Momofuku Noodle Bar
“If you've watched David Chang's "Mind of a Chef", you will not be surprised by how amazing the food is.”
“All in all, we would definitely return and are looking forward to exploring the menu and getting those shrimp buns again.”
“A perfectly poached egg topped the ramen in a deliciously rich and smokey broth.”
Momofuku Noodle Bar
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
So many of my friends had raved about Momofuku Noodle Bar for both the ramen and the pork buns and I had to try it. I had to really think about this one because I've had some pretty spectacular ramen from Tokyo and Kyoto so that is the standard that I was used to. Truth be told, ramen is like any other food: it can agree and not agree with many people depending on what type of flavors they like. There are so many kinds of instant ramen but the one at Momofuku was the standard donkatsu based soup I think?
Momofuku classic ramen
PROS
-very filling: good quantity to share if you are a light to moderate eater and you plan on getting appetizers (like pork buns) to share
-good flavor to the broth, not overly salty (which is typical of most Japanese ramen)
-lots of fillers for the ramen: I do like this part actually because it creates "variety" within the dish
CONS
-thin ramen. I'm not sure if this is actually ramen or simply egg noodles. It wasn't as "chewy" as most ramen noodle that I've had. I can't say that it's BAD per se, but it wasn't typical of the ramen that I was used to eating
-broth is thin. I'm used to the ramen broth that has been cooked for days and days with tons of pork bones and chicken bones. This, while not lacking in flavor, wasn't as "hearty".
Pork Buns: I really like pork buns. It's probably one of my favorite "snack foods" to eat. I especially like pork belly and so when my friends rave about this, I definitely have to try it.
PROS
-comes with two buns so it is shareable between two people.
-good portion of meat: not skimpy on the pork belly
CONS
-too simple and lacking in flavor: if you didn't put the sauce on the meat, it didn't have much to it at all.
-meat was too dry. I realize that they do grill/sear the pork belly, but the spicy Korean sauce isn't one that soaks into the meat because it isn't super thick. It tends to run a little bit more actually.
It's still definitely worth checking out. We got to sit at the kitchen bar and so we could see what plates were being prepared and how the kitchen was ran. It was like clockwork. They were definitely working extra hard because Chef Mario Batali was in the house as well! He was actually just two people ahead of me in line when the restaurant opened for lunch. Remember, not everyone's palate is like your own.
I would stick with totto ramen on the west side.
I got the momofuku ramen. It was sub-par, the soup was dark, salty, and oily. There was a layer of oil sitting on the top and although the noodle has good texture it didn't complement or picked up flavor from the soup well (unless you drink the soup with every slurp) there wasn't enough contrasting flavors or creaminess as I'd expect from a popular Raman shop.
We then moved on to try something adventurous, the beef tartar, Korean style spices with shrimp cracker as the scoop while we pile bits of beef tartar and eat it in one mouthful. It was topped with Thai basil and parsley, which are the key ingredients to bring the dish together. It was on the salty side again and once we ran out of the topped herbs and shrimp crackers, we also lost our interest to continue eating. Overall I would go to other ramen shops.
We came as a group for the famous "Chicken Dinner", and although a jolly time was had by all, it really was NOT worth the hype.
First of all, we had a 10pm reservation, which was already quite late, but they still made us wait over half an hour (maybe closer to 50 mins even) before we got seated. Decent service once we were seated.
We opted to try a bunch of appetizers/a la carte items before the chicken dinner, and I really liked the chicken meatball buns and the soy sauce egg (though for $3 an egg – it better have been fantastic).
Frankly, I was NOT impressed with the chicken dinner itself. Two chickens really didn't end up being that much for 6 people (and we weren't even all that hungry after all the appetizers and since it was so late in the night). The fried chicken was okay. I thought the Southern style was quite good, but the tastes just didn't come together for me for the Korean style chicken.
Overall $150 for 2 chickens and some crepes and condiments is just WAY TOO MUCH – it takes a lot for me to cry ripoff amongst all the overpriced joints in New York, but this one is really blatant IMO.
I guess I paid to be able to say I had The Chicken Dinner Experience … now I know never to try that again!
Last year after drinks at the famous speakeasy Please Don't Tell, we tried to get a table at Momofuku around 7 pm, but no luck. At that point in the evening, the wait time was 2 hours for a group of 4 and we couldn't wait that long to eat, so we ended up eating elsewhere.
This time around, my sister and I got to Momofuku at around quarter after 5 and joined the long line outside. At 5:30, the line started moving and not long after, we were seated at the counter and perusing the menu! Yay!
I was really hot from a day of walking under the sun, so when I saw slushies on the menu, I'm like perfect! I ordered the small Spicy Lychee ($6). It was so refreshing and yummy. Too bad the small was only 4 ounces! It's a pricey little drink!
We started with the Spicy Pickled Cucumbers. A day later, I am still thinking about those cucumbers. It was wonderful. Chunks of cucumber, scallions, togarashi, almonds, vinegar, maybe soy sauce, sugar–so simple, but so nicely balanced, and delicious. Momofuku's version is perfect! It's nothing like I've had before in Japanese restaurants. You must have an almond or two with each bite of cucumber for a perfect taste.
The second dish we had was the Smoked Chicken Wings. The meat was incredibly tender, but it didn't have the crisped skin that I was expecting and find very appealing. The sauce was also just okay. I felt like the sauce was lacking something.
My sister and I ordered the same thing for our main course, the Momofuku Ramen, their signature dish. It was good, but I have to say that I still prefer the ramen from Orenchi (from SF Bay Area) over Momofuku's. I was surprised by the smokiness of the broth. Thankfully, the broth wasn't too salty or unctuous. The perfectly poached egg on the ramen was a wonder to look at. The white of the egg peeled off easily from the raw yolk and when I broke the yolk, I just stirred it into the soup. Yum! There were two types of meat in the soup–shredded pork shoulder and pork belly. The pork belly was especially good.
All in all, the food was good, as was the service we received. I'm glad I finally got to eat here. And because we were seated at the counter, we even made a new friend. We started chatting with the person seated next to me and had a great conversation. We'll definitely be back!
Noodle Bar is a New York institution and it's my go-to for eats on First Ave when I'm below 14th Street. There's often a wait, but it usually goes by pretty quickly. If you put your name down, they can also take your phone number and give you a call, leaving you with the freedom to grab a drink or coffee.
If you can, definitely sit at the bar looking into the kitchen. It's so fun to watch them prepare the food. My ordering staples:
*PORK BUNS – They're not on the menu, but just ask for them…They have them! Moist, succulent, melt in your mouth pork never gets old. Don't forget to slather on the ssam sauce.
*CLAP*THE*CLAP*SHRIMP*CLAP*BUNS*CLAP* – If you go to Noodle Bar and you DON'T order the shrimp buns…we just can't be friends. These things are a culinary masterpiece. This lil' patty of shrimps is so damn good. Prepare to be addicted.
MOMOFUKU RAMEN – You just can't go wrong with this one. The broth is so smoky, salty, and delicious. Definitely shareable, but you'll probably want the whole bowl for yourself. Plus it's tough to share that perfectly poached egg.
PEA SHOTS – This is a nice, light, but pretty spicy little salad. Great for starting your meal and sharing. Don't get it if you're not a fan of spicy foods.
BACON & MOLASSES – Ugh. Why can't all bacon be made this way? A huge (9-inch?) slab of bacon, very thick, and grilled to perfection. Slathered in a nice, sweet syrup and accompanied with blackberries makes it an appetizer that expertly balances sweet and savory flavors. I wish they served this on a bun (it'd be kind of like pancakes and bacon).
For desserts, they usually have cookies and truffles from Milk Bar, but I'd recommend taking a hike over to the store (just a few blocks away) to burn off some of those ramen calories and to maybe get a frozen treat. Noodle Bar also has these great frozen slushies. The last one I had was a spicy lychee flavor (super yum!).
No matter the season, no matter the seasonal menu items, Noodle Bar will always be a staple in my heart and in my stomach.
David Chang was first introduced to me when I caught him on a segment of Martha Stewart. Every since then, I became a fan of his. I watched him in "Mind of a Chef" and read articles he wrote. While visiting New York, I knew I had to eat at one of his restaurants.
We were seated at the bar and were able to watch the chefs in action. We started off with the amazing shrimp buns. The buns alone made it worthwhile. We waited a looong time for our ramen to come out. The girl who came in after us had already finished and paid before we got our bowls. I tried not to let that upset me too much. I had their signature Momofuku ramen- pork belly, pork shoulder, and poached egg. It was good but salty. I loved the poached egg though. I'm just glad we dined here.
2013 James Beard Outstanding Chef
Man I really wanted to love this place because I watched David Chang eat ramen all over Japan but it just did not do it for me.
Very busy foodie spot. Expect to wait. I sat at the bar, I like watching the dishes together. It is a decent sized restaurant for NY standards. Ramen came out pretty quickly.
Momofuku Ramen – $16 – Broth was ok but just did not make me go wow. Pork belly and shoulder were cooked well but the taste was typical of any restaurant. The poached egg fell apart in my bowl, the whites disintegrated after a few seconds. So disappointed since I love the egg in ramen the most. Fish cake stuff was just crap filler for me. And the noodles were like bagged ramen noodles.
Sadly the only reason I would come back is to try the fried chicken.
All of the hype about David Chang and Momofuku led me to try out this place. I won't lie- all of the pics of Momofuku ramen online really made me hungry and excited to try this place. I came here on a weeknight when they just opened for dinner service. It was packed within 10 minutes. The menu changes slightly daily too, which I did not know about.
My friend and I ordered the chicken meatball buns and I got the Momofuku ramen. The buns were HEAVENLY. They were definitely the best I have ever had but we were disappointed that pork buns were not available that night. The ramen was only mediocre, in my opinion. The flavor was okay but I was not too fond of the pork shoulder. After just this one visit, I'm not sure if this ramen wasn't what I am used to or this place really is overhyped. It could be a combination of both. Either way, I would not reorder the Momofuku ramen.
The restaurant, as others have mentioned, gets very loud too. Good luck hearing the person next to you. It's also pretty small. On the bright side, the service was great. It was a little disorganized but the waiters and waitresses were incredibly friendly! They did a great job refilling our water and were very patient. I would definitely come back here again but I would not get the same noodle dish. I ALSO HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEIR BUNS. I still dream about them to this day!