunch on Friday, about 7 minutes. This place was very tiny but cozy. Three of us sat at the bar. The service was super fast. We got the dumplings about 2 minutes and ramen in 5 minutes. Dumplings were good but I felt it had too much white pepper, which was not necessary. The black Kakuni ramen was pretty good as well except the broth was very salty. The ramen was topped with chunks of very tender pork belly, nicely cooked half egg and some veggies. I would go back again and try other flavors.

This Ramen place is the BOMB!
Not only is their Tan Tan Men really yummy but their appetizers are equally delicious.
I have tried about half a dozen ramen places in the city and this is by far the best!
The appetizers that I had were: BBQ Short ribs, pork buns, grilled octopus and the Asian sausages
I would definitely come back again next time and reorder the Tan Tan ramen. it is the best type of spicy and the broth is extremely flavorful.

This place was great. Just what we needed the day after the blizzard: place snug & cozy, food: warm & hearty. We were famished so ordered
–Takoyaki: super well seasoned
–Short ribs: very tasty
–chicken ramen: maybe a touch to salty (in my opinion) and chicken and egg were cold but nothing a dunk in the cold broth couldn’t cure
Anyway…the price can’t be beat so we happily sloshed to MOMA.

Very Japanese ramen and the price is very reasonable.
My friend and I have ordered the white kakuni ramen and tantan ramen. Tantan wasn’t too spicy, we both enjoy the lunch there.

4.5 stars! My friend and I came here on the Sunday after the snowpocalypse. We walked in at 2PM and there was no wait. Perhaps it was the snow that delayed the normal sunday rush. Upon entering, we were promptly seated at a table by the entrance next to a huge coat rack. We were able to leave our coats/​jackets there as most people do, but there are also additional hangers on the other side of the wall. Sitting by the entrance wasn’t such a good idea since every single time the door opens, we felt a gush of wind rushing in and that definitely diminished the dining experience. Overall, the place was cozy and had about ~28 seats with ~8 at the bar. I would not recommend a party bigger than 4 to come as there would be little way to accommodate the size. The restroom is neatly tucked in the back next to the kitchen. I was extremely surprised by the size and cleanliness of the restroom (can comfortably fit 2 people!).
My friend and I got the black kakuni ($ 11), Original Kim-​Chee Sauce Over Sliced Pork ($ 7), and a pot of green tea ($ 2.5 for a pot). The appetizer was alright, nothing special about it as the sliced pork (more like fatty pork piece you put into hot pot) was just boiled and the kim chee sauce was average too. The tea was very cute and they refill it with water after you are finished. The main dish was the ramen and when it came on, I was very pleasantly surprised. It was a little on the greasy side but the broth was just perfect. It was not too salty for my taste (I consider Ramen Misoya and Hide chan’s spicy garlic to be on the saltier side). The wavy ramen I got was good and chewy, although not perfect. The pork was also very fatty and not your typical char shiu. They were actually large chunks of meat (3x). There weren’t that many veggies in the bowl (as many people have pointed out). Tip: after 11PM, you get one serving of free noodles. I appreciate the quality of ramen here, but I am even more pleased by the fact there they have an extensive list of appetizers and other entrees (rice dishes and okonomiyaki and other grilled appetizers). Overall, I liked the ramen and for the price, it was definitely worth it.

Black Kakuni over Tan Tan Men for sure!
Perfect late night ramen joint. Definitely hit the spot after a winter night of partying.

This place really is just like Terakawa! I had the tan tan men which pretty much tasted the same. The black kakuni was alright, I prefer my spicier broth! And yes, you can choose between straight or wavy noodles.
This place is pretty cramped and seats about 20 people, so those who are waiting in line just kind of stand in the middle of the restaurant, blocking all the foot traffic that’s going on, haha. We just waited for about ten minutes on a Sunday afternoon, so it wasn’t bad! Oh, and I liked how there were coat hooks everywhere, as well as a rack to hang up your jackets!

Delicious and affordable ramen shop in midtown. I had the tantan ramen which was a perfect amount of spice to get the flavor without being overwhelming. The place is small and we had to wait for a spot on a Wednesday evening. I can only imagine what it would look like on a Friday night.

We stop by this place randomly. We were looking for a sushi restaurant but the nice smell and atmosphere inside made me and my friend think that could be better this one. We weren’t wrong…
The place is really small. It seems to be a usual thing for Ramen restaurants in NYC. We had to wait for 25′ before getting into, but it deserved. The ramen was really good. We ate at the bar, and this created even more landscape. I don’t really remember which ramen I chose, however if you are around the Rockefeller center and you want something hot and tasteful this is your place!

Not a bad lunch place if you’re craving ramen. But personally, it’s not up to my ramen standards therefore I don’t see myself returning unless it’s my BFF’s favorite place in the world and she wants to celebrate her bday here (in that case she shall no longer be my BFF).
GOOD:
–Price is very reasonable at $ 10 – 12 for a bowl.
–Very quick service
–Complimentary small romaine lettuce salad with ginger dressing
–Good lunch specials: for an extra $ 3, you could add pork bowl, curry chicken and rice, or gyoza to your ramen!
BAD:
–Ramen is average. It’s not bad, but it’s certain not the best. The broth department is lacking in depth of flavor. It’s just missing some umami ingredient that my favorite ramen spots happen have in their soups.
–Small place, but at least seems okay clean
–The lady was so incredibly rude on the phone when I asked how long the wait was for 2 people. She hurriedly said to sign in on the sheet and wait for my name to be called. And then she hung up! I understand you’re busy but bad phone communication is a huge red flag for the quality of a restaurant.
I also can’t decide if I like the main waitress or not. She seems mean and rude but then she seems really nice. I guess she’s just busy, so don’t take it personally.
Either way — IF the ramen was worth it (which it’s not), I’ll still come back even if she spits in my face.

Good stuff here, except that they only take credit card for 20 dollars and above. But it is much cheaper compared with totto or hide-​Chan.
We ordered the chicken ramen and their signature pork ramen, with chicken ramen being wavy noodle and pork one being straight. I wish we could choose the type of noodle as I’m not a huge fan of wavy noodle (reminded me of instant noodle cooked at home). Our waitress was extremely helpful and always checking on us.
Overall I liked this place and plan to return.

Les nouilles sont bonnes mais manqué un peu plus de viande… Accueil chaleureux. Ambiance japonaise garantie… Large choix de Sake!

3.5 stars
Came here a few days ago with my family friend for dinner at around 5ish. The place wasn’t packed at all and we were the first people there. It’s a small ramen restaurant and I wouldn’t recommend coming here with a huge crowd. A group of 4 people should be enough.
So my friend and I both got the Black Kakuni Ramen. There’s bok choy, scallions, minced onions, pork, and half boiled egg. I had the straight noodle and my friend got the wavy noodle. Overall, I though the ramen was OK and it was forgettable. Personally, I thought the soup was kinda salty. At least the service here was good.

3.5 stars but I’ll let it show up as 4 because of efficient service and minimal wait time.
You can come here hangry: their ramen bowls are definitely bigger than average and the broth is very heavy. I ordered the Black Kakuni. The first few bites, I was mindblown: the richness of the broth, the finely thin noodles springy and savory with all the flavors, and the fatty meat all together and hit my hungry stomach in the most satisfying way. Unfortunately though, this amazing first impression did not last throughout the course of the meal. Don’t get me wrong: this was a solid bowl of ramen. However, it can’t compete with the Totto’s and Ramen-Ya’s and Ippudo’s of the ramen world. The broth, while rich and tasty, gets very overwhelmingly salty after a while. I also thought there could have been more toppings included (you can add your own for some additional $). Overall pretty good though and kudos for being very cheap: around $ 10 – 12 for just a regular bowl of ramen.

Definitely my favorite ramen place amongst the myriad of ramen shops populating this area. The broth is so hearty and flavorful, perfect on a brisk autumn or winter day. I tried the tan tan, black kakuni and white kakuni ramens and I love them all!
Watch out for the front woman (who my friends and I like to call mama-​San)! She is 100% flame on!

If this wasn’t a find, I don’t know what is. I am fairly knowledgeable with Japanese food in NY and I was very surprised I never heard of this place. I have been to Japan a few times and this place felt very Japanese. The layout was very straightforward and the number of Japanese clientele and Japanese businessmen was a very promising sign, as was the constant stream of people. The place is on the small side as it only has a small bar and 3 smaller tables, it seats around 18 but that 4am closing time is a huge draw. Hungover ramen anyone? Helll f’in yeah!
The food:
Black Kakuni Ramen– Ma-​yu oil, pork, egg, onion, dry seaweed, scallion, bok-​choy in chicken & pork broth. The ramen had so much flavor, the broth was so perfectly amazing, I also like the pronounced garlic flavor throughout. The soft boiled egg was great, the wavy noodle was a good noodle since it clings to the broth well and I like the chewy texture, the char siu was pretty good and fatty. The only issue I had was it does tend to get salty toward the end of the bowl and the broth is kinda greasy and that greasy feeling kinda sticks with you when you leave. If you wanted extra noodle it is only $ 1.50, but after 11pm you get one order for free. On my next visit, I will try the White Kakuni Ramen.
Japanese Pancake– Also known as Okonomiyaki was too mushy. The flavor was just OK, we originally wanted gyoza but they ran out, this dish is worth skipping.

Another ramen shop in the books.
BBQ short ribs — Lots of flavor and not bad. $ 7 for 8 pieces.
Kakuni Black Ramen — I expected more. While it has tons of flavor, my taste buds are asking if it’s the right ones. Incredibly oily. As much as I want to slurp up the savory broth, it’s just far too oily for me to do so. Pork was incredibly tender though.
Decent but not that good.

Where do i begin… I absolutely love this place! There are so many ramen joints in the city nowadays that its starting to feel jaded… I have been to those famous ones with hours of wait and most of the time i was not impress. I came to nishida today and was quickly seated. Servers are friendly and attentive and their ambience here really reminds me of a tokyo ramen joint and the ramen museum in yokohama.
They have these individual size sake cups here and a wide selection of appetizers. We got the tonkotsu omelette which taste really homemade, the cod roe on top added extra spice to it. i ordered the white kakuni ramen which came with pork, egg and bok choi. My hubby’s miso ramen came with the same toppings plus corn. Nowadays most of the ramen joint charges you $ 12 a bowl and you pay extra for toppings which is a bit crazy for me, the fact that nishida’s ramen comes with toppings made me love this place even more. The broth is very flavorful with a nice bone flavor but not too rich or greasy, the noodles is cooked perfectly as well.
I can confidently say that nishida sho ten is my favorite joint in the city right now, I will definitely be back!!!

Some of the best ramen I have had to date. And I eat a lot of ramen.
What I like best about Nishida is that their menu isn’t the typical, tired out miso and shio ramen options you normally find, but isn’t so out there like some of the ramen spots in Brooklyn either. This place strikes the perfect balance of «interesting ramen selections you might want to try» and the classics.
I came here during lunch and even though it was pretty busy, my order was ready in less than 10 minutes. Insider tip: This place is cash only, so make sure you’ve got some bones in your wallet before coming here.