Eating alone is sometimes frowned upon by those who can’t seem to understand that sometimes people just want to eat alone. We who go solo to restaurants are tired of the silent, yet obvious judgement from the hosts and servers who see you as being some lonely sad human being who couldn’t get a date or a friend to come wait 45 minutes for a table and drop a bigger tip. For those of us who can’t get a date, or a friend to come eat out with us, or just don’t want to deal with people while we eat. Ichiran Ramen, a popular Japanese ramen chain is reportedly coming to Brooklyn.
This isn’t the first time news has come out that the ramen shop will set up shop here. Reports of a Ichrian opening in Greenpoint have been around since 2007, with the shop still not opening in Greenpoint or anywhere else in the city. Now, eight years later, it seems as if it’s finally going to happen. According to Eater, job listings for both a general and assistant manager position have appeared on Craigslist, where it states that East Williamsburg will host one of two NYC Ichiran locations.
This could just be another false promise. But while this isn’t bringing the hype a future Wegmans is getting currently, we’re interested in seeing this happen. Ichiran only serves one kind of ramen, “a marrow-infused, Hakata-style tonkotsu that can be ordered in varying degrees of porky flavor and bone-brothy thickness,” according to Grub Street.
And, instead of tables, the shop only has singular booths, so people can eat their ramen in peace, without having to look at anyone. Also, talking to people and using your phone for any reason (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tinder, Grindr, etc.) is forbidden. So good food and solitary, this seems perfect for the socially awkward, or those who don’t want their meal ruined by someone going on a 25 minute rant about this weird dream they had, or their Instagram post not getting enough likes.