Zurutto Ramen & Gyoza Bar
“Overall, I'd say this is a decent place for ramen in the UWS and I will likely be here again, since the SO said he really enjoyed it (maybe more than me).”
“The cabbage matched well with the soup also.”
“Excellent takoyaki – custardy, not over cooked and dry.”
Zurutto Ramen & Gyoza Bar
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Bitcoin: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
2 reviews
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Zurutto
NY Manhattan UWS
8:30pm Tuesday 12th July 2016
Three Stars
I have never ordered a bowl of ramen that I did not like. There are simply places that I like more than others. Besides having an unpronounceable name, this Ramen and Gyoza place is nothing special.
The Gyoza was on the smaller side and unevenly cooked. Half of the dumplings had a nice sear but other side were undercooked with sticky skin. The filling was tender and juicy but no other flavor than the pork. The Takoyaki had lots of tasty components, salty bonita flakes, cream sauce and sweet sauce, the inside was creamy.
The spicy chicken ramen was not very good at all. I ordered extra noodles which they put into the bowl instead on the side which made the broth too thick and starchy. The broth was fatty and salty but lack any real chicken flavor. The noodles were thick and wavy. The Pork was tough. The canned corn, bits of cabbage, and ribbons of scallions added some much needed freshness. It was filling but nothing else really comes to mind.
3.5 stars rounded up because the SO liked this place a lot.
Zurutto is a very much welcomed newcomer in the ramen business in the Upper West Side, where good Asian food is hard to come by. It's location on 72nd between Broadway and Columbus is excellent and easy to access from the subway stations. While dining here on a Saturday evening, you could tell this was definitely the UWS as there were about a bajillion children under the age of 7 dining with their parents and stuffing noodles into their mouths with their bare hands. I also wouldn't call this a "gyoza bar" given there's only 3 choices of gyoza to be had.
There is a clipboard similar to that of Totto's where you put your name down and the # of your party. We only had to wait about 5 minutes for a table, and as the night went on, there were plenty of tables all around. Service was okay – though all the ladies were very nice, I had a water jug with no cup to drink my water with for about 15 minutes until we had to ask for one. It also took us about 20 minutes after our appetizer to finally get our ramen. I was yawning and sleepy at that point.
The space is actually quite nice – very spacious and you don't feel like you're enjoying your dinner with the table next to you. It also doesn't smell inside and the lighting is great. Music is interesting.
They sell my favorite beer – Kagua Rouge and Kagua Blanc here! Definitely try this if you can.
The takoyaki (8 for $7) was delicious. It tasted as takoyaki should taste and I have no complaints here, except maybe that it could have been more hot (burn-your-tongue-hot). I would recommend getting this as an appetizer.
For the ramen, the SO and I both got the $13 spicy Zurutto (miso) ramen. The broth is made of chicken, like that of Totto. Sodium levels were not off the charts, as is the case with many Japanese noodle soups. MSG level seems to be fine, as I'm not currently dying of thirst. I liked the consistency of the broth – not too rich, not too thin, but I did find that it had a sweet flavor to it that I didn't really like as much – perhaps from the miso? I don't typically like miso broths and usually get tonkotsu, so that may be the case. This ramen also came with onions, cabbage, and corn, which the first two I found to be interesting additions. The ground pork was nothing to call home about and neither was the char siu. However, I must say that the egg was probably the most perfect egg I've eaten in a long, long time. Noodles were the curly kind and perfectly al dente.
Overall, I'd say this is a decent place for ramen in the UWS and I will likely be here again, since the SO said he really enjoyed it (maybe more than me).