Forget the bacon, egg and cheese on a roll. Ramen by Ra has a very different idea about what breakfast in New York City should look like—and it involves noodles.
Located at 70 East 1st Street in the East Village, Ramen by Ra is the intimate, chef-driven creation of Rasheeda Purdie, who has transformed Japan’s tradition of asa-ramen, or morning ramen, into something distinctly New York.
Think bacon, egg and cheese ramen, steak-and-egg ramen and even lox-inspired bowls. Yes, lox. Yes, ramen. And somehow, it works.
Purdie’s cooking combines Japanese ramen technique with the flavors New Yorkers already crave before noon. The Bacon, Fried Egg & Cheese bowl features smoky bacon, a jammy egg, Parmesan and a rich lard-shoyu broth, while the Everything Egg Drop Ramen takes the flavors of an everything bagel and sends them swimming.
In other words, your Sunday brunch just got considerably more interesting.
The experience is just as distinctive as the food. Ramen by Ra seats only a handful of guests at its chef’s counter, creating an intimate experience where you can watch Purdie and her team prepare each bowl. Reservations are required for the seated experience, making this one of NYC’s more coveted small restaurant reservations.
Can’t score a seat? There’s a walk-up window offering broth cups, breakfast bao and select ramen options to go.
And that may be the best part of Ramen by Ra: it doesn’t feel like another restaurant chasing the latest trend. It feels personal, playful and unmistakably New York.
So if you’re searching for the best ramen in NYC, or simply need convincing that breakfast can involve chopsticks, Ramen by Ra deserves a place on your list.
Because in New York, even breakfast comes with a plot twist.
