Karazishi Botan

🍜5 / 5ramen rating

Service: 5

Atmosphere: 5

Spend: $30–50

“Karazishi Botan is one of my favorites in NYC, but unfortunately I don’t get out to Brooklyn very often. A post-Brooklyn half-marathon replenishment (I didn’t run, but expended some calories cheering 😉) was the perfect occasion to continue working my way through their ever-changing menu. Order of the day was a special, the Paint It Black, a Kyushu style black garlic tonkotsu. As with their flagship Iron Men IV, the soup is refined and achieves incredible balance and depth of flavor. Despite the ample pork oil floating on the top of the very cloudy broth, it is a very clean flavor with no funkiness. The black garlic complements instead of overpowering. Unlike the Iron Men IV, which featured pure-white flat noodles that were very wheaty in taste, the noodles in the Paint It Black were a deep yellow and very springy, with a more traditional flavor. The chashu was thin cut and menma were interestingly julienne cut which I had never had before. A great bowl. Another person at the table went with the Showa classic, and as I stole a few slurps I was impressed with the nostalgic bonito-forward taste, like a much higher end version of the cafeteria ramen served in my office in Tokyo 30 years ago. (30? Yikes! 😳) I also sampled the Zangi chicken, naively ordering each person at the table a piece, unaware one piece is basically a whole chicken thigh. Zangi is Hokkaido’s version of Karaage (fried chicken) and if you ever see it on a menu, get it. This was delicious, though maybe ranked a hair below the offering at Menkoi Sato (will see if the new Menkoi Sao keeps the crown). Wish this place was closer - I absolutely love it.”

🍜5 / 5ramen rating

Service: 5

Atmosphere: 5

Spend: $20–30

“10/10 🎉 I would totally come back here again. I ordered the Pan Head and ate every bit of it 🙂‍↕️I think a Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to get ramen here. we were seated right away and had an amazing service.”

🍜5 / 5ramen rating

Service: 5

Atmosphere: 5

Spend: $20–30

“Went to Karazishi Botan for our ramen meetup, this is definitely a spot you have to go to multiple times. First thing that stood out was the staff, super friendly, playful, and just made the whole experience feel easy. The space is also set up well and not cramped, there's not too many people that go there on Sunday afternoon apparently. The appetizers were a highlight. We got the shishito peppers and the black dumplings, both were solid, but the red dumplings easily stole the show. They’ve got a nice kick but are not too hot, really balanced and worth getting. They also have a really good lineup at the bar, the homemade ginger ale was really good. Menu wise, this place goes deep. There are a lot of ramen options and they are all pretty different from each other, which makes it feel like you need a few visits to really get a sense of what they do. I had the Paint It Black, a garlicky seasonal ramen, and it really stood out. The broth leans more on the sweet side than smoky, with a rich, almost caramelized garlic flavor that gives it depth without feeling too heavy. It still has that strong umami base, but the slight sweetness makes it really easy to keep going back for more. It is one of those bowls that grows on you the more you eat it. I have heard great things about their tsukemen too, so that is next on my list. Overall, this is a spot you come back to, not just try once. @thursdaybabyy @ashleyd.”

🍜4 / 5ramen rating

Service: 10

Atmosphere: 5

Vegetarian: Some vegetarian options

Spend: $20–30

“Karazishi Botan has one of the most creative ramen menus in NYC. I tried the oxtail ramen (Iron Men IV) and it was rich and flavorful, definitely not something you see everywhere. The tsukemen was excellent too, with chewy noodles and a deep dipping broth. They even have a ramen where you can add a splash of yuzu at the end, which is such a cool touch. On top of the ramen, the sushi options are amazing — super fresh and worth ordering. The staff are really kind, and Greg, the owner, is awesome. You can tell he cares about the food and the vibe. Highly recommend!”