Gen Ramen House

Excellent! I had the spicy chicken. Only $ 6.50. Are you kidding me? I’ve been over paying in the DC area.

Came here for the first time to eat in after ordering take outs before for lunch.
I ordered the spicy ramen and it was pretty decent because the noodles came with half an egg, seaweed, bean sprouts, corn and pork. The soup base is chicken broth and it tastes a bit thick but it’s alright.
Customer service was pretty good too, the workers were glad to serve us and one of the girl came to me with a new pair of chopsticks because I accidentally dropped mine. (I’m too clumsy). It took a while for me to order because I was debating between the kimchi or seaweed salad side dish but the workers didn’t rush me to order.
Before I left, I spotted a check-​in on Unilocal for a free soda and the workers were kind enough to let me use it without judging me.
Will definitely come back for more ramen!

Very good Ramen at a great price! Fast service and no BS I will be back for sure!

The portion here is enough to fill (but not stuff) you, so quantity-​wise, it’s a pretty good value for the $ 6.50 price tag on the ramen bowls. The soup here had an interesting taste. Came here with 3 other people, and we ordered the spicy, vegetarian, miso (chef special), and regular ramen. The soup of the spicy ramen didn’t have too much depth (smelled pretty full of umami flavor, but I was a little disappointed after I tasted it) and towards the middle of the meal, all I could taste was salt. The ramen came with 2 pieces of pork, which in my opinion, were just alright. I’ve tasted more tender, more flavorful pork at other ramen shops (Naruto ramen on the UES comes to mind). The meat is also somewhat thin, which I expected for the cheaper price tag. I like that they gave half a soft boiled egg though! The noodles weren’t too soggy either, so the meal itself was pretty good.
For the miso ramen, the soup was definitely too salty, and reminded me of the miso soup base packet that usually comes with my grocery store packaged ramen. There was little depth to the soup, all I tasted was soy sauce and miso mixed with hot water. The trend here is that the broths don’t taste like they’ve been simmering away all day with juicy pieces of pork. Rather, they taste like hot water mixes that were hastily thrown together.
Checked in on Unilocal and got a free can of iced tea, and the girl serving us was polite and courteous! Good service! Overall a good deal, but if you’re looking for a hearty flavorful broth that isn’t overly salty, this isn’t the place for you.

good food, basic ramen place. Unlike most places in the area the atmosphere is nice with friendly wait staff that understands English. There is ac in the summer!

Food and service was great! It’s also friendly for elders in terms of location since there aren’t too many stairs at the entrance. I was there with sis and grandma.
Grandma loved the veggie ramen, I had the original and sis had the curry ramen. We also ordered takoyaki. All was delish and prices were so reasonable too. Will come back next time we’re in NYC.

Décor reminds me so much of St Marks.
Small, tidy place with limited seating, but somehow we stopped by on a Sunday afternoon and was able to dine in with a stroller parked next to our table. Nice! Best part is, our baby girl was good and let mommy and daddy have a peaceful ramen lunch. All smiles!
Super affordable ramen!
Love the Gen Paitan Ramen which is A1 on the menu. The soup was just right, not too bland or too salty.
Also love the Char Siu Bun. The sauce inside wraps up the taste.
Menu is short but the goodness is all listed!
The Husband and I both agreed on the # of stars given hehe
Tip: Check-​in for a freebie: Can of Soda!

Seeing that there was a cheap ramen place nearby, I stopped by Gen Ramen House for a to-​go.
First off, I was attracted to the K-​Pop playing in the background once I walked in. The place was dark with one person sitting there eating his noodles. The menu was also pretty simple, offering three types of ramen (regular, spicy, and curry) along with two rice dishes and some appetizers. I ordered the regular ramen for $ 6.50. The food came quick! The waitress was also sweet and packaged the food really nicely.
When I had the time to sit and actually look at the food, though, that’s a different story. I appreciate how the ramen came separate from the broth. There was also seaweed that came in a plastic bag. However, I am not sure if the ramen was suppose to be this hard but I was definitely taken aback by the noodles I saw beneath the beautifully decorated «grass» scallion. It was as if they had just taken them out of the freezer.
After mixing the broth in the noodles for quite some time, the noodles tasted only mediocre. There was no distinct taste to them that would make me feel a «wow!» from them. The place did emphasize there was no MSG placed in so that’s a plus! Maybe that was why it didn’t taste as good?
Overall, the place is pretty decent for the price if you are just craving some instant ramen.

$ 10 total for pork ramen, dumplings and a drink. Nice!

Placed an order over the phone for three bowls of ramen: Gen Paitan, Miso and Gen Spicy. Was ready in about 10 minutes. The restaurant is pretty quaint, nice atmosphere.
I liked my Miso ramen. I wasn’t crazy about it but it was good. Nice and savory. I didn’t like the Paitan one though… it was just very bland in my opinion but my coworker liked the Paitan and not the Miso.
Everything was packed seperately. Ramen and toppings in one. Soup in one. And a plastic bag for two seaweed sheets. Unfortunately, both Paitan and Miso soup container caps cracked so be careful!!!
Would I come back? Mehh. Not really… it was a good one time meal. Maybe if I’m contemplating about lunch and can’t decide, then MAYBE I’d come by here for a quick lunch.
Just ok. Not great.

I went to this ramen place to explore if under $ 10 dollars ramen will be good. I was not disappointed. The food was flavorful. I had the curry ramen and also got to try the spicy ramen. The broth was not too salty and full of ingredients added on to it. There is no MSG added on there.
I felt fill after eating it. The service here was fast and friendly. The place is small and the menu is limited. So there was an emphasis on quality vs quantity here. I would recommend this place to people to try if you are looking for budget friendly ramen and if you’re around the Chinatown neighborhood.

Let’s get straight to it with this ramen shop. I went here solo just to see if you could possibly get a decent bowl of ramen for less than $ 7 in NYC. The ramen is $ 6.50 and no, it’s not instant ramen in a cup. I was afraid that might be the trade-​off. And no, the ramen isn’t a super small portion. So far, I’m thinking «we’re in the clear man! This is your budget bowl of ramen and it’s going to be good!»
And it was! He shoots, he scores… the Spicy Ramen ($ 6.50) I got was a decent sized bowl, maybe not a huge one like Mr. Taka but that bowl is $ 16 to start and I have to say, a challenge to finish for most people (I finished it, don’t worry). It also included pork chashu, seaweed, bean sprouts, some greens, and half AN EGG in the $ 6.50 price. Just give me the damn egg included… if this place can do it, everyone can.
I also got a pork bun (1 for $ 2 or 3 for $ 5) which was simple but delicious. I mean there are great pork buns in a lot of places all over the city but the going rate is 2 for $ 9 and sometimes, let’s be honest, they are forgettable. Considering the price, these were tasty, super tender (bun and pork), and even memorable in my opinion.
The service is good, I’m more about the food, but these guys gave me water, free tea, and were super attentive. It was like eating at the kitchen counter at your friends house except my friends aren’t japanese chefs (I wish they were, apply within). I got to watch them make everything at the bar and the process was the same as most other ramen shops.
The trade-​offs (they have to do something to offer these prices):
— The two pieces of pork chashu in the ramen were sliced somewhat thin
— You just get a half egg
— Portion size is filling but not huge
This is a great place to go for a quick bowl of ramen where you don’t want to end up spending $ 20+ on one meal. My total with one bowl and a pork bun came to $ 9.25 with tax (plus tip). That’s the best deal on ramen I’ve seen in NYC even counting lunch specials. If you have a friend whose never had ramen and doesn’t want to commit to a $ 15 bowl, this is a great place to get a feel for what it’s all about.

Great ramen for a great price. We went for a Sunday afternoon walk and stumbled on this place. I had the spicy ramen and my husband had some sort of eel dish. We also shared the fried dumplings to start. We were both satisfied. My spicy ramen was great and he loved his eel dish. The dumplings were only okay.
Service was good — no complaints. And it was pretty quiet when we got there. There were two other parties finishing up when we arrived.

One of the better places for ramen, and for a cheap price too! It is conveniently located by the B, D station so it’s not a bad choice on a lazy day.
I ordered the gen spicy ramen. I love the broth. I don’t think it’s too salty or anything like that, just great. The meat they put in is perfect. Its so tender, it alost melts in your mouth. The texture of the ramen is also good, chewy and makes me happy.
The place seems pretty consistent too. My boyfriend said it was just as good when he ordered take out from work the other day.
Not many people seem to know this place yet. It is definitely worth trying.

The stars are halfway because half our party enjoyed their food and half did not. 2 of us ordered the Gen spicy ramen, one ordered the regular ramen, and one ordered the curry ramen. One of the spicy ramen was delicious and enjoyable with nice noodles and a wonderfully rich broth. The other person who ordered the spicy thought it was very bland and lacked substance. Interestingly, the curry recipient thought the same thing of her ramen where the broth was watery with a touch of curry powder added later on leaving much to be desired.
We did start the meal with some takoyaki and seaweed salad. The takoyaki was small but tasty while the seaweed salad was very … fishy. This might mean it’s fresh? Not really sure why but we’ve never had seaweed salad taste so much like the actual sea! We didn’t enjoy this at all, unfortunately.
Overall, only 2 of us might come back to this place while the other 2 definitely would not be back. Bring a group and see how it goes!

I was actually expecting the plastic bowl. I was also very very surprised to find Ted Fu eating there at the table right next to mine haha… okay onwards to the review…
The environment is clean and nice. Let’s start off with the best part. The waitresses are very attentive. Expected in such a small shop, but it’s nice to find good customer service nevertheless. The fried calamari in sweet and sour sauce was pretty good. Unlike the normal fried calamari, the fried layer here is much thinner. I also ordered the first ramen… pan Tai? The broth is very very very bland. I had to lift the bowl up and drink in a gulp to get any flavor. That being said the noodle wasn’t able to soak any flavor at all. The ramen texture was slightly harder than your normal Japanese ramen. The char siu was cut in very thick slices. The meat itself was hard to chew, with the exception of one slice that was half fat. Yes yes I know for the price you really can’t complain much. Hence the three stars.

This bowl of ramen is worth every penny of that $ 6.50 you’re gonna shell out on it… For the price it’s not bad, thus the 3 stars. If you want top notch knock your socks off ramen this ain’t it. If you’re in the hood and have $ 7 in your pocket and have a hankering for ramen this will suffice. The chicken based broth while sufficiently tasty does not have the richness and depth of flavor of a pork based broth. Remember… you get what you pay for. It’s not a large bowl (plastic disposable bowl), the pork is tasty and tender but you get one really small slice, half soft boiled egg, some bamboo, and that’s about it for toppings. the noodles are thin and wavy and nicely chewy. it’s good and it’s cheap! Also have yummy and super cheap apps like homemade gyoza (4 for $ 1.50), seared shishito peppers ($ 3.50), kimchi with apple sauce ($ 3.50), seaweed salad ($ 3.00), char siu bun ($ 2.00), etc. Great bang for your buck! ;-)

Serendipity brought us to Gen Ramen. Just looking for a bite to eat in Chinatown & found this great place jammed on a Saturday afternoon. Lucky to find stools along the window counter, we were handed glasses of hot green tea … wonderful on a wintry day. Then our steamed dumplings arrived: clouds stuffed with savory minced pork/​scallions. Waiting for our ramen, we looked around to be surprised just how spotless and well-​designed everything is. What a delight to slurp up the food in a fragrant smelling kitchen watching the chef whip up bowls of ramen as delicious as they are visually beautiful: green, yellow, white floating in a golden broth! All our senses were satiated once we finished, and the smiling attentive staff certainly made us feel cared for. Bill came well under $ 20 for two. Later, went back twice in 3 weeks, everything just as consistent. Gen Ramen will be our go-​to place in Chinatown.
btw, bathroom was incredibly clean & spacious for Chinatown.

$ 6.50 ramen? What’s not to love?! Great little place with super lovely staff. Their spicy ramen is the winner here — we also had their pork buns (a lil on the fatty side) and some shrimp which were nice but your best bet is stick to the ramen. It may not be quite as good as Ivan however I would rather get this 3 times over. I’ll be back.

I found this via Unilocal when I visited NY in December. It’s in Chinatown about 3 blocks from the Grand St subway stop. Small place but well arranged seating area. I came here on a Sunday evening around 6 and the place was empty but 3 groups came in right after me.
I ordered Gen Fried Dumpling, Ebimayo & Gen Spicy Ramen. Dumplings were just the right texture. Ebimayo was not too greasy and had great crunch. The ramen was full of ingredients but it could’ve been spicier for my taste. For a mere $ 20 bucks, you get a filling feast :)
There’s an abundance of cheap good eats in Chinatown. This place is another good addition to this neighborhood.

I found the place by mistake. I was looking for prosperity dumpling which is close. I decide to go in and try. I was half empty, server was very friendly, gave us free tea. Ramen was good, flavorful broth and the size was good for 6.50. Also we ordered dumplings they were good too. Good place to have ramen in Chinatown.

We returned here for another try recently, and I guess it’s still just okay.
It looks like they changed up their dumplings from the first time we were here — the new dumplings are more rectangular-​shaped (for some odd reason), but definitely special. They feel handmade, so hopefully they actually are. We liked these, and would come back just for these dumplings. Probably order it to go though…
I ordered the original ramen, which I thought the soup was bland. My boyfriend ordered the curry ramen, which we thought had too much MSG (or possibly just too much of the fake curry powder). We thought they changed the way they cooked their charsiu, but can’t be too certain.
We also tried the Japanese sausage — it’s definitely different. We liked the way it tasted, but I don’t know about the price tag. Maybe they’re actually worth it, but at $ 4.50, I don’t know if we’d order that again.
We read in another review that they didn’t honor the check-​in for a soda, but our server happily gave us our Coca-​Cola after seeing the Unilocal page.
They currently have a sign posted outside saying «No Tips!» but I couldn’t really let myself leave without giving their deserved tip — and you shouldn’t either!
After giving this a second try, I guess we would be willing to come back if we realllllllly wanted some ramen. But truthfully, this spot is in Chinatown, and there are many many Fujianese spots with hand pulled or knife cut noodles that could hit the spot much better for either the same price, or even cheaper. I’m sorry :(
Oh yea, on another note — following up on my bamboo shoots from my previous review. Actually, the menu states that the spicy ramen does get bamboo shoots in it. The menu states that the original ramen and the spicy ramen has the same exact things in it except for the spicy. Just thought you should take a look at what your menu says, if that’s not what you’re intending to serve!

I must’ve looked like an easy mark, standing out there and staring down their giant menu out front. It was only a few seconds before a friendly employee popped out and talked/​walked me inside, with promises of great food and great prices. I’ll say this for them; it’s far and away the best ramen $ 6.50 can buy in this city.
I was started off with a free cup of tea and seated myself in front of the kitchen — calling it a bar would be a misnomer as they do not serve alcohol. I went for the Paitan Ramen ($ 6.50) and their gyoza (4/​$ 1.50). I watched the ramen come together and it came out in very short order on a plastic lunch tray. The bowl wasn’t as enormous as other ramen joints, but at half the price I was surprised that it was as generous as it was. One slice of pork felt a little skimpy as well, but again — $ 6.50. The broth was very tasty, and while it had all the standard trappings, I should comment that the seaweed was particularly flavorful. I’m not even certain it was supposed to be, but I enjoyed it.
The fried dumplings came out a few minutes later, and unfortunately that’s where things fell apart. Intensely greasy with an overwhelming «burnt» taste that sent me back to my ramen pretty quickly. These turned what would have been a 4-​star+ experience into a 3-​star one. I’m told I should have gone for the pork sandwiches instead, perhaps next time?
Service was quick (there was no excuse for it not to be, the place was nearly empty; though it seems like a lively ambiance) and friendly, though not entirely attentive — my server never asked how things were until I’d put down my chopsticks for good. Maybe he was looking out the window for the next customer.

Love this new place! Forget about expensive Ramen, this place only cost $ 6.50 for a bowl of ramen! Try their spicy tuna rice (yummy!)… BYOB also, if you buy wines from their sister shop around the corner from Eldridge, don’t forget to ask for 10% off your dinner bill!
Small restaurant, if you have a large group. I suggest you call in advance to RSVP.

Very small place. Only 1 person working in the floor. Very slow and not so sure what kind of music they were playing. U will hear Chinese music, Korean and Japanese. The most important thing is very noisy. Not acceptable!!! Soup base is way too salty!!! Will not go back for sure.

The prices are good but don’t have high expectations for this place. I got A1 although the noodles have a very nice texture the soup and etc tasted very unusual. The cha sui bun wasn’t good at all, the weird mayo and wasabi sauce just made it very unappetizing

i got the curry ramen while the bf got the chicken broth ramen and we ordered a side of mayo shrimp.
it’s not as good as when we had ramen in japan but i really like this place.
our dinner came out to $ 17.10. if you check into Unilocal with a picture, you can either get 5% off your bill or get a free can of soda.
the curry ramen was FULL of flavor but it wasnt over powering. nice touch of spice.
the chicken broth ramen, was very hearty
and the mayo shrimp, it was good but it wasnt worth it cause you get 5 pieces of shrimp for $ 5. the shrimp were very fresh but i wouldnt get it again.
the dinner was very filling and i would def come back here again :)

Was drawn in by the music and the picture menu on the front door.
The spicy gen ramen was delicious, surpassed our expectations. There was an interesting depth of flavor: including a hint of spice and sesame oil.
The spicy tuna rice bowl was delicious in that the tuna was really fresh, and the spicy mayo was not overpowering.
I truly enjoyed the char Siu pork buns. But overall, my favorite is their ramen.
Only downside, is the size of the dining area. But a great place to try

Glad we decided to try this new place out when Cocoron was closed. Simple menu of which we tried 5 and all were delicious. Only giving them 4 stars as they don’t have any dessert but food and service were technically 5 star. Said they plan to offer desserts soon and I’m sure real 5 stars will follow.

Exactly what I needed on a cold day! Deliciously hot ramen, super friendly service and great prices.

$ 6.50 ramen, it is what it is. You shouldn’t expect much coming here.
I ordered the Spicy Ramen, which was served in a plastic disposable bowl. The ramen broth was quite spicy and i enjoyed the spice but the broth itself doesn’t stand out, tasted almost like instant noodle soup powder. Sliced pork was dry. Ramen had a nice firm texture.
The pork buns had a weird colored mayo, i think they mixed horseradish with mayo because i tasted a bit of wasabi.
Waitress was attentive throughout the meal.
They have signs all over the restaurant noting that «you can get a can of soda or 5% off your bill, if you check in». I checked in, the waitress looked at my phone and asked if I shared (repeatedly), well the sign didn’t say to share! I posted a pic on Unilocal and she requested to see it. Geez… can I just get my soda already and not have someone breath down my neck
Please… either change your signs or tell your staff that I don’t need to share.
Overall, it’s not terrible but there could be a lot of improvements. If you are craving a cheap and fast ramen fix, you could give this place a try. You can’t beat the price $ 6.50 ramen & $ 7 rice bowls.

Great local place for ramen to go or to sit. They also make the best pork buns I have ever had. Homemade Char Siu and sandwich on a rice bun with lettuce and spicy mayo sauce. Many other items on the menu but this is my favorite. The spicy ramen is really good too.

After weightlifting at Bowery Crossfit, Gelo and I met up to get some food. We didnt know exactly want we wanted but we knew it had to be hot food since he was freezing. We stopped by Gen Ramen because it seemed really nice and I like some good ramen. We both got the curry noodles, cha siu baos, and dumplings. The curry noodles were amazing. I thought it was slightly too salty but I come from a family that cooks very bland and minimal flavored foods so honestly all restaurant foods taste salty unless its from the steam vegetarian side of the menu. The cha siu baos were super salty due to the bacon but pluck it out and it should be fine. Although, who wants to take out bacon? Lastly the dumplings were pretty bland (YAY) but because Vanessa’s was so close, if you want dumplings, go there instead. It’s so much cheaper and worth it.
All in all it was a great experience. No tip is required and they accept both cash/​credit.

After reading the reviews, finally decided to give a chance. Sitted on the bar which u can watch the chef preparing the ramen. I thought it was some kind of instant noodles that cooked over some instant soup, and just served for $ 6.50.
Well, it’s totally out of my expectations. I ordered spicy ramen. The ramen was prepared very well as real ramen that i usually paid around $ 12 every where. The soup was very tasty and full of flavors. The waitress told that soup was cooked freshly around 6 hour everyday.
For this price for the real ramen. I’d definitely be back.

Came here yesterday (11/​29/​2015) and from what I hear the original closed, and this either reopened or took it’s place. Either way it’s a ramen shop again that barely qualifies it as ramen. Don’t compare to the big name stores (you know what they are), you’re paying 6.50 for noodles, soup, toppings and a slice of meat. You get what you pay for at $ 6.50, which earns this 3 stars.
Noodles, flavor, etc were all mediocre. If I was desperate for a ramen fix and I had $ 7 in my pocket, I’d consider coming here.
Pros: I actually think it’s not instant ramen with Shin seasoning. Service is great, even though it’s help yourself/​order at the front. Lady was nice and offered us tea refills. No wait, but this could be a con?
Cons: Plastic bowl (okay, they have this in a lot of places, but kinda kills the experience), and tiny plastic spoons.

This place is great, I love the A1 paitan Ramen.
The chai siu is fatty, tender and seared to perfection. The noodles is well-​cooked and flavorful. Love it, price is only $ 6.50. This ramen place just opened about a week, hope they will do well

Very quite and clean environment good for kid and groups. Chicken based broth, chewy ramen, very tender and juicy pork! Last but not least, unbeatable price, only $ 6.5! Defiantly coming back again!