Kuro-Obi

Kinda pricy compared to Nishida. Portion is too small even for a lady, taste is okay. The soup is getting too salty by the end of the meal.

We loved it! Hard to find a place to sit but so worth it! Karaka spicy was excellent! We shared the pork buns! Yum!

I can’t overstate how awesome this setting is. I mean, there are cooler physical locations to hang out in the city, but particularly in this area, where things tend to be standardized and expensive, the City Market is a breath of (indoor) fresh air. Definitely not good for large parties — my friend and I were lucky to have found seating pretty fast at 7pm on a Friday night — but it beat the 1.5 hr wait at the first restaurant we tried. As for the ramen, at $ 13 for the original, it was still pricey for ramen, but it was solid quality, especially considering it comes in a paper bowl. The egg was cooked perfectly, the noodles were good and of large quantity, the broth was thick and delicious. Could have used more other ingredients, but it did include bamboo and seaweed!

Location– it is clean but located in a food court type of place. Despite being in a high traffic area I was able to find seating for my party of 5.
Location of bathrooms are inconvenient. They are in the basement where you have to wait forever for the elevator to come up/​down. And can’t take the stairs since the stairs to the basement is key card access only. Believe that is so the public can’t just come in from the street.
Food– ordered the classic. Was great. Broth was delicious and had depth. With there were more pork pieces. But like other reviewers have said. Size portion is small for the price. But on the flip side I hardly had to wait for my meal.
Would I come again? Probably. It is pretty convenient, had access to try other things if coming with a big group of people, and I didn’t have to wait long.

City Kitchen has a few gems in it and this is one of them. There are a ton of ramen shops in the city and most of them are just «meh.» Thanks to being a spin-​off of Ippudo, Kuro-​Obi has a leg up on most. The broth, which I think is the differentiator, is solid, both creamy and deeply flavored, it really does bring the dish together. If you can’t make proper noodles then you’re not a ramen shop, again not something Kuro-​Obi struggles with.
Let me be clear, I’m not claiming this is the greatest ramen in the city, however it is a solid spot to grab a bowl if you need something fast. The price is fair for the portion you get and I guarantee it’ll hit the spot; Which is why KO gets four stars.

It’s a small branch of Ippudo. You can see «ippudo» on fine print. I ordered the special of the day — which was ground beef balls with their basic broth. The seasoning of the beef was really good, it was salty and perfect when you mix it into the broth. The egg was cooked perfectly, I love the gooey egg yolk in the middle! Not sure how I feel about the ramen noodle itself, I saw the frozen pack sitting on the table and felt a bit like I’m getting rip off. I thought it would be fresh, but then again it is ramen and supposed to have 100 years of shelf life. The bowl cost me $ 16, a bit pricey of the serving size. I was not full… Definitely opt in for the original Ippudon if you could.
It’s a food court, so you can find any seats available. I would avoid 6−7pm the rush hour before the Broadway shows start. I would only come back if I don’t have any other choices in Times Square again.

With an hour to go before our Broadway play, City Kitchen looked like the best option for me to get my ramen fix and my partner to get his burger. The service was quick and friendly, though if you’re also planning to go before a show don’t expect to easily find any seats to enjoy your meal. The ramen was tasty, but having had great Ramen in SF and even London at a fraction of the price, I just don’t think I could dish out another $ 18 and be satisfied that it was a bang for my buck. A good place to go if you are in a hurry, but not highly recommended.

I came here 4pm Monday
There is no line
so l could get my ramen
About 5 minutes
I order shiro. ramen [tonkotsu base]
Soup was taste ok
But not hot enough
I don’t like ramen not hot enough
But this is takeout place so they use
Paper bowl They can’t make too hot.
City kitchen is very clean and nice

I’m not used to paying $ 18 for ramen ’cause I’m from LA and we got that shit on every corner, but I’ve gotta say, Kuro-​Obi is the best ramen I’ve ever had. Something about that creamy broth… it’s so rich in flavor. The pork was extremely tender, and the soft boiled egg was cooked PERFECTLY. I’ve read from my other fellow Unilocalers, that this is actually a sister shop to the famous Ippudo. We had Totto because the wait was luckily short, but Kuro-​Obi blows Totto out of the water.
Come here for a quick ramen fix!!!

This is the best daggum ramen. Omg. Beats out Jin, Totto, and Mokbar for me. I love the flavors here! I had karaka spicy and the seasonal flavor: tap-​out ramen. Soooooo good guys. Just go.
Friendly staff tonight too– that goes a long way in these parts. Way to go Kuro-​Obi.

One of the best ramen bars in the city — not at all surprised when I discovered that this place was actually attached to Ippudo, the most reviewed place in New York City.
We ordered the pork bun and kuro modern ramen for share — they were in perfect small size, allowing us to try more varieties. Unlike other places where ramen was hard to bite, noodles at kuro-​obi was soft yet chewy. The soup was creamy and rich, loved it! Pork bun was a bit mediocre though.

I came here tonight with a few friends to catch up over dinner and to chill. What’s great about City Kitchen is that they offer an abundance of different food choices including sushi, lobster rolls, doughnuts and shaved ice. I came here with a friend yesterday and I found myself back here tonight to try out the ramen here.
I settled for number 3 on the menu which was the ramen noodles with spicy broth and pork belly. Upon receiving my meal, I was surprised at how small the portion size was. I was hoping that the quality of the ramen and soup would make up for it and surely, it did. The noodles were thin and chewy and overall, great. The broth was nice and spicy and I found myself drinking the entire tub at the end lol. The pork belly was okay. I wish they would’ve gave a larger portion for $ 14 a pop though.
Overall, the food here was great, but the portion size was extremely small. Would I come back again? I’ll take my chances.

Kuro Obi is a ramen stand at City Kitchen in the theater district. The menu is very simple, three types of ramen: classic ($ 12), modern ($ 14) and spicy ($ 16). There are three toppings available: Unami egg ($ 2), karashi takana=leaf mustard ($ 3), and chashu pork ($ 4). There are also two appetizers: edamame ($ 6) and pork buns ($ 9).
I tried the classic with Unami egg and received my ramen in less than 2 minutes. The broth was fragrant and full bodied, with a tasty flavor. The noodles had nice substance to them with just the amount of chewiness. The egg was the perfect texture and absolutely delicious. That little morsel was definitely worth the extra $ 2. The only component of the soup that did not thrill me was the pork belly. It has absolutely no flavor.
Yes, on the expensive side, but I expect that in NYC, especially in the theater district. Other Unilocal reviews mentioned that Kuro Obi is related to Ippudo, a ramen chain with a location in the same area. Their prices are even more expensive, but a place I would also like to try on a future visit to NYC.

Takeout to home was not a clever idea. I blamed on the travel time and the time of purchase, after 5PM. Lunch hours or earlier might be the best time to get fresh ramen (?).
My hubby got couple ramen after his work to home in West Village. Kuro Modern and K.O. Karakara Men (both $ 13 + $ 2/​an egg), mine spicy and his regular. By then, the egg noodles soaked most of the soup and loosing its chewy texture. Beautifully cooked boiled egg and Char Siu were tasty but this soup-​less flabby noodle was sad.
K.O. pork buns were also disappointing. The meat was tough and dry, and wrinkles buns were not melt-​in-​your mouth experience that we know well from the original restaurant, Ippudo.
Their delivery packaging is not customer friendly. I wish K.O. replicates Niu’s smart container system; soup, noodle, and toppings are separated in an individual container.

Kuro-​Obi is from the same people as Ippudo, which is pretty divisive when it comes to ramen. But I thought Kuro-​Obi was fine, and you don’t have to put up with an obnoxious wait. There are limitations to being in an abbreviated kitchen, but that’s to be expected in a food court.
Their available ramen types aren’t that different from each other, at least by description. I tried the Kuro Modern, which was pork and chicken broth with pork belly chashu. Thought it was fine, but nothing special. Not that overpriced at $ 13, as you would probably pay about that much, if not a dollar or two more at a real restaurant.
All in all, Kuro-​Obi is a good attempt at ramen, but I won’t be rushing to return anytime soon.

I got the Kuro-​oh Karaka men. Found this place randomly around time square.
This is located in the food court call city kitchen. They have a great variety of food. I decided to try this. This ramen place has 3 types of rames only
Overall broth is good. Noodle is a bit on the hard side and portion is pretty small and pricey. Paid $ 17 with an Unami egg. I read that they are related to ippudo?
Service is good tho and fast. overall great for a fast bite if u r in the area.

Omg this spot was a highlight to my trip. I stayed at the hotel across the street. Right before we left for the airport, I grabbed lunch here. I wish I had discovered it sooner. I absolutely love ramen as I grew up in Japan. This was a great treat! I got the spicy ramen and added egg and charsiu. It was a little pricey for what it was but maybe that is standard for NYC. I’m not a big eater and I ate ALL of my ramen and the pork buns I got as a side. The pork buns were great. If I knew how good this place was, I would have eaten it daily while in the city.
Side note that the entire food court up there is really cool. Great options! So much I would have loved to try.

Service: The staff was excellent — they seem to have a pretty well-​oiled operation for not being open terribly long. They were friendly and were quick without rushing. Our food was ready quickly even given the lunchtime rush.
Food: Both my co-​worker and I had the Karaka Men. The pork was cooked well and tender throughout. The ingredients were fresh and tasty. The broth had a lot of flavor and was very rich. The noodles also had good flavor but could have been cooked just a little bit longer.
Ambiance: See City Kitchen Reviews
Recommendation: If you want to say you tried Ippudo without lining up at 4:00 on a weekday, come here.

From the makers of Ippudo NY — Kuro-​Obi — located in the new food court-​style City Kitchen on 8^th between 44 and 45. It’s the only branch of the Ippudo brand that lets you take their classic ramens to-​go. It’s located toward the back of the food court. I arrived at 11:50ish and there was little to no wait. It did pick up as the clock struck noon.
Kuro-​Obi has a very limited menu and only 3 ramens to choose from — all pork and chicken broth, all thin noodles. The only difference is the. well, «sauce» for the lack of a better word. All have two pieces of pork.
1. Regular (Shiro Obi) — $ 12
2. Garlic oil (Kuro modern) — $ 13
3. Spicy Miso sauce (Karaka) — $ 13
Along with the 3 ramen choices, they have pork buns as well (currently 2 for $ 9)
I had the kuro modern (with garlic oil) — the noodles were delectable as they were the perfect texture. The soup was rich, but on the salty side. I enjoyed the extra garlic oil flavor as it was quite fragrant, though I have nothing to compare it to since I haven’t had the original. The meat was tender and had the perfect fat-​to-​flesh ratio. The only complaint is that this was more of a «snack» than a «meal» for me and at $ 14+ a pop after tax, I would have expected a little more than an instant noodle-​sized meal.
Expensive, too small a portion, but packs a big flavor and is good on a cold day. Worth a try at least once, but I’m not sure I would get this on a regular basis.

Essentially the same as Ippudo West Side (see review here:
) in a cafeteria, this counter serves the same food with a smaller menu. Right now they only have three ramens:
1. Shiro-​Obi Classic (regular ramen) $ 12
2. Kuro Modern (regular ramen with garlic oil and sesame) $ 13
3. KO Karaka Men (spicy ramen) $ 13
I’m sad they don’t have the Tori Shio, my favorite, that’s only available at the real Ippudos. But good news! They have their famous pork buns (but at a hefty $ 9)!!
Toppings are limited to only soft boiled egg, mustard leaf, and additional pork (again, also sad). Alcohol is not being served as of the time of this writing (07 Mar 15), but I’ll revisit soon and update as soon as it is.
Another main thing is their portions are far smaller than the actual Ippudos, but accordingly cheaper ($ 12 – 13 versus $ 14 – 16). They also don’t offer extra noodles when you finish, and the ramen is served out of a paper/​plastic container. For $ 2 – 3 more, I’d rather eat at the real Ippudo and enjoy the food, but if you’re in a hurry, this’ll do the trick.
Pros:
Same great quality as Ippudo
Slightly cheaper
They have the famous pork buns!!!
Nice view of 8^th Avenue if you sit at the window
Cons:
Limited menu (fewer ramens, appetizers, toppings)
Smaller portion sizes
No kaedama option (extra portion noodles to add to remaining broth)
You eat in a cafeteria
No alcohol (yet)
Slight wait (N.B. also exists at the regular Ippudo)