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Solo diners, rejoice! Ramen chain Ichiran, which combats the social stigma of eating alone with individual "flavor concentration booths" at its 61 locations across Japan, brings its introvert-friendly service system to New York with this Bushwick outpost, opening on October 19th.
The process consists of filling out an order form—the kitchen concentrates on pork-bone tonkotsu ramen, but you can specify stuff like "flavor strength," "noodle tenderness" and "fat content"—and pushing a call button in the walled-in booth. A server lifts the bamboo shade in front of you and delivers your ramen with nary an attempt at small talk, before leaving as quietly and quickly as they arrived.
The partitioned solo seating serves to both keep the meal focused on the food as well as ensure quick turnaround, but if you extroverted eaters want some human interaction, there is an adjacent dining room for more traditional table service. Check out the space and dishes below.
Photograph: Rebecca Fondren
Photograph: Rebecca Fondren
