E.A.K. RAMEN and IZAKAYA by Machida Shoten Hell’s Kitchen

"E.A.K. Izakaya is a go-to option for good Japanese noodles in the Theater District, which overlaps with Times Square. The Japanese chain serves excellent lekei ramen — a blend of fatty pork-based tonkotsu and soy-based shoyu ramen, with wonderfully firm noodles." - Robert Sietsema, Eater Staff

"Known for its less ubiquitous iekei broth — a blend of pork with chicken and soy-based ramen — E.A.K. Ramen also has plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, not to mention plenty of sake." - Eater Staff

"Japanese ramen chain E.A.K. Ramen is starting to make good on its promise to expand in the U.S. In October, the company serving iekei-style ramen — where shoyu and tonkotsu broths are blended together — will open a new location in Hell’s Kitchen, one that’s bigger than the respected original NYC outpost in Greenwich Village. Located at 360 West 46th St. between Eighth and Ninth avenues, the new E.A.K. will serve a menu that’s quite different from the chain’s other NYC location. Classics like the zebra will stay, but expect more ramen varieties, including a new version with only chicken-based broth. The appetizer and entree section will also be more robust. Scallops with ponzu butter, grilled chicken wings, and vegan dishes like a mushroom bowl have been added. The number of sakes on deck will triple, and about 50 people can fit in this location, up from 40 at the other one." - Serena Dai

"The award-winning Japanese chain import brings iekei-style noodles stateside in a very laborious manner. A spoonful of black garlic oil is then drizzled around the outer edges of the bowl. It’s made with sliced garlic fried in vegetable oil, which then gets ground up and mixed with more vegetable oil. Miyashita prefers peanut oil for additional umami, but doesn’t use it in the U.S. because of how common peanut allergies are here. Other ramen shop will also use onions in their garlic oil, he notes, but E.A.K. prefers a simpler, purer take on the aromatic topping. The addictive, aromatic stuff has actually proved dangerous for Miyashita: He proudly shows off a massive scar on his hand, the result of a bad burn a year ago that he got from cooking garlic oil that “exploded.” He spent a month in the hospital, and had skin grafted from his leg to his hand — the injury delayed his arrival in the U.S. Next, Miyashita places a slice of dried seaweed that’s customized with a white design, printed in calcium; some seaweed pieces have E.A.K.’s name in Japanese characters, while others say it in English along with its logo (of a steaming bowl of ramen, naturally) or are wordless, with just a heart and its logo. The final touch is a pat of unsalted butter, which dissolves into a luscious, glossy sheen, mingling with the collagen-rich fats from the pork and chicken bones. When E.A.K. first arrived stateside, it ambitiously plotted 1,000 shops all across the U.S. in the next decade; currently, they’re planning a second location in NYC this year, and shops in other cities nationally to follow soon, with recent research visits to markets like Boston and Denver. There’s also talk of launching a second ramen shop brand, with two NYC outposts to start, which will serve iekei-style soup, but without chashu and with a chicken-based broth, since pork-averse diners are perhaps more common here than in Japan." - Alexandra Ilyashov