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Over the past few months, interim restaurant critics Priya Krishna and Melissa Clark of The New York Times scoured the streets to find the best restaurants in New York City. Using former restaurant critic Pete Wells’s list as a starting point, the two visited, ate and tasted across all five boroughs, from white-tablecloth revues to pizza shops best experienced by the slice. Last week, the paper and digital magazine dropped its annual “100 Best Restaurants of 2025” listing.
New to the ranking was a Lower East Side restaurant whose singular noodle obsession made us all a believer. Of course, we are talking about Okiboru House of Tsukemen. Back in 2023, the small ramen shop introduced tsukemen or dipping noodles to the city, a popular variation of ramen in Japan that is served with steaming bowls of broth. It quickly gained a following with New Yorkers, regardless of the weather, lining-up for a twirl and a dip. Even NYT’s former critic Wells called the noodle shop "exquisite" in a 2023 review for its marriage of gravy-like broth and noodles that were made to cling to it. This year the praise has gone even further, as the ramen shop earned a spot on the publication’s annual list. According to co-owner Justin Lim, the recognition was an honor.
“It’s hard to put into words,” said co-owner Justin Lim. “When we opened, we never imagined something like this. We just focused on doing what we love—putting our heart into every bowl, every detail, every guest experience. So when The New York Times recognized us, it hit in a very real way. It felt like all the late nights, all the quiet moments of doubt, all the sacrifices—were seen.”
And what a labor of love it has been, 15 plus years in the making. Lim likes to say it all started with a noodle, as he first got a taste of tsukemen at L.A.’s Tsujita. Describing it as “unlike anything I’d ever experienced before,” it spurred a cross-country tour of Japan with fellow chef Sean Lim. There, the two trained under master chefs while eating at up to 30 ramen restaurants a day.
“I visited more than 300 ramen shops in Japan,” said Lim, citing that over 32,000 ramen shops reside across the country. But for Lim, it wasn’t about finding the bowl with the most notoriety or buzz but rather exploring and testing various techniques to create something special. “I wanted to discover styles of tsukemen and ramen that didn’t exist in the U.S., as well as some that might feel familiar but were executed with unforgettable flavor and depth. Every place I visited taught me something, and eventually, I pieced together what would become our interpretation. It’s a blend of reverence and reinvention.”
It is this amalgamation that earned them the top nod in the Times this year. Per Krishna, the bowls of ramen here “have healing powers” calling the complex, “mole-esque” dipping broth “savory and satisfying." As for the tontori soup ramen, Krishna praised the pork and chicken variation as “milky and rich.” Each bowl of ramen according to the publication, including its vegetarian version with its rich vegan broth, slices of marinated tofu and scallion rounds, “packs a wallop.”
Today, Lim and Park continue to tell the tale of tsukemen, opening four locations in Atlanta and an offshoot at Time Out Market New York last July. Alongside steaming bowls of ramen, you can find even more at the Dumbo market hall, including Garlic Nori fries tossed in nori sesame salt, plump bao buns filled with chicken tempura and steamed chicken dumplings that also come with a signature dipping sauce. And while Lim believes the noodles is finally gaining popularity in the states, we can bet that this recognition is likely to push the dish even further.
"A lot of dishes are good in the moment, but tsukemen is the kind of food you think about the next day," said Lim. "Here in the U.S., it’s still in the early stages, but I truly believe tsukemen is just getting started."