Minca

Really hope this isn’t closed forever. This is a small cash only place in LES/​Alphabet City. It is always crowded. The only time I’ve been able to be sat immediately for party of two is lunch time. If I don’t finish my bowl of ramen, I regret it immediately an hour later. I’ve had the shoyu ramen bowls, spicy and non-​spicy. And I have to thin noodles, which are always al-​dente. When this opens up again, be sure to make sure the big man is working behind the bar. He is the secret to this joint. Be sure to sit at the bar and watch him work. It adds an added charm to this place.
There is a sister location (Kambi) which is a 15 minute walk away in case this place is too full. It is a much larger, and has a lunch special.

Alas, my most favorite Japanese restaurant has remained closed due to a gas leak. Please please tell me you are not closed forever. They have the best ramen in NYC. The «wall in the hole» décor reminds me of similar places I went to in Tokyo. The waitresses are super friendly and helpful. One time I could not find parking, but she brought my bowl of hot ramen right to my car. I really appreciate their hospitality.
As I was learning Japanese, the cooks and the waitresses graciously let me practice my Japanese on them.
If Minca is closed for good, let me thank the staff for your hospitality and the great ramen you served through the years. Good luck to my favorite waitesses and kitchen staff.
本当にありがとうございました. お世話になりました.

I didn’t get to try the ramen because it wasn’t opened when I was there at 1pm on Saturday. I am not sure why, there’s no notice on the door, both Unilocal and their website says they open 7 days a week at noon. If it’s your first time, you may wanna check their business hour by calling in advance.

If I could choose a dish to be my companion, it would be ramen.
This place is tiny. There were a few people waiting outside. We waited about 15 minutes before we were seated, which I think is not bad.
While we were waiting, we witnessed a waitress rushing out to return a tip to a customer that had just stepped out. They do not accept tips. To me, this is very reminiscent of Japanese hospitality. They go the extra mile to provide good service. They also have the traditional open kitchen so you can view them making your food.
Minca (pork & chicken broth) Sio Ramen ($ 11.50) — salt & roast garlic flavor with chashu, ½ an egg, bamboo, mushrooms, nori:
The broth is thick & creamy. I would have preferred a soft-​boiled egg over a hard-​boiled egg, but if you dunk it in the soup, it’s still good. The chashu was tender, and creamy from the fat, and kind of falls apart in your mouth. The thin noodles are okay, not bad.
Tsukemen dipping style ramen (about $ 15) with bamboo, ½ an egg, corn, chashu, green onion:
We hadn’t had tsukemen since we were in Tokyo and were glad to try it again. It was delicious. The broth was rich and thick with flavor. They used thick noodles for the tsukemen, much better.
So there you have it. Good food, good service. The prices are pretty good compared to a lot of other ramen joints, even the tsukemen, since tsukemen usually costs more than regular ramen. Only downside, they are a cash only establishment. I think at these prices, they can afford to offer credit card payment.

Had a craving for ramen one night as it was a cold and rainy NYC night. My bff suggested we try this place after going to a couple of other places that had more than a 45 minute wait. Everyone was out that night getting ramen! The place was small and the wait was about 10 minutes, but we were able to squeeze in.
Now to the ramen. The broth was amazing. The flavor was awesome. The broth has to be one of the richest broth around, that being said after trying a lot of ramen places. The noodles were thick and done just right. The pork was soft, fatty, and delicious. The portion size was super large as you can see from the other photos. Come hungry and you will leave super satisfied! This place has by far the most filling, most rich ramen that I have ever had. Obviously you are able to add on other items but I just like mine as it comes out.
Even if there is a wait, just do it. And bring cash! You will not be disappointed!

I discovered this spot through a buzzfeed article on the top noodles in NYC to try before I die and although most of the ones listed on there I thought was an exaggeration, I personally felt this was one of the true ones.
The first time I came here I got the basic pork broth with wavy noodles and I truly believe it was the richest base compared to Totto and Ippudo. My friend got the spicy miso since she recently decided to go vegan and she loved it as well. The both of us were starving before we were seated since this place is relatively small and run by just 1 waitress at the time. Even though we were both famished, we weren’t able to finish, just cause the soup and noodles were so rich.
To be honest I didn’t expect much out of this place at all, however I was more than satisfied with this meal and considering the price compared to the more well known ramen spots, this was definitely worth the trip. I came here 2 days later and tried the shoyu with wavy noodles, but I much preferred the basic.
The only down side is that it’s cash only, otherwise I would’ve probably tried the appetizers and added more pork (it’s amazing and would be worth the extra few bucks!)

I have no idea what I just ate, but it was delicious. Classic Asian food.
Tight seating. Cash only.

**Cash Only**
This rainy fall weather is perfect for warm toasty ramen. We got their spicy pork miso ramen. The noodles, soup, toppings all came out separately. I’ve never had ramen come out like that before, that was interesting. The noodles were really thick and the soup was really thick because of the miso but it worked pretty well. It made me feel really full at the end, usually I’m still hungry after ramen. I usually find Japanese ramens to be a bit oily for me, but I think cause it was thicker, it was better. Recommend!

Mmm Ramen is perfect for the cold weather and heck any weather but especially the winter months and Minca is the hot spot you want to be at to get warmed up with delicious Ramen. And when you are here don’t forget this place is CASH ONLY.
You have to get here early because if it’s dinner time expect a line out the door. This tiny restaurant has very few tables so be prepared to be a little cramped and sit close to a stranger.
As soon as you walk into Minca you get a whiff of the broth and it smells great. I have been here a few times and it gets better each and every time.
My favorite is the Kimchi for the appetizer which is a spicy cabbage the has a great kick to it and if you put it over rice it adds texture and makes it even better. For the main dish I usually go with the Wahoo Sio with chicken. Most people like the pork which is also very good but I stick to the chicken.
The ramen bowl is packed with veggies, seaweed, and an egg on top with your choice of noodle but you should go with whatever they suggest if you are not a ramen pro. And the portions are very big sized so don’t you worry it will fill you up and the broth taste amazing.
I will deff be back here again but the service can be slow at times especially when you are trying to get your check and there is usually a line out the door.
In short:
— Delicious Ramen
— Kimchi appetizer is the way to go
— tiny restaurant
— slowish service
— no reservations
— Cash Only

Stopped here for a lunchtime bowl of ramen. To be honest, I have been to Minca multiple times, but never found it to be memorable… Until today.
Every time I go to Kambi or Minca I always order the exact same thing: Spicy Miso Ramen. Now, spicy miso is delicious, but I feel like it’s like going to a notoriously good sushi restaurant and settling for the spicy tuna roll– it’s not special.
I decided to explore my options today and ask the server what he recommended. Of course, he said the most popular was spicy miso. I went one step further and asked what his favorite was, and he told me the Minca Sio.
The Minca Sio was DELICIOUS. Although it’s a lighter (and probably much healthier) broth than the spicy miso, it was incredibly flavorful and filling. I will definitely be ordering this next time, or rather ordering something new off the menu I haven’t tried. Thanks for the great suggestion!

Minca is a decent ramen house, and seems pretty traditional.
There’s a limited number of appetizers offered, but the gyoza was on point. The ramen is decent. Wasn’t really a big fan of the spicy miso ramen, but the garlic shio tsukemen was delicious. The broth was concentrated, yet not overbearingly rich, and is probably the best I’ve had in the states.
The place is small, even for a ramen house, and it’s cash only.

Very solid ramen place with a great presentation. With a plethora of ramen in the east village it’s hard to chose. I had the spicy basic ramen which was delicious and certainly picked a punch. The thick noodles were perfectly cooked as well as the meat. It wasn’t incredibly flavorful and I would like to come back to try the spicy miso as that looked great as well. Will certainly be back
Update: went back to try to the spicy miso and this really threw me off. The noodles were overcooked and almost mushy, the broth was off and the whole dish just felt like it was rushed out of the kitchen.

WOW. I can’t believe last night was my first time at Minca. So many lost opportunities. Woke up still thinking about it.
As of now, this is my favorite bowl of ramen in NYC. Yes, better than Totto, Ippudo, Chuko. (Haven’t tried MU yet).
The broth (pork broth, garlic/​salt) was perfect, not too salty, not too heavy/​light, just great flavor.
The noodles (Get the Tokyo Thick Noodles) were perfect. Wavy and thick, just how I like em.
The cha-​shu was. wow. Perfectly cooked, great flavor, good fat: lean ratio.
A small note. but skip the gyoza. It’s just eh, I rather get more noodles.
Came at 9 PM and waited about 30 minutes. but so worth it. Small restaurant, great food and service. Will be back ASAP.

I have to admit I have a bias towards hole-​in-​the-​wall Japanese joints. There’s just something so cozy and comforting about them, especially in the winter as you squish up against everyone else while slurping a hot bowl of broth.
Minca offers a short, succinct menu of 5 appetizers and about 10 different variations of pork or chicken broth ramen. You get to pick wavy or thin noodles, and there’s the usual choices of additional toppings for $ 0.50-$ 2.00.
Definitely go for the pork broth here. I generally like chicken more as its lighter, but the chicken broth here is sub-​par compared to the rich, milky pork broth.
The wait times can be long during peak hours given that there’s only 20 seats, so go early to avoid waiting outside (especially as it’s getting colder).

I don’t get it. It’s not that yummy and you have to wait outside in the cold for a long time and the hostess/​waitress/​busgirl is rude because she’s overwhelmed with all she has to do. If you’re in the mood for ramen, might as well check out one of the 10 other ramen places nearby instead.

This is a decent spot for ramen if you don’t want to wait for ippudo and if you are driving and need to find a parking spot. However, ippudo is much better!
This place is tiny!!! We sat next to another party of 2 and it was like we were all one party of 4. There was less than 1 inch separation between the tables. Every time the waitress walked by (every 30 seconds or less), she would have to go side ways or would touch our table. I guess that is why a lot of people ordered to go instead.
We ordered the shrimp dumplings and they were ok. The skin was thin and crispy but the sauce needed a little more flavor.
The spicy classic ramen I got was just ok. The broth was pretty oily and salty for my taste. The pork was tender and juicy. Even though the egg tasted ok, I would have preferred the soft egg instead.

Tried the two of the most popular:
–spicy miso with wavy noodles ($ 14.50)
–basic ramen with thick firm noodles (11.50)
Both broths were rich and thick, but flavor profiles in basic ramen were a little lacking in flavor I would say. Spicy ramen bowl was huge.
Definitely try the radish salad. It’s thinly radish tossed in a sesame/​peanut like sauce. Shrimp gyoza was good too.
Prices are decent, but can add up quickly so be mindful of that. These four items came out to $ 40.30
Note to parents: there’s a painting they hang on one of the walls that’s pretty provocative. Not the best thing for young children to look at… Minca would you consider changing that up to be more family friendly? I’m sure many parents would appreciate it!
Regardless, food is definitely worth a try.

My friend and I fount this ramen shop because I was craving ramen really badly and didn’t feel like going to Ippudo again since I enjoy trying new places. The pricing was about the same with Ippudo, but the ramen wasn’t as great.
I ordered the vegetarian ramen because I can’t eat pork. Everything else had a pork based broth which didn’t let me get anything else. My friend ordered the shoyu ramen. The ramen size was enormous. I could barely finish it! The broth was thick but not that great. My friend also had the same thoughts.
The service here is speedy and the atmosphere is very relaxed. There isn’t much seating so be prepared to wait.

The ramen here was pretty incredible! The broth was nice and spicy, without hindering your ability to actually enjoy it, and the noodles were a good consistency. Ended up getting the spicy pork soup ($ 13)
The pork was on point and they used a blowtorch to give it a nice char on top. The portions were generous and enough to be a little bit more that full. The establishment itself isn’t too large, but people clear out pretty quickly.
The service was great and although everything was very quick-​paced, the waitresses were very kind and accommodating. It’s also really cool that you can see the chefs preparing food from the bar seats.
Great place, cash only! Would recommend!

There is a disturbing lack of tsukemen style ramen in this city. Minca is one of the only places that offer it, so I had to give it a try in hopes of having good tsukemen on a semi-​regular basis. Unfortunately I was not impressed with the spicy miso tsukemen here. The broth looked flavorful but was overly salty and greasy. The noodles were decent but could have been thicker and chewier. The corn, mushrooms and bamboo shoots that came on the side were an afterthought. However, the chasu was pretty good so that slightly made up for it.
Between the tiny cramped space, the way-​outta-​my-​way-​Alphabet-​City location, and the $ 20 I threw down for mediocre tsukemen, I probably won’t be back to try the regular ramen. If someone can point me towards some good tsukemen within Manhattan, I will be eternally grateful.

Este es el mejor ramen en la ciudad de Nueva York! Prueben el spicy ramen que es excelente y sus dumplings de puerco. Sus precios son increíblemente cómodos y el ambiente es pequeño pero muy acogedor. Las meseras son muy amables y siempre son muy atentas!

Wenn man als Tourist mal nicht die typischen Times Square — Central Park — Lady Liberty-​Erfahrung machen möchte, ist Minca eine ideale Station. Ich wohne seit 4 Jahren in New York, und habe in Deutschland nie viel von Ramen mitbekommen. Diese Nudelsuppen sind «from scratch» frisch gemacht, d.h. die Nudeln und die Brühe werden täglich im Restaurant hergestellt.
Ich gehe am liebsten zu Minca, wenn es draußen kalt ist. Eine Schüssel der Nummer 2 auf dem Menü wärmt mich den ganzen Tag, und ist in der Würzmischung so perfektioniert, dass ich noch am nächsten Tag die Aromen mit mir herumtrage.
Die Preise sind für dieses Erlebnis fast zu niedrig — $ 10.25 für eine riesige Nudelsuppe! Und die offene Küche im kleinen Restaurant macht das ganze auch noch zum Gastronomie-​Erlebnis!
(nur Barbezahlung!)