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Ippudo V Brings Vegan Ramen Revolution to Dumbo
March 17, 2025, 11:03.50 pm ET

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Photos: ippudo V

Ramen fans, meet the future. Ippudo V, the first fully plant-based offshoot of the legendary Japanese ramen empire, quietly opened in Dumbo under the Brooklyn Bridge this past July. Seventeen years after Ippudo first took New York by storm with its rich Hakata-style tonkotsu, founder Shigemi Kawahara is back—this time, swapping pork bones for plants without sacrificing an ounce of flavor.

Ippudo V stays true to its motto, “To continuously innovate while staying true to our roots,” bringing a bold new take on Japanese comfort food. This isn’t your typical veggie ramen spot—every dish is crafted using traditional techniques and locally sourced ingredients to create deep, umami-rich flavors.

The loft-like space is as sleek as its menu, with floor-to-ceiling garage windows that flood the dining room with natural light. A gift shop at the entrance sells Ippudo V-branded hoodies, tees, and water bottles by Brooklyn-based designers. Beyond that, a bright bar leads to an open kitchen where chefs are busy perfecting plant-based broths.

And those broths are the real stars—crafted to mimic the depth of traditional tonkotsu, shoyu, miso, and even chicken stock using a painstaking extraction process. The result? A creamy, complex base that rivals any meat-based soup. Egg-free, protein-packed noodles complete the transformation, turning ramen from indulgent comfort food into a health-conscious powerhouse.

Signature bowls include the Shojin, an old-school shoyu ramen featuring broth extracted from Hokkaido Rishiri kelp and Kyushu shiitakes, and the Hakuna Matata, which swaps wheat noodles for housemade carrot fettuccine, paired with a 48-hour-marinated mushroom tsukudani and spicy miso. Diners can pile on toppings like tofu chashu, fried chickpeas, enoki tempura, and fermented soybeans for an extra kick.

Beyond ramen, the menu boasts a full lineup of vegan appetizers, sushi rolls, sandwiches, and desserts. Highlights include the Vrooklyn Gyoza, a plant-based spin on pork dumplings served with mango miso and cilantro jalapeño sauce, and the Brooklyn Bridge roll, an “eel” roll reimagined with pickled radish, avocado, and Nasu Kabayaki. For dessert, the Sakekasu Cheesecake with tangy yuzu sauce is a must.

Ippudo V also goes all-in on drinks, with a deep sake list, global wines, and inventive cocktails like the Chacha Mama (draft kombucha, ginger beer, and ginger liqueur) and Rosa Fresca (vodka, elderflower liqueur, and strawberry cane sugar syrup).

For ramen lovers looking to go green without missing a beat, this under-the-radar Dumbo gem is the game-changer they’ve been waiting for.


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