Karakatta

"What It Is: A new spot in Greenwich Village that specializes in spicy ramen Perfect For: Casual Weeknight Dinner, Lunch, Date Night When we went to Karakatta, we saw an actor from The Usual Suspects ask his college-aged offspring if “this is the kind of ramen the kids eat at school?” Normally the answer would be “No Dad, that’s instant ramen. You’re ruining my life.” But Karakatta’s excellent ramen and proximity to NYU might be changing that answer to the affirmative. We tried both spicy and non-spicy ramens, and can tell you that you should be ordering the ones with hot pepper icons. We can also tell you that you should be getting the pork buns, which are some of the best we’ve eaten. The Verdict: Great ramen that’s worth feeling a little like you’re in an NYU dining hall. We’ve added it to our Hit List." - hannah albertine, bryan kim, katherine lewin, hillary reinsberg, chris stang, matt tervooren

"An attractively designed space near Washington Square Park accented with neon lighting, Karakatta focuses on spicy renditions of ramen. Not that you can’t get some un-spicy bowls here — there are three types of cold ramen available — but the flagship is the spicy ginger stamina, pungent with fresh ginger and laced with chile oil. It comes in five levels of hotness: “two flames” is often hot enough, even for lovers of spicy food." - Robert Sietsema

"Karakatta is a casual new ramen restaurant in Greenwich Village from the people behind one of the best places to get ramen on the Lower East Side (Mr. Taka). This 12-seat spot specializes in spicy ramen, and while there are other things on the menu, those are what we’d recommend you stick with (besides the pork buns, which should be on your table). Just know that given its proximity to NYU, it feels a little bit like a mini-dining hall in here." - Hannah Albertine