Chef Ivan Orkin was the underdog of the ramen scene.
A self-described "Jewish guy from Long Island," he set out to open a ramen restaurant in Japan, where the dish has a cult following. He soon earned the distinction of being the only American to run a noodle joint in Tokyo, and a hugely successful one at that.
In 2012, he left his two Ivan Ramen locations in Tokyo for the U.S., with a dream of exposing New Yorkers to a ramen unlike any Cup Noodles they'd ever had. Earlier this year, we toured the pop-up location, Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop in Gotham West Market, and were blown away. (And grateful to his team for teaching us the right way to eat ramen.)
We recently got to spend several hours in the kitchens, offices, and dining rooms of Chef Ivan's brand new, flagship U.S. location on the Lower East Side, speaking with everyone from the waitstaff to the line cooks about their roles in the restaurant. It takes a lot to run the little-ramen-shop-that-could.
This is the entrance to Ivan Ramen, at 25 Clinton St. on the Lower East Side. It's Chef Ivan Orkin's flagship noodle joint in the U.S.
The restaurant is laid out railroad-style, with a long row of tables for two and larger tables toward the kitchen.
A couple diners nosh on ramen bowls at the counter. It's near the end of lunch hour, so theirs is the last table to clear out.
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