KOHOKU-KU RAMEN

"Kohoku-Ku Ramen is a tiny restaurant in Hell's Kitchen with makeshift seating made from repurposed Suntory crates and a very fun bathroom. If you like your ramen broth incredibly thick and rich, you'll love the soup here, which borders on gravy. The Kumamoto, made with an ultra-concentrated pork and black garlic broth, is our go-to order, but the spicy miso and grilled mackerel options are great, too. The menu also covers all the classic izakaya dishes, like yakitori, curry rice and karaage. It's pretty close to Times Square, but far enough away from the action that you can use this as a non-touristy pre-theater option." - will hartman, willa moore, sonal shah, neha talreja, kenny yang

"If you like your broth thick and your restaurants closet-sized, stop by Kohoku-Ku for a casual bowl of ramen. The soup here is especially rich—bordering on gravy—and you can supplement your order with a range of classic izakaya dishes. Bring a friend for a quick dinner under strings of paper lanterns, and be sure to get some yakitori. The charred and lightly marinated saba is essential." - bryan kim, willa moore, neha talreja, hannah albertine, will hartman

"This tiny restaurant is filled with colorful paper lanterns, makeshift seating made from repurposed Suntory crates, and a very fun bathroom. We like the incredibly rich and thick ramen broth, but we love the yakitori. It can be ordered by the skewer—we highly recommend the saba, which comes lightly marinated in vinegar and is artfully charred on the outside. The menu also covers all the classic izakaya dishes, like curry rice and karaage. It's far enough from Times Square that you can use this spot as a non-touristy pre-theater option." - neha talreja, bryan kim, hannah albertine, sonal shah, will hartman, molly fitzpatrick

"Kohoku-Ku ramen is a tiny restaurant in Hell's Kitchen filled with colorful paper lanterns, makeshift seating made from repurposed Suntory crates, and a very fun bathroom. If you like your ramen broth incredibly thick and rich, you'll love the soup here, which borders on gravy. We really like the ramen at Kohoku-Ku, but we absolutely love their yakitori. It can be ordered by the skewer—we highly recommend the saba, which comes lightly marinated in vinegar and is artfully charred on the outside. The menu also covers all the classic izakaya dishes, like curry rice and karaage. It's pretty close to Times Square, but is far enough away from the main action that you can use this as a non-touristy pre-theater option." - Carina Finn