Nakamura Reviews

Ramen and service were ok. If you are visiting NYC, looking for a good ramen in a nice neighborhood, pass your way.

This place has incredible ramen! Even though we had a pretty miserable serving experience the food was so good it still gets a "very good" rating from me. My boyfriend and I went together for lunch and the ramen was on par with some of our favorite places we've visited in Japan. I am a vegitarian and it was also super easy to find veggie options too. Besides the ramen, the fermented soybean rice bowl was perfect! I think this might be vegan as well. They do serve alch, Id recommend just getting a nice Japanese beer though. The restaurant is pretty small and has limited tables, which was part of our problem. Our server actually gave our table away, in front of us, while there were about 3 couples in line behind us, to another group who was already seated and wanted to spread out. He was also pretty slow at turning over tables and serving food. I am hoping it was just his first day and he gets better with practice. Of the two servers working that day, one was pretty good to be fair. It was just our server that was struggling. FYI, because the place is small they were encouraging people to wait elsewhere and taking down phone numbers. Other than being extremely hangry by the time we sat down, we had a great filling lunch with amazing noodles. Get the large bowl if you're just getting ramen. Get the small bowl if you'd like to try some apps.

Went here after reading a recommendation on a vegan blog. We weren't disappointed, there are in fact a few vegan options on the menu. The friendly waitress was more than happy to go into quite detailed description of the dishes and recommend her favourites, which I thought was great service. My partner and I both went for the Yuzu Cabbage starter and the XO Miso ramen, both of which were of excellent quality, really tasty, and also the bowl of ramen is huge! Service is quick and friendly, food is really tasty, and I recommend this place highly.

This restaurant is located in Lower East Side at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge. The small kitchen has only space for the chef all by himself. Menu prices for ramen were on the high side. We ordered a fried Shishito pepper ($8) to start. It came surprisingly fast and was quite good. The Shaki Shaki Spicy ramen at $15 was quite spicy with thin noodles in chicken broth (extra $4 for a topping of cut chicken) and the XO Miso ramen for $16 with a thicker broth ($2 additional for tamago) were both rather average

It's so good I go in the bitter cold and sit outside on a cold slab of concrete to get my ramen fix. The broth is so light but rich rich rich in flavor. I don't know how he does it! I love his specialty the "Torigara". They also have gyoza which are so thin and crisp! Yum yum yum!

Very authentic ramen, close the East village. The place is very small and neighbourhood is not nice, but still worth going.

I enjoy the noodles here because they don't try to overpower you with flavor so I feel it's perfect in terms of flavor. The only thing negative is it is somewhat expensive and they give you very little noodles and meat. The place is also small so more an eat and go place especially during busy hours. I would drop by if I want a quick bite but just not the ambiance I wud want to hang out for a long time.

We stopped by here during our NYC trip – its right next to the Williamsburg bridge – so perfect stop on our way back to the Turnpike. The restaurant is on the smaller side, but service is quick and friendly. The Ramen prices are on the higher side and you have to add pork slices to your Ramen for an additional price since most of the bowls didn't come with the meat. I had the Tontoro Pork but it was too creamy for my taste. My brothers liked the Shaki Shiaki Spicy Ramen though. Be prepared to wait if you’re a large party of more than 4 people though.

Stopped here on a chilly day for a mazeman ramen and curry ramen. Both delicious. Fun drink menu too. Will definitely stop by again, especially convenient to Williamsburg Bridge.

I went here last night for dinner!! I was on the website when it said that the dude who opened this place is a ramen god!! I love ramen but godly ramen is next level stuff!! I got the tontoro with the Ajitama egg because a dude who I watch on YouTube said it was so good he didn’t want to add hot oil which he adds to everything!! I loved it like he did!! It was so good!! Also I got the truffle shiso fries because of the truffle and I thought it was unbelievable!! I love truffles!! I was watching the venom trailer and he just ate this dude without even thinking about it!! That’s so graphic for a ramen review I know!! That’s what I did for this ramen!! One serious thing I must tell you is that this place is so small and it gets so crowded easily but they take your name and call you in!! And the ramen is soooooooooooo good!!

I used to think Totto Ramen was my favorite....until I tried this place! I ate there over a week ago and I'm still day dreaming about their noodles. I had the chicken soup and it was amazing. Get the extra noodles you won't regret it!!!!

I was there early for dinner since I was in the neighborhood. Ramen had the right springiness and firmness. Soup was hot and stated fresh. I wish there was more pork. Szechuan chili cucumber was a nice refreshing start with a kick. Thin-skinned gyoza was perfect and tasty. Out of the way on Lower East Side but after lunch or dinner, you can walk around Avenues A, B and C and get some dessert and coffee/tea.

This little sit down eatery has seating for maybe 30 people max. I went at 12 noon on a weekday and was able to get a table right away.

2nd favorite ramen spot in the city! First will always be Ipuddo. This my 2nd time here. First time, came for lunch no wait. I got the curry ramen and I was not impressed. It's not what you expect in a bowl of ramen, very salty too. But I tried my boyfriends bowl (he got the tontoro) and it was mind blowing! Broth was rich but not overwhelming. The texture of the noodles was perfect, no other words to describe it. Carbs overload but totally worth it. We went back again this past weekend and of course we both got the tontoro. It's a very small place so wait can get crazy. We were quoted 45 min but ended up waiting over an hour. But once you take a sip of the ramen broth, you'll think it's worth it.

The place is small, tiny tables, no parties can be accommodated, maybe 20 people maximum, very much Japanese style. It sits virtually underneath Williamsburg bridge ramp to Clinton street. The menu features few ramen good portions, very tasty; rice bowls definitely filling and well stuffed with meat or else. Beers, soft drinks kind and helpful staff. One rice bowl, one ramen 33 dollars tip included. Expensive in general terms but it is NYC and the food was really good and tasty

Dined here for lunch last week and ordered the chicken gyoza and mazemen-style (no broth) ramen with steak. Both dishes were outstanding and the service was excellent. This is now my go-to whenever I'm craving ramen!

Small place, accommodations for 20, tokio style impossible for large parties, we come to this place with recommendations and the advertising of being one of the top four WW, we order 2 types of ramen, edamame and a bowl with rice and chicken, the ramen was a regular dash soup with Good noodles and two things floating, the pork who was a one single thin regular bacon piece looking like straight from the packaging and something similar to a thin piece of kanikama, very disappointing for a ramen place, chicken was good and the rice was a disrespect for the rice, watery and not what you would expect for a Japanese bowl of rice, it look like bolied. Extremely Disappointed on the food, the service was very good.

Atmosphere is nice, small and cozy place, service and ramen are really good, the Nakamura sign make a cozy light!

Because of our love of Nakamura Ramen in Waikiki, we tried Namamura NYC. Turns out there’s no relation, but this place is excellent in the same way - it packs a lot of flavor into the soup without sedimenting it with heavy flavorings. I ordered a custom version of the Torigara, a clear chicken broth, chashu, scallions and nori. I asked for thin, extra-soft noodles, a side order of ginger and an extra helping of broth. This fantastic soup put me into a fantasy world. I had eaten a similar broth dish at another Ramen place in New York, but I could taste the grits and grains used to add flavor. Not here. The flavor seemed to come from nowhere. Light as a feather. My wife had the XO Miso (vegan), with bits of barley, bean sprouts and Chinese chives. The menu says the miso has been aged for eight months. My wife ran out of appetite and asked me to finish her soup, and I must say — it’s the best miso I’ve ever had. Again, light and superb. The flavor didn’t taste poured-in or added-on. It was *inside* the soup, if that makes any sense. The service was quick and superb, even on a busy Friday evening! Our server was able to remember our custom order without writing anything down. This was one of the colder days this winter (2017-18), and it was cold inside. Wind was coming in from the door, and my seat was right in the path. There was a massive heater doing its best, but we still ate with our heavy Canada Goose coats on and noticed other diners bundled up as well. The restaurant is built on a “railroad”-style plan, narrow and deep. The door opens straight into the place, despite the curtains they had set up to block the wind. Even so, I can’t wait to go back. I’ll ask to sit back by the kitchen!

We had two different kind of ramen dishes for dinner. They were delicious. The dishes were also very big, you leave the restaurant with a very full belly! The restaurant is pretty small, so if you want to make sure you will be seated, better do a reservation!

This is a cute little joint on Delancey (easy to find, it's at the base of the Williamsburg bridge). Service is attentive and friendly, and most definitely helpful in navigating the menu. Bowl size and ingredient mix was just right, I left satisfied and glad I happened upon this place. It's a bit pricey but fair by NYC standards.

You know those truly amazing food moments that you know you are going to remember for the rest of your life? Nakamura is hands down one of those for me. After reading a review on Time Out, we tried Nakamura on the second night in the city. It’s a small restaurant with a handful of tables (doesn’t seat more than 18 people) and you wouldn’t know it’s there unless you were actively looking for it. I ordered the pork ramen and my partner ordered the chicken. It’s a small menu - but for good reason. Each bowl is executed perfectly. The pork broth is so creamy and feels like a warm hug. The noodles are cooked so well, and the pork was tender, so easy to eat. The chicken broth is fresh, chicken that falls apart and not dry at all. Portions are just right, don’t leave you feeling too full. We loved it so much that we had to come back on our last day for lunch. The second meal was just as good as the first. The service is quick and friendly, and there’s a good selection of drinks and sake if you’re so inclined. If you’re visiting New York City, you have to come here. I genuinely felt emotional because it was so good.

Excellent place for ramen! every soup I have tried has been absolutely amazing! The place is very small however so make sure not too go during lunch rush hour because that might result in quite a bit a queuing. The service isn't as good as the food but given the overall experience it's definitely worth the visit!

Have tried various ramen spots in town and this was the best by far ! Nice decor and good service . Great broth and perfectly cooked noodles .

The signature chicken broth ramen was good but the show stealer was the tonkotsu. Extremely creamy and so much umami! The noodle was cooked perfectly with a firm texture like it should be.

With the utter inundation of nook Japanese ramen spots in NYC, it's a miracle that any of these new(ish) little authentic Japanese ramen places are even able to make a name for themselves. Nakamura hits all the foundations and pulls off it's core distinction of chicken based stock exceptionally well. The aroma is clean, simple and pure. Attention to detail like just the right amount of grill on the single piece of char sui is spot on - Subtle and delicate. Interior is also simple and understated, made warm by the friendly and attentive servers. Overall, a nice little place for a good warm bowl of ramen on way over east on Delancey.

have eaten here three times before the pandemic and twice for takeout afterwards. great service; favorite appetizers are the yuzu chicken wings and chicken gyoza. my favorite entree is the jidori ramen with chicken, so delicious EVERY TIME. the grilled chicken adds so much flavor to a broth already so well seasoned. good selection of beer/wine as well

Best Ramen I’ve Ever Had. I’ve had delicious ramen in Vegas, London, Seattle, etc, and Nakamura in NYC is hands down the best so far. It’s been months and I’m *still* dreaming about it. Truly hope to go back someday and have another bowl.

Really nice place, ramen is delicious, we had pork ramen and a vegetarian ramen with truffle, amazing! Service is great too. Strongly recommended!

To begin with, it must be said that this restaurant had the closest flavours and tastes to the ones experienced in Japan. Ok, now to get down to it: the place is small so be ready either to wait for a while (or go for a 30-45 minutes walk as we did), or simply book ahead! Being so small, the place is cosy and intimate. The service is really nice; the staff is relaxed and friendly and will try to accommodate you to the best of their abilities. The food... ohh the food! My partner had the Tontoro Pork Ramen (if I am not mistaken), which is a soy based pork broth ramen and I had a bowl of Chashu Pork Don. Both were amazing, full of flavour and tasted close to heaven. The ramen was amazing! The HUGE difference between their food and other Japanese places where we had similar things is the pork and how it's cooked; it felt like it was made on an actual bbq grill and you could see the grill marks. The pork had a great texture, soft and crunchy in the same time, and literally bursting with flavours. And yes, we had extra portions of pork! Aside from the perfectly cooked meat, the broth was extremely tasty and thick, full of flavour, with a generous portion of noddles, and perfectly cooked Ajitama eggs (which is not an easy task). I liked the eggs my partner had in his ramen, so I also ordered one as a side for my rice (because, why not?!). The Chashu Pork Don I had was perfectly cooked; the rice was not too soft, not too hard, and sticky, and the pork was soft and full of flavour (the meat was melting in your mouth). As a side dish we had some Gyoza (chicken) that were very good, albeit a bit too fried for my taste. Given the main courses were so amazing, I didn't care! They also have some very nice vegan options as far as I can recall by looking at the menu. I also remember they have either daily or weekly specials; they had on the menu Tsukemen (I wanted to have it, but it was already all gone), a dish we have not found yet outside of Japan. I wanted this dinner to last much longer; I was wishing the dish would never end! I am all up for trying other places in NY (and everywhere else I travel) for Japanese food, but as far as Nakamura goes, I WILL GO BACK! If you are a lover of Japanese cuisine, do not miss this place! Ohh forgot to mention, that the prices are also very good.

Really beautifully decorated place with some really good ramen... Nice costumer service. Worth the little detour.

Nice little restaurant with really good ramen. Very small restaurant with limited space. Recommend the cilantro bowl!

Read about this place online, and was going to be in the area for the evening when I decided to check this place out. Watch out for the door hangings outside this place, you get a nice view of the Williamsburg bridge on your walk down there. We arrived close to 9PM Saturday night, and though it's a small place there were plenty of tables for a party of two. The staff was very welcoming and friendly, I felt taken care of the second we walked through the door. The food came out really fast, we were just getting started on the teppan gyoza when our two torigara ramen bowls came out. At first we were worried about the amount of food we ordered (the gyoza comes with seven pieces), but after finishing our appetizer we discovered we still had a lot of appetite left. Each gyoza piece was smaller than expected. The food was all delicious, tastes just like the ramen I've had from my time visiting Japan. It was also perfect weather for ramen being one of the first cold nights of Fall. I do wish the eggs had come with the ramen, it's an extra $2 for a soft boiled egg. Overall food was delicious, would definitely eat here again!

Spent a day in Brooklyn with the family and decided to walk the Willie B Bridge. My sons wanted me to try a Japanese eatery called Nakamura right at the edge of the bridge as soon as we walked over. Small quaint little place, clean and AC which we needed. Tried the Tontoro ramen noodles with the egg it was delicious, we asked for extra noodles afterwards as well. Affordable quiet and clean place, had a small issue regarding the facilities but was resolved. If you are in the neighborhood stop by and enjoy this restaurant you wont be disappointed.

You can’t go wrong with this place. Excellent noodles, gyozas and other Japanese food. Very popular, doesn’t take reservations and you have to wait in line to get a table. Small place, seats probably 10 people, tops. Well worth the wait thought. You won’t regret.

Stumbled across this place as it was under where we were staying. Is always busy and thought must give it a try. Great selection of ramens and entrees. Big serves and quick service! Delicious ramen. Staff were lovely. :)

I like Nakamura. It's a small joint near the Manhattan side of the Williamsburg bridge. It seemed that its claim to fame is a chicken-based broth -- the Torigara. It did not disappoint. The noodles were straight and chewy. The broth was clear, yet flavorful. The chashu was thinly sliced and tasty. I would suggest ordering a soft boiled egg on the side, as it was prepared well. My only qualm would be that only one slice of chashu was included, granted menma and spinach was part of the mix. The appetizers were delicious. Definitely check out the yuzu wings, but the gyoza were also a winner.

Absolutely Delish! Two Ramen options for vegetarians / vegans. The space in NYC tight but we were able to get in about 7:30pm on a Saturday without a wait. The food was amazing. Highly recommend!

We went to the lower east side just to visit Nakamura, and it was worth the trip out there. They do a great chicken/pork broth ramen and the flavour is AMAZING. Super flavorful yet incredibly light. Portion size is good for the price you're paying. Definitely worth checking out.

Very good ramen we had the chicken ramen with an egg, good service and Gyoza served on a sizzling pan