Soup Of The Day: Naruto Ramen
When the temperature’s in the 50s, that’s enough to convince us it’s soup weather. And with so many restaurants in Park Slope serving up piping hot bowls of the soul-warming stuff, we thought we’d take a look at a few of them this fall and winter.
First up: The namesake from Naruto Ramen, 267 5th Avenue. The house ramen from this small NYC chain features a soy sauce-based broth with noodles, roast pork, hard-boiled egg, bamboo shoots, dried seaweed, bean sprouts, scallions, and a fish cake for $9 plus tax. As with most bowls of ramen you’ll find in the city, the serving size is hefty, and you won’t have to wait very long for it to be served up.
Beyond that, there are some big differences from other ramen joints, even some not too far away from this central Slope spot. To start with the good, it’s not too expensive, and they’ve got some deals — $11 at lunch for a bowl and one of a few appetizers, and on Thursdays you can get a 16oz Sapporo and edamame for $3, for instance.
As for the not so good, well, that’s the ramen. It’s totally passable for a cold day when you’re looking for a lot of food to fill you up, but when it’s in your name, we hope for more. Why only half an egg, and why not soft-boiled, so the yolk can combine luxuriously into the broth? We’d love to taste a more unctuous broth, a more tender piece of pork. But after a few of those large, cheap Sapporos, and all that starts to matter a bit less.
If you’re too far from Chuko in Prospect Heights or too late for the breakfast ramen at Talde (and we feel like ZuZu Ramen, on 4th Avenue, is just about on par with Naruto), this could fill that need for ramen you might feel on a chilly day.
But ramen, which has clearly become very popular in the city in the past few years, can cause some serious debate among fans — so what do you think of Naruto?
Naruto Ramen is located at 267 5th Avenue, between 1st Street and Garfield Place, 718-832-1111. Hours: Monday-Thursday and Sunday, 12-10pm; Friday-Saturday, 12-11pm. Cash only, no delivery.