Tampopo Ramen

Great little find in Washington Heights! My four-​star breakdown:
Space — About thirteen counter seats and four 2-​person tables.
Servers — Super friendly. On your way out, the whole crew takes a moment to say bye to you (in Japanese).
Hungry Man Ramen (Miso Base) — This has all the works (half an egg, charbroiled pork, karaage fried chicken, red cabbage, corn, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, nori seaweed, and more). For $ 22, I expected it to be much bigger, but it comes in their normal ramen bowl (the only difference being that it’s filled to the brim). Nonetheless, it was pretty good. I managed to finish everything but the broth.
Check out the first Japanese ramen bar in Washington Heights history! おいしです。

Amazing ramen spot! Fantastic service, great location, very clean and spectacular food! Must try the pork buns, gyoza and fried chicken. A+++

Finally, a decent Japanese ramen place north of 125^th! I actually prefer Tampopo slightly over Jin though prices are roughly the same at both places. Seating is limited (only about 15 seats) so be prepared to wait if you come at a popular time.
I had the shoyu ramen with pork. Though they’re a bit skimpy with the meat, the curly egg noodles were the perfect consistency and chewiness. The broth was probably my favorite part; it was light, clean, slightly creamy and just the right amount of salt (whereas the broth at Jin is often overflowing with sodium). I can’t remember the last time I drank every last drop of broth in my bowl of ramen but I did at Tampopo cause it was just that good.

I went today to try it. The place is small but cozy. I like the fact it had an open kitchen and the cook and staff were very friendly. I had the shio ramen. The flavors were there, very creamy broth, the noodles were nice and tender. I will go back.
P. s. one guy came in with a bottle of alcohol, he though it was byob, but seem it was no. He was kind of rude with the waitress, who was trying to help him.

Ramen was very solid, and the service was amazing.
I like my ramen really spicy so if you do as well you might think about getting two orders of the spicy sauce.
So glad to have this place in WaHi.

Yum! So excited that a tasty taken place has opened up in Washington Heights! It’s a small location but they do a great job at using their space and getting out orders! Ramen was wonderful! Large portions — perfect for a chilly day!

This is the first ramen spot in the Inwood-​Washington Heights area, and it is a treat to have in the area. The place is small like all ramen spots, had two small tables and about 14 table top stools around the chefs work station. There is someone at the door to put your name on the list, and as it is was cold last night they recommended a Starbucks up the block and they would call us, which was nice of them. The entire staff was friendly and accommodating.
We started with pan fried Goyza which were light, airy and simply delicious. To the main course, they have 4 different types of ramen broths from the classic, to miso, to a spicy version. I always like to try a place with a classic version and I was not disappointed at all, the ratio of broth to noodles was perfect, and I decided to have it with both chicken and pork. The pork sweated some of its fat into the broth which added an additional texture which brought out the soup even more, just delicious. Just typing this review is making me want to go again, and they will have a regular customer on their hands.
Welcome to the neighborhood.

Alright folks, as you all know, those of us living north of 125^th St have had to schlep ourselves down to Jin’s on 125^th if we ever wanted some salty, brothy goodness.
Maybe I had too high of expectations for this place, but I think I will continue to schlep myself down to at least 125^th St for some ramen even though I live next door to this place.
The ramen is not worth whatever they charge. If you’re charging the same as Jin’s or Totto or Ippudo, I expect the same taste and quality. I really wanted to love this place, but I probably will not be back unless someone with tastebuds that I trust convinces me otherwise.
Also, as someone mentioned their meats could use some work (as do their noodles…).

Finally finally finally! Respectable ramen in Washington Heights. Came here a few weeks ago, within its first week of opening. Usually I give a place a little bit of time to work out the kinks, but this experience was seamless. Servers were attentive, polite and the food came out quickly. Ordered the miso ramen and also managed to snag an appetizer of short ribs that were not on the menu (we saw some of the staff eating them and inquired). Everything was delicious and extremely flavorful. if this is what everything is like when they’re still trying out and feeling out everything, I’m excited to see what this place will become!
Space, as might be expected, is limited and you’re not going to be able to fit huge groups, so keep that in mind.
I haven’t been in a few weeks so not sure if it’s popularity has skyrocketed, but when I went (pretty late on a Thursday night) I got a seat immediately. I imagine it’s probably harder to get seats now, during prime eating hours, given that it’s the only good ramen in the area.
Definitely coming back!

Finally a ramen joint in the Heights! The restaurant is small and seats about 18 people. On a Tuesday night we had to wait about 10 mins, no big deal. You also have the option to put your name and number down and they’ll call you when your table is ready.
I got the spicy miso ramen which is my go to whichever ramen place I go to and I enjoyed every slurp and bite of it. The curly noodles were al dente and the chicken based broth was rich and hearty. I only wish it was a bit spicier! I didn’t order the pork buns but they looked really good and will try them next time I go.
Tampopo is a welcome addition to the neighborhood!

This cute little Ramen place definitely has great potential, the host is such a cutie and is very polite.
I was a bit disappointed they didn’t serve the hot green tea or any alcohol the night we visited (they also didn’t allow us BYOB which is kinda a meh…), but the host told us they are in the process of waiting liquor license issued, hopefully they will have liquor available soon .
The ramen noodle is good with nice chew, the broth is flavorful and served hot (which I really like!). However, I do think they should replace their chashu pork /​chicken they are currently making, it just doesn’t work, I wouldn’t call it chashu, they are just shredded meat pieces looking pathetically flowing on the soup. very sad.

New place in the neighborhood! I tried with my husbands two of the soups. He has Shio ramen and I had the Shoyu Ramen. For me one of the things i love in ramen is the broth and here in both soups the broth was overwhelmingly salty ! My lips were burning at the end from the amount if salt ! I would have also loved to have more mushrooms, bamboo shoots and the other things they mention in the soup
The service was good, however when i ordered they did not mention that they dont have pork so i had to eat the soup with chicken!
Its not a place i will come back because i feel like i ate noodles in salt.

A solid ramen place and really the best and only option up in these parts… really 3.5 STARs.
Popular as heck in its initial opening weeks. Limited seating as most ramen joints are, so arrive early.
Highlights in order of goodness:
#Kara-​age and spicy mayo dippnig sauce: 4.9 stars easily. one of the best kara-​age I’ve tried as far was juiciness/​tenderness goes. Flavor was all there as well. Breading could have used a bit more crunch to bring this to a 5 star item…
#Pork buns with chili dipping sauce: fluffy bun, red cabbage, jap mayo, scallion, and fatty pork. standard but did the trick. The chili dipping sauce made this a bit more unique
#Spicy miso: somewhat disappointed… perhaps the most disappointing part was that my seasoned egg was still coldin the middle, likely a mistake not often repeated… i’d hope. Otherwise, the noodles were a bit soft for my taste. Corn was a bit stale? Broth was standard, chicken based.
OVERALL: i’d eat here quite often if I lived in the neighborhood, but wouldn’t go out of my way… except maybe for the karage… could eat that everyday, all day.

I had the shoyu ramen. The soup was light but was a good broth. It was a little lukewarm though. The noodle was overcooked and too soft. The pork wasn’t really the typical chashu style pork and I didn’t like it too much.
If the soup was hotter and noodles not overcooked, it could be a good bowl of ramen.

I want to avoid boring you with something the other dozens of reviews have shared. I will agree with those who have said the food is delicious. Beautiful flavors and aesthetically gorgeous. Service in this tiny noodle shop is pretty spot on. Staff is friendly, from Pete, who manned the waitlist at the door the night we visited, to the waitresses taking orders and delivering them to your table.
Here’s what I want to add to the discussion (you can get additional details from other clever and helpful reviews):
As a vegetarian, unless I’m going to a steakhouse or lobster shack, I expect/​hope a good restaurant to have a couple of vegetarian friendly options. Let’s assume two main dishes and two apps, minimum. Tampopo offers one good veggie broth based ramen bowl and as far as appetizers go, your veggie choice is some very nicely prepared garlic and sesame edamame. But it ends there. Let’s be clear – both of these are freaking delicious – but in all honesty, it seems an easy thing to add one more vegetarian app and one more ramen option to the menu.
Some may say other ramen places don’t offer ANY vegetarian options. True – and I don’t patronize those restaurants. :) Considering the number of humans these days (non-​vegetarians included) who like a non-​meat option, why not just bust out a couple of killer meatless, fish-​free options? This would be request number one from me.
Request number two:
Put the overhead lights on a dimmer. Good lord! It’s crazy bright in the place in the evening! There are these great, warm Edison bulb fixtures dangling overhead which are obliterated by the super bright can lights. I don’t need to see my food THAT well. A little ambiance goes a long way, and the tiny shop is a cool space with nice décor and colors. But it needs to feel a little less like you’re about to get a checkup from your doctor.
Okay, I lied. There is one more thing. And maybe this is one thing Tampopo hasn’t gotten around to since they’ve only opened recently. They need a cold weather shelter at the front door. You know, one of those little booth-​like deals to keep the cold air and wind outside. On our first visit to Tampopo, I was literally sitting six inches from the front door. Every time the door opened, an icy chill washed over my body and my ramen cooled down 5 degrees. This is not my ideal dinner experience. Several other patrons (who remained in their coats) complained about the breeze and the cold. Is this the secret way to keep the customer turnover fast?
Tampopo is a welcome addition to our ‘hood. A couple of tweaks will make it 5-​star-​worthy for me.

A new Raman place in the lovely neighborhood !! Very excited! It turns out just an ok. The service was pretty slow, the night me and my friend went, there were some VIP there which made the service even slower. We got pork bun, 7 $ for 2 buns, I’ve had much better ones in other ramen place. Fried chicken has a very good flavor, juicy and enough spice.
We had the classical and spicy miso ramen, we both got pork instead of chicken, bad choice, it tastes like BBQ, very tiny portion, not what I expected… Will I go back, maybe, since it’s the only Raman joint in the neighbor and owns by a musician, probably would go and support just for that. However, if they wanted to keep the business longer, some improvements needs to be done.

The first upscale ramen place in the area! Talk about rapid gentrification! This place opened up a few days ago and has already generated a lot of buzz. It’s quite cozy with around 15 – 20 seats. As of now, they are only open from 5pm-​10pm on weekdays and longer hours on the weekend.
Expect a bit of a wait. One of the employees was standing outside with a clipboard when we got there and there was already a line. He took our number down and we got a text 10 minutes later when our table was ready. The ramen dishes average around $ 12 which is typical. I had the «Shio Classic Ramen» which was yummy. My bf ordered the «Spicy Miso» and he said it wasn’t extremely spicy which made me regret not getting it. The pork buns were probably one of the best I’ve had in a while!
Neither of us is a huge ramen fan (so much sodium!) however we wanted to check the place out and truly enjoyed our meal. My only wish is that ramen had more chicken/​pork. We thought the meat portions were rather small.
Great service and I’m sure it will satisfy any ramen craving!

Great new ramen spot located in Washington Heights.
The place is open for dinner every day (+lunch sat/​sun). Small spot located on a quiet street. Very close to the A train station on 181^st street.
The place sits less than 20 people and so far it gets pretty packed by 7pm. The service is quick so they are able to turn tables in about 30 minutes.
The menu is small, but has everything you want in a ramen spot. I ordered the spicy miso ramen. Has a good kick and very flavorful. I think they have pork buns, but didn’t get a chance to try them (next time).
Happy to see this place open uptown, now I won’t have to go downtown to get my ramen fix during the cold winter nights!

One of the best Japanese comfort food, especially during Autumn & Winter seasons is Ramen. So, when I heard a new Ramen restaurant was opening up in Washington Heights, where there is no real Japanese restaurant around, I was very excited! The owners are husband and wife team, and the wife is Japanese! They named their restaurant after their favorite movie called Tampopo. It is about the search for the perfect bowl of Ramen. There are some quotes from the movie painted on the wall which is pretty cute and funny.
The inside is not too big, has a counter seating around the kitchen, and extends to the front of the restaurant. There are few table seating as well, but I think it has about 20 seats in total.
Their Ramen is Tokyo Style, and they use chicken base and veggie base broth, which is very interesting. Most of the Ramen you see in NYC are pork based, so it is nice to have a different variety in the city. I really enjoyed their Ramen and also some side dishes, especially the karaage (fried chicken), it was really delicious!
Friendly staff and great Japanese food, I will be sure to go back there for more! Read my full review of this restaurant and food on my blog, foodlovergirl.

This just opened up and it’s much needed up here, A bit of a wait 30 min. but i’m sure that’s cause it’s new. The pork buns have good flavor though I wish they were just one solid piece of pork verse the pieces. The Shio Classic Ramen,
Curly egg noodles served in the simplest creamy chicken broth topped with charbroiled thick cut slow-​cooked pork or chicken chashu, marinated egg, nori seaweed, beansprouts, bamboo shoot, and scallions. Good flavor overall but it just lacks the depth that pork broth has, this is personal preferance, noodles were cooked perfect and overall I was pretty happy, though I do wish there was a tonkotsu and a curry ramen available.