Ramen Setagaya

Why did Ramen Setagaya have to close? They were so good, no frills and amazing food.

Good? Yes.
Great? Not exactly…
I had the Shio Chasyumen Ramen.
The broth was tastey, and not too thick.
The pork was grilled and you could see the grill marks on them.
The egg was good. (They only give you one, so you might want to order another)
I’d say… for the price, it’s about right. You get what you pay for.
You pay a little more than average, and you get a little more than average.
It’s not an Ippudo or Minca, but for St. Marks, it’ll satisfy those cravings for ramen.
Perhaps worthy of 4 stars. Wish Unilocal would allow me half stars though… cus it’s really a 3 ½.

After trekking to the East Village, trying to go to Ippudo and running into a friend and her brother there, we all decided to find another ramen place nearby instead of waiting 2 hours.
I think we ordered one of everything on the menu. I wish the seaweed salad was larger but our gyoza order came with 6 pieces and the ramen was filling.
I had the spicy miso. I’ve had better and spicier miso before but this was alright, the pork was too fatty for me.
Best part about it – quick and friendly service + no wait!

Pedestrian? Is ramen not a pedestrian food? How skewed is NYC that the quintessential pedestrian food gets filtered through a David Chang or whatever and now has some stylized threshold?
My favorite ramen in the city, but I should note here that I’m not an Ippudo gal as I find it way too porky tasting.
The Setagaya broth has an intense mushroom flavor which I like and the actual ramen has the perfect texture. I’m here once every two weeks.
Plus tako for 3.50? bangin’

This is one of the few Japanese restaurants on St. Marks where you don’t have to stand outside and wait by the sidewalk for hours before you get seated, especially on Friday nights. The place is very small and everyone shares just about the same table, more or less. Definitely reminds me of a fast food joint in Japan. The seating setup with the bright light overhead makes me want to eat up and get on to my next thing. It’s perfect for those who have very little time.
I come here quite often because service is fast and ramen is pretty decent. I usually get a Shio Chasyumen or Spicy Miso Ramen with a side tuna mayo onigiri (rice ball). Just ramen alone is not enough to fill me up.

I’ve had ramen in Boston and it was awful. This ramen was actually edible. The soup was average. The pork had a nice flavor to it. HOWEVER they only gave one small piece… $ 10 for ramen and only one small piece.
Needless to say, I got hungry after an hour of eating. This place deserve my a-​ok experience.

Walking past Ippudo and seeing the long line snaking to the next block, I knew that Ippudo and I were never meant to be. But I didn’t fret, I found a replacement quickly. Not the same as Ippudo, but it would do.
I don’t like ramen. But today I was in the mood for noodles and soup. Having walked from the Flatiron area, my fingers were of a cyanotic colour. That can’t be a good sign.
The place has a nice cozy feel. The waitstaff were Japanese and greeted me with a shout. I really don’t get that, but I nodded my head in assent.
The spicy miso ramen ($ 11) was decent with BBQ pork, half an egg and lots of cabbage. A nice hearty meal that warmed my soul and now my fingers were flesh-​like again.
Thanks Setagaya for a nice piping hot bowl of soup and noodles. Sometimes even hatred can turn into friendship.

Nice ramen on one of my favorite streets for food (St. Mark’s Place). I was told that this place is actually a small ramen chain in Japan.
It is a very simple place inside. For seating, there are lots of stools with counters that line the walls of the place. I would get a seat next to the window, so you can people watch during your meal.
This place has waiter service with a staff that appears to be young Japanese college students. They are very polite and friendly.
I had the shoyu chashumen (it is their shoyu ramen, but with more roast pork) and it was delicious. Their ramen is similar to other ramen places I’ve tried, though they put a little piece of nori (seaweed) in there.
The nearby and fancier looking Ippudo is the popular choice for ramen, but for me, this place tastes just as good as them at lower prices.

It was so so ramen.
Not so special about this place.
I probably wont go there again.

Had the vegetable ramen and plum onigiri. I can only sum up this place in 3 words, cheap, fast and filling. I’m not a ramen expert but this place is just as good as momofuku, oops? Hope that doesn’t insult them, haha.
Too bad I became vegetarian won’t be able to try out more of the food here, maybe appetizers?

Setagaya is no Ippudo, but it doesn’t try to be.
Their Shio ramen (R1 on the menu; $ 8.50; credit cards accepted) makes a good lunch, BBQ pork, egg, seaweed, bambooshoot, and scallions all mixed in a plain but homey broth. Modest serving, but good value. FYI, their spicy ramen has a little kick (it costs a little more).
The venue is can handle small groups, and it’s fun to sit and people watch. Quick, friendly service — thanks Stephanie!

The shio ramen here was pretty good. the broth was light and not too salty or greasey. The pork was nicely cooked and tender and the egg had a gooey yolk. The noddles were cooked slightly too soft for me. I found the portion to be on the smaller side for regular ramen places.
Our friend had the spicy miso ramen. I took a sip of the soup, it was salty, greasey and spicy. You couldn’t taste anything but the salt and the spice.
The service here was quick and friendly. their ramen prices are all from $ 11 to 13 dollars. The place was small with tall benches to sit against the wall and a big and long table in the middle. Nothing fancy or romantic.
Overall, this place was just ok. Nothing too special. I would go to ippudo if you can spare some time to wait for a table.

Came here for a late drunken dinner. Had the spicy miso ramen and the portion was HUGE. Seriously. I looked at my other dining companions food and their portions looked tiny in the tiny bowls they recieved. But still delicious regardless of the size. Enjoyed the potstickers as well.
FYI — they dont serve alcohol inside but our waitress allowed us to bring in beers. We didn’t have a beer opener but the cook was a pro and could open them with a SPOON. Wow.

The service is great here. There’s a Korean waitress whom I really love because she’s so nice. I came here a few times and the 2^nd time, she recognized me and gave me a discount … T. T very moving.
The ramen was very good, my friends said the Tsukemen are the best. I should try the gyoza here next time. Right on St Marks so location wise it’s great. Affordable yet good quality lunch or dinner with friends kinda place.

⁵⁄₅ in the Ramen category
⁴⁄₅ Price-​wise (but on certain days they discount some of the ramen… like Sho-​yu is my favorite and it’s $ 2 off on Tuesdays bringing it to a good $ 8)
The ramen here is one of my favorite and I’ve been to Ippudo and Momofuku Noodle Bar. The pork here was delicious and the egg was perfectly runny. There were some weird things like corn or some extra topping stuff thrown in but the noodles are the best – springy and chewy– the broth is not too salty (Momofuku broth was SO salty that I stopped eating it and couldn’t taste anything else and didn’t even have the appetite to eat it. I ordered the ramen there and my boyfriend ordered the chicken which everything just tasted way too salty after having some of that broth.). But Ramen Setagaya (even though they changed the name but didn’t change the food at all) is always wonderfully delicious. The quality here is really consistent. I always crave going back there! In fact, I’m going back tonight!

This place has great seating, floor-​to-​ceiling windows which provide great views of the street, and most importantly, delicious ramen.
I had the noodles separate from the soup — a first for me. I highly recommend trying your ramen this way. The benefits of eating ramen this style, is such that you can control how long the noodles cook to ensure proper firmness. The broth was savory and kept me coming back for more. I wish I could’ve taken a giant bowl of uncooked noodles home, so I would never run out of late-​night snacks. Did I mention that Iove the noodles here? Probably the best ramen noodles that I’ve had in NY. I can’t wait to go back and slurp down some more.

Ok i love this place. The egg in the ramen is as authentic as you can get to japanese ramen. Soft boiled egg with a runny yolk that melts in your mouth when you take it with the soup. I would get an extra order of egg the next time i go. The noodles were nice and chewy, just the way i like them. I got the spicy miso ramen for $ 11. The soup was pretty good as well. The pork was authentic too, but ive had better in japan. I havent been to ippudo yet, but this is the best ramen place outside of japan that i have been to. They also offer the ramen were you dip it into the soup, i will have to try that on the next visit. What struck me was odd was when my ramen had cabbage, bean sprouts, and corn in it. None of these ingredients are in the ramen served in japan, must be an american thing. Will be back for sure.
The service was friendly and efficient, typical japanese.
Price: average for ramen shops
Overall: 5 star food, 4 star price 4 star service extra 5 stars for the egg!

Tasty simple menu. While I still like the Mitsuwa grocery better, this is certainly a place to grab a bowl of ramen. Pork is a little rough, but the broth is decent and their eggs are good.
Hot ramen and cold noodles. The ramen sets (with gyoza, chicken and rice, or another choice) are excellent value.
There’s a single shared bathroom in the back with the Korean bar. The chairs a bit high — in a wheelchair, you might have difficulty getting up to the table. Sake selection, too. Smaller space, you sit side-​by-​side for the most part.

— overall rating: 3.5
— not the best ramen you can find in the city, but decent enough for the price, minus the wait of other neighboring ramen restaurants
— unlike its sister restaurant on st marks (I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, being fairly new and all), this Ramen Setagaya offers a slightly larger menu and alcoholic beverages
— filling without being overwhelming portions
— cash only
— pleasant staff

I’ll never forget my first time.
First Ramen bowl in my entire life and it was at Setagaya. A rainy evening, 9 months ago during a dinner hosted by Todd N. with a group of people trying to find out which is the best Ramen in the city.
Is Ramen Setagaya the best one? I can’t tell you. I don’t know. As I mention for Ippudo, among the good ones, I think Ramen is all about «personal taste».
BUT I know Setagaya is excellent:
I do like noodles, and I love soups… but I don’t use to eat meat… neither pork, I don’t like food with strong flavor. imagine too pork-​ish… and definitely I don’t eat greasy food…
However, I finished my Ramen bowl.
You want more? is cheap, big bowl for around $ 12 and the back room Sake bar is the perfect complement after this Ramen… or is this Ramen the perfect complement after a good dose of Sake?
Either way…

Exactly what I needed after drinking on a sailboat, drinking at a bar, eating questionable spaghetti and meatballs, and sharing two bottles of sake among friends and colleagues.
What I remember most vividly about the pork ramen here wasn’t the meat itself — although it was salty and meltingly tender. It wasn’t the chewy ramen noodles with a hefty bite to them. It was the shiny bubbles of fat floating along the top of the broth. Those pearlescent little pockets of lightly greasy joy that let you know… «Yes, you need this. Considering how much you drank, this is –exactly– what’s best for you right this very moment.»
This stuff ain’t cheap, either. I got the ramen soup with extra pork. I’m not sure how much extra it was, because I think mine only had two or three slices in it. But it still ran an easy $ 12. For just a smidge more, you could have the wonder of Momofuku’s pork neck ramen.
But Ramen Setagaya offers some seriously near-​instant gratification. And when you’re sloshed, in the East Village, and it’s late at night… this just fits the bill.

Setagaya serves up hearty bowls of perfectly seasons shio ramen at a fair price. Quick, courteous, and cash only service means you can be in and out in less than 30, leaving you the rest of the afternoon to roam the village. This isn’t the 15 cents a package ramen that you might have choked down in college with some Iron City before kickin’ it with your «brahs». This is the real deal; hearty, savory, and utterly delicious.
Detractors may say that it’s crowded and tough to get into (come earlier) or not vegetarian friendly (get a freakin’ life hippie), this place is about as authentic as it gets when it comes to real Japanese ramen. The authenticity is evidenced by the fact that they show the 24 hour ramen channel on their flatscreens, leaving me with the question: Time Warner, how the hell do I sign up for that channel??? *