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Maybe it was what I ordered but I was not impressed. I got the menchanko ramen which you would think is their specialty since it is the name of the restaurant but it was average if that. The atmosphere is not memorable and the worst part is I ended up smelling like food the rest of the day! Service was average as well.

I like this place, it's casual and cozy. In NYC there is a lot of talk lately about where the "best" ramen is, maybe in one place the noodles are better, the other place the soup is better. This place is reasonably good all around and it's my go-to place where I can come often and have a satisfying bowl of noodles without having to wait in line. The quality can sometimes vary, and I have had the occasional "off" bowl of noodles, but it is usually quite good. One other thing I like is their small plates menu, after 5pm they have these tapas-size dishes, sometimes I make a meal out of ordering a few of those. They also have Oden, which is a sort of simmering broth with various types of tofu, turnip, and eggs, it's a comforting dish to have on a cold day.

We had take out of the Pork Dumplings and the Hakata Ramen. The Dumplings were just ok , i've had much better, they were pan fried and clumped together which made me think they were done on a flat grill not a wok. The ramen noodle soup was very good, it was salty (duh) but in a good way, the pork was very tender and had flavor, not like some fake red tipped BS you get all over the city. The flavor of the broth was strong with added ginger, mushrooms which gave it that wonderful mix of fresh ingredients. The noodles were not the best i've ever had (go to momofuka noodle bar for something that is one notch higher, +$4-5 in cost) they were porbbaly a little too soft for my texture liking, i would prefer some krinke in there instead of the very soft straight noodle as presented. I suggest letting it cool to a comfortable temperature if you can, i felt the flavors came out much more when it was a big cooler than when it was first opened. Overall I would say this is definintly worth a try if you are in the mood for mid-town ramen, it compares well to Sapporo (on 49th btw 6th and 7th) and i would say beats it in flavor but is on par as far as noodle and broth but Sapporo lacks the fresh ingredients which made this dish a point above par. But Saporro and this place beat the hell out of going to Cafe Dukes or another generic NYC mid-town deli. So go get your ramen fix already and stop reading :)

Been on a noodle soup run this winter, and Menchanko is the best ramen so far. I got the shoyu ramen, which was average. The noodles were fine, broth was good, but the pork tasted a bit plastic -- couldn't finish them. The miso noodles, on the other hand, were very good. My wife thought the noodles were thicker (about half the thickness of udon) and had the right "chewiness", good rich broth, and crunchy cabbage. I definitely had food envy watching her eat her noodles. Casual but comfortable atmosphere, Kirin on tap.

Love the lunch specials, tasty tasty ramen, yakisoba is especially good. Nom nom nom highly recommended!

Highly recommended. I've been here twice - once to their 45th St location and once to 55th Street. If you like japanese noodle soups, you'll love this place. The soba is extremely fresh and the soups are packed with so much flavor.

Don't know what the other review was about. Bad luck maybe? I've been going to this place for more than 8 years and I have never been disappointed. Actually, once. I had special ramen with spicy pork dipping sauce on the side and the sauce was very salty. But come on! ONE salty bowl of noodles in nearly a decade? That's totally forgivable. The noodles are always delicious, the appetizers are really authentic and service is consistently on point. Ramen portion is so generous I can never finish it all. The place is so close to Fifth Avenue I'm surprised it hasn't become a tourist trap by now, but I'm REALLY glad for that.