NYC’s Newest Japanese Tonkotsu Ramen Import Opens in Murray Hill

The latest Japan-to-NYC restaurant import has hit Murray Hill. Tenho Ramen has origins in Kurume, Japan and serves tonkotsu ramen, the style of ramen commonly found in New York that uses pork bones for the rich, creamy broth.

At Tenho — now open at 542 Third Ave., near East 36th Street — that tonkotsu ramen is prepared specifically using the yobimodoshi method, which refers to using the same soup stock every day and adding to it little by little, further amplifying the richness and creaminess of the broth.

Chef Takafumi Hayashi has previous experience at Taiho Ramen, a respected ramen shop in Kurume that has been around since the 1950s. He went on to open his own restaurant called Tenpo Ramen. The new NYC restaurant Tenho is a version of it.

There are seven ramens on the menu, ranging from $15 to $20. These include a traditional tonkotsu with chashu pork; a spicy tomato broth ramen topped with bacon, basil, and parmesan cheese; a ramen topped with ribeye steak; a spicy cod roe ramen; and a vegetarian option. They’re served in a space that evokes most NYC ramen shops, with casual seating for 43 and lots of wood. There’s also a bar area.

The menu also goes beyond ramen with a list of cold and hot appetizers and two rice dishes. There are also skewers, many of which are wrapped in pork belly or bacon, though there are some vegetarian options, too. They run $3 to $8. A “chef’s assortment” includes two beef skewers and three meat-wrapped ones for $20. See the full menus below.

For drinks, expect a lengthy list of sake as well as a rotating selection of shochu and whisky. There are also cocktails, including takes on classics like a gimlet made with a Kyoto-based gin, a shandy made with yuzu, and an old fashioned made with a Japanese blended whisky.

Tenho Ramen is now open for dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. all days except Sunday.