Ramen restaurant boom arrives on Long Island

As a young student in Japan over 20 years ago, Mimi Chi fell in love with ramen at counters throughout Tokyo, each with its own style. "It’s everywhere, and they all make it differently," said Chi, who lives in Port Washington.

Tokyo alone has 10,000 ramen shops, purportedly, and Japanese cities and regions each have their own styles, from the miso-rich broths of Sapporo to seafood-based ramen, milky pork (tonkotsu) ramen and noodles that range from thin to wide, flat to wavy. On Long Island, until very recently, there were barely a handful of ramen places, but the last 18 months have seen an exponential jump — including Ikedo Ramen, which Chi opened about a year ago in Port Washington. It was a long-realized dream, but hard won during a pandemic buffeted by labor shortages and erratic supply issues. "I had a huge passion for ramen, but didn’t think about how hard it would be," said Chi, who is also a real estate portfolio manager and a mom. "The challenges are unbelievable, especially during COVID. But I said, ‘Okay, I’ve got to make this work no matter what the problems or challenges.’"

Ikedo is a cute, enveloping spot with a mural-covered front dining room, covered back patio and a robust style, forged by chef Jason Lin. He lived in Japan for a decade before working in New York City’s ramen scene, and his complex broths range from rich tonkotsu to a bonito-based seafood broth to a miso ramen flavored with the kitchen’s own fermented soybeans. Ikedo uses four different kinds of fresh Sun Noodles, said Chi; chili oil and house sauces are added to the hot broths for extra smolder and richness.

Slurp Ramen in Port Jefferson, opened by Atsushi and Francesca Nakagawa in 2016, opened the ramen floodgates on Long Island. Over the last few years, a trickle became a stream: MB Ramen in Huntington, 8Ramen in Rockville Centre, Teinei Ya in Syosset, Ichi Sushi & Ramen in East Setauket all opened, among others. There are now at least two dozen ramen places on Long Island, each distinguishing itself by long-simmered broths — from opaque, almost opulent tonkotsu broth made with pork bones to lighter shio, or "salt" broth and shoyu, or soy, broths, and miso broth flavored with fermented soybean — as well as composition. There’s dipping ramen, and lobster ramen, and dry ramen; there’s stir-fried ramen and vegan ramen. On top, usually, is a custardy, marinated soft-boiled egg, but garnishes can also include corn, scallions, bamboo shoots, fermented mushrooms, edamame, slicks of chili or black garlic oil, and the cute pink-and-white spiral fish cake called narutomaki. Basically, while bowls of ramen might share a similar foundation, the adventure of eating it lies in the details.

Here are a few standouts among Long Island's most recent wave of ramen shops.

eShin Noodle Bar (1113 Rte. 25A, Stony Brook): Opened in August, this sweet, minimalist spot is the domain of Momofuku Noodle alum chef Kai Wang, whose complex, sometimes delicate ramen draws on assiduously sourced ingredients and is assembled in an open kitchen. Broths begin with multiple kinds of bones (or kombu) and shift seasonally, from a summertime bright, light tonkotsu broth filled with corn-fed, confited pork-belly chashu to a 10-hour beef broth layered with Wagyu brisket; a spicy "dry" vegan ramen is based on tomato dashi, and there is also pork-bonito based tsukemen, or dipping ramen, which marries hot broth and cold noodles, plus various veggies and a yuzu soy foam. The small plates, such as raw amberjack (akin to hamachi) with warm brown-butter vinegar, are showstoppers. Ramen bowls start at $14. More info: 631-675-6333. eshinrestaurants.com

Kiko Ramen (361 Nassau Blvd. South, Garden City): This is the western cousin of Iron Ramen in Stony Brook, and chef-owner Leo Li's ramen bowls rely on long-simmered pork, chicken and vegetarian broths for the standard-bearers (shoyu, miso, tonkotsu). There's also spicy tan-tan ramen — influenced by Chinese dan-dan noodles — and vegan and seafood ramen, starting at $12, served at about a dozen tables. More info: 516-307-9211, kikoramen.com

Ikedo Ramen (983 Port Washington Blvd., Port Washington): A vibrant dining room and breezy back patio are the stage for chef Jason Lin, a longtime ramen veteran, and his robust, artful bowls of noodles, 14 in all, from smoldering, spicy tonkotsu ramen with house black-garlic oil to kimchi ramen and brothless, stir-fried ramen. Beer, wine and sake are on hand, as are plenty of rice bowls and small plates such as a cold tofu salad dolloped with chili sauce or donburi topped with anything from katsu chicken to chashu. Ramen starts at $13.95. More info: 631-441-5780. ikedoramen.com

Sei Ramen (244 Route 25A, East Setauket): The signature ramen in this dimly lit, mural-lined space is a robust, salty tomato ramen with flaps of beef, finely shredded cabbage and cilantro — sort of like eating the pasta version of ramen — but there are also six kinds of chicken-based ramen, including one with a milky paitan broth. Izakaya-style snacks include kara-age (fried chicken) and gyoza. Bowls start at $12. More info: 631-675-0808. seiramen.com

O.G. Ramen (14A Railroad Ave., Babylon): OG's soy-less, health-conscious spin on ramen was dreamed up by brothers Salvatore and Frank Bono, and these gracefully composed bowls are presented in a tiny, modern dining room with wooden benches, a window counter and a succinct menu. A citrusy yuzu-chicken broth underpins the $17 classic ramen, while a "faux soy" shoyu broth is made with coconut amino acids. There’s gluten-free noodles, too, and a handful of well-chosen beers and sake. More info: 631-620-3680; ogramen.com