Ivan Ramen

There are a million ramen places in New York, but this small noodle house transports you straight to Tokyo. The owner is a Jewish guy from New York, and his ramen is influenced by Jewish chicken noodle soup. It’s made with chicken broth instead of pork so it’s much less fatty, and the broth is lighter—almost clear—and more balanced than most. My favorite is the shoyu because the noodles are made with buckwheat flour and have a nice bite without being overly chewy like some traditional ramen noodles. All the ramen here is worth trying, though!