ICHI Japanese Ramen House

Showed up at 1pm on a Saturday and it was closed. No one answered the phone. Either posted hours are wrong or the place has closed.

Looking for Ramen in NOLA? Look no further. This hole in the wall will satisfy your craving. Gyoza app was tasty. Ramen with short ribs hit the spot. Worth the cab ride and will definitely come back.

We started off with the Takoyaki and it was HOT! Great presentation and packed full of flavor. Now onto why I really came here. The chef that prepared my ramen must have not seen my Nikon camera as I was walking in because the bowl I received was very mediocre. I ordered the Spicy Tonkatsu w/​extra chashu and all I had in my bowl were noodles and meat. I’ve seen everyone else’s pictures here on Unilocal and I had higher expectations. What happened to all the other essentials in making a great ramen bowl? Oh I know, they don’t mention the fact that there are so many other up charges for the additional toppings that usually come with a typical ramen bowl. The broth was more buttery than spicy. We asked for a powder spice on the side and that made the ramen 10x better!
On a lighter note, the staff was great. Monica was our server and she would pass by occasional to check on us. Would I come back? Yes, only because I want to see if the place progressed since this visit.
PS: I walked into the restaurant at 5:10pm on a Saturday which is right after they open back up. Maybe they weren’t prepared for the dinner portion of the evening but somebody dropped the ball.
Update: I came back to the restaurant and the ramen was much better! I ended up getting the butter corn and I have no regrets. Noodles and chashu galore.

BLUF: I am by no means a Ramen conesiour (or a good speller) but I loved this place.
Perfect place to go when it is cold and rainy. Good place to go just off of Frenchmen to potentially avoid big crowds.
Only one person waiting tables the night we got there and he did an amazing job.
We started with some type of shrimp dumpling like thing as an app. They were absolutely amazing. My friends got the spicy edenome and pork dumplings. They liked them a lot.
I got the curry ramen. It was so dang good. Amazing flavor and a good amount of food. It would be hard for me to order anything else.
There are about 5 or so different ramens you can get and then you can do add ons which is a good touch.
Place is great. Zero complaints. I can’t wait to go back and reclear my sinuses.

I couldn’t get over another review talking about the broth tasting like flat soap water. It really was. I ate the veggies out of my Saimin and left the broth. It was really oily.
My friend ordered the spicy ramen and he thought it was ok. The service was good and she was really sweet. I think it is just the broth. However. Late night, greasy food cravings when you are drunk — this place will work for you.
I am still hungry so I cannot talk anymore about this place. If I return, I will definitely try something NOT broth-​based, to see if the flavors and food is better.

I went here with my boyfriend and a friend and were pleasantly surprised at how good this place was. The pork bun was delicious, maybe just a little expensive for my taste since I’ve always gotten pork buns in Chinatown in SF. The seaweed salad was really tasty and the pork ribs were AMAZING!
We each got different ramen bowls and each was really good. Mine was the miso and had a great undertone of pepper in it. Definitely will be checking this place out again.
I did feel as though there should have been a second server though. The one did a good job juggling all the table inside and outside but it probably would run smoother with one more person to help split the tables.

3.25÷5 hit/​miss experience, but solid options
i’ve been waiting for good ramen for a while. i think this place delivers a good basic bowl that is both tasty and satisfying. i originally tried the miso, which i found waaay too salty. the regular bowl was much more along the saltiness i wanted (some, but you know, not oceanic). it’s a sizable bowl, y’all! you’ll get a few pieces of chashu, a terrifically soft-​boiled egg (seriously, well-​executed egg), nori and other usual fixings. and the goldilocks moment — tried the curry and i may have the one i really like.
as for sides, have tried a couple and enjoyed them both — can’t resist a gailan which comes with still a nice bite, and the karaage (think chicken bites) coating was actually pretty good, and the sweet-​ish (plum?) sauce was yummy as well.
the challenge i have is more around the experience. for some reason they keep all the doors/​windows open, even in the elements. also, they play some weird music that can be distracting from conversation/​meal. i think they are genuinely trying to get it all right for customers though, so will likely be back.

I got the pork ramen with extra ribs, crispy onions and extra crispy garlic. My husband got the same, with extra noodles and egg. Absolutely delicious! And so filling! Service was good, considering the dining room was half full and only one server. My only complaint was that food took forever to come out. But I couldn’t be too upset, seeing that there was only one cook in the kitchen and he looked like he had broken a sweat.

Tonight was my first time being in this building since last year (it was previously Sukho Thai). I went in with two of my friends for a late dinner, and did not expect to receive such great service! We were the only table in there at the time and he asked if we wanted to play music, so I requested Pantera and our server had no problem doing so. When I ordered my dish, I asked for a vegan ramen bowl and he told me his go-​to order for vegans and it was SO DELICIOUS! He was really nice, and I wish I could remember his name so I can give credit where it’s due! I had a great time there and I will definitely return!
You can never go wrong with metal music and delicious ramen.

These reviews must be fake. I couldn’t finish the vegetarian noodle dish. The broth was like dirty dish water and the noodles were tasteless.
Why are there no good ramen spots in NO? noodles and pie is pretty bad too.
I left this place after one bite and my friend found it inedible as well.

Ramen Shramen… Been to almost every ramen place in NYC and only one place tops the bar! (Won’t say the name because I’m trying to uplift this gem) Came down to NOLA this week and stumbled across Ichi. I thought, «Ramen in the Big Easy?» Why the heck not! Expecting to be disappointed after the pork bun, my Ramen arrives. I ordered the Pork Rib Ramen. Ummmm wow! This bowl of perfection was a shock and awe to my tastebuds! The pork broth was a great consistency. It was bold and flavorful by the spoonful and it kept you wanting more. Ran out of noodles? No worries ask for Kaedama!

I really wanted to love Ichi. I have dreamed of a solid ramen house in New Orleans for some time. Sadly, Ichi is not it.
First, the broth was extremely, extremely oily. It wasn’t the creamy delicious texture that most ramen lovers expect. Secondly, as mentioned by another reviewer, the soft boiled egg was in fact cold and hard. Obviously not made to order or made properly in advance. Lastly, the «music». Wow! Normally I wouldn’t include music in a review, but the music at Ichi consisted of a couple of speakers blaring Q93. Hey, I like Q93, but damn why so loud? I really don’t want to listen to a DJ talk about hip hop celebrity gossip and commercials for medical research studies while I am eating. And, I really do not want to listen to it at a volume so loud that I can’t even hear myself think.
On a positive note, the server was very nice and attentive.
I suggest that the chef/​owner buy a copy of David Chang’s cookbook and learn from the master.

Update:
Went back again last week. They have a BYOB policy with a $ 5 corking fee.
So bring something delicious, its a perfect little date night.

Parking? parked in the street.
Upon arriving, I was greeted by familiar faces already… which was funny, in a good way though. I had good conversation with the people there.
so this place is actually also in relation to Little Tokyo. I’ve never had problems with the ramen at Little Tokyo South Carrolton so I expected nothing less here. We ordered the ribs, the steamed BBQ Pork Bun, and the ramen with the ribs. The steamed pork bun (yes, just one bun) had a very familiar taste and look to it. LOL but good, nonetheless.
The ribs were fall off the bone good! I love tender ribs so this was a plus. I wish I didn’t order the ramen with ribs. should’ve picked something else bc it was like a «rib-​overkill» since I already had ribs to start off with. The ramen was good though! the boiled egg was perfectly cooked to my liking, yolk was not too cooked and still kind of raw. I know this place will do good especially since ramen is all the hype right now.

Solid ramen. I thought the broth was flavorful and the meat (I had short ribs) was very nice and quite rich so the amount seemed pretty good to me. Broth could use a little more depth, perhaps.
Appetizers were sorta meh. The pork buns were too much bun and not enough pork (and why are they green?) and they were dry.
I actually think Yuki’s ramen is a little better, but the atmosphere can be stiflingly loud there so this is a better bet if you actually want to have a conversation while you eat.
And seriously. Whiny vegetarians and vegans? Almost all ramen is meat based. If you have limitations on what you can eat, it’s not fair to criticize a restaurant for not catering to your limitations. The menu is posted. Do you go writing bad reviews of steakhouses because they serve nothing but steak? Sheesh.

very good and I will be back.
I had the butter corn ramen. I do kind of agree with the reviewer who said they wanted more meat. There were two small slices of pork about ¹⁄₃ of an inch think. It was a huge portion otherwise, though. Tons of fresh corn, bean sprouts, noodles, and a delicious broth. Almost too rich with the combo of butter and pork stock.
I also had a pork bun. Delicious! Served in a cute little wooden steamer as an appetizer.
My dining companion had veggie ramen. I feel the other reviewers who said they only have meat broth must’ve had miscommunications with the kitchen. The ramens on the menu come with pork stock, but you can request an option with tofu and veggie broth. I tried it and it’s good, too.
Our server was great. Very accommodating and patient with our many questions about the veggie broth and various other menu unknowns. It’s a small-​ish number of options, but I think it’s adding something that area of the city needs.
OH random but the guy who owns little Tokyo opened it and I asked if they were staring private room karaōke and our server said no. I think we need to start pushing that; it’s desperately needed below canal lol.

A friend said ICHI had the best ramen in the city and I have to agree. I ordered take out and it was taking longer than expected. They were super apologetic and gave me a Coke to enjoy with my curry ramen and pork bun at home. I couldn’t eat everything and saved the rest for later. IT WAS EVEN BETTER THE NEXT DAY. Great customer service and amazing food. Well priced.
My only complaint is that it is too close to my house and I am now addicted.

Yes! Finally a place to eat GOOD ramen. The ramen tastes pretty authentic, not wanna-​be or fusion-​ish like other places. not saying any names: P
Gyoza’s were yummy and the Takoyaki was crisp and savory.
Staff was very friendly and attentive. The waiter checked on us quite often to make sure everything was good
We had the the Spicy Tonkatsu and the Shashu Tonkatsu which I made spicy. The serving size was pretty big and I couldn’t really finish my whole bowl.
Always a good sign when you get the sniffles from eating hot spicy soup.
Hands Down Good!

I felt compelled to leave a review because of the whiny vegetarians trashing an AMAZING place because they can’t read the menu posted on the door. Ichi had one of the most favorable ramen bowls I’ve ever encounter and balanced everything wonderfully. The pork bun was delicious and so was the Tako Eki. Good service, $ 5 corkage fee, and great ramen.

One of my few complaints about the New Orleans food scene has been its lack of a decent Japanese ramen place. So last night when a friend and I stumbled upon this place on our way to R Bar, I had to stop and try it. We walked in right at 7 and were the only customers in the place for a while. When a server came over to take our order she barely seemed to speak a lick of English.
And then… HOLY SHIT!
The ramen we were served (we both ordered the curry ramen) was nothing less than sex served in a bowl. I wanted to bathe in it. At numerous points my friend and I looked at each other in wonderment, expressing mild disbelief that what we were consuming could be so fucking good. I started feeling overcome with sadness as I inched closer to the bottom of the bowl because it meant that the best meal I’d had in some time was nearing the end. I woke up this morning craving Ichi’s ramen for breakfast.
Bottom line: this place is the real deal. I feel like a man who’s been wandering the desert dying of thirst who’s finally stumbled upon a reservoir of fresh water. New Orleans is now an even better place to eat because of Ichi’s existence.
PS…It’s BYOB.