One word: LERT! Ask for Lert and your experience will be completely elevated! His energy was absolutely infectious, he's extremely knowledgeable about the menu and saki pairings, and you'll leave feeling like you've made a new friend. I've been a fan of Takumen for 5 years and it keeps getting better and better! Highly recommend the ban ban chicken and make your own sushi, as well as the poke! Absolutely delicious! read more

Just went to Takumen again after a while. I was a bit disappointed with the meal last night. I loved the spicy go-men last time so I ordered that and it seemed like the broth wasn't seasoned enough- it was more sesame and not enough miso, lacked salt. The chasu was very tough and dry. The soy garlic wings however were fantastic. read more

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This Japanese spot is right next to the 7 train, at the first stop in Queens. The interior is cozy, with lots of seating, and service is good (although they REALLY do try to upsell you on things, even after you said no multiple times--ie. additional toppings, drinks, desserts, etc.). They also have an ice cream shop here (Taku Parlour) that is available (but unfortunately, sold out when we went). We got their soy garlic wings and their ramen. Their wings were good but a lot of the pieces were really small. And, although the pork chashu in the ramen (I got their wantan men) was super soft and tender, I felt that the ramen was way too salty for me. Moreover, it doesn't come with an egg and if you do decide to get an egg add-on for $3, it comes in an egg cup and hard-boiled (as opposed to in the ramen and jammy/soft-boiled). Overall, I thought it was an alright spot, a bit pricer, and I'm not sure I would come back for their food. read more

Takumen - Soy garlic - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

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This covers the ice cream parlor, not the full restaurant (there will be a part 2)! The Ice cream is delicious Japanese style soft serve. It's rich and creamy and not too sweet. They have vanilla and green tea flavors, and we recommend the twist! It's a bit pricey at $7 but still would get again. The ice cream station is located at the front of the restaurant, and you can order at the bar or a small window at the front. They were totally SLAMMED at 6 pm on a Saturday so expect a little wait. read more

Takumen - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

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A new unique ramen joint located in LIC. The broth was amazing not like your typical ramen places. The soy garlic wing also was really good. read more

Takumen - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

Really great ramen in LIC and the the non-ramen food options were quite tasty too. Came here for dinner on a weeknight and it wasn't too busy. Also love the fact that they do soft serve/ desserts for you to go! This place is really fun, and not sure if owned by actual Japanese people but it feels authentic. The ramen was really tasty, I think they do a solid job with the broth which was quite a bit of flavor, though a bit on the lighter side for a katsu broth, and love the plentiful amount of garnished curly scallions on top (going the extra step is always a plus). The noodles were chewy, and the pork was tender, and while the ramen game is competitive in NYC I think takumen certainly holds its own and is definitely one of the best in Queens. The chicken skewers were delicious too, meaty, tender, glazed beautifully and super savory and well-seasoned. Hard to find chicken this packed with flavor! The ramen eggs were jammy. The tuna bowl had high quality thick chunks of fish which I found surprisingly delicious. read more

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Super close to our apt and train station! Came here on a Friday evening with my parents and even though it was busy, the staff told us to wait ~30 min and they'd find us a table. Once we got seated, we were hungryyyy. We tried the burrata appetizer, two types of flavored wings, seasoned potatoes, and each got a ramen. I preferred the soy garlic wings but the miso wings had a slight kick to them which was delicious. The large potato snack was super crispy too. I got the spicy miso ramen. It was not spicy at all - wish it had more of a kick. The broth was yummy (although a bit salty). Wish the pork chashu was not that dry/over cooked. We each added an egg to the ramen; but tot my surprise the egg was served separately and cold. It was a hard boiled egg, not soft. Regardless, this is a solid ramen spot in the area. Don't skip out on their matcha soft serve - delicious! read more

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Really cute izakaya in LIC! It was really packed when I went. The servers were really nice and the food was good! The spicy ramen wasn't super spicy and I actually preferred the Ban Ban Chicken Ramen. My favorite part had to be the dessert! Don't skip the cream anmitsu! Great place to bring visitors and close to Hunters Point and the Subway! read more

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After a nice stroll by the pier, this is the perfect pit stop for something to quench your thirst or a little pick me up! A very cute small shop that does rice bowls and ramen for lunch and dinner and a cute soft serve parlor in the front! From telling them my order to getting it and paying- took less than 2 minutes! I am so glad I stopped in because they had a special soft serve flavor-Hojicha! It had the perfect amount of roasted Hojicha. You get the full body of roasted tea that comes through and with the vanilla combo, it gives it an extra kick of sweetness. I was taken by surprise by how sweet it becomes as you keep eating. Halfway in, the sweetness became too much. If you have a partner to share this with, it might just be perfect! Nonetheless, definitely worth checking out and even if not for a full meal, the soft serves might have you keep coming back! read more

Takumen - Hojicha soft serve - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

Hit or miss. The single vegetarian ramen option was pretty bland - the only flavor was really just salt, with some savoriness from shiitake mushrooms. We also tried the guacamole and the potato salad, which were also a similar story - rich and a bit savory, but generally lacking in depth and kind of unmemorable. The mango anmitsu was nice for dessert though - vanilla soft serve with mango syrup and a good variety of toppings (mango jelly, mochi, etc). This partly redeemed the other disappointing dishes. Overall, the meal worked out to about $50 each for three people, which is fine for the large quantity of dishes we ordered, but I don't feel that it was worth it. read more

Came for dinner in person and had an awesome meal so I'm upping to 5 stars! Toki highball ($10 on happy hour) was great. My boyfriend and I shared the Unagi rice bowl, Panko ebi-katsu and Hawaiian tuna poke (app size). Definitely make a reservation if you can because it gets pretty packed! P.S. They own Taku Sando in Greenpoint (which I also love)! read more

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Solid neighborhood izakaya, although probably not a destination restaurant. I opted for the kinoko rice bowl, which had a number of delicious elements, especially the very well-executed tamakoyaki and the kewpie-heavy potato salad. I didn't drink on this particular evening, but the warm environs would make this a perfect place to down a Sapporo on a weeknight. They told us the next reservation was coming about 1 hour and 15 minutes after we sat down - they were nice about it, but it did feel a little bit rushed. read more

Takumen - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

Yummy food and kind service but seriously not worth the price. I loved the Chicken Namban bowl ($24) -- the sauce on the chicken was perfectly sweet and mayo-y. The chicken went really well with the seaweed that came with the rice. It was a bit soggy but I actually preferred that it wasn't too crispy. We both agreed that it is a bit overpriced though for what you get. Also tried the Matcha and Vanilla soft serve and was a bit disappointed. The Vanilla flavor lacked depth and the Matcha had a weird after taste to it. Probably wouldn't be back. read more

Takumen - Namban Chicken Rice Bowl - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

Came here with my friends at around 2 on a Saturday. The place was quite busy considering lunch hour was pretty much over but we got seated right away. We each got a ramen and the soy garlic chicken wings to share. I got the spicy goma miso ramen and it was really just okay. The broth was kinda heavy for me but there was also not much flavor in general. I was also a little disappointed that the ramen did not come with egg and all it had as ramen topping was chashu. The soy garlic was really good but there were only 4 wings in total and that portion was smaller than what I expected for $16. Service here was great but I think the food was mediocre and quite pricy. Don't think I will come back in the future. read more

Takumen - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

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I thought the ramen was extremely bland and overpriced. The broth itself didn't taste like much, both the miso one and the chicken one. Service was friendly and the ambience was nice but I wouldn't go again. read more

Takumen - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

The food was not right for me. The place was very aesthetic and vibey. You walk in and the cafe bar was to the left and artist merch was on the right. I didn't need to wait for a table on a Saturday night. It was bustling inside though. I knew this place was a sort of fusion between New Mexican and Japanese. While I love finding interesting flavors and new combinations, it definitely has to blend together to work. Takumen doesn't do that. We got the tuna tartar which came with a bunch of guac and a bit of tuna. I understood the concept as guac and chips but it was really missing the tuna tartar flavors. After you mix the guac and tuna, you mainly get the overwhelming flavor of guac. It reduced itself to just guac and chips. I also got the beef dry curry. I was expecting a homey Japanese curry dish but I received a tasteless chipotle bowl essentially. This was about $21 and it came with cold cucumbers, guac again lol, cold mashed potato, egg, broccoli, and seaweed. Whether you try the curry by itself or mix up all the ingredients, it's still very bland. It's not spicy and the different temperature textures made me feel like i'm eating cat food. The ingredients didn't complement each other. On the bright side, my party enjoyed their own ramen (not the appetizer). The bathroom is very clean and the utensils are very aesthetic. However it feels like everything is priced way too high for flavors that are very mediocre in order to pay off their artistic pursuits. read more

Takumen - tuna tartar - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

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I stopped by Taku Parlor as I was walking by and the outdoor sign caught my attention. I asked for a sample of the matcha ice cream and it was delicious but I decided to go for the swirl option. I was happy with the swirl option it was so tasty and refreshing. 10/10 ice cream rec in Long Island city read more

Takumen - Outdoor view - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

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The food and service is amazing! I advise making reservations if possible because they are very busy. The stars of the show are definitely the ramen - we tried the Super Cilantro Shio Ramen, Ban Ban Chicken and Wantan-Men and they were all amazing! We also tried a couple desserts like the mango anmitsu and the coffee & vanilla float but the vanilla and matcha swirl soft serve was the best in my opinion. read more

Takumen - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

This was our second time at Takumen, honestly was not our favorite the first time but since it's a local favorite, we decided to give it another try! Came on a Tuesday night around 8:30p without a reservation and did not have to wait. The restaurant was pretty full even on the weekday night and there's usually a wait on the weekends so definitely make a reservation if you are looking to come on some of the busier times! It's a pretty small place, pretty cozy, typical of your ramen restaurants, but overall we felt pretty comfortable with the ambiance. Our servers were nice and efficient, very cheery for being so late at night, and it was a pleasant experience for us. The food was definitely better this time around! We got the nori shio potatoes and honestly it just hit the spot, perfect combo with the sauce that came with it. We also got the ban ban chicken ramen and the spicy goma miso ramen. Definitely liked the spicy goma miso more but both ramen were pretty flavorful and honestly quite unique flavors compared to your regular ramen places. I heard their rice bowls and stuff are also good so really hope to try them next time! Overall, we started to appreciate the uniqueness of the flavors from Takumen this time around and would definitely recommend if you are looking for a cute special ramen place to try! read more

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It was a really cozy spot to have dinner during a cold night. We ordered a few ramen dishes, drinks and desserts. My favorite was their tuna poke, delicious! Although I do think their chicken broth is not my cup of tea, that is just a personal preference. Service was great and accommodating. Will be back! read more

Very cute and cozy spot with good tea/coffee and drinks. We got the iced hojicha latte and the iced matcha latte, which were both very rich and concentrated. In terms of food, we got the wantan ramen and the spicy goma-miso ramen. While the ramen was solid, it felt a little overpriced at $20+. I wished the broth could've been a bit more flavorful, and that the egg didn't cost an extra $1. Service was great though, and there was no wait when we came for a late lunch at 2pm. Overall, I'd definitely come back for the vibes and drinks, but don't know about the food. read more

Takumen - Iced Hoji Latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

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Pretty good ramen and izakaya spot! It's located conveniently right outside the Vernon Blvd metro station. My friend and I got the fried Tako. It was okay - it was basically fried balls of octopus and potatoes. I wish there was some dipping sauce to go with it! We also ordered 2 canned ciders (each $9). I hope to try one of their sakes or wines on the menu because there are a ton of options to try here! I liked my ramen, the wantanmen. It was interesting to have those notes of the yuzu citrus flavor come in, as there are yuzu zest pieces. The ramen noodles are quite good. The wontons are pretty good as well. I'm not blown away by the food, but it was enjoyable and the service is so nice here, which was the highlight of the experience. Oh also, they have a really nice Japanese toilet! (heated seat!!) read more

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Came here on a weekend for brunch. We weren't really sure what to expect from the mixed reviews. I got the namban chicken and my friend for the takumen chicken. Surprisingly our portions were much larger than what we expected after looking at the pictures on Yelp. In face it was such a hardy meal we were very full afterwards. I really enjoyed the chicken and veggies that were actually flavorful and crunchy!! For the namban chicken, I did wish there was less sauce because it made the chicken soggy by the end of the meal. I also wished the egg was not hard boiled but was soft boiled instead. Otherwise, everything was great and we all loved the 17 grain rice! As for the drinks, my friend got the hojicha from kettl and another friend got the iced matcha latte. The matcha latte was very disappointing despite the deep and bright green color. Service was quick even during a busy lunch rush. We did not make a reservation and only waited around 20 minutes. The vibes were great and there seemed to be a lot of young people. There's also a bar. read more

Takumen - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

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One of my favorite restaurants in the LIC area! This cute, cozy, and clean spot serves up warm and filling Japanese fare, with ramen being their specialty. My fiancé and I tried their chicken karaage and edamame for apps - the chicken was out of this world - so flavorful and the perfect amount of crunch and juiciness at the same time. For ramen, I tried their tan-men veggie lovers ramen with the takumen broth (you can get it with veggie broth too). The ramen was cooked incredibly well, with chewy noodles and a heaping amount of fresh veggies such as cabbage, mushroom, and bean sprouts. Even though it was ramen, it felt really healthy. The interior was very cute and clean, and the service was friendly. Will be back for sure! read more

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Very good dinner. A bit to much Greens on the tuna crudo. It kind of masked the taste of the fresh tuna. Highly recommend the Potato appetizer and the ice cream read more

Absolutely loved this place! Great food/fresh and service on point!! The ambiance was super chill and has a homey feel. Definitely will be back with friends to try some other items on the menu. The only thing is I slightly wish the portions were a little bit bigger. Other than that I would come back. read more

Yummy. The portion sizes are just really small. Really good service. I don't think I would come back though. Nice ambiance too read more

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The appetizers were really flavorful and the Thai green curry wings really packed a punch. The spicy miso ramen I was pretty excited about but it somehow managed to be kind of bland but pretty oily. The noodles were okay, and I'm not a huge fan of the hard boiled egg as the only egg option (I prefer the softer, jammy marinated eggs with ramen) read more

Takumen - Spicy Goma Miso Ramen - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

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Intimate, conveniently located by the 7 train, lovely staff, and TASTY food! What's not to love honestly? Full disclosure, I was looking for Izakayas in NYC to take my bf out for his birthday and I happened to find this on yelp. It did not disappoint! We had a sake flight and tried three different fruit sakes and honestly had a hard time choosing! Once we finally made a decision after being super indecisive, we got to chow town and y'all--that Namban rice bowl with tar tar sauce was magic. Now, maybe it was cause I was HUNGRY AS HELL that I gobbled that down like a goblin, but it was so good I was full and still wanted more. I just HAVE to come back! Tips --especially on the weekend, MAKE A RESERVATION --There is outdoor seating in a garden area and indoor seating (since it's colder out, I opted for inside). --if you don't know what sake you want, the flight is a nice way to choose your favorite (the fruit sake was all SO good, but I opted for peach cause it had the least aftertaste for eating a meal) --one bathroom, handicap accessible read more

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It's funny, because I didn't actually try any ramen at Takumen, but I will say the rest of their food was bomb. This is a great place to get Japanese food in LIC, and it's right off of the first/last 7 train stop in Queens. We came with a party of six people, and we were comfortably seated in the back. The drinks menu is extensive! The food menu was accessible by QR code. We tried the matcha ice cream float which was pretty tasty but had a lot of ice. The matcha was unsweetened but the vanilla ice cream scoop evened out the flavor with its sweetness. We ordered the four appetizer sampler, which had pretty small portions, but it would be great for 2-3 people. I ordered the Tuna Poke Bowl and it was deeeeelicious! I especially liked the avocado salad (basically guacamole) and potato salad (not something you typically get in a poke bowl). The bowl itself was a good portion in my opinion, so I was comfortably full afterwards. I would come back! read more

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Came here on a weekday lunch and there was a wait. However, the hostess was nice enough to give us a call when they were ready. The food was ok, seemed very delicious but after a couple of bites, you would realize that it wasn't that great. The appetizers, we ordered the Pick 3, and the cucumber was delicious but everything else was ok. The avocado salad actually was just guac, which was a bit weird to eat it just solo. The eel rice was full with lots of toppings, but I felt that it was overly expensive for something really simple. Overall, it was a great spot to try, but something I wouldn't go for again. read more

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Fun place! Bustling and fun, they accommodated our party of 8 (with reservations) and were easy and gracious when we had to make changes. They were also easy to reach by phone, which made it easy. Delicious food and they even have gluten free ramen :-) read more

This is an ideal modern cafe I can picture myself working remotely inside of. The workers were kind and accommodating. The overall vibe of the place is chill with plenty of local art on display. Seems like a place I could imagine would thrive as a paint & sip location. I was unfortunately not hungry when I visited though I had tried their matcha latte. I wish to go back and try their ramen read more

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High prices and tiny portions on non-ramen dishes. I ordered the lamb chops and waited for almost half an hour. This isn't out of the ordinary - though what was, was the absolutely tiny portion of lamb they served me for $30. Two lamb chops, mostly bone shouldn't constitute any meal proper meal. Daylight robbery. read more

Takumen - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

The ambiance is lovely, clean, and welcoming. The service is prompt, kind, and direct. And the food is fresh, wholesome, and quite good. I got the Super Kinoko bowl-- the mushrooms were cooked well, it burst from the seams with umami, and the shishito peppers truly hit. Top to bottom---UMAMI AF. I would've maybe liked some more acid, a pickle or two, but now I'm nitpicking. Maybe it's best not to overcomplicate. Its a good bowl of food. Good food bowl of fresh food in nice place, me like. Why say lot word when few words do trick? read more

Takumen - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

This is very good traditional Japanese Izakaya. It does have a bit if American fusion. The food is really good. The Ramens have great broth and nice chewy noodles. My recommendations are the Kombu cauliflower and broccoli pop, the Panko ebi katsu and Wantan Men l. read more

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service and food were soooo good! the sweet chicken karage had the perfect crunch and the house made tartar sauce was addictive. we finished with the anmitsu- anything with sweets/jelly- I'm in! 10/10 experience! read more

Takumen - Hojicha Anmitsu - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Long Island City, New York

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Came here for brunch with some friends and had a nice experience. The food was good and the place has a trendy cozy vibe. We ordered the soy garlic chicken wings and the assorted Obanzai; cucumber, avocado salad and cauliflower & broccoli pop. The wings were good but a bit pricey in my opinion. ($15 for 5 pieces) The cucumber salad was nice. The cauliflower and broccoli pop was delicious. I would skip the avocado salad since it's nothing special. For the main, we got the Takumen chicken bowl, the Eel bowl and the Spicy Goma-miso ramen. The bowls were delicious and I would definitely get those again. The ramen was not good. The broth was way too greasy and noodles was overcooked. Two of the things that will make or break a good bowl of ramen which unfortunately this place did not deliver. read more

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The ramen was pretty salty, which is saying something because I like salty - I think they could dial it back a bit. That said, maybe it was a one time thing, so willing to give it another shot. I enjoyed the apps we had and the service was great. Overall the vibe and ambiance is cool. read more

The hanger steak was very good. All three condiments that came with it were good. Fried potatoes is extra. Crudo was good, but as an entree, it was a bit small. Tried all their desserts. But too bad they did not have the waffle, and they no longer make the donut. read more

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