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Affordable Japanese in NYC: Ramen Ishida, Sendo Sushi, Nana's Green Tea & I'm donut? | USA East Coast Series

NYC has a reputation for emptying your wallet. 💸 But after the steakhouse bill, I went looking for Japanese food that delivers without the damage — lunch, dinner and dessert. All three (plus one) of these came in at sensible money.

1. Ramen Ishida (Lower East Side) 🍜

Chef-owner Yohei Ishida, previously worked i Ippudo, opened here in 2017.

Ramen Ishida
Nice small menu

✨ Decor & Ambience A small, cosy spot — and on a hot afternoon, an absolute sauna. Open kitchen, no air conditioning. I left soaked through. You've been warned.

Ramen Ishida
Clam and mushroom, a small hint of clam flavour

🍽️ Food & Drinks The menu is short, which for a little ramen shop is always a good sign: focus on a few things and do them properly.

Ramen Ishida
New Tokyo Style - again, a solid one

I had the clam and mushroom, my partner the new Tokyo style. Quality ramen. The broth is rich and well made, the chicken tender and juicy. The noodles were OK, though a little strong on the alkaline note, and the egg was short on flavour. Portions run slightly small.

Solid stuff — comfortably better than the chain bowls, and above average overall. But my crown for best overseas ramen still belongs to Portugal Ramen Me.

👋 Service Quick and efficient, and the cold water kept coming. In that heat, essential.

2. Sendo — Budget Omakase (Koreatown) 🍣

Sendo


✨ Decor & Ambience First, the hunt: the entrance is tucked away upstairs with no obvious sign. Another group was circling the same block looking equally lost, so it's not just my navigation. Once inside, it's smart and modern with a long bar counter.

Sendo


🍽️ Food & Drinks Decent, and you get what you pay for. To keep the cost down there were three salmon pieces across the set. The monkfish liver was a genuine surprise and tasted good, and the toro was fine — nicely fatty, if a touch flat on flavour. The shari was OK but could use more work; a bit more acidity is an easy win.

👋 Service Friendly staff, good service throughout.

💰 Value If you want sushi that won't break the bank, this works. Easy to book, fairly priced, good value. Just don't arrive expecting top-tier.

3. Nana's Green Tea — Dessert (NoMad) 🍵

I'll admit my expectations were low. These established chains often disappoint, and plenty of people rave about matcha that tastes of nothing to me. But it looked great through the window, and the fact they still run branches in Japan gave me hope.

Nana's Green Tea
Quality matcha parfait

It didn't let me down. Generous portion, tasty toppings, lovely presentation. The matcha ice cream had real matcha depth — strong, almost too strong, but the sweetness of the ice cream balanced it out. The parfait looked exactly like one you'd be served in Japan. Reasonable price for the portion and the quality. Happy customer. 😌

Quick Mention: I'm donut? 🍩

I'm donut?
Original and matcha flavour, they does taste good without a doubt

I did to managed to try I'm donut? in Japan earlier this year, so I was pleased to find a new store here in Midtown. I rolled up late at night, found no queue, and walked away with two.

The verdict? A good donut. Nothing surprising, nothing mind-blowing — but comfortably better than Dunkin' Donut. Unless you're a serious donut person, I wouldn't queue for hours. Go late and skip the line.

Verdict 🏁 Three genuinely good Japanese meals in NYC without the damage: solid ramen, fair-value sushi and a parfait that tastes like Japan.

Ratings ⭐

Ramen Ishida

  • Food: 4/5 – Rich, well-made broth and tender chicken, let down slightly by alkaline noodles and a bland egg.
  • Service: 4/5 – Fast, efficient and generous with the cold water.
  • Decor: 3/5 – Cosy little shop, but with no air con it's a sauna in summer.
  • Value: 4/5 – Good ramen at a fair price, though portions run small.
  • Overall: 4/5 – Above average, but Portugal keeps my overseas crown.

Sendo

  • Food: 3.85/5 – Decent fish with a standout monkfish liver, but the rice needs more attention.
  • Service: 4/5 – Friendly and attentive.
  • Decor: 4/5 – Sleek modern counter, once you find the door.
  • Value: 4/5 – Genuinely affordable sushi that's easy to book.
  • Overall: 4/5 – Good value, not top-tier.

Nana's Green Tea

  • Food: 4/5 – Proper matcha flavour, generous portions and lovely presentation.
  • Service: 3.5/5 – counter service - nothing to say really
  • Decor: 3.5/5 – functionally but lacking character
  • Value: 4/5 – Fair price for the portion and quality.
  • Overall: 4/5 – A chain that genuinely delivers.

💰 Estimated cost per person: 

Ramen Ishida £15–£20 

Sendo £30–£50 

Nana's Green Tea £8–£14 

📍 Ramen Ishida 

Address: 122 Ludlow Street, New York, NY 10002, USA


📍 Sendo 

Address: 876 Avenue of the Americas (upstairs), New York, NY 10001, USA

📍 Nana's Green Tea 

Address: 1250 Broadway, New York, NY 10001, USA

Labels:
Location: New York, NY, USA

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