Ramen DANBO West Village

🍜4 / 5ramen rating

Service: 4

Atmosphere: 3

Spend: $10–20

“Ramen Danbo’s name roughly translates to “warm night”, and the ramen will certainly warm up your night. This chain specializes in Kyushu Hakata style ramen and has other locations in Brooklyn, Seattle and Vancouver. I went with the Classic Tonkotsu and it really hit the spot. The soup is nostalgic creamy pork bone that many places in the US try to emulate but few do it as well as Danbo. A couple of dollops of pureed fresh garlic transform the soup into an absolute elixir. The noodles are the traditional thin and firm, and they had good wheaty taste and bite. And so many of them! The chashu was thin and melted away with a few flavorful chews. Hakata is not my favorite style but when the mood strikes this place is very good.”

🍜4 / 5ramen rating

Service: 5

Atmosphere: 4

Spend: $20–30

“Tonight we had a Sapporo, Genmaicha, Classic tonkatsu, miso tonkatsu and gyoza. The classic tonkatsu was by far my favorite, reasonable priced and served quickly. The broth was rich but not too heavy, the chashu was thinly sliced and noodles were chewy. The miso tonkatsu broth was less memorable but the noodles and chashu were consistent. Ramen Danbo is a chill low key spot to catch up with friends or eat alone. It’s nothing fancy. You know you’ll get a quick, consistent and delicious meal!”