321 W 51st St
New York, NY 10019
Rating: 
Located in midtown Manhattan, Ippudo Westside serves up delicious Japanese cuisine with a focus on ramen. Just blocks away from Times Square, this busy ramen spot in NYC offers up seating at the counter or at a table, so we opted for a table. Service was on point and consistent throughout this visit. After we were seated, our server offered to answer any questions and quickly retrieved our drink order. Once we received our waters, we were ready to order.
Today, we decided to order the pork Ippudo buns, shiromaru hakata classic ramen, and karaka-men. The two pork Ippudo buns arrived on a small clean plate. There was a large chunk of pork smothered in a special spicy sauce and mayo in the fluffy warm bun. The bun was delicious and savory throughout especially when the spicy sauce came into balance in each bite that included the mayo. The shiromaru hakata classic ramen was basically a fancy name for a classic tonkotsu ramen. The ramem arrived piping hot, but luckily we sat under an air conditioning vent that helped with cooling down the ramen. The broth was flavorful and rich, but I was not a fan of the pickled ginger so I picked it out. The pork was tender and savory. I liked how Ippudo uses thin ramen noodles, which is a nice change of pace. The karaka-men is basically the classic ramen with a scoop of hot spicy sauce plopped in the center. After mixing the hot spices, the broth carried a bit of heat, but was not overly spicy at all.
Overall, Ippudo serves up delicious ramen with superb service. Prices are a bit high for the amount of food received, but you receive value in the service and food quality. Servers consistently clear the table off of empty plates and bowls throughout the meal service. If you are in the Manhattan area, then you must give Ippudo a try.
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