The lychee martini is a must-have! The chicken katsudon was alright, wish it had more flavor. And four takoyaki balls for $9 is a little pricey to me as an appetizer.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Hector Diffut
Best sushi ever!
Cin Weng
Randomly stumbled upon this place at 1pm on a Sunday looking for somewhere that wasn't crowded. It was immediately a vibe with the music they were playing. We got a seat close to the street to people watch lol. The specialty rolls didn't come with a lot of pieces BUT it was of great quality and super delicious. We got the chicken katsu with the egg and that was so flavorful. Paired with the thai ice tea?? Delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kirby
A friend and I were craving ramen and found our way to Izakaya Zest and were so not disappointed. The ramen is delicious, they also serve oysters and sushi (more of our faves so loved being able to order all of it), very good attentive service, and the atmosphere and music was amazing, R&B throwbacks in a quaint and romantic space were not expected but very much appreciated. We’re going back asap.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
島田結衣
This was our second time coming to this restaurant. The server was very nice, and the oysters were excellent!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kristina Romero
This place is absolutely amazing!!!! From the smiles as you enter through the door to the best music laying. The food is amazing, the staff is so nice and the staff is so friendly! Go here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
George Fine
As an very experienced Ramen eater, I would rank Zest as some where in the middle ... their broth was pretty average, but I will say, they provided very large and succulent pieces of pork belly in their soup. There isn't a large selection, from recollection, they had basically 4 choices.
March 20th 2022 Update: i have recently re-visited Minca, Gorin on 14th ; and I no longer place Zest somewhere in the middle, I now place them above average. But not on the same level as Menkui Tei. A solid 4 stars.
They have littleneck clams for $1 during happy hour.
Jan 18th 2024 Still going to Zest, I have again visited more Ramen shops since my last post on Zest in 2020 and again, the value and flavor compares to many other more well known and upscale Ramen shops like Ippudo.
August 8th 2025 Still going to Zest, they have now added sushi rolls to their menu, they still have a happy hour, and also have added a new ramen item to their other usual soup flavors. Still many years later for me a solid Ramen choice. My only gripe, they do not have a robust AC system, at least not when i go, I will wait till fall / winter to revisit.
August 25th 2025 I went back again and now have realized, they have pivoted to a sushi spot that serves Ramen.
Alon Grinshpoon
This place is a great Japanese restaurant! 🇯🇵 Izakaya Zest serves a wonderful selection of delicious 🤤 dishes 🍽️ - definitely try the Pan Fried 🍳 Dumplings 🥟, Fried ♨️ Chicken, and Sushi! 🍣 They have a very affordable happy hour 🕓 with lots of great options (including oysters 🦪) for $6! 💵 The staff 👨🍳 is friendly and welcoming and the service is quick. ⏲️ I wish I knew about this place earlier!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
C L
Amazing always go on happy hours. Their sushi and ramen are great. Must try. The waiter gives good service. Jimmy the man
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
gamze anar
Their cocktails and appetizers are really good. Happy hour is great time to taste everything.!!
Zest Ramen strikes a fine balance of warming ramen, yummy sides, a cozy setting, and great service.
We started off with a few appetizers : Purple Fries, Fried Squid Tentacles, Jalapeno Wings, Salmon Dream Carpaccio and White Tuna Jalapeno. They are all amazing !
Then we ordered Spicy Miso Ramen and Tonkotsu Ramen—a rich, creamy broth with just the right kick. The noodles had that perfect springiness.
They have Happy Hour $6 food and drinks daily from 3.30pm to 7pm.
If you’re craving ramen or want a relaxed Japanese-style meal in NYC, this spot is worth adding to your rotation. Highly recommended !
There are two locations : 249 Broome St and the one I went is in Eldridge Street.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jacob Whitefield
90s r&b and clean/ delicious food. what more do you need
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bryant The
Great Atmosphere, the service was great and fast, and the food was great. For me, it was a great date start to my date
The lychee martini is a must-have! The chicken katsudon was alright, wish it had more flavor. And four takoyaki balls for $9 is a little pricey to me as an appetizer.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Best sushi ever!
Randomly stumbled upon this place at 1pm on a Sunday looking for somewhere that wasn't crowded. It was immediately a vibe with the music they were playing. We got a seat close to the street to people watch lol. The specialty rolls didn't come with a lot of pieces BUT it was of great quality and super delicious. We got the chicken katsu with the egg and that was so flavorful. Paired with the thai ice tea?? Delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A friend and I were craving ramen and found our way to Izakaya Zest and were so not disappointed. The ramen is delicious, they also serve oysters and sushi (more of our faves so loved being able to order all of it), very good attentive service, and the atmosphere and music was amazing, R&B throwbacks in a quaint and romantic space were not expected but very much appreciated. We’re going back asap.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was our second time coming to this restaurant. The server was very nice, and the oysters were excellent!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is absolutely amazing!!!! From the smiles as you enter through the door to the best music laying. The food is amazing, the staff is so nice and the staff is so friendly! Go here!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
As an very experienced Ramen eater, I would rank Zest as some where in the middle ... their broth was pretty average, but I will say, they provided very large and succulent pieces of pork belly in their soup. There isn't a large selection, from recollection, they had basically 4 choices.
March 20th 2022
Update: i have recently re-visited Minca, Gorin on 14th ; and I no longer place Zest somewhere in the middle, I now place them above average.
But not on the same level as Menkui Tei.
A solid 4 stars.
They have littleneck clams for $1 during happy hour.
Jan 18th 2024
Still going to Zest, I have again visited more Ramen shops since my last post on Zest in 2020 and again, the value and flavor compares to many other more well known and upscale Ramen shops like Ippudo.
August 8th 2025
Still going to Zest, they have now added sushi rolls to their menu, they still have a happy hour, and also have added a new ramen item to their other usual soup flavors.
Still many years later for me a solid Ramen choice.
My only gripe, they do not have a robust AC system, at least not when i go, I will wait till fall / winter to revisit.
August 25th 2025
I went back again and now have realized, they have pivoted to a sushi spot that serves Ramen.
This place is a great Japanese restaurant! 🇯🇵 Izakaya Zest serves a wonderful selection of delicious 🤤 dishes 🍽️ - definitely try the Pan Fried 🍳 Dumplings 🥟, Fried ♨️ Chicken, and Sushi! 🍣 They have a very affordable happy hour 🕓 with lots of great options (including oysters 🦪) for $6! 💵 The staff 👨🍳 is friendly and welcoming and the service is quick. ⏲️ I wish I knew about this place earlier!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing always go on happy hours. Their sushi and ramen are great. Must try. The waiter gives good service. Jimmy the man
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Their cocktails and appetizers are really good. Happy hour is great time to taste everything.!!
Restaurantji Recommends
Zest Ramen strikes a fine balance of warming ramen, yummy sides, a cozy setting, and great service.
We started off with a few appetizers : Purple Fries, Fried Squid Tentacles, Jalapeno Wings, Salmon Dream Carpaccio and White Tuna Jalapeno. They are all amazing !
Then we ordered Spicy Miso Ramen and Tonkotsu Ramen—a rich, creamy broth with just the right kick. The noodles had that perfect springiness.
They have Happy Hour $6 food and drinks daily from 3.30pm to 7pm.
If you’re craving ramen or want a relaxed Japanese-style meal in NYC, this spot is worth adding to your rotation. Highly recommended !
There are two locations : 249 Broome St and the one I went is in Eldridge Street.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
90s r&b and clean/ delicious food. what more do you need
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great Atmosphere, the service was great and fast, and the food was great. For me, it was a great date start to my date
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Takoyaki, Gyudon
pork belly soooo good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing food 🩷
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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