Tabata

Misleading ratings. Had Miso Ramen, super salty as if they had too much miso paste in the broth. The chashu was dried & tasted «old». Ambience was terrible, service not there, kitchen crew just keep staring at customers… rude. Will not recommend this place for ramen for sure. Disappointed!
Spend few more bucks go to Ippudo instead.

I love this ramen shop it is small and maybe not really original Japanese ramen style but somehow I find it super tasty. My fav is the tan tan men, love it
Miso ramen and shoyu is ok but tan tan men is their best
I also eat in their second location and the taste can change a little but but not too much

Total Yum. Delicious Ramen. Well priced. Accommodates vegetarians who don’t eat fish — which is not always the case with authentic ramen. Not listed on their online menu, but I ordered a ramen with a mushroom based broth with vegetables. It was complete umami goodness.
Since I was only here once and on a Saturday I give 4 stars, rumor is it can be pretty packed on weekdays, especially lunch time. On my visit there were a number of open tables, but not empty. The other reason for 4 stars, they were out of vegetable dumplings. I substituted with vegetable spring rolls — fresher than I have had before. Finally, the music was really loud (and mostly power ballads!).

One of the better ramen shops that I like in the city. This one also isn’t over-​hyped and over-​priced. I’ve only been here a handful of times and every time we go, my boyfriend and I always order the karaage (Japanese fried chicken). IT IS AMAZING. We usually get the regular ones because spicy food is not a strength of mine.
For the ramen, I’ve had the Tabatta ramen, tonkatsu ramen, and the vegetable ramen. Do not get the vegetable ramen. It’s PLAIN. No flavor type of plain. Tabatta ramen is a safe choice though!

The inside is not very large, as soon as you walk in, there is a counter seating to the right, where you can see the kitchen, and just a few small table seating to the left. I always like those restaurants that let customers to look into the kitchen. I think that makes them more honest and also, they have to keep it rather clean. There is more table seating at the back, after you pass the counter, with larger tables. Even with all the available seating, it is not very big, and the space is narrow from front to the back. I believe there was not a single Japanese staff here, which is always a bit disappointing at a Japanese restaurant.
We started off with hot Green Tea and our waitress told us that the tea is $ 2 each. Some Japanese restaurants offers green tea for free, so it is good to be warned that the green tea is not free here. Their food is pretty good, tasty and reasonably priced.
At the end of our meal, we finished our food, content with everything, other than service, or lack of. We had to ask for refill on water and hot tea a few times, and also for the bill. No one really came to check on us while we were there.
Then, when we tried to pay with credit card, we were told «our credit card machine is broken today, can you pay (with) cash?» We were so shocked to hear this, I mean, if they know that their credit card machine is broken, shouldn’t they inform their customers when they come in, so that they are prepare at the end of the meal??? We don’t really carry cash around, so we didn’t have enough cash to pay for the lunch. The waitress simply told us to go an ATM machine. And it happens that it was one of the freezing cold day… My husband had to walk in a cold for like 10 min one way to get cash from our bank ATM, which was not pleasant. While I was waiting for him to come back, another customer came in and placed a to-​go order. As she waited for her food, the same waitress brought her a bill. When the lady handed her a credit card, once again, the waitress told her about their credit card problem and that she needs to pay in cash. The lady was of course shocked, told the waitress «ok» and left, and never came back. She probably didn’t want to bother going to find an ATM and walk all the way back in the cold.
Very disappointed with the service. Food is still good but not sure if it is worth the negative feeling you are left with after the meal, Read my full review of the restaurant and food on my food blog, foodlovergirl.

Hidden spot near Port Authority. Their service is fast and there is rarely a wait. My favorites to get are the Tan Tan Men and agedashi tofu. The ramen has a large heaping of noodles so I always leave stuffed.

Let’s me be clear that my two stars are for bad service. The service issue was that the staff did not inform us (their customers or anyone else) that credit cards were not being taken when we arrived until the end of the meal. Normally, I love CASH ONLY places because they have some of the best food in NYC but other restaurants would have it posted and you can prepare yourself accordingly.
The food and overall experience was four stars if you do not count the service issue and not refilling our waters the entire meal.
Tabata has reasonable ramen prices with most items being around $ 10 or so. To start, we ordered green tea ($ 2) which is reasonable and really hit the spot on a cold day. There was a special for sweet potato tempura which was very delicious.
They had a lot of creative takes on ramen which I have not seen at other ramen restaurants. We had the Tabata ramen which has soybean powder and coconut flavored noodle soup and the second ramen was the Dark Men which has black sesame soup including spicy ground pork and scallions.
Tabata’s owner is originally from Myanmar but he worked in a Japanese Ramen shop in Tokyo. He worked in the Tabata neighborhood in Tokyo so this is why he calls his restaurant, Tabata.
Along with the ramen, we had some side dishes which were only $ 5. The fried rice and curry rice were both very tasty. The fried rice tasted exactly like the Japanese-​style fried rice that I have had in Tokyo so I would say the owner has done a great job translating the dishes from Tokyo to New York City.
I would like to this give this place another try in the future and hope that I have better luck with the service. If you are in Midtown and would like ramen, I would try Tabata Ramen with low expectations on service side.

My friend and I went to Tabata on a Sunday evening. We were seated immediately; the restaurant wasn’t packed but it wasn’t empty, either. The place is pretty dive-​y.
The people who work at Tabata are SO nice. Everyone greets you on your way in and says goodbye on the way out. We really liked our server and everyone else who stopped by our table for one reason or another. You could tell that they really cared about providing good service.
We ordered two appetizers to split and then we each ordered our own entrée.
APPETIZERS:
SPICY CHICKEN WINGS ($ 6): 4 relatively large wings. Not great but not bad either. The chicken itself is good although a little oily. The spicy sauce definitely had a kick to it. The outside of the wings were crispy.
GYOZA ($ 6): 6 pieces of «pork dumplings». Was very confused/​disappointed by these. I’m pretty sure we ended up with some sort of veggie dumpling because the inside was green. Not sure what exactly happened there.
ENTREES:
TONKOTSU RAMEN ($ 10.50): My friend ordered the tonkotsu ramen which had two large pieces of pork, sprouts, scallions, and an egg. The broth was plain; this was a simple ramen dish. Not outstanding but not bad either. Just normal, standard ramen.
TAN TAN RAMEN ($ 10.50): I ordered the tan tan ramen, which I really enjoyed. Another simple dish. I added an egg to it. It came with ground pork. I liked this soup.
Overall, for the PRICE, I think that this is a great value. Also, they will let you take the ramen you don’t eat to go, unlike Ippudo, which made me super happy. Our total bill came to under $ 40. Tabata is a good restaurant for a solid meal that will not blow you out of the water, but will definitely leave you feeling full and satisfied — and, as an added bonus, you probably won’t max out your credit card here. I would come back.

For starters we got an order of their sweet potato tempura, which was made with purple sweet potato. It was nice and piping hot, fresh from the fryer, and came with a slightly tangy daikon dipping sauce.
I ordered the Lava Men, and the spiciness was a pleasant surprise because I’d never had ramen that spicy (without having to put in chili powder/​oil myself). As expected of a Burmese-​run restaurant :) When I was placing my order, the waitress asked if I wanted to tone down the heat, and I said no. The burn was decent but tolerable. I’d rate the spiciness level a ⁶⁄₁₀ and I have pretty good tolerance.
Wasn’t a huge fan of their soft-​boiled egg; while I liked the runniness of the yolk, the egg itself had a very slight soapy/​chemically taste. Loved the pork — it was tender and fatty and everything I could ask of ramen pork. I had also gotten a small curry rice on the side which was decent, but I regretted ordering it because the appetizer + ramen was enough to fill me up. There were some items posted on the walls that weren’t in their menus (I think), so be on the look out for those.

This place isnt bad at all! I very much enjoyed how we were the first at around 6:30pm then ofcourse after few minutes it started to get crowded!
Must try is their fried tofu!
Ramen was good too. but enjoyed the Fried Tofu much more!
BTW… They DO NOT take AMEX!

My go-​to ramen place! I’ve never had to wait for a table here and the ramens come out really fast.
For appetizers, the gyozas are really good because of the paired dipping sauce. I also liked the agedashi tofu.
I’ve tried most of the ramens on the menu and tonkatsu is still my favorite (to be honest, I’m not a big fan of the coconut milk tabata ramen). The prices are great ($ 10 – 12) and almost every order comes with a flavored egg!
I highly recommend the mini gyu-​don bowl add-​on — it’s only $ 5 and delicious. Make sure to sprinkle the red chili flakes mix condiment they have on the table. It makes all the difference!
And if you’re in the mood for dessert, definitely try the ginger ice cream. It’s got candied ginger bits and you get 2 scoops for just $ 3.
Come here for great value, fast service and best of all, no lines.

Came here twice with the coworkers for Friday lunches. Their ramen come in decent size bowls and are very flavorful. A tad bit saltier than my usual ramen place on the Upper East Size though.
I love their Fried Octopus! Good starter before the steaming Ramen!
Please note, the restaurant can get crowded and really warm during business lunch hours.

Hole-​in-​the-​wall authentic Ramen joint with some unique Burmese influences. The Tabata-​style ramen is worth it.
Food: Probably my favorite ramen (the Tabata type). Coconut and soybean powder-​based, so it’s creamy and thicker than you’d expect. Only complaint is that the pork was bland, spongy, and uninspiring. The rest of the bowl makes up for it though. There’s some yellow vinegar-​like condiment on the tables — no idea what it is but it’s amazing.
Atmosphere: Certainly not some crazy place with fancy interiors. Instead is what you’d expect for a hole-​in-​the-​wall authentic, affordable ramen joint.
Service: Ramen came out in a split second (granted, not complicated to throw ingredients in a bowl), and my water was always full.
Price: Solid for NYC. Like $ 11.50 (before tip) for a decent-​sized bowl of their Tabata ramen.

First time having ramen soup and I am should! Had the Tamata chicken soup and it was great. The curry chicken too was fantastic. Portions huge and we shared but worth it.

Oh Tabata, I love your ramen for lunch. A relatively cheap and quick place, this place is great for lunch during the work week. The servers are friendly, the food is pretty good, and you can be in and out of there with a warm belly of soup in half an hour.
I have seen it rather crowded around lunchtime, so sometimes you have to wait a bit.
My recommendations for food are
1. Lava men (spicy, but delicious)
2. Garlic Noodle (delicious, but not ramen)
3. Any other ramen is good as well, but the above two are my personal recommendations.
The non-​noodle dishes are tasty as well, though I would avoid the curry, Go go Curry has much better curry.

Tabata Ramen is one of my favorite ramen joints in NYC. I always dine here at least once whenever I visit New York.
At this ramen joint, their friend rice is outstanding! The flavor reminds me of the childhood fried rice I’ve eaten while growing up in Taiwan. Both the pork and the chicken flavor are good. The grilled ox-​tongue is a good starter to begin your meal with. The ox-​tongues are sliced thin and grilled just right with their unique chewy texture. I usually like to squeeze some zesty lemon juices on top for a contrast of flavors. Personally, I was not a fan of how they prepare their takoyaki balls for appetizers. The Lava Men is also delicious. It comes with a thick broth with a fiery kick. And man, they are not joking about the spice level of the Lava-​Men! If you have weak tastebuds for spicy food, don’t challenge the Lava Men. I have also tried the Tabata Ramen which has a creamy coconut soup base.
The service is always superb. I usually do eat at non-​peak times to avoid lines at Tabata Ramen.
Next time when I visit New York, I will definitely return again!

No frills Ramen spot with a standard selection of different broths. When they said the Lava men was spicy they weren’t kidding! Loved the sweat dripping of my face into my ramen! Kidding. Also the tan tan men ramen wasn’t too spicy but full of flavor and zest. They also used ground pork meat which ensured I had a taste of protein in every bite!

Low key and no hype; really good price for quality here. A coworker told us the story behind this place — the owner is from Myanmar and learned to make ramen in Japan. Which makes sense as to why some ramen bowls are seem a little less traditional.
The restaurant is pretty small, but bigger than their 8^th ave location. They have bar seating and then a couple tables in the back. We came around 1pm and luckily they had a table open for us.
We all got the Sutamina as suggested by a coworker who frequents this place and it was really delicious with a nice kick! I would recommend this over shoyu which I’ve had at the 8^th ave location. We also ordered wings to share — they reminded me of korean style wings which have a harder, sweeter shell and very tender meat.
Service was good, extra points because they were willing to split the bill on three cards for us!
I would come back to try the Tabata and the tonkatsu ramen!

I can understand if a few years ago this place received awards for quality ramen and other dishes, but we know sometimes restaurants take a dive.
Currently this place is an embarrassment to what could be called ramen. The girls working are kind and friendly and the setting is quaint, but the food is just just terrible.

I’ve been to Tabata (9^th ave) and Tabata II (8^th ave) few times. Besides ramen, I really liked their Donburi (rice dishes). However, I’ve stopped going to the one on 9^th ave for sanitation reason.
I went there in late October for lunch. I was sitting at the table in the back with co-​workers. During the 40 minutes of dining, there were like 15 – 20 flies around our table and crawling on the wall. It was so gross and scary! I hope they could really take care of this issue!

Consistently one of my favorite places in midtown west to eat at. Ok maybe not as spectacular as the nearby Ippudo and the like but the lack of wait and crowds makes up for it. Interesting variety of ramen the broth still hits the spot! Kid friendly places we sometimes have our son with us and the waitresses are helpful with a small sip cup and a second bowl to split ramen with him.

Came here right after NYCC 2015! WOOT WOOT! This place was pretty good. Had the Tan Tan Men, Their wings and fried squid! With good o pitcher of beer! I simply love how they fried their chicken wings! It’s nothing really special. But! it’s something I appreciate cause not many places fry it like that. As for the squid. I was a little disappointed that it was just mostly tempura batter then squid. Onto the main course! The ramen was good. Broth was just right. Wasn’t overly salty at all. The egg was cooked just perfectly where the yolk was Al Dente. I knocked a star down for poor parking area. I would come back again to try their other ramens!

Tabata Ramen was very tasty. Flavor was very good, however the egg was NOT what i was expecting. A little over cooked. Still soft. but could be a little more runny.
Goyza pork dumpling were very good! Dipping sauce was flavorful!

The Tan Tan Men ramen that I slammed my face in last week was so, so, incredibly tasty. Simple, but so good. Do not miss this place.

There are very, VERY few reasons why I would ever want to be in Midtown (or even worse, near Port Authority) most days, but Tabata may be one of the reasons to come back.
In a city where ramen is slowly creeping up to prices of $ 15+ a bowl, Tabata is a refreshing, cheap and cheerful venue for all your noodle needs. While their classic ramens (shoyu, miso, tonkotsu, etc.) are all very solid, you really should come here for their namesake Tabata ramen.
It’s a mixture of Japanese and southeast Asian flavors, with a delicious and creamy coconut milk broth, raw red onions, and cilantro. It’s topped with chunks of a chicken stew instead of traditional pork belly, and a soft boiled egg. Everything was perfectly balanced and the noodles had the perfect bit of chewiness to them, which is exactly how I like them.
They have a $ 15 credit card minimum, which is annoying because most of their meals are $ 10-​$ 12, but I’m willing to deal for another bowl.

We had always ordered the ramen through seamless but decided to try eating at the actual location. Food was relatively quick, hot and tasty. The aged tofu was a lot larger than we thought, a bit salty, but that was to be expected. Lavamen ramen was large as well and the Sutamina seemed even larger. All in all, a solid lunch in midtown.

For some odd reason I decided to go with the katsu curry instead of ramen. Maybe I was spooked by some of the reviews here.
I was pleasantly surprised as they did a fab job with the dish. The curry was rich, savory and flavorful. The katsu was perfectly fried. There wasn’t anything here that didn’t fit the bill when I was looking for a hearty meal. The side salad was fine as well.
The folks here are friendly and I’d definitely come back again.

I’ve been to Tabata several times. I’ve had the Shoyu Ramen, Tonkotsu Ramen, Tabata Ramen, and the Tan Tan Men. Some were better than others but overall they were decent. Not one of the best ones, but the soup were all okay. Noodle was just average. Chashu nothing special.
Location is convenient for me so I’ve gone several times.

My, my… decent ramen in Midtown. Wonders never cease.
Tabata’s noodles probably won’t win any awards, but they rest in beds of surprisingly tasty broth. Start with some crisp Iidako Kara Age, then go for a solid staple like the Shoyu Ramen. Lots of flavors – not just hot soy sauce – and generous toppings make for the perfect bowl on chilly nights.
The space is bare bones but well-​proportioned, and the service ranges from efficient to friendly. A nice little gem in a sea of mediocre eateries between the 30s and 50s.

Tabata is a small, grimy ramen joint conveniently located next to Port Authority.
The soybean powder and coconut milk based broth of the Tabata ramen enticed me to order it, because it sounded so different. Usually with ramen, it’s simply but nicely garnished with half slices of egg, pork belly slices, some greens, etc. When my order came out, the soup was filled to the brim of the bowl to the point that you couldn’t see anything else. The taste was indeed different, and had a bit of thai feel to it because of the coconut milk. The flavors were alright, but overall, I’ve had better.
The servers were friendly, but they had a habit of just standing at the front of the restaurant, so it took awhile to get their attention whenever we needed something.
It gets the job done if you’re in the mood for ramen and not willing to go far from port authority, but otherwise, Tabata wouldn’t be my first recommendation for good ramen.

We came here for a quick dinner before a show. Service was pleasant and the food was ready in a jiffy. That’s all I really ask for in a ramen joint when it comes to service. It was hot and humid out so they had air conditioning on. Thank goodness! I usually don’t have ramen in the summer but this was the closest and speediest full service restaurant near the theatre.
We had the Tonkotsu and Tabata ramen. When you order a ramen, you can order a smaller version of their Gyuu Don ($ 5) or fried rice ($ 4) alongside your ramen so we tried both. You cannot order the mini versions on their own, it has to be ordered with a ramen. The portion is not as mini as I thought… awesome!!! hahhaha. I had lunch the next day!
The portions are nice for the price. The ramen was tasty without being too salty. Some of the more popular ramen joints make their soups unbearably salty. Thank goodnesa it’s not like that at Tabata. I thought the seasoning was well done.
We really liked Tabata and would in a heartbeat come back if we were in the neighborhood again… even in the summertime! Next time I’ll try their cold ramens. I hate 80 temps! It’s difficult to have hot ramen when it’s over 80 degrees!

It bothers me that so many reviews had an incident with either hair or steel wool. Ironically enough, the patron a couple of tables away had his bowl taken away because there was hair.
The Tabata ramen is identical to the Nippori ramen, only except the Nippori version tasted cleaner, creamier and had a stronger coconut flavor which drew me to it.
The great thing about Tabata is that you can add a rice bowl for $ 4-​$ 6 dollars. Depending if you get fried rice with pork, chicken or a eel bowl. They all tasted good.
Not a bad place but it’s inconsistencies in both cleanliness and taste can be a turn off.