E.A.K Ramen Starts Slinging Ramen in Hell’s Kitchen This Fall

Japanese ramen chain E.A.K. Ramen is starting to make good on its promise to expand in the U.S. In October, the company serving iekei-style ramen — where shoyu and tonkotsu broths are blended together — will open a new location in Hell’s Kitchen, one that’s bigger than the respected original NYC outpost in Greenwich Village.

Located at 360 West 46th St. between Eighth and Ninth avenues, the new E.A.K. will serve a menu that’s quite different from the chain’s other NYC location. Classics like the zebra will stay, but expect more ramen varieties, including a new version with only chicken-based broth. The appetizer and entree section will also be more robust. Scallops with ponzu butter, grilled chicken wings, and vegan dishes like a mushroom bowl have been added. The number of sakes on deck will triple, and about 50 people can fit in this location, up from 40 at the other one.

E.A.K. entered the New York’s competitive ramen market last year, serving a noodle that’s thicker than most around town and a broth style that’s less common in NYC. In Japan, though, the company has 40 company owned shops. The goal here was to make iekei ubiquitous in the U.S.

It’s not quite hit Ippudo or Ichiran-levels of crazed fandom in New York, but it’s still become a contender for one of the city’s most interesting bowls of ramen.