As the sun sets on the first evening of November, the familiar warm glow returns to the windows of District Ramen, beckoning from the corner of a bustling street in Newburgh. Inside, the air is filled with the mouthwatering aromas of fragrant broth, and the kitchen hums with activity, preparing for the restaurant’s long-awaited reopening slated for 5pm. The menu is a culinary experience that celebrates the rich flavors of Japanese cuisine, offering sizzling shishitos ($7), popping edamame ($6), takoyaki ($9)—plump fried dough balls filled with octopus—and pillowy Japanese pork buns ($9). But it’s the four ramen options ($17-$18) that steal the show. Tonight, as doors swing open, District Ramen is ready to welcome everyone back home.
Situated at 47 Lander Street, District Ramen was opened by filmmaker Robert Fontaine and his wife Monica Coronatti in March. The couple created what they describe as a “vintage social lounge,” sporting a clean and casual aesthetic. The eatery, seating up to 32 diners, features ramen based on the recipes of Naruto Ramen in Brooklyn and Nishida Sho-ten in Manhattan, restaurants Fontaine and Coronatti often traveled to on weekends after moving to Newburgh. Fontaine says everything in his ramen eatery is made in-house, including the noodles, broths, and stocks.
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Just two short months after opening, District Ramen faced a tragedy in early May when an electrical fire in the kitchen rendered the business inoperable and forced the owners to close for an undetermined period. “It happened behind the walls,” Fontaine says. “We had a few broken tiles where there was a lot of heat transfer. The timbers behind the walls were drying out, and just about a week before the fire, they must have been drying out quickly to the point that they were charred,” he adds. “When I did the renovations, I took real care to insulate well, using fire-proofing materials, and that contained the fire, so luckily, it didn’t spread anywhere else, but the financial hit was incredible.”
While awaiting payout from his insurance company, Fontaine appealed to the restaurant’s loyal following for help via GoFundMe, and the community rallied to help him rebuild, raising nearly $8,000 to offset the costs of repairs, inventory and equipment losses, and initial start-up costs.
“I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all who have supported us from the beginning, during, and throughout all of this,” Fontaine says. “We’re looking forward to opening again and welcoming everybody back—our regulars, new clients and ramen-heads from the tri-state area. We’re going to come back stronger.”
District Ramen is preparing to welcome folks back with some exciting new additions to the menu. “Expect to find the staples that were here and the best ramen in the Hudson Valley,” Fontaine says. “We’ll have a couple of new ramen dishes, a cocktail menu, and some new appetizers, including the ones we didn’t get a chance to launch. I love putting forth a great product, and consistency will always be our hallmark.”
The restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm to 10pm and Sunday until 9pm.
District Ramen
47 Lander Street, Newburgh
