Ramen by Ra

If we were to ask a random person what the most “New York” food is, we bet the most popular answers (after pizza) would be bagels with lox or bodega BECs. At Ramen by Ra, a small, yet ornate wood counter in Bowery Market, you can get both these breakfast foods in the form of ramen bowls. Ra specializes in “asa ramen,” typically eaten as breakfast in Japan, with an NYC twist—and their bowls of noodles in a clear broth, topped with things like gravlax and fried capers, thick-cut slab bacon and roasted tomatoes, or steak and soy egg come together surprisingly well. While sitting under Bowery Market’s retractable roof might make you feel like you’re in an outdoor food hall in LA, Ramen by Ra’s bowls and toppings belong squarely in this city.

photo credit: Rashida Zagon