Jun-Men Ramen Bar
“I ordered the Pork Bone Ramen ($14) and shared an appetizer of fried sweet potatoes ($6).”
“The Uni Mushroom Mazemen has a distinguish taste and texture that you can't get from other places.”
“This new and chic hotspot in Chelsea got me so excited that I decided to share my experience with other Japanese Ramen enthusiasts.”
Jun-Men Ramen Bar
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Love this cute little place! Not so little actually…have like 50 seats I would say. The decor was trendy and chic. It is open kitchen ramen bar, so you can see what the chef is doing with your food if you sit at the bar.
The menu was one page, very simple. But everything sounds delicious.
Tried the famous uni mushroom ramen! Beyond expectation. It's more like pasta to me since it was creamy. (Btw I not a big fan of cream pasta, but this one was awesome. ) The uni was fresh, you can taste that sweetness and a subtle bitterness. ($18)
Greentea brûlée: love green tea flavor. But the sugar coat was a little bit over burnt and a little bit too thick. I saw how they sprinkle sugar on the green tea custard and seared it. Then put it in the fridge. They took it out a few minutes later and brought it to me. The pot was still a little hot. Love the feeling of food made fresh.
Will definitely come back. There are so many other things that I want to try as I was watching how they make it from the bar. Kimchi fried rice looked amazing. It was a full bowl of kimchi and then mixed with sauce. The friend chicken looks nice too.
Thank you Blackboard eats for introducing me to this place.
The pork bun was delicious and the chicken wings with the Jun-Men sauce was finger licking good. My friend got the kimchi ramen and I got the Uni mushroom because… uni. Both were delicious. The uni mushroom ramen was super creamy so it's great for people who love cheesy dairy.
Dessert! That Green Tea Creme Brulee was so smooth and creamy. The green tea flavor was so deliciously strong and present.
Service was simply the best. Our waters were always full. The server always made sure we had extra plates or napkins or anything we needed.
New York City certainly has no shortage of good ramen, and one of many to join the newer ramen-yas is Jun-Men. Smartly located in the middle of Chelsea, it opened in fall of 2015 to no small fanfare, thanks to the experience of Chef Jun Park (who honed his skills at Zutto and Catch) and the photo-worthy signature Uni Mazemen.
Typical of most ramen-yas. the location doesn't take reservations (so come prepared to wait, especially during peak hours) and offers a handful of kitchen counter seats in addition to a number of two tops; it's not the best place to come with a large groups, so parties of 2-4 are ideal. On the night we visited, we were able to snag two seats in front of the kitchen and had the chance to watch a number of dishes being made throughout the service.
To start off with: the Jun-Men Fried Rice was the most unique appetizer on the menu for us, and it's a tasty, albeit predictable, take on kimchi fried rice. The portion is more than enough to share between two people, and the slightly toothsome rice is rounded out by sweet Chinese Sausage, the acidic and crunchy kimchi, and tobiko. With a slightly runny fried egg on top, how could you go wrong?
As for the ramen, I went with my default Spicy Miso. Here, the base begins with a Tonkotsu broth and is topped with several slices of chashu, kikurage mushrooms, bamboo, scallions, a soft-boiled egg, and a spoonful of miso paste. The foundation of the bowl, the broth, failed to impress; it wasn't as robust and rounded as a well-developed broth should have been, and lacked the extra dimension of umami that we were hoping for. The promised spice was also nowhere to be found, although the spoonful of miso blended well into the broth base. As for the noodles, a thin, wavy type sourced from (who else but) Sun Noodles – they had the requisite bite and texture, which was complemented well by the various toppings, but couldn't save the bowl from the somewhat disappointing broth.
While I can't speak to the signature Uni Mazemen that has been Jun Men's trademark dish, I can at least vouch for the fact that at least when it comes to the traditional preparations, Jun Men didn't entirely hit the mark. While it is refreshing to note that areas like Chelsea, which aren't particularly well known for their culinary diversity, are seeing places like Jun Men pop up, it won't be one of the places at the top of my list to go to when I'm craving a bowl of ramen.
Jun-Men is legit. Sure, it's not the most traditional, but that just makes things more fun. I had the place bookmarked for a while because it was on one of those hundred best ramen lists that get put out every year.
Stopped by on a random Tuesday night after an event at the McKittrick and sat at the front bar. That's where you can place takeout orders and where you can sit to wait for your food, but I sat there because the lighting was good (once a photographer, always a photographer).
To start, I had the tuna tataki poke. Poke is definitely having its 15 minutes of fame, and Jun-Men's is up there as one of my favorite versions. Mostly because it had caviar in it. It was served over brown rice. Wasn't too heavy, but wasn't exactly light, so the perfect complement for ramen.
For my main, I just couldn't resist ordering the Uni Mushroom mazemen (broth-less ramen). It also had truffles, roasted pancetta, and parmesan cheese. "Rich" doesn't even begin to describe it. I needed a cigarette afterwards, and I don't even smoke anymore.
If you like any (or all) of those flavor combinations, this is a must-have dish. Definitely one of the most unique ramens I've had.
Service was quick, and I was in and out in about 25 minutes.
Would definitely come back to try their regular ramen, weather permitting. But I had a good time. I did indulge a bit, as the tuna poke was the most expensive appetizer, and the Uni mushroom mazemen was the most expensive ramen. But if you don't treat yourself, who will?
3.5 stars, rounded up for the excellently attentive, truly team-oriented approach to service, very solid cuisine and beverages offered across the board, and quick-working (very easy on the eyes 😉 kitchen staff working to pump out scrumptious vittles.
TL; DR: Did they beat my eight-years running favorite ramen joint in the city? No. Would I call it a destination spot? If no longer than a 20-minute train ride….possibly. Would I haul multiple avenues/streets on foot if I was with someone who had a hankering for ramen? In a heartbeat.
Nice welcome from the bartender when I arrived. Seating wasn't the most comfortable, but also less cramped than it first appeared to be. Very clean, modern design to the place, allowing it to function and flow well.
Servers were super nice (and cute, to boot!), nailing when we wanted something asap, while knowing when to let us relax. Very soft, respectable upsells with drink refills and dessert offering, while humbly accepting our "no, thanks".
The herbal beer is very interesting…….
The Ginger Lime Saki drink was quite refreshing.
I could make a meal out of 2-3 orders of those chicken buns alone! Ad I'm – generally – not the hugest fan of this type of dish. DAMN, Y'ALL! SOOOO GOOOD!!!!
The Tuna Poke was nice, light, filling enough, and such a clean dish across the entire palate. We were big fans!
Spicy Porn Ramen was awesome, mostly because of the broth. SUCH good broth! No real spice (to my palate)…and really prefer thicker, wavy noodle…but understand why they went for the thin, straight variety, as the broth is quick delicate, though complex. It did get a bit salty the more you sipped the broth….though never when paired with the ingredients. So I'd definitely recommend getting your kaedama ON!
The Uni and mushroom was a visual and ole factory feast from the minute it hit the table. Tried everything without the uni….then tasted the uni to ensure freshness (it was GAWGEOUS), then mixed it all together. THAT was the kicker! This dish is created to have all ingredients marry. True perfection!
I will be back!
Japanese Ramen with Korean influence and then mix it up with more Japanese inspired ingredients and a touch of Italian's essence as well…. and then voilà! Jun-Men Ramen Bar!
Credits for creativity and boldness – certainly like the take on adding playful ingredients such as uni, roasted pancetta, porcini butter, truffle oil, parmesan cheese, kimchi and Chinese sausage to the plates, or bowls for this matter.
I feel like it's time to start a uni mazemen list.
Naw, too lazy.
Let's be real, we all came for one dish:
– UNI MUSHROOM Uni, roasted pancetta, porcini butter, truffle oil, fried shallots, scallion, Parmesan cheese $18
I'm all for bold flavors, but at some point too much is too much when strong flavors start to work against each other. After a few bites the dish starts to taste like a bowl of heavy cream (which it pretty much is). I'd take out the Parmesan to give the uni more of a clean taste. I'd also suggest that porcini butter be removed as to let the mushrooms themselves shine through.
Was it good? Sure, but I can't come back again and again if I feel like I just ate a huge bowl of heartattack.
Omg…. This place checked all the right boxes for me.
It's a ramen bar; While their ramen is of a good/normal standard, I would say you really should be coming here to try their sweet potato fries.
Their fries was out of this world, they covered the fries with a thin maple syrup butter sauce, and the result was an amazing complimentary flavours; the maple syrup added to the slight sticky gooeyness, while the butter worked to added a hint of caramel to the overall dish.
The dipping sauce combined Japanese Mayo with a unique sweet soy (Japanese style BBQ) – and it was one of the best Mayo combo I have tried. Worked perfectly wth there fries as a dip.
The combination was soooo unique I would totally recommend coming here to try it out!
:))