RAIRAIKEN UPTOWN

* Great value for the price. (About $20 wt tax and tip for a steaming bowl of ramen) * Quiet place, you can actually hear your friend speaking. * Quick service ( my ramen was ready in less than 6 minutes!) * I had Ramen, it was good enough but not exceptional * They accept all cards/ E-wallets

Cutest potatoes a la wedge (or so the sack text claims, though the actual cut is far superior: steak)! I decided upon curry salt atop mine, and love love love the surprising kick of pepper at end of the palette... Vegetarian delectable onigiri

The atmosphere is extremely comfortable and the food is delicious . I order from here often 😊😊😊

Such a hidden gem! I went Friday evening and was able to get a seat with my girlfriend. She's not a ramen person, but enjoyed the meal regardless! It was very flavorful. Food arrived very quickly and the prices are really good too.

I’ve been eating here for years and I’m so glad they’re open again post-Covid. Great noodle dishes, well priced, and delicious gyozas, in an intimate casual setting. The staff is friendly and unobtrusive. A perfect thrifty Sunday night comfort meal. Have the miso bowl, it’s basic, and delicious.

Had the chicken sandwich. It was not $20 good, but good enough. Wish their fried rice has been sprouts. Might try their ramen next time

I went with a friend to try it out because we heard it was a good place and we usually like to try ramen as much as possible. We ordered 2 appetizers to start the takoyaki that was excellent and Kara age that a little to greasy for my taste. Then when we oredered the ramen I hace to say that it was not the best flavor I've tried before but it is a Japanese dish so maybe I've tried with different seasonings and not the traditional way.

Delicious, it totally met my expectations 🙂 i recommend the lunch deal the soup with chicken on the side and spicey oil on the side!

RaiRaiKen has fast become my favorite Japanese restaurant. Before today I had only tried their ramen and loved it every time; it was warm and comforting with perfectly chewy noodles and rich broth. Today, it was cold, and I really wanted a nice, warm plate of curry, however, and noticed for the first time RaiRaiKen had curry on their menu. My concern for some reason was that the portion wouldn't be enough and I'd need another item. I have never been more wrong; I was served a heaping plate of fluffy, sticky rice with a delicious Japanese curry sauce and 3 large pieces of Karaage. It also came with a small salad and a scoop of potato salad, both of which I ate quickly because the eye were light and super tasty. The curry was amazing; I love rice and even Id say the portion is large enough that it was tough to get through. The chicken was similarly super flavorful and juicy with a nice crunch to it that added great texture. I'm normally not a fan of dark meat chicken at all but for this dish, I have to change my opinion. Thoroughly looking forward to coming back sometime to try their new rice balls. I can't recommend RaiRaiKen enough.

When I am in need of some warm broth and plenty of noodles, Rai rai Ken usually delivers. I have to reheat the broth to make sure it is piping hot but I dont consider this unusual due to travel time. I never dine in because it's a small place and not conducive for dining in for me. Nonetheless, the value for what you pay is decent and your belly will be full-- even if you don't order the extra noodle option for the ramen dishes. I'm focusing heavily on the ramen because that's mostly what I order from here. I've tried their sushi rolls and would not really recommend those unless you really don't have high expectations. The last couple of orders the fish cake has gotten significantly smaller. The saving grace is that they usually load a respectable amount of vegetables and the broth is flavorful even if not homemade for many hours. While not a destination location, it is a good staple in the neighborhood.

Rai Rai Ken has delicious food, and delivery is fast, food comes hot and well presented. Very generous portions, enough for leftovers, thankfully it tastes great leftover the next day! My bf ordered the Mabo Ramen, it smelled so good. He said it was delicious, great flavors, complex broth and delicious tofu. Of note, my bf is notorious for not eating leftovers and he devoured his leftover ramen this morning. We ordered through grubhub, The broth arrived hot in one bowl and the noodles in separate container, throw them in and the ramen comes to lifeb I had the vegetable yakisoba and added fried tofu. Some of the best yakisoba I have had in the US. The tofu was delicious as well, very well seasoned. I couldn't understand their low rating on yelp, saw a reviewer from california gave them 2 stars for their service.... tbh if i'm getting lunch in NYC , who wants to be chatted up while slurping down ramen?!? No way, Rai Rai ken is 5 stars all the way. Would definitely order again

Ordered food from here last night and it was terrible. The bao buns I ordered arrived cold and the meat was very tough. I ordered 2 rolls and got no utensils with 1 packet of soy sauce. Most importantly my side miso soup had a dead fly floating in it which is absolutely unacceptable. The presentation was very great and the food looked like it would be good, I just wish I could of eaten my food.

This was disappointing. I've had shio ramen at other japanese restaurants but this was not even close. It was basically your friendly neighborhood chinese wonton soup broth. No depth of flavor whatsoever. Ingredients were cold so upon pouring the broth on top my food was just luke warm. Delivery was fast but the food wasn't worth it. The highlight of my order was the pork gyoza. Very very forgettable dinner unfortunately.

This was our first stop in NY before we checked into our AirBNB. The food here does not disappoint but the service did. We ordered the chicken karaage as an appetizer. It came out in large chunks with a spicy mayo sauce. It could have been a little more crispier but the meat was tender and served its purpose. We both opted for the shoyu ramen. The ramen comes with an egg, seaweed, spinach, scallion, bamboo shoots and pork. The noodles were perfectly cooked and although it was a soy sauce broth, it wasn't too salty but had just the right amount of flavor. Plus goes to the fact that we came in from 4PM-7PM for $3 happy hour. If you check into Yelp you get a free soft boiled egg! While I wanted to give this place 3 or even 4 stars the servers were not that friendly. They didn't talk to us and did the bare minimum. We were taking our time drinking our beer and the servers were pushing the bill on us. While we wanted to relax and enjoy our meal, it was rushed by the server. We really enjoyed the food here but hopefully the servers can be a little more friendly to customers who take their time while they eat.

This review is about my delivery experience Rai Rai Ken I have ordered from this restaurant a few times during my short tenure in Harlem. On each occasion, I was pretty pleased with the results. Rai Rai Ken has to be one of the fastest delivery places in the area. I think my order (placed through Grubhub) arrived within 35 minutes. Depending on the time of year (in my case, winter), you may have to reheat the soup for a couple of minutes.

I don't know why people left such negative comments and bad reviews....this place was pretty awesome. I was really craving ramen but a specific kind of ramen, around my school and I found it here. The place itself is super cozy and cute. Very clean and not crowded (people usually order to go). The staff was not overly friendly but nice enough. The ramen was great though a little bit too salty ( and I love salt lol) but that's because I ordered the SHIO RAMEN which is made with sea salt broth, maybe that's what I get for ordering that haha. I added chicken to my ramen and I am so glad I did. The prices aren't expensive, too, so that's a plus. Not the best ramen I've had but definitely far from the worst. Overall a great experience. Definitely coming back soon.

A great addition to the neighborhood. If in the mood for delicious ramen (curry or miso recommended) gyoza (I had the veggie) and quiet place (off hours) to enjoy your meal in peace, this is a great place. Lots of their business is delivery, but the dining room is nice with four window stools, five stools at the counter and 5 two tops. Relaxing music is always playing in the background and the service is polite and welcoming.

After waited for 1.30 hrs delivery from Ubereats to found out that our food was cold, Chicken Karaage was undercook (Maybe it is fine for someone who does like soft chicken but it was too pick for my boyfriend). Miso ramen was an okay ( I needed to reheat the soup because it was cold but at least the soup Nd noodles packed it seperate box). A bit disappointed for this place.

I am new to the foodie scene but this has been by far, the best ramen I have ever had. Pork was flavorful and tender. The broth was spicy goodness and awesome. Noodles had good bite and retained its texture. Can't wait to go back.

Rai Rai Ken is certainly quite exceptional. The mood, the service, the menu. Rai Rai Ken has an outstanding Curry Ramen, it was my choice today, and it was absolutely amazing. The team is very attentive and ensure the customers are satisfied. Love it love it love it.

I've been wanting to try this place for a while, today I placed an order for pickup and gave the mabo ramen a try. The noodles had a perfect texture, but the broth was strangely thick. This is literally the only time I've ever had ramen and not slurped up the broth. I guess with a mapo tofu inspired ramen the broth being thick makes some sense but it definitely wasn't for me. The taste was reminiscent of mapo tofu and the minced pork was good, but the texture of the tofu was firmer than I was hoping for. I would definitely try Rai Rai Ken again and try something a little more traditional.

Cute place, nice people but ramen was sub par. For a place that centers around ramen I was very surprised the ramen wasn't at least ok. My husband and I both had the shoyu and both had a bad experience. Here are the issues: - the broth was watery and tasted almost burned. Like it's been heated all day. - no complexity to the broth at all. It wasn't salty it tasted like nothing. - noodle texture was bad. It was a bit hard. Granted the egg was on point and the dish had the works (bamboo shots, good pork, fish cake) but if you mess up the broth and noodles there's no hope. Also had the pork bun which was good. I was really hoping to have a great ramen place in Harlem. Happy to try this place again if they make changes but definitely not going back. Two stars is for the soup being edible after you dump a bunch of condiments in it and for the nice atmosphere and people.

Trust me on this one. The worst ramen I have ever had :( The noodles taste like instant ramen, the quality of the pork is terrible and the broth is way too greasy.

It was ok, The services was great the girl was supper attentive, The food was unmh i dont know i would say just ok, nothing out of the context, a little so too salty, the vegetables were great but i order fry tofu they gave me some type of stemmed tofu which it was ok, but the level of salt didnt let me finish my soup ,but other than that it was good, I probably come back

What a hidden gem! I felt as if I was in Japan eating homemade ramen. The best part was trying Calais! A milk based drink both sweet and sour (weird) but, so good. I would defiantly come back and recommend the lunch special which is available 7 days a week!

Very good ramen in here! I order shoyu ramen and menma they have happy hour Sapporo only 3$ that's fantastic! And dessert mochi ice cream so good yummy!!!

I'm pretty disappointed. I started ordering from this place before lockdown and as we go deeper into lockdown, the quality has dropped off by far - the food has become very bland, the ingredients taste old, and today will probably be the last time I order from here until lockdown ends. Once lockdown ends, I'll give it another shot and see if it improves.

Rai Rai Ken is guilty of false advertisement. What they serve is not "terrible" ramen. It's not ramen, it's a very poor imitation. I would be happy to eat below average ramen. The soup flavors are completely wrong. None of the soups have the ramen soup flavors. It seems like the people who run this business have no idea how average real ramens are made. It is appaling that this place claim to serve ramen and they don't. I am usually not offended by cultural appropriation (if you do it correctly) but I am upset because Rai Rai Ken wasted my time, my money, and left such bad taste in my mouth, leterally and figuratively.

I really like it here. The girl at the register was super chill and played the music I wanted. The place is small but the ramen is tasty. The miso is delicious. I usually order takeout because I work close. It has two tables outside which is nice. I wish they had a bigger selection of beer but I understand why they wouldn't. It's so good.

The lunchtime combo is a great deal: $14.50 (as of Dec 2017) for an appetizer, ramen, drink, and mochi ice cream for dessert. I got Karaage (3 pieces of perfectly fried chicken!), Tan Tan Men (creamy, ginger-y soup with chilli oil, minced chicken, bean sprouts, bak choi, and a half boiled egg), a can of Oolong tea, and the Black Sesame ice cream. In perusing the menu and the choices of other customers, I think the Tan Tan Men was a good call as it seemed more flavorful and hearty than the shoyu and miso ramen. I did find it a tad spicy from the chilli oil, but then again, I can barely take any heat in spice. From the other reviews it seems that people have had less positive experiences with delivery, but I certainly enjoyed my in person visit. It's a small space, but well lit, clean, and festively decorated for the holiday season. Service is on the slow side, but I was on my day off and appreciate being able to savour my meal, for once!

This is possibly the worst ramen I have ever had. Starting with the shoyu ramen - it was incredibly salty and had no other flavor to it, the bamboo shoots were rubbery, the one (1) piece of pork was tough and flavorless. The veggie miso ramen was also oversalted and otherwise flavorless, and they added broccoli and carrots (??? to ramen????) and five (5) small pieces of tofu. The matcha crepe cake was tiny for $6. In fact all the portions were small but this was not an issue because we did not want to finish our food. The shumai were acceptable, no complaints. Waste of money, go somewhere else.

Delivery order so no opinion on restaurant itself. But the food is nasty. Ordered ramen that was supposed to have chicken in it.... no chicken. Doubt it would've helped at all because the taste was so bland regardless. When i asked for a refund - i got $4 back on a $17 bowl of ramen -_- Spare yourself and go somewhere with a decent chef who can read!

Review of delivery -- good miso chicken ramen (lean chicken, good flavor) -- and relatively fast delivery. Would order from here again.

There were no customers when I came, so in a way it was quick with service and peaceful in atmosphere, but an empty restaurant usually isn't a good sign. I got the Shoyu ramen. The broth was too light in flavor, but the toppings were nice. The pork was hard and impossible to chew. It's a spot for a quick fix but not one for an insanely good bowl of ramen.

I'm a little bias because this place is literally 300 ft away from where I live. Here's a little story, when this place first opened I was the second customer here and in all honesty, I was super disappointed and I didn't go back for almost a year. Then one day, I was in dire need for ramen but also didn't want to go very far. I gave this place another chance and it was so amazing! Turns out, the owner changed from when they first opened. My boyfriend and I are regulars here now. Our usual is the cha-Han pork and tan tan men ramen with bamboo shoots and corn. They have a stamp card program and if you come 10 times, you get a free bowl of ramen!!!

While it was a delivery i could be forgiving but this has to be the WORST RAMEN I have ever had. I have eaten in many Ramen joints and this was absolutely disgusting. The vegetables are stale and flavorless. The pork was as hard as cardboard with absolutely no taste. The whole dis was just disgusting. My review would not be as harsh had it not been for the owners attitude when I called to complain. It was excuse after excuse and he actually claimed to make the best Ramen in NYC. That I could nit expect a delivery to taste as good as in house. Well if thats the case, keep your product consistent and stop delivery service. I threw 90% of the food away. Didn't even feed it to my dog.

I love this place. If dining in, you will notice that it is a small space, but it is never crowded. That is because most people get delivery. The staff is ok, not too friendly. The atmosphere is nice, as it feels like a nice asian restaurant. The main reason I give it 5 stars is because of the taste. The food is just amazing! The karaage is what always gets to me. Pair that with fried rice and kimchi, and you have a nice meal. I can't stop talking about how good the food is to my friends. The menu can get a little pricey, but I would say that it is worth it. I have heard that sometimes they mess up the take out, but I have never had any problems with it. They always get my order right and it is delivered in a timely manner. Overall I would strongly suggest this restaurant.

This place is great! I live in the neighborhood and this place has always been on my to do list. today I finally got around to trying ramen here. I had the lunch special. $14 for a huge bowl of shio ramen, a plate of gyoza, and a drink. It's an amazing deal- the type that can only be found in central Harlem. The food was delicious. I really liked the broth. It was rich without bring overpowering, and the noodles had a nice texture. I also got a green tea latte which was great! Service was quick and the waitress was really nice. I'll definitely be back!

I decided to visit this place after craving ramen for a few days. I only had a few minutes to eat. The place was packed and there was only one server which was an inconvenient . I had to wait for almost 30 minutes for my appetizer. I ordered the lunch combo. I order the Shayu Ramen and dumplings. I did not like the shoyu ramen, but I did enjoy the Gyoza dumplings.

I enjoyed my visit and the ramen here is easily one of the best around the neighborhood while reasonable priced.

I read the reviews on Rai Rai Ken and a lot of them were about how delivery is slow. So I thought, hey - maybe if I actually go there it won't be so bad. But, I was wrong - sitting there is just as slow as delivery. This makes sense though - there's only one delivery guy (who waits until a bunch of orders have come in before delivering), one guy working the counter and packing all the delivery things and taking care of in-store customers, and one chef. I'm assuming they can't handle the same influx of orders that other ramen places can, especially it being so close to City College. Either way, we probably sat inside for about 1 1/2 hours, spending only 30 minutes eating. There is a lunch special - app, ramen, and drink. It was okay, not the best but the broth was flavorful for the vegetarian ramen. It was also fully loaded with veggies - brussel sprouts, broccoli, corn, fried garlic, etc. We both asked for a soft-boiled egg and they actually put the whole egg in my friend's bowl so I'm guessing he forgot to cut it and put it in mine. Anyway, I don't think I'll be back, the service is just too slow but the prices are pretty good for about $8 a bowl.

This is based off delivery, so I can't speak for dining in. Maybe they're just one of those places to dine in at. It was very mediocre. Everything was super greasy. The pork buns are also TINY. The price however, was not. The small portion of meat was also largely fat. Would not order again. I will say though the service was a redeeming factor. They forgot something in our order which we were promptly refunded for.

Just tried this place (delivery) and Wow, this was probably the worst ramen I've had in my life. And i love ramen and have it often. The broth was absolutely bland, just salty water. The noodles were clumped together and would not unclump. There was one (1) small piece of tasteless pork and some tough rubbery bamboo shoots. There was absolutely none of that rich pork ramen flavor that a dish like that has in every single other ramen restaurant. It was probably worse than a $1 instant noodles, and I paid almost $20 with delivery. It was not at all filling. How do they get away with that? How do they stay in business?! Who writes these positive reviews - have people never tried a ramen - there are SO many ramen places in NYC. Shocked beyond belief that such a place is in business.

So for pros, the order came quickly and politely delivered to me. It arrived before the estimated arrival time. Cons: well, don't get me wrong, The pork belly buns were DELICIOUS...but the meat was kinda skimpy and if I'm going to shell out $8 for just two of these tiny things I'd expect bigger meat portions. I ordered the miso chicken ramen and the broth was flavorless!! Found myself adding sesame oil and soy sauce and ginger because literally it was so watery. They were efficient on delivery, but the quality of ramen is not so great if you're a true ramen lover.

Pretty good ramen spot in the neighborhood. Had the vegetarian miso ramen with spicy sauce on the side. I ordered carry out and everything was neatly package. The girl who took my order was really sweet and welcoming. Very filling and just what I needed on this cold evening. Couldn't give it 5 stars bc I've had better BUT still pretty good.

They have good fried rice. Better than Ollie's, better than hunan balcony. Get the pork or shrimp. Very solid flavors.

I got the miso soup and it was not fresh you could taste it. I asked for hot chili oil to make it spicy and they forgot to put it in the bag even the egg looked old. It was just a waste of time and money

update so the food came.... finally pretty damn good. the soup was delicious and creamy. would come again !

Tonight was the 2nd time ordering delivery from RRK. Honestly if my dinner did not take 1 1/2 hours to get to me this would have been a 4 star rating possibly even 5. I ordered Shoyu Ramen with extra sprouts and extra bamboo. It was flavorful and fresh and it came nice and hot. A second delivery guy may be needed to cater to a growing delivery customer base.

Wrong order. I ordered miso! Yes the soup is miso but the meat is spicy ground pork. Supposed to be chicken.. i am disappointed

Before you go all gaga on RaiRaiKen Uptown, you must know that this is primarily a CARRY OUT and Delivery operation. I was a bit disappointed when I arrived with hopes of sitting at a table and enjoying my tasty Ramen UPTOWN. I don't think Ramen was meant to be served in a plastic bowl with a plastic spoon. But once the ramen arrived and entered my mouth, I was pleased. It could have been served in a tortoise shell or dixie cup. It was DELICIOUS! There are counters (2) with fixed-position stools that you sit at - either facing Amsterdam Ave and the projects or the wall. The entire time I was there nobody came in to eat, but delivery orders were going out so I guess the word is out - this place delivers great food, but not the best atmosphere for dining in. Having visited the downtown location for years, I couldn't help but feel a little 'dissed. Uptown deserves some tables, please??? The liquor license isn't activated yet, so perhaps once they get it they can expand and add some tables. One of the reasons I eat out is for a bit of atmosphere, camaraderie etc... This is totally lacking here. But the Ramen SAVES the day. YUM. I had the vegetarian ramen. Rich miso broth and very tasty fresh veggies like corn, snow pea pods, cauliflower, carrots, scallions and broccoli along with fried garlic slices all made me smile. I hope they add the cold summer noodle salad to the menu soon. I've had it downtown and it's one of my favorite May-October dishes in NYC.

Use Groupon for $25 value. Pretty good deal and the ramen is good. Wish I can buy more Groupon for this store. Mochi is good too. We tried the miso ramen and shoyu ramen. Buy 10 ramen and get 1 free with the card.

Really good ramen for the price. Place on 125th is about $3-4 more. Very much enjoyed. One complaint would be it was a little oily. May have been the "hot sauce" that was added though. Plan to order from again and ask for hot sauce on side. Very hot!!

Do I have to give one star? Can I give a 0? We ordered food through Grub Hub for delivery to our apartment, which is on the fourth floor. We, and many in our building, order delivery often and never have problems having the delivery guy bring the food to our door. We have a buzzer to buzz them up. Tonight we had a problem. The delivery guy called us telling us we had to come down stairs. We reminded him of the apt # and let him know we can buzz him up. He then said he couldn't find parking. All deliver guys park their bikes against a railing in the huge area in front of our building. There is plenty of space and no problem parking. To make it worse, the delivery guy had been yelling at us the entire time. We then called the restaurant to see why he wouldn't deliver to our apt. She told us that we live in the projects so he isn't allowed to go in the building. HA! The projects, our building is an apartment building and not the projects. We then called Grubhub to complain. They called the restaurant and the new story was that they are saying the police are telling them they aren't allowed to go in our building. Yet, there has never been a problem from other restaurants. This sucks that we now have to re-order our food.

This outpost of the East Village Rai Rai Ken recently opened and I could not be more thrilled, because I live across the street :) A small, lunch-counter style ramen place with a simple menu of 5 ramens and three rice dishes, plus an assortment of apps and a $10.50 lunch combo special. I went there for lunch two days in a row and really enjoyed the Mabo-don (stir-fried ground pork and tofu in a spicy sauce over rice) and curry ramen. My lunch companions on each day had the miso ramen and both enjoyed it very much. The pork buns were tasty but could perhaps use a more even covering of sauce (according to my companion). The gyoza was also very good and I would get it as an app again for sure. The owner (I presume) seems like a really great guy and mentioned he has plans to open a curry ramen place next door! Excited to have them in the neighborhood.

My new favorite Ramen place in North Manhattan. I've had the curry ramen, miso ramen, and gyoza (fried dumplings). All were excellent. Fast delivery, and nice staff inside the restaurant. The space is small, and has very few chairs. It is mainly a takeout destination.

Ordered delivery online today, it came promptly. I got the shoyu ramen with extra thin straight noodles and the pork dumplings. the dumplings were fine, not great but they were pretty good. The ramen was absolutely flavorless. I had to add soy sauce and spicy sauce and there was still no flavor. The noodles weren't the correct noodles , I was given the wavy ones instead, the pork was dry and looked like it'd been sitting at the bottom of a tray for hours, the toppings were cold, and the bamboo shoots were mushy. Needless to say it was not worth the 20 dollars. I will likely not be ordering from this place again.