damnlines.comdamnlines.comThe first U.S. Ippudo (2008): a walk-in tonkotsu-ramen counter whose line Gothamist wrote a whole guide on how to skip.
Ippudo NY is the first U.S. outpost of the Japanese tonkotsu chain, open on 4th Avenue since 2008. For most of its run it took no phone reservations and ran walk-in only; The Infatuation still lists it as reservations-not-accepted, though the shop's own East Village page now links a Resy booking. The draw is the pork-bone broth and the pork buns, and the line is the default price of entry.
Gothamist thought the wait was notable enough to publish a how-to-skip-the-line guide, which back in 2011 pegged prime-time waits at 'well over an hour' at the bar. The Infatuation calls the waits 'brief eternities.' We do not have a camera here, so we cannot tell you what the line looks like right now. These are reported patterns, not a live count.
Regulars work around it. Gothamist's trick: drop by in the morning or mid-afternoon and ask the host to hold a same-day in-person reservation for that evening. Ippudo won't take it by phone, but will in person. The Infatuation's move is simpler: put your name in, then wait it out at a nearby bar like Black & White.
No camera here yet — but these lines are on camera right now:
Bánh Anh Em · 4 min walkclosedCaffè Panna · 9 min walkclosedLucinda's · 10 min walkclosedHistorically no. Gothamist and The Infatuation both describe it as a no-phone-reservations, walk-in counter. Ippudo's own East Village page now links a Resy booking, and Gothamist notes you can arrange a same-day reservation in person.
We don't have a camera here, so we can't give a live number. For reference, Gothamist put prime-time waits at 'well over an hour' at the bar in 2011, and The Infatuation calls the waits 'brief eternities.'
As a walk-in spot the line reforms around open and again at the dinner rush, per The Infatuation and Gothamist. The Infatuation's advice: put your name in, then wait at a nearby bar like Black & White until they call you.
Gothamist's guide says to drop by in the morning or mid-afternoon and ask the host to hold a same-day in-person reservation for that evening. They won't take it by phone, but will in person if you're courteous.
65 4th Avenue, between 9th and 10th Streets, in the East Village. It's the original first U.S. Ippudo, open since 2008.