Ochado

I was really craving ramen one night while heading towards the LES & thank goodness for Unilocal for saving the day! Up popped «Ochado» and after checking out the menu, my tastebuds were surely screaming, «Yes! This is the place!» And my friends, my friend and I were not disappointed.
There is limited seating here but luckily we were able to grab a table quick since we were having an early dinner. Good thing because I was really famished. We sat down within a few minutes & the waitress promptly gave us our menus and water.
We ordered the sliders to start and my friend & I each ordered our own bowl of ramen.
— The meat in the sliders was juicy & plump w/​flavor. The sliders did get a little messy because of the sauce but that just means a guarantee for full flavor in every bite. And that bun though, yeah that melted in my mouth…
— I will admit that I am a ramen lover & truth be told, their ramen is on point. The ramen noodles were fresh & crisp yet they were thick & delicious from soaking up the broth. That’s how ramen should be (ramen shops, please take note!). I ordered the prawn me ramen & I loved the bold flavor of the soup base. The heavy notes of seafood flavor was a perfect match to my ramen noodles & great for such a brisk day in NYC. The seasoned soft egg topped it off — a beautiful half boiled egg that had a yolk which literally melted in my mouth. So. Damn. Good!
Ochado was so good that I ended coming back here within a month. My new staple in the LES. Yum!

Hung over and badly in need of some hot, comforting sustenance, I was shocked to find that Ochado was open with no wait on a Sunday at brunch time. In fact, the place was completely empty. That worried me a bit but turns out I had nothing to be scared of as their ramen was super tasty.
I had the miso ramen ($ 11.50), my usual ramen order. The broth wasn’t as ridiculously rich and fatty as other ramen places I love, but honestly in my semi-​nauseous state I actually wanted a slightly brothier broth. I also liked that they offered things beyond ramen — next time I’d love to try the kobe beef meatball bun with gochujang aioli and the Japanese chicken fried rice. Actually, there are a ton of enticing options on the menu.
Though there isn’t as much hype around Ochado as some other nearby ramen joints, it’s a totally yummy option and a great LES go-​to!

The ramen is good, the service is good.
The noodles are firm, but still chewy, and the broth his tasty (average price is $ 12 per bowl).
Ochado has a nice feeling inside its small, warmly lit space.
It’s good overall, but not super great. A decent option if you’re in the neighborhood.

Came here with a friend after work. The place is relatively new, only open for about 6+ months as of this writing. I like the arrangement of the place. Nice bar setup in the front with lots of hooks for bags and jackets, love that!
There is a sit down area in the back as well. But we stated at the bar area.
Friend and I ordered the kobe beef appetizer and ramen. I got the spicy shio ramen. My friend ordered the miso ramen.
The kobe beef was very good, had very good flavor, enjoyed the mayo sauce for it. Definitely could have gotten another order of that.
The ramen is pretty satisfying but definitely not on par with places like Totto Ramen, Ramen Ya, etc. Wish they gave more meat as well. The broth was a little bit spicy but could have been a bit thicker and saltier.
Met the manager there Carmen and she was a great host. Definitely makes a very welcoming place.
Would definitely return here if in the area and have a craving.
Although the place is both a ramen place and a tapas place, we didn’t try any of the tapas dishes this time around.
Will need to try some of those next time.

I stopped by during midweek lunch time. The place was empty, we were the only table so we were able to sit anywhere. the place is pretty small. There are about 6 tables in the back and a long noodle bar that you can sit at. The staff were really nice and brought us lots of water. When I told him that it was warm inside he turned off the heat and opened the door which was nice.
onto the food, for starters we had the appetizer pork chasu buns. They were tasty. Then I had the Shiyo Ramen which is a thicker creamier pork broth. While the broth was pretty delicious, the ramen noodles didn’t taste that fresh.
Not sure if I’ll be back.

I like their ramen. Their noodle was just right and their broth was savory. They got their liquor license back which means they have happy hour! AND it’s so worth it if you come during happy hour which is Monday to Friday 5−7PM. Sapporo and Asahi are $ 4, buy 3 house sake and you get the 4^th one on the house, and they have happy hour appetizers that ranges from $ 3 to $ 4.
The wait staff was attentive and polite, overall I would recommend this place to my friends. Awesome vibe and place, would come back again.

I came here last Friday night with a few friends. This place is such a cute little tapas/​ramen bar. Three of us ordered ramen and my other friend ordered the baby lamb chop. The ramen was EXCELLENT — sooooo good! I don’t eat lamb so can’t comment on that but my friend seemed to like it.
They also had delicious mixed drinks and cocktails. The space was a bit tight — we were all seated in the back. However, the service was fantastic. A little pricey but what else do you expect in LES?
Overall, a cute place to share a few good laughs with friends over delicious food and drinks. I’ll return for sure!

Delicious. I don’t understand the mixed reviews. Went here with a bunch of friends this past weekend and everyone was impressed with the food.
Appetizers are great. Ramen is spot on. Five stars.

I’ve had the prawn mee, shoyu ramen, agedeshi tofu, and the green tea dessert. The ramen was very tasty, and great value for the money. Personally I like agedshi tofu in more of a broth than served on a plate, but it was still good. The green tea dessert was delicious!
Yes, there is better ramen in NY, but for $ 10 a bowl and a hot locale that isn’t a zoo, I’d definitely recommend it. I’ll be back!

I had saw that Ochado had a mixed review scenario, but looking for some ramen and a laid-​back atmosphere (something that you will not find in the more well-​established ramen joints), a roll of the dice was in order. Glad I stopped by. It was a cold Tuesday night and the streets in the Lower East side were nearly empty. We had friends visiting from LA and decided to meet here to catch up and have dinner. Good choice. We were the only table for about 20 minutes until another party came. Ochado has a minimalist wooden interior in the back for larger parties and area for pairs or solo diners to sit. In terms of the food :
I personally really enjoyed the miso ramen. Maybe I’m not a ramen connoisseur but I’ve had it enough to know what I like and what I don’t. This was a little thicker than usual but for a cold night, I loved it. It was full of flavor. The egg was missing yolk which is one of my favorite parts about it but I got over it. The pork belly bun and the kobe beef meatball bun were fantastic. Although slightly greasy, it didn’t take away much from the overall bun enjoyment factor. The eggplant appetizer and satay were good as well. The BYOB element is always welcome.

This place was perfect for a rainy day. I really like the small, cozy atmosphere. I came that day with six friends, surprisingly there was a table to fit us all.
I got the Shoyu ramen, which warmed me up. The noodles, proteins, and veggies in it were flavorful and fresh! The broth was a bit salty but it was still good!
Compared to a bunch of ramen places in NYC, Ochado has a more affordable ramen menu. Plus the servers were super nice, accommodating to whatever we needed. Definitely the place to go on a cold winter day if you’re looking for a delicious bowl of hot ramen for a good price!

Perfect LES ramen spot!
Pro: soooo yummy. Fresh ingredients. Great menu choices other than ramen. Try the kobe beef buns! Staff is super nice. The chick with her blue hair is sooo nice! The chefs are amazing. Very laid back spot.
Cons: none!
Tips: get there early, it gets packed!

Came here for lunch because Ivan ramen was packed.
We were seated at the bar and our food came quickly. The pork bun and kobe beef bun were good. However the pork bun had a lot of oil on the outside which was messy and greasy.
The ramen broth was great, I especially liked the flavor from the spicy prawn broth. Shio and spicy miso broth were okay. I didn’t like the ramen much though. I felt that the ramen were too hard, doesn’t have the bouncy texture I like from other ramen places, and the ramen were a bit too thin.
The charsiu was very fatty and had a nice char taste to it from being blow torched.
The waitress was awkwardly standing there in front of us while we were paying the bill, very weird.
I might come back here to try the blue crab fried rice but I am not impressed with their ramen, if you want good ramen, I wouldn’t recommend this spot.

I bookmarked Ochado after seeing it as an ROTD by Janice F. My friends were in town and were looking for something cozy and warm, so I suggested Ochado. I called in 2 hours ahead to make a reservation for four (yep, they take reservations) and upon entering at 8pm on a weekend, we were one of maybe two or three other parties in the restaurant.
Ochado is nicely situated in the middle of the Lower East Side and the décor most definitely matches the neighborhood. You don’t even feel like you’re in a Japanese restaurant, what with the cute lighting fixtures, exposed brick, and bookshelf in the back. There’s counter/​bar space up front and tables in the back. Kitchen is downstairs.
For starts, we ordered the kobe beef meatball buns, the standard pork buns, and an order of the crispy calamari. The kobe meatball buns were interesting — they had a hint of truffle and the meat really wasn’t juicy at all, but rather a slab of patty that wasn’t warm enough. However, the meatball buns were probably my favorite out of the three apps. The pork buns, as I said, were quite standard, and nothing really stood out for me there to even remember, 2 days later. The calamari was supposedly «sesame encrusted» but we saw no sign of sesame. What tasted like a Sriracha-​based sauce was a good accompaniment to the tiny, heavily-​battered links of squid. You get what seems like a large bowl of calamari, only to find out that ²⁄₃ of it is filled with iceberg lettuce…
They have no tonkotsu ramen or any choice of spicy ramen except for spicy miso. I prefer tonkotsu and spicy ramens, but hate miso ramen (gasp!), so I went with the shoyu. The noodles were of excellent texture and the soft-​boiled egg (you only get half of an egg) was probably the best part. You get a decent amount of char siu here that has a good balance of meat and fat. However, the soup was far too salty for my taste, even though it’s expected for ramen.
We all enjoyed our meal to an extent, but everyone mentioned just feeling full and not completely satisfied.

Great décor and easy to find in LES. Staff are nice but the food is subpar which could be attributed to the fact that we walked in 15 minutes before their lunch break. Pork was softer than tofu and tasteless similar to the watered down green tea given to us. Another oddly mushy item was the pork belly bun. Despite its delicious appearance, the bun was soggy and the pork a bit overcharred for my taste. Miso ramen contained too much miso paste but the shio ramen was on point. Calamari with sesame was delicious as well and I highly recommend ordering that. As for the pineapple coconut chicken rice dish, don’t bother. Another oddly made dish that tasted nothing like pineapple or coconut and seemed to be reheated from the microwave. It’s consistency was off and didn’t taste much like anything. Just stick to the calamari folks. I would love to give it another try during peak hours though!

What perfect place to have a nice hot ramen soup on a cold night. My friends and I stumbled upon this place after walking around and from the outside it looked interesting. The inside has a very modern and traditional feel. Seats were comfortable and servers were very accommodating. The food was delicious especially for the price, although wished they gave you just a tad bit more. While sitting down and eating, we had a collection of Japanese books to rummage through and thought this was an awesome addition. One complaint is the lack of alcohol (beer), but that’s okay!
Highly recommended!

I heard this place from my niece, this place has a nice cozy space.
Love the Ramen also the chicken wings and the fish.

It’s not too noticeable at first, but this is absolutely the place for ramen on a cold night. It is not expensive at all ($ 10-​$ 12 for a bowl of ramen is standard and absolutely filling). The staff is also so nice and tries the best to meet everyone’s needs. We had the miso ramen — which was decorated beautifully and made so quickly. Also, be sure to ask for complimentary green tea. Goes down so well with ramen.
Just note — this place is fairly small (but it includes a bar set up in the front for single seaters so it’s great if you’re coming alone), so it’s not the best place for groups, but they will always try to accommodate. They are also fairly new, so when we arrived they had run out of menus, but it wasn’t much of an issue because they still had 2 left for 3 people. I really like it here and I would totally come again.

I’m with Michelle on this. The people here are fantastic. They’re good people, they engage in conversation with you, they’re FUN.
But if we’re about the food, and Unilocal,I’ve probably lost friends to you because I take my status of a Unilocaler pretty seriously, it is a 2 – 2.5. I’ve said this in other reviews of ramen, I’m not a huge fan of ramen. Does this mean I don’t know what I’m talking about? Hells no. It means the ramen needs to be damn good and hit the right spots (certain types of noodles, layers and layers and layers of flavor in the broth) for me to even just «like» it. I’ve only loved one ramen place in Tokyo, and one in LA, any others has been terrible to «it’s pretty good».
So here we are at Ochado. Fantastic people, mediocre ramen (I saw the noodles come in mediocre plastic baggies per serving, red flag there).
ALTHOUGH. I will say. Both times I been there (because it was that good that I went back again for seconds), the fish appetizer that comes with rice is delicious. Also, I’m with Anthony Bourdain on the whole truffle oil issue, so that bun with truffle oil was good until the truffle oil.
I would go if you’re in the neighborhood, a little hungry, and want great company. Would not recommend if you’re craving ramen.

I’m a little upset at the review I’m about to give this place, as they took excellent care of us, but sometimes, service can’t save everything. This place is definitely a 2.5 when it comes to the ramen, but I’m rounding up because the service was outstanding. We came in with a large group and in their defense, they just opened a few weeks ago and might not have mastered the group of 15 people… Regardless, we all ordered our food and appetizers and the fun began…
We were separated into two tables, but both were right next to each other. The first batch of ramen and apps came out extremely fast and half of the first table all had their food, while the other half and the second table were still waiting. Some of us in the second table got the ramen and then the apps, while the other half got just the apps and the remaining bunch just waited… and waited… and waited… the ramen was so scattered when they were delivered. Some people waited all of ten minutes, while others waited close to or over an hour. There were people seated at the bars and other tables who came in after us and they all had their food while some of us were waiting for what felt like forever.
When the food finally did come out, it was such a disappointment. We had the kobe beef and pork belly buns and they were good, but not amazing. When our bowls of Modern Ramen finally came, it was probably the biggest disappointment and upset that could have been placed in front of us. While it had the most toppings out of all the other ramen’s on the menu, the bowl was small and the toppings barely covered part of the bowl. There were about two bites of each and the char siu was tiny! The broth was tasteless and I couldn’t add enough spicy powder to give it some kind of life.
The verdict: I’m not coming back here. The place is super cute and I loved the environment, but the food was bad… real bad. I love ramen and really wished this would be an amazing ramen place in the area. The service was outstanding and that alone really got them a ton of brownie points, but that tasteless bowl of soup and noodles with no toppings to round out the meal, very upsetting…