Mentoku
“Way better than Totto or Ippudo, but I hope this place won't be too popular and have a ridiculous wait.”
“My fiancé tried their Yuzukosho-men and I tried their Hakata Genryu.”
“Tip: Like many other ramen places, this spot is cash only.”
Mentoku
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Pretty nice ramen for a fair price and without a heinous wait (I'm talking about you Ippudo and Totto Ramen). Very small space – this used to be Nook (so sad that place closed). Service was attentive and respectful. Will definitely be back when I have a craving for real Japanese style ramen.
Mentoku is a small, humble ramen place in Hell's Kitchen, overshadowed by Ippudo and Totto. The Hakata-style ramen is simple and decent, the place is clean, and there are typically no lines. Note that Mentoku is cash only.
Just your really average ramen place 2.5/3 stars.
There is lunch special ($12-$13) from Monday to Friday from 11am – 2:30pm and until 3pm on weekend. Came in on Monday just before lunch special ended and ordered a ramen + spicy cod rice bowl. Food came so fast ( I was the last customer to order). The ramen was surprisingly simple: thin noodles + pork bone broth + mushrooms + 2 pieces of char shiu and scallion. The broth was salty (not too salty compared to other places) but it lacked depth. My test around the salt/broth question is how does the soup taste after I add water to it? The result was it fell flat. The water diluted the salt and the soup had also no flavor. The ramen was alright a little on the chewy side. The meat was probably the best of it all – a little charred and no too fatty. Could add a little more flavor though.
Overall what a let down as I really want to find an alternative to ippudo wait/cost. Wasn't a bad bowl of noodle for what I paid for but Yelp has disappointed me again.
Finally came in to try the whip cream ramen! It's a cute shop in Hell's Kitchen, not too big but cozy. You can see the chef making the ramen in front of you.
I think the basic ramen is decently priced ~$10 but the special ones are $15+ after tax. And the portion isn't big. I don't eat that much but for lunch after the ramen I didn't feel full enough so if you are a guy you'd def going to order more than the ramen. They do lunch special that has ramen and rice which is around $15 as well.
I though the ramen was great and the whip cream is genius because it chills down the hot soup a bit. But the meat in the soup is a bit too salty.
Went here pre-broadway, and I had high hopes. It was pretty tasty but it lacked the fatty richness of other ramen shops. The prices however are very reasonable, and the staff is just fantastic. I wish I could give a 4 based on the atmosphere, the service and the prices but it just wasn't worth the carb count for me to dine there again unless I was in the vicinity.
Been here a couple times now for weekday lunch and was great both times. It was easy getting a table of 5 at 12:30 which is not something you can say about Totto or Ippudo. The ramen here is very tasty without being overly heavy. The noodle is the right texture and the eggs were perfectly soft boiled. The bowls range from 10~ to 15~ so they're within the price range of other ramen joints. You can add an egg for an extra $2. They have lunch specials which is essentially paying an additional $2 for different rice options (rice comes in a small bowl) or extra noodles. Didn't seem like much of a special so did not opt in. Definitely would come back as a ramen option during my workday lunches.
We decided to try the Matcha Ramen (really wanted to try Spicy Whipped Cream Ramen as well, but gave up the idea because I don't wanna get too fat LOL). We also ordered Edamame Cheese Senbei and Karaage (fried chicken).
Do not recommend the Edamame cheese Senbei. It's so-so taste and totally not worth the $5. Basically, it's just fried provolone (I guess) cheese with some edamame beans in the middle. You can make it by yourself at home with no effort. The fried chicken is big chunk juicy tender meet, but nothing so special about it after all.
The matcha ramen is mild and has subtle matcha flavor in the soup that is not thick and heavy. The noodles were thin style noodles, but to me they were a little overcooked and too soft. It may sound weird to put matcha powder in ramen, but it tastes just like other normal veggie ramen, except that the soup is green.
FYI, if you wanna go with the lunch set, the Match ramen set will be $13 with a rice (3 or 4 options to choose) and either a side salad or Kaedama (an extra portion of noodles). Also, on the menu there is a pic showing a combination of both Matcha ramen and the Spicy whipped cream ramen. HOWEVER, it's not a combo of those two but Matcha ramen with the whipped cream on top. I asked the server, he said it was just a picture that meant to give you an idea. But I think it is very misleading.
Overall, this is an average ramen place with some seasonal less-common flavored ramen. May go back to try the Spicy whipped cream ramen soon.
Came here last week because all the other decent places in the area had a ridiculous wait. Service was super fast – we were one of maybe two tables when we walked in…by the time we left, most of the tables were filled. The ramen was delicious! I recommend this spot, fo sho.