damnlines.comdamnlines.comA six-seat, chef-driven asa-style breakfast ramen counter from Rasheeda Purdie that releases its entire reservation calendar only twice a month.
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There is no walk-up line at Ramen By Ra because the restaurant doesn't operate that way: per Resy's Right This Way blog, the six-seat room (four at the counter, two at a table) releases reservations only twice a month, on the 1st and the 15th at 9 a.m., with guests required to choose their meal at the time of booking. Resy notes the current East Village space, at 70 E 1st Street, is a relocation and expansion from the original five-seat counter Purdie ran on the Bowery from December 2023 to March 2025, meaning demand has already been proven at a smaller scale before the move. The Infatuation reviewed the concept favorably, rating it an '8,' worth crossing town for, and describes an intimate, Victorian-kitchen-like counter experience built around asa-style breakfast ramen and dishes like a BLT-inspired bowl and a steak bowl with chimichurri oil.
Walk-ins are not accepted at all, per Resy, since every seat is pre-booked and pre-ordered through the twice-monthly release. The one exception is a walk-up window at the space that sells broth and bao buns to go, available daily until sold out, per Resy's reporting — but that is separate from the reserved tasting-counter seats and doesn't offer a path around the reservation system for the sit-down experience. Chef Purdie told Resy she designed the room intentionally small — 'I always wanted to have something that was on the intimate side, around this size. It's really the perfect in-between' — and said the daytime schedule gives her a better work-life balance.
Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.
Reservations: Reservation-only; the full six-seat room releases on Resy twice monthly, on the 1st and 15th at 9 a.m., covering the following two-week period, per Resy's Right This Way.
Walk-ins: No walk-ins for the seated counter; a separate to-go window sells broth and bao buns daily until sold out, per Resy.
Wednesday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., per Resy's Right This Way.
There is no walk-up wait or line because the six-seat counter is entirely pre-booked. Per Resy's Right This Way blog, all reservations for a given two-week period are released at once, twice a month, and the room fills through that release rather than day-of queuing.
Yes, and it is reservation-only. Resy reports the room releases new bookings on the 1st and 15th of each month at 9 a.m., with guests selecting their meal at the time of booking.
No sit-down walk-ins are accepted, per Resy. The only walk-up option is a separate to-go window selling broth and bao buns daily until sold out, which does not provide access to the reserved counter seats.
The East Village room seats six total, four at the counter and two at a table, per Resy's Right This Way — an expansion from the five-seat original location on the Bowery, which operated from December 2023 to March 2025.
It specializes in asa-style breakfast ramen. The Infatuation, which rates it an '8,' highlights dishes like a BLT-style bowl with umami tomato broth and a steak bowl finished with chimichurri oil.
Sources: Resy Right This Way · The Infatuation · Yelp