Totto Ramen

366 W. 52nd St., Hell's Kitchen, NY

7.8

map & more

Neighborhood
Hell's Kitchen
Midtown

Cuisine
Ramen

Nearby
Roseland
Terminal 5

212-582-0052

Official Website

By Chris Stang
August 26, 2010

Somewhere in between the porky excessiveness of Ippudo and the basic, hangover curing magic of Rai Rai Ken lies a bowl of Totto Ramen. This Japanese noodle outpost opened back in June, and we’re not sure that there has ever been a more welcomed addition to the Midtown food scene. After a few weeks of walking by and evaluating the crowds, we finally made our way in for dinner not once, but twice, and we’re happy to report that this place is indeed, the sh*t. But before you round up a crew from the office for some slurping, be aware that Totto Ramen is packed pretty much all of the time. We found the waits for two to be mostly manageable – around 30 to 45 minutes on average. Tables of three and four probably should not be attempted during any normal meal hours. We also noticed frequent availability of a single stool at the bar, so Dining Solo will definitely give you an advantage in this situation. Find a book that you can pretend to be reading, and maybe someone will think you’re interesting.

Photo Credit: Daniel Krieger

Food Rundown:

Totto Chicken Paitan Ramen
Totto Ramen’s soups are a bit different than some of the other ramen joints around town, because the broth is chicken based rather than pork based. We love a big bowl of simmered pig, but the chicken broth has a slightly different flavor, and it’s delicious. The homemade noodles are also excellent, and we add an additional serving of pork just to be extra ridiculous. You should too.

Totto Spicy Ramen
The Chicken Patian Ramen, but with some heat. We prefer this to the regular version, but know that it will definitely make you sweat. There is an “Extreme Spicy Ramen” as well, but come on, this isn’t Fear Factor.

Totto Miso Ramen
An excellent miso ramen, if that’s your scene. We prefer the other two options, but we did like the fact that the you can stir in as much miso as you like in this situation.

Broiled Char Siu Pork
The “house specialty” pork, this is what you’ll find floating in your ramen, but on a plate and served with a yuzu mayonnaise. I guess this is Totto’s answer to the pork bun? By no means does it suck, but we just don’t feel it’s a must order for your table. Stick to noodles and maybe some edamame.