Located on a strange, dirty, vacant segment of town somewhere between NoHo, Nolita, and the Bowery you’ll find the bright, orange signage for Cocoron.
Inside, you’ll find some of the cleanest, most comforting food in NY that’ll leave you feeling fresh and healthy after. Inside is a tiny, bustling shop with two-tops, a communal table, and noodle bar seating. Despite the rapid turnover in the shop it’s still quite a nice experience that would be good enough to work as a casual, low-key date night or a cheap eats cold-weather lunch.
On this occasion we stopped in at around 1 PM on a chilly 32 degree Sunday afternoon. It was nearly full inside, but we lucked out and were seated immediately at a two-top in the front window.
We decided to start with an appetizer called Yude Buta which was thinly sliced pork cooked in sake, green onion, sesame, and chili with a vinegar dipping sauce. The flavors were very mild, but very clean and pleasant. It was quite a simple dish but was also a very nice starter to our light lunch.
At Cocoron, they offer a wide variety of broth flavors and preparations for their sobas. I usually opt for their dipping style sobas. In that preparation, the noodles come on a bamboo plate and the broth is served in a bubbling hot pot so you can dip each chopstick-load of soba into the flavorful brothy hot tub indiviually. I really enjoy this kind of soba, though it’s a lot of work to dip each bite separately, so I selected one of their easier to eat options this time.
Instead, on this visit I had the Warm Stamina Soba in it’s other preparation, served with the noodles already sunk into the large bowl of broth. It was a very clean, simple broth but also incredibly soothing and comforting, especially in this cold weather. The broth was loaded up with plenty of firm, fresh soba noodles, thin slices of tender, boiled pork, a ground chicken meatball, and green onion. I always leave feeling so refreshed and excellent after having a bowl of soba at Cocoron.
So, if you’re looking for a really comforting, light, and refreshing bowl of noodle soup, the sobas at Cocoron hit the spot every time. Whether you’re looking for a quick, cheap lunch or a spot for a casual, low-key date night Corocon will serve you well.
Know of another great soba place in NYC? Let me know in the comments below.
Cocoron
@Cocoron_NY
37 Kenmare St. New York, NY 10012
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My favorite spot, nice work. Check out Totta Soba on 43rd between 2nd and 3rd if you haven’t already.