karakatta

Reviews

• Jane L.

  star star star star star 5 July 2026

  Their seasonal cold lemon ramen was the best thing I've had in months. Perfectly savory and refreshing - the fish broth and lemons go together so well. Everything you could ask for on a hot summer day. Get it before it goes away!
  
  Also great service and a nice small selection of drinks. The place is tiny but we thankfully didn't have to wait long.

• Jennie A.

  star star star star_border star_border 5 July 2026

  Food 3.5 stars, service 2, ambiance 2.5. We came for dinner at 6pm and were seated right away at the counter. The space is very tight and as the restaurant started to get more crowded, the space got more cramped. Trying to back up your stool when someone is behind you is not easy, nor can you walk through the stools without bumping into someone seated.
  
  We ordered within 10min of sitting down. However, we did not receive our food until 7pm (over 50min later). We ordered veggie gyoza as an appetizer and shortly after we ordered them, the waitress came back and said they were out. So we sat without food for almost an hour. On top of that, we asked for water when we ordered and then had to ask again twice, before being brought water (took about 15-20min) which is a bit ludicrous.
  
  The food itself was just ok. I ordered the ginger stamina ramen spicy (level 2) and while the broth wasn't bland, it was lacking flavor other than black pepper. The bowl was very small and I left hungry. The prices are also high given the portions as that bowl was $16. The overall experience left me annoyed and underwhelmed.

• Misha T.

  star star star star star_border 1 July 2026

  I tried the cold lemon ramen today and thought it was good and super interesting. It's not as cold as zaru soba (though a cool idea I think, would be to have cubes of frozen broth inside to get in there) and the broth is refreshingly sour. The mix of veggies and chicken work well texturally with the noodles too. It's definitely a great meal on a hot day (and today is one of those days that doesn't make me miss living in NYC). Hopefully I'll be back to karakatta some time to check out their other ramens.
  
  Also, at lunch you get a couple pieces of kaarage or salad with your order, which is great. After I finished the three pieces, another bonus plate of two pieces appeared. I would like more bonus plates of kaarage in life, please.

• Sara L.

  star star star star star_border 28 June 2026

  If you're a spicy ramen fan, you'll definitely want to check out this little ramen shop. Karakatta mainly specializes in spicy ramen. There are four options to choose: spicy ginger stamina, butter-miso, Taka's shoyu, and then spicy veggie curry. Spiciness can be tailored from mild to very spicy.
  
  There are also appetizers, like karaage and gyoza, but to keep things lighter, we opted just the spicy cucumber. I ordered the Spicy Ginger Stamina and my bf had the regular Tonkotsu with added spice. I liked the spicy ginger, but I didn't find it particularly outstanding. We ordered very spicy for both, but we could have upped it a notch. If we compare karakatta to Mr. Taka, which is their sister restaurant, I'd probably pick the latter. If you want spicy, definitely don't shy from asking for the highest scale. I appreciate the scaling option though. The broth is a flavorful chicken broth that feels somehow lighter perhaps because of the ginger infusion. The ramen is a nice wavy flat noodle. I didn't care for the pork belly, and it didn't seem like the highlight. The half boiled egg was excellent and perfectly made.
  
  The spicy ginger was not as rich and spicy as I was anticipating, but it doesn't shun me from wanting to return and try their other ramens. I particularly love Mr. Taka, and seeing them open another ramen spot makes me very happy. I just definitely won't shy from the spice scale, and I'm definitely interested in their other broth/toppings options. In terms of space, it's pretty tight. There's a small counter and some tables. We had no trouble getting a seat, but they also had no trouble filling out every seat in the restaurant. Considering it's a pretty fast sit down meal, I wouldn't worry too much  about long waits if the place is full.

• Nat S.

  star star star star star 26 June 2026

  Tried googling what 'Karakatta' means in Japan. All I found is that there's a cemetery in Japan named 'Karakatta.' Fitting, because the food here is to die for. Haha.. But the broth is genuinely the best ramen broth in downtown Manhattan.
  The restaurant is super small, there's literally like 6-7 tables total. And bar seating. An actual hole in the wall. But the food was delicious. Service was kind of slow. Must be because it's so crammed in here. I wouldn't bring a big group of friends here because there's just not enough space. GREAT date night spot, however. It's clearly also a popular place for NYU students after dying at the library all day. Food was fantastic, will definitely come back.