Ramen by MEW

Six months after my last visit, which was when they first opened. I’m from Philadelphia so I raved about this place after my first visit, as the bowl of ramen literally melted in my mouth with the richness of the pork belly and broth.
Today, I’m a little sad. Some things have changed:
1) The broth is less rich than I remembered.
2) They only give one piece of pork belly compared to two last time.
3) The non 90s music.
However, even with a less rich broth their ramen still is better than all the places in Philadelphia so I don’t know if I truly can complain. It’s just different not as good as the first visit.
While some things improved:
1) Easier to read menu.
2) Cheaper prices, my first time a bowl was $ 14, this time a bowl was $ 11 but someone outside gave out coupons for $ 8 any bowl.
Also they will be closing temporarily starting June 26, 2016 with no date of when they would reopen.

Legit ramen with cool, laid back vibe. (Cash only!)
Just stopped by for a Sunday dinner after a long flight. Didn’t have any expectations and was really surprised by it!
Food (awesome): I ordered the spicy Kara miso ramen which had just the right kick. This place hit the spot on the two most important things about ramen — good broth and springy noodles. The broth was thick and perfectly coated the noodles, which were nice and chewy. My boyfriend got the salmon don and the flavor was great as well. The smoked salmon, rice, and nori made a rich and flavorful dish.
Vibe (legit): whoever opened this place has a love for music and there are small details like the table legs, bigger details on the lighting, and the biggest dedication on one side of the wall which has an entire music/​mixing board and huge speakers. They were playing downtempo hip hop when we ate there (think Nujabes) which created a really cool vibe to go with the sleek wooden furnishings.
Service (attentive but not overboard): our ordered were taken pretty quickly and the food came out promptly. Everything was there without feeling like hovering.

The portions here are AMAZING. You will not leave hungry with the lunch special. The fried chicken side I got was almost an entrée in and of itself. The tastes of the ramen aren’t are rich or complex as I would have liked, but it’s okay.

This was my second time at Ramen by MEW and unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. My first time was in February, when it was first getting started. I had the Kara Miso ramen and added kimchi and it was delicious, incredibly filling and very tasty.
This time, my experience was not the same. No wait for our party on a Saturday night, which was surprising. We shared the Yu Richin (fried chicken nuggets basically, in sweet and sour sauce) I ordered the Miso ramen, to try something new and added kimchi this time as well. The broth seemed a bit basic, and I didn’t like the spinach this time as It gave the soup a bitter taste. Noodles were okay, and I noticed the menu had been changed. Overall an OK experience. Still tasty, but not quite as good as the first.
P. S. check in for the free soda/​beer!

So I was brought here by two foodie friends of mine.
The first thing I noticed is that it seems small when standing outside the window but then you walk in and realize its deeper than it looks. I love the ramen bar like setup they have. We sat at a table just one table away from the window. It was a good weather day too so the door was open. Not hot at all inside the restaurant either. I loved the fact that they’re pretty big on playing all types of hip-​hop music there but mostly chill vibes nothing crazy.
So we ordered three apps and shared those but separate ramen of course. for the apps we ordered: The Mew Special Donburi which is basically spicy tuna dressed over a sticky rice ball with teriyaki sauce, Smoked Salmon Salad with a garlic basil dressing, and Yu Rinchi which is deep fried chicken lightly covered in sweet and sour soy sauce.
The Donburi caught me off guard because I didn’t know it had mayonnaise drizzled on it too and I DO NOT LIKE MAYO, but the other flavors were just about matched with the mayo taste that I still found a way to enjoy it. Going off of memory from maybe a month ago, it wasn’t salty at all. The salmon and teriyaki flavors felt balanced and natural. Nothing overpowered each other. The rice was cooked thoroughly and just absorbing that raw salmon essence with hints of teriyaki sauce. The Smoked Salmon Salad was WONDERFUL. I loved every bit of it. It was like the perfect starter to a ramen soup. It was medium sized served on about a 6 in. plate. The dressing was lightly drizzled over the greens and not over powering the green’s natural flavors. On top of the greens were freshly thin cut smoked salmon that did not have any dressing poured on it which I greatly appreciated. The flavors of the fish and dressing traveled downwards into the greens. The Yu Rinchi was a bit of an acquired taste for some reason but it was still very very good. Chicken felt and tasted very cleanly prepared. Fried to a nice crispy outside and thoroughly cooked through. The acquired taste came from the sourness of the sauce. It wasn’t drenched with the sauce so it maintained its crunchy texture but I rather enjoyed its sweetness to its sourness. Good Eats
Now for the main, I ordered the Kara Miso Ramen with extra spinach. It was a DELIGHT. I mean, I really enjoyed that huge a$$ bowl of soup and I finished every bit of it. I wish they could have made it EXTRA spicy at the time. The noodles were thick and flavorful by themselves. The pork belly was tender and had this great thin strip of fat that just added a great additional texture. THE BROTH THOUGH… MY GOD. I usually eat the chew-​able portion of the soup first to allow the flavors to sit longer in the broth and as always it paid off. The broth was thickened by the freshness of the noodles still cooking slowly in the hot broth. It wasn’t salty at all either. It was bursting with flavor in every sip. I got to say, best ramen i’ve had in a loooooong time.
All in all, the food was greatly satisfying, the service was very attentive, the music was definitely lit (very trendy and dance encouraging), plus I MYSELF felt comfortable eating there.

I would probaby give Ramen by MEW a 3 – 3.5. Its a small cozy place and was pretty empty on a Monday evening. The menu is small (which is great) and the prices were actually pretty cheap in my eyes.
My friends and I shared the Popcorn Shrimp and the Yu Richin (deep fried chicken w/​sweet and sour sauce) for appetizer. The popcorn shrimp was fried well covered with mayonnaise, nothing too speical. The chicken, although very moist, was not crispy at all but soggy from the sauce, quite a disappointment. For the ramen I got the Kontteri Tonkatsu Ramen which was a pork broth with ramen, chashu, garlic, scallions and a soft boiled egg. The broth was really flavorful but was also really thick (?!). Aside from the thickness it was pretty enjoyable.
The staff were pretty attentive and friendly. I probably wouldnt find myself here again though, the food wasn’t anything special.

Let’s see… I can’t think of anything bad to say about this place.
The staff are super friendly, The place is clean, service is super quick, the soup broth is spectacular, food tastes great and inexpensive. + great music
This is a pretty perfect Ramen Place!

3.5 stars.
CASH ONLY! Always in search for new ramen places to try in ny! This is one of the one that has been on my list for awhile. Cute little ramen shop with decent and cheap price in an expensive neighborhood!
Pros
— no wait on a Sunday for party of 4 with plenty of places to sit in the small restaurant.
— Many options of ramen to choose from
— Quick and service was attentive
— Broth were very rich
— Very cheap for the amount of food we got and quality was great. Cheap set lunches from Monday — Sunday 12pm — 4pm for $ 13 (ramen of your choice + one side of your choice with pickles and salad. Or they also have the tori don $ 12 (chicken with rice– mushroom, scallions, seaweed, and soft boiled egg)
— They have a selection of both pork and chicken broth.
Con
— noodles were a bit too soggy
— Don’t take credit cards
— Only have cold beverages
Karage chicken were tough to chew on and not much flavor to them.
For main.
We all opt for the pork broth base.
My bf had the kotteri tonkatsu ramen which was heavy on the garlic which we like it.
And my friends and I had the Kara miso tonkatsu ramen — this is the spicy miso one.
Overall broth was the highlight. They were all very rich and flavorful.
However a bit disappointed at the ramen noodles they were a bit soggy and also the pork belly was not as tender as mentioned on other Unilocaler’s reviews. Expectation was a bit too high on my end. Service was great tho. And maybe if the noodles were cooked better I would like it more. But this is great for the price you pay for and I would def come back if I am in the area.

New, funky West Village ramen spot that got some good press this past winter for its innovative menu.
I wasn’t a huge fan of their ramen but the broiled spicy salmon don notable and the free beer on check-​in makes it worth a stop. The atmosphere is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, industrial with retro computers and sound systems utilized as décor. The service is exemplary… sitting at the bar will provide you with a personalized experience as the staff behind the counter was very open to conversation. If you come on a cold winters night expect a wait as the dining room fills fast.
While it’s not at the top of my list to return on the basis of ramen I would venture to Mew’s other location to tried their cooked Japanese offerings.

This place is not great for big groups unless it’s 6 or less. The portions of the ramen was a good amount. The ramen was good and I liked that the menu had a lot of options including a big variety of appetizers.

Tiny spot in a neighborhood that needs more places like this. Go early on weekends or you won’t get a sit.
— Tako waso (raw octopus): quite tender.
— Seaweed salad: tasty, and sizable.
— Mew special don w/​salmon: simply fantastic! They hit the jackpot with this dish.
— Kottery Tonkotsu (the pork-​based ramen with the thicker/​richer broth): although you do need to add some topping (the Assari comes with everything, while this one is pretty bare), the broth is a couple of gears ahead… very flavorful. The only negative side was that I was disappointed to discover that they reduced the number of pieces of meat to one… half of what they used to serve. Not a good sign.

This was another ramen adventure in the village! So far I’ve only been to around ~3 solid places for very good, inexpensive ramen. Of course my expectations were very high coming here. I went to Iyazaka MEW for my boyfriend’s birthday back in December and remember hearing about the opening of Ramen by MEW. Nonetheless, this place is conveniently located 3 minutes away from NYU, and my friends & I were able to get some $ 8 coupons from the guy handing them out at the corner of the Law School. One bowl of ramen for only $ 8; now that’s a deal you don’t want to miss especially for a place as great as this!
We arrived at the restaurant on Friday evening around 6:15 pm. It was already started to get packed but many seats were still available. The music and lighting is very fitting for a casual, nice dinner with a group; the sound system in the back was actually the first thing that caught my attention. Our waitress was very amicable and enthusiastic, and excitedly told us that the ramen bowls we ordered were her favorite (haha). We ended up ordering two Negi Chashu Ramen and one Miso Ramen. The regular price for the bowls is $ 10, which is still really inexpensive compared to the prices at other ramen places I’ve visited. Food didn’t take long to come at all, which is expected of a place like this.
The Negi Chashu Ramen is amazing! It comes with ramen in chicken broth mixed with some bok choy, scallions, and braised pork. I’ll eat chashu on any occasion, and this experience was definitely no exception. To be honest, I had expected the chashu to be dry, too big, and to difficult to chew. Yet I was fortunately proven wrong – everything about the chashu is tender and so savory. I can say the same for the bok choy, for it is just as savory and fresh as well. The egg may have actually been my favorite item in the soup! The yolk explodes in your mouth and leaves a salty, sort-​of-​sweet taste mixed with a trace of the chicken broth. Soo yummy.
Service was pretty good. The only minor complaint I have is that we seem to have been rushed from the beginning when we were asked for our order twice after telling our server that we needed an extra few minutes to look at the menu. Someone also came to ask if we were done eating as soon as my boyfriend & I finished, but it was obvious that my friend was still working on more than half of her food. We decided to order edamame to sit in a bit longer anyway, but this was still undoubtedly a 4-​star experience. Would come back anytime.

I came here after a recommendation by a friend. The place is very cute. It’s decorated like a movie set (I guess that’s what it is?) with lights everywhere. It’s located by another ramen place I love so giving them some competition. Everything was good, but not exceptional. I would definitely still come back to try other things on the menu.
First off, the menu is beautifully done and detailed & helpful. I ordered the tonkotsu. The portions are HUGE, and, unfortunately, they don’t do doggy bags so I had to try to finish it all. They give you three slices of pork that are huge. The soup was flavorful and light (in my opinion, as I like my ramen broth to be thick). The ingredients they use in each ramen is unique. I’ve never had spinach in ramen before, and there was lettuce that came with another ramen dish. I like the variety they have here. I’d like to come back to try the yuzu ramen, and I’m sure the free drink with check-​in is popular, too.

Huge potential if the ramen cooks know what they are doing, having a head chef to control what’s going out, or simply taste before going out, or one of Japanese staffs to taste the broth before. Most of Japanese are ramen connoisseurs and their own critics because ramen is a staple quick meal in Japan and it’s a Japanese fast food.
Underwhelming Miso and Tonkotsu ramen were salty, bland, or greasy in a bad way, lacking in Umami even with many ingredients in them. If you still want to try their ramen, find local Japanese stores to get a free paper, Japion. Ramen by Mew posted an ad with a $ 5 coupon.
Reading some reviews, non-​ramen dishes might be the ones to get here. If I come back, skip ramen and straight to non-​ramen items. The cook behind the counter from us was Japanese that was in charge with some appetizers — Kara Age (Japanese fried Chechen) that he was whipping looked delicious.
Miso Ramen $ 12
The menu says «Red miso is added to the (chicken) broth to create a fuller, complex flavor with a salty, savory finish.» My broth was killed by the amount of Miso thus, the flavor of chicken broth was left with a very salty unbalanced broth that I had to leave half my bowl and I had to drink a lot of water. The saltiness also kill the tender delicious char siu flavor as well. The noodle did not help the unpalatable broth. The noodle reminded of the spicy Korean instant ramen that I like, Shin Ramyun, but not with the Mew broth. The rich and salty broth must works well as Tsukemen (dipping noodles/​broth and noodle are separated) that you can control how much to dip in.
Tonkotsu Ramen $ 12
The perfectly cooked boiled egg was nice, not with Miso Ramen. I prefer spinach to be lightly cooked in boiled water, like Ohitashi/https://www.google.com/search?q=ohitashi&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi338DLst_KAhWK1RQKHa_kCFkQ_AUIBygB&biw=1152&bih=609. I find fresh spinach to be less flavorful, although it welts in this hot broth. The fatty broth had a note of sweetness in a good way but greasy.
Usually ramen is salty but Ramen by Mew is crazy salty. Ask for some hot water and adjust. Otherwise, you will end up drinking a lot of water, like us.

So this place is called Ramen by MEW… however the ramen i would say is 100% lacking in all aspect. Pork belly chashiu was lacking in flavor and it was just 2 big slab of pork belly. soup based wasn’t really flavorful. Noodles were just chewy.
However the only thing keeping this place alive i would have to say the salmon don. It was amazing. Salmon is nicely flavored with terriyaki and it is very beautifully grilled. Side of the rice has spicy salmon surrounding. I would recommend this dish 10000x rather than the ramen.
But since this is a ramen house… don’t expect the ramen to be good here

This new hip ramen place is close to the NYU campus and is pretty good. My boyfriend got a couple $ 5 ramen bowl tickets as a grand opening deal, score!
Ramen: I got the spicy tonkotsu ramen, and the broth was nearly perfect. Good enough spice for a kick, and not TOO salty or high on sodium. The noodles itself was chewy and tasted fresh.
Appetizer: Everyone recommended the popcorn shrimp, which really is just honey walnut shrimp. It is a small portion, and while it was good, I don’t think it’s worth it for $ 6. Considering the small portion.
Service: They were more friendly and attentive than I was usually accustomed to.
Interior: They have this cool music, concert theme going on. And they play old-​school hip hop, very nioooce.
Other notes:
— Check in on Unilocal and get a FREE BEER!
— Cash only
— No coat rack (yet?), so you’ll try to stuff your puffy winter coat on your lap or sitting on it.

Ramen by MEW… more like EW! I was quite disappointed with this spot. With an abundance of social media postings raving about this new ramen joint, I was super excited to give it a try! Right by one of my favorite ramen shops, Ramen-​ya, I thought Ramen by MEW was going to be some serious competition for Ramen-ya…yet, I was SO wrong.
We went around 6:30 PM on a Friday night after work and had no wait. The staff was quite friendly and the environment was pretty cozy.
We ordered:
Yuzu Ramen ($ 12) — Chicken Broth with Lettuce, Negi Chashu-​Pork Belly & Soft-​Boiled Egg (I just realized they didn’t even give me a soft-​boiled egg…)
Kara Miso Tonkotsu Ramen ($ 12) — Pork Broth with Spicy Miso Paste, Corn, Mizuna, Wakame Seaweed and Chashu Pork Belly (They forgot the corn too… dropping a star).
Verdict: The Kara pork broth was richer than the Yuzu chicken broth. The broth was missing the kick that most ramen soup have… it tasted really homemade (not in a good way). The Yuzu chicken broth was lighter (which I do prefer), but tasted like chicken stock from the cans. I didn’t like the lettuce topping, while the noodles were overcooked and soggy towards the end of the meal.
Don’t judge the ramens by the pictures because they tasted nothing close to how they look!
I wouldn’t recommend the ramen here, but if you must give it a try to satisfy your curiosity… I would advise you to catch the ramen guy outside giving out the $ 5 ramen coupons. Otherwise, go to Ramen-​ya instead… even if you need to brave a wait in the cold.

This definitely tasted like the most home cooked/​healthy ramen I’ve ever had. A solid experience overall but I will say that the appetizer we ordered definitely outshone the ramen itself.
Came here on a Saturday night around 9:30 pm. The wait was very short (around 15 minutes or so) but I think that’s only because no one really knows about this place yet. The space seems to be an old music studio converted into a ramen joint, which gave it a cool, hip vibe. All of the servers were super friendly. The food did take a long time to come out though, but I think that might just be because what we ordered took a while to cook.
We ordered the Chikuzen Ni: a bowl of chicken, lotus roots, what tasted like taro balls and mushrooms. This dish was ON POINT. The chicken was super soft and tender and it was obvious that this appetizer had been created with careful attention to all of the ingredients. The accompanying vegetables gave the dish a very healthy, wholesome feel. Seemed like it came straight out of my mom’s kitchen!
For the ramen I opted for the Kara Miso Tonkatsu: corn, scallions, wakame seaweed, spicy miso paste and pork. For Tonkatsu the broth was surprisingly light. It wasn’t too salty or greasy at all. I think the highlight of the bowl was definitely the large strip of pork: it was super lean and flavored just right. The noodles were very thick, which I’m not sure I liked. Overall, I thought it was a solid bowl of noodles but not what I’m looking for when I think of authentic ramen.
Overall I can definitely see the appeal of this place and I’m glad I got to try it before it became too busy!

This is the newest venture by the people who opened Mew Izakaya in Ktown. The location is in a nestled street in West Village, so it may be hard to find and also difficult to attract a crowd. The ramen bar design really nice inside with wooden interior, a music system lined on one wall, and movie lights. There are seats at the bar and a few long communal tables. It would be really nice if they could add coat hangers because there is no place to put your belongings.
My party of two ordered the tonkastu ramen ($ 12) and the kara miso ramen ($ 12). We checked into Unilocal and got two free Kirin beers! The broth was thick and flavorful, but a bit different from your standard ramen broth. The broth has much less oil than your typical bowls of ramen, which is a big plus. The ramen were definitely worth your money as the portions were larger than usual. There were two large slabs of pork belly in the tonkastu ramen. You will definitely be full after your meal.
It’s a great place to try out if you’re in the area and you get the most bang for your buck.

New York City’s winter is coming strong making it just the perfect setting for a pipping hot bowl of ramen. My companion and I stumbled upon here while taking a stroll in the West Village after work. We were both craving for ramen and while walking by here, we were both very attracted to the DJ booth wall decoration. Little did I know at that moment, I forgot that I actually bookmarked this place on Unilocal!
Check-​in on Unilocal to get a free Kirin Ichiban Beer or soft drinks — soda, oolong tea, or orange juice! WIN!
We ordered the Kara Age, Karamiso Tonkatsu Ramen, and the Shoyu Ramen.
Kara Age was an appetizer to start. There were a few big pieces of fried chicken seasoned with a bit of black pepper and garlic. Portion was generous for an appetizer for each piece was big. It was a simple dish. Chicken was tender on the inside but I really expecting more of a crunch and more crispiness, perhaps more flavor.
Karamiso Tonkatsu Ramen was our favorite tonight. It was a deep flavored pork broth that takes 14 hours to make as per their advertisement. Broth texture was thick but packed with flavor. Level of spicy was good but I could definitely do more. I did love that the corn, fresh spinach, and wakame seaweed added a nice crunch texture to each bite. Thick, wavy noodles were used in this bowl of ramen, just a tad too soft for my personal preference. Despite that, this was a very good bowl of ramen!
Shoyu Ramen was not bad neither. It is a rich chicken broth that is cooked for 9 hours. A very light texture and clear broth but don’t underestimate, the taste was just as in depth. A straight thin ramen noodle was used which is the perfect combination for it. Nori seaweed, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts freshen up each bite for me.
Overall, a pretty solid ramen spot. Ramen bowl sizes was just the right amount, giving patrons an opportunity to try their appetizers like the Mew Special Don. With more of these $ 5.00 a ramen coupons in my hands, I know I will be back before they expire on January 31^st. Even at regular price, it was worth it.
Cash only!