Rai Rai Ken

Yum. I have been coming here for years, since back in the day when they had the property next door. Some of the atmosphere has gone since the move (hence the drop in a star) as the ambience in the old spot was second to none.
However the Ramen and gyoza continue to deliver. A solid spot, you cant go wrong.

Rai Rai Ken is our go-​to ramen spot in the EV. Ippudo and Momofuku are great, but the lines can be crazy long and sometimes, you just gotta get a good bowl of ramen fast.
I almost always get the lunch or dinner specials here, which comes with a bowl of any ramen, an appetizer, a drink, and a mochi for dessert. I can’t remember the prices exactly, but I think it was around $ 14.
The pork buns here are amazing, rivaling Ippudo’s. The housemade sweet and spicy chili sauce they serve with them is out of this world, and I am glad they give me a bowl big enough to spread all over my bun.
The ramen is solid. I tend to get the shoyu ramen, but have also had the japanese curry ramen base here. Both of which are great. I like a lot of spice, to I usually dump that sweet chili oil into my broth too. There is a good ratio of noodles to broth, a well-​cooked soft-​boiled egg, some pork, some green onions and other garnish as well. Delicious.
I have only had to wait here one time for a table, it seems that Rai Rai Ken has found a good balance of quick service, and a crowd that likes a quick turnaround. I wouldn’t expect a party to come here and sit for hours, it’s in-​eat-​out for most.
The place is small and not as well decorated as some of their competitors, but does that really matter? I put Rai Rai Ken solidly in the top three ramen spots in the neighborhood.

Rai Rai Ken is our go-​to ramen spot in the EV. Ippudo and Momofuku are great, but the lines can be crazy long and sometimes, you just gotta get a good bowl of ramen fast.
I almost always get the lunch or dinner specials here, which comes with a bowl of any ramen, an appetizer, a drink, and a mochi for dessert. I can’t remember the prices exactly, but I think it was around $ 14.
The pork buns here are amazing, rivaling Ippudo’s. The housemate sweet and spicy chili sauce they serve with them is out of this world, and I am glad they give me a bowl big enough to spread all over my bun.
The ramen is solid. I tend to get the shoe ramen, but have also had the japanese curry ramen base here. Both of which are great. I like a lot of spice, to I usually dump that sweet chili oil into my broth too. There is a good ratio of noodles to broth, a well-​cooked soft-​boiled egg, some pork, some green onions and other garnish as well. Delicious.
I have only had to wait here one time for a table, it seems that Rai Rai Ken has found a good balance of quick service, and a crowd that likes a quick turnaround. I wouldn’t expect a party to come here and sit for hours, it’s in-​eat-​out for most.
The place is small and not as well decorated as some of their competitors, but does that really matter? I put Rai Rai Ken solidly in the top three ramen spots in the neighborhood.

It was my first time in New York and a friend recommended this place. To be honest, it was okay because the broth was too blend. The prices are more reasonable than other places and they only take cash.

This place is da bomb.
My heart will always belong to hinomaru (if not astoria) but this place is a top contender.
I love the prices, the service, the atmosphere and more importantly the ramen. Very delicious, not too salty (after ramen I usually feel close to experiencing my first stroke) and filled with great tasting noodles!
The lunch special is so reasonable– and they offer mochi and the end! SO DELICIOUS!
Presentation is beautiful and honestly if it wasn’t for my health conscious lifestyle I’d come here more!

Stopped by here on a Sunday night and got seats for two without any wait. It’s a cute little place that’s not too fancy and has an authentic feel. I got the shoyu ramen which has pork along with loads of vegetables like bamboo shoots. I was pleased that there was plenty of ingredients besides the noodles and meat. The service was quick and the price very reasonable. Would visit again!

Ehh… There’s a reason there’s not much of a wait here. It’s okay if you are craving ramen and happen to be next door. A bit salty and the fried chicken wasn’t that good.

Dinner specials = BOMB.
Cute little ramen place, the noodles and broth are about standard but you’ll find the sides and happy staff make the meal really enjoyable. The lines get long on popular nights (friday and saturdays) but it is a fun neighborhood to walk around so it’s no big deal.
No option to order the noodles firm or well done.
Next time I’ll stop by for a lunch special!

We got tired about Undo West bad serves and start walk around the neighborhood. And we found this little restaurant and happen had chicken karaage!!! OMG! Their foods are sooo good! Ramen is the best!!! Serves is wonderful !! Defiantly the place you want !!!

I’m surprised by some of the negative reviews here, because I had a great time!
I went there for a Friday night dinner, and there was only a five-​minute wait. Service was very attentive — none of our glasses of water were ever empty.
The dishes were very reasonably priced (~$ 10), had above-​average portions, and tasty all around. I enjoyed everything about the curry ramen (which FYI is thankfully not spicy at all) I ordered and would gladly have it again.
The music they play is a Top 40 blend that for some reason reminds me of shopping at Express. And the bathroom has a Japanese-​style toilet if you feel so inclined to experience a heated seat.
I’ll definitely be coming back here! (And if you’re looking to cap off your meal for the night, just head across the street to ChikaLicious Dessert Bar!)

Delicious & authentic Ramen.
Great combo deals.
Had to order a second veggie Gyoza
Because it was that good.

Rai Rai Ken just isn’t as good as other ramen shops in the area. I’d recommend picking another place if you’re really looking for a good bowl of ramen. Their soup base doesn’t have the normal thickness and actually taste a bit weird. It’s a quick meal and you don’t have to wait in line, but there are so many other options around that are way better. I’d say this is definitely on the bottom of my list.

I like to think of RRK as several notches below even the most un-​fussy ramen joints in the East Village: sling back a Sapporo, slurp up noodles with vigorous lip-​smacking sounds, and, at the end of it all, when you can see the bottom of your bowl, unbutton the top part of your pants and sigh in satisfaction. Everything here is pretty casual, from the disposable chopsticks to the waitresses chatting loudly with each other in Japanese. Fine dining it’s not, but you can kick back and be your most unvarnished self here without feeling self-​conscious.
Happy hour nets you two pork buns at $ 6 — though they’re half the buns at Momofuku, the pork is not as tender or as fatty. Going along with my streak of not ordering the dish a restaurant is most famous for, I opted for the pork fried rice and a soup on the side. It’s definitely comfort food for when it’s rainy and cold.
Also noteworthy to probably only me: my friend’s $ 3 sake was poured out, a tad sloppily, into this little shellacked box on a plate. Towards the end, there was more sake on the plate than in the box, and it make gracefully drinking the dregs impossible.
NEXT TIME: maybe the mapo tofu ramen — I think this is the first time I’ve seen the dish converted into ramen form.

Not sure what happen here, The first time saw a great experience which is why I craved to go back for more.
The second time was a complete turn around, Service was rude and dismissive and the food was subpar.
Even the soup I liked to much the first time was salty and lacking…
Not going to be returning here.

Checked in on 10÷31÷15 for Dinner.
Shoyu Ramen — Not as good as the first time. This time found a bug in my soup: (
Seafood Fried Rice — Pork flavor is definitely better. Did not know nor was it indicated on the menu the use of dried shrimp for this dish… It would’ve been nice to know because some people really really don’t like the taste of that.: (
Customer service was not good, not attentive, and not suggestive this time.
Would not go back after this experience.

It is decent for a quick ramen fix, but I have definitely had better. I only come here because my boyfriend loves eating ramen here, but I would definitely choose higher end ramen spots like Ippudo or Totto Ramen. But I do understand Rai Rai Ken is not a high end ramen joint, and it does not try to be either, so it should not be compared to places like Ippudo. However, if I am really craving ramen, those would be the places I would hit first. We only stopped by here because Ippudo and Momofuku were both a two hour wait and my boyfriend and I were too hungry to wait. It is a pretty small place, a few tables and some seats at the bar.
I have tried the Curry Ramen, the Shoyu Ramen, and the Mabo Ramen. They all tasted decent. However, I felt that the broth is generally too thick and tasted too much like MSG. The ramen was very similar to packaged ramen. When I ate the Curry Ramen, it felt like too much was going on, I did not really know what I was tasting. There were too many ingredients conflicting with each other and it was not very well balanced. The appearances of the Curry Ramen and the Mabo Ramen were a little messy. The Shoyu Ramen was more presentable. We also tried their pork buns and they were quite tasty.
Service was pretty good for us. Our server was very friendly and attentive, despite how busy it was during dinner time on a Saturday night. The food also came out in a reasonable amount of time. The busboy was also very attentive to any water refills we needed. Pricing is decent for the amount of food. One regular sized bowl of ramen here was good enough for me, I could not even finish a bowl on my own.
Bring cash! They do not accept credit!

My friend and I each got a dinner set ($ 17) which includes ramen, drink, bamboo & kimchi side dish, small appetizer, and mochi ice cream. It is a really good price for that much food.
The noodles and broth were okay. The chasu was nice and crispy, but a bit salty. Overall, the food just fell flat and was not memorable at all.

Went here to grab ramen for lunch. It was pretty empty when we went and the lunch special was decently priced.
It comes with ramen and Gyoza. The ramen is soy based. Not really what I am expecting when eating ramen. This seems to be there highlight ramen so that’s what I ordered. The problem with soy based ramen (after ordering it) is that when you think ramen you think fatty broth… This is not what you get. So I had to add more soy sauce, chili oil, and all sorts of things to get my flavor
right…
One thing though is the aesthetic of the restaurant is very nice. It feels very Authentix Japan, one of the reasons I was interested to come inside and check it out.

Best Ramen lunch special !!
I got the Mabo Ramen, pork bun, hot tea and mocha icecream all for only $ 14.50. The Mabo Ramen was awesome. The noodle was not too soft, not too hard, just perfect. The broth was tasty with soft tofu and ground pork.
Delicious! Cash only so don’t forget to go to a ATM!

I woke up with a sore throat and stuffy face. I was sick, so someone who cares about me took me here. We started off with the oolong tea. It was perfect. The waiter brought me a glass of water with ice. I asked him to bring me water with no ice, to which he kindly obliged. T
The soup came out. It was great. My soup had half an egg with a soft yolk, a large to medium size sheet of seaweed, spinach, shrimp wonton and some Ramen noodles in chicken broth.
The broth cleared my sinuses well. I felt better after the tea and the soup.
I think my favorite part though, was the toilet. This toilet was a Cadillac of toilets. It had heated seats, two speeds of butt washer and a dryer.
This was a great little joint. Had a great time. The service was good and so was the soup. And the toilet.

I’d skip this place.
I asked if there was a table other than being seated by the bar because it was cold by the door. The guy says no. We sit down by the bar. Another couple walks in, same thing. She asks for a table other than the bar. She gets – table in the back. WTH?
On to the food.
Pork bun was poorly made. One of our buns had such a small piece of pork, I literally thought it didn’t have one!!! And that dipping sauce? Could they be any more skimpy? I couldn’t even dip my bun in it nor could it be poured onto the bun! (Pls see pic)
Wonton ramen. At first i thought it was some sorta super size wonton given the size of the skin that was floating in my bowl. Wrong… It was wontonS that didn’t even have a full bite of meat (Again, see pic. And no, i didn’t break the wonton. What you see in the pic, was exactly wat i got in my bowl). Ridiculous!
Would I be back? Absolutely not. There’s way too many ramen shops to eat at in NY. This one? Thanks. But no thanks.

Food: Eh, the ramen is decent. It’s a bit better than Momofuku, which isn’t good as well. I ordered the Mabo Ramen and the Veggie Ramen. Mabo ramen tasted like mapo tofu (spicy grounded beef broth). The idea is genius but the outcome failed. Tasted weird and it didn’t match. Veggie ramen is the better of the two. There’s nothing noteworthy about it. Wished they used fresh ingredients instead of canned stuff (like the corn).
Ambiance: Noisy.
Service: Service wasn’t great. Waiter was hardly there. I had an empty cup most of the time and it’s not because I drink fast. Also, TEA IS NOT FREE. REFILLS ARE NOT FREE EITHER. Can you let us know that it’s not free waiter?
The Bottom Line: Won’t be back even if they have stamp cards. There’s better ramen places around here even if it’s a longer wait.