Ramen By Ra
Ramen restaurant · East Village ·
NYC-inspired ramen with breakfast flavors: steak & eggs, BEC
NYC-inspired ramen with breakfast flavors: steak & eggs, BEC
"Born as a Bowery Market stall, this vintage-themed East Village ramen counter from Rasheeda Purdie draws on Japan’s asa (breakfast) ramen tradition with NYC twists, now in a tiny, efficient storefront with up to six stools facing the kitchen and 45-minute seatings. Seats are available by reservation only with pre-ordering and pre-payment, but the inventive flavors are worth setting a calendar alert. Don’t skip the lox ramen ($27): dill and pickled red onion brighten a nori-infused broth, cream cheese foam adds creaminess without heaviness, and lox hangs on the edge of the bowl so you can break off bites to keep it oily and cured or let pieces fall into the broth for a cooked texture; an added egg (+$3) is gilding the lily thanks to fried capers and crispy shallots. The bacon, egg, and cheese ramen ($28) doesn’t evoke its inspiration as much as the lox bowl, but thick slabs of bacon and the clear flavor of the lard-shoyu broth make it worthwhile, and the egg feels essential (fried or soy-marinated). Much of the menu features meat, but the egg-drop soup with everything crunch can be made vegetarian if you specify when you reserve; since this bowl has no other toppings, add chile oil for $1 to keep bites interesting. With reservations limited to up to two, it’s ideal for solo diners, and even if you can’t land a reservation there’s a walk-up window for to-go cups of shoyu broth and breakfast bao; Purdie also offers cups of broth as a parting treat at the end of meals." - Bettina Makalintal
"After a run as a Bowery Market food hall stand, this project from owner and chef Rasheeda Purdie is coming back as a full restaurant in the East Village, opening Saturday, November 15, at 70 East First Street near First Avenue. The menu stays rooted in asa ramen, with morning-time bowls like the maple‑shoyu sausage and soy‑cured yolk ramen, plus an apple‑smoked bacon, Parmesan, and fried egg mazemen. It’s reservations‑only on Resy for a six‑seat space during daytime hours (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) with 45‑minute seatings, and there’s no on‑site bathroom. For a more casual option, a takeout window offers to‑go shoyu broths in flavors like citrus, sesame, spicy, and espresso, along with breakfast bao such as bacon‑egg‑cheese and lox. The business began as a meal kit service in 2021, evolving into a pop‑up and then a late‑2023 food stand that closed in March." - Nadia Chaudhury
"A new-school ramen stall within the Bowery Market (well-reviewed by the New Yorker) had its final day on Saturday, March 29; owner Rasheeda Purdie shares that her restaurant is moving into a new space to be announced later." - Nadia Chaudhury
"Harlem-based Chef Rāsheeda Purdie is offering a three-course dinner in honor of Juneteenth, and the experimental menu involves several Southern food, Korean, and Japanese mashup dishes. Her Roots + Ramen experience is available for pick-up in Harlem this Saturday, June 19, and each order comes with a side of strawberry sage soda. For more details and to RSVP for a meal, head to her website here." - hannah albertine, nikko duren
"Ramen by Ra, which opened in December, is a small counter in the glass-enclosed Bowery Market on the Lower East Side. It specializes in asa ramen, typically eaten as breakfast in Japan, with chef Rasheeda Purdie's riffs on New York breakfast classics. There's a BEC ramen with thick slabs of smoked bacon, a seasoned egg, and cheese foam, as well as ramen with a slice of nova and scallions. The broth is clean and savory, and makes for a great canvas for their toppings." - neha talreja, will hartman, bryan kim, willa moore
