Ivan Ramen Review

Ivan Ramen is a famous ramen shop with two locations in New York City. It was started by a man named Ivan Orkin, who grew up in the city. He became passionate about Japanese cuisine and ended up spending some time in Tokyo where he mastered the art of the noodle. He even opened up a Ramen shop in Japan and did well there before bringing it back to the US. His ramen is by far some of the best that I have ever had. I’ve been to the Clinton St. location of Ivan Ramen twice now and it has been great both times. The most recent time was just last week (if you are interested in reading about my experience dining out in NYC during the pandemic, click here).

The Food: We ordered the Pickled Daikon, the Spicy Cold Sesame Noodles, The Shoyu Ramen, and the Fried Chicken sandwich. All of which were amazing. The pickled daikon, which was our starter was so refreshing. If you have never had daikon, it is a type of radish. In this case, it was shaved and pickled and then topped with a crunchy and spicy chile oil on top. This was a perfect cold starter for the hot day and wasn’t too filling. Especially because we ordered three entrées. In the past, I have also had the pork buns which are delicious, but definitely a heartier start. For my entrée, I had the spicy cold sesame noodles. Their texture was on point: so chewy and soft, and the sauce was just the right amount of spicy. The portion was huge, so I took some home to enjoy the next day. My boyfriend got the Shoyu ramen, which I had the last time that we went here. It was great, as expected. The broth is so flavorful; something that we could never achieve when making ramen ourselves, even when following Ivan Orkin’s specific instructions from his cookbook. We also shared the fried chicken sandwich. This may seem like an odd choice at a Ramen shop, but it was amazing. A perfect summer lunch. The sandwich came with pickles and slaw on it and a side of fries. The crust on the chicken was so crispy, but the chicken was still juicy inside. All in all, the food was great, as we had expected.

Me at Ivan Ramen last year

The Ambience: Although the inside is much cuter (I’ll insert a picture of the adorable walls from the last time that I was here), they have still done a good job at keeping their brand coherent with their outdoor seating. We sat on wide short stools at brown benches outdoors. While the front was nice, the back patio looked even cuter, but there was no room for us to sit there. Our server was working her first day ever at Ivan Ramen, and did an AMAZING job. She was so kind and attentive. Overall, while things were different due to COVID-19, the ambience at Ivan Ramen was still great.

Overall: Overall, our experience eating at Ivan Ramen during the pandemic was wonderful. We felt very safe and left feeling full and satisfied. The food is delicious and the staff here is so great. If you are looking for a casual lunch outside in NYC or for some great takeout, I would highly recommend Ivan Ramen. I would give them a 5/5!