Monster Ramen is making some of the best bowls of ramen in the city—and they’re also some of the most unique. This sleek Logan Square spot specializes in gyukotsu, an uncommon broth made from beef bones. It has a delicious richness without feeling too heavy, and pairs perfectly with their thin, springy housemade noodles. Our go-to order is “The Monster”, which gets added depth and creaminess from some garlic miso tare.
It takes Logan Square’s Ramen Wasabi 45 hours to make their tonkotsu broth, a feat that seems particularly impressive considering we can’t even make it through a one-minute-long Instagram reel. But their velvety bowl of tonkotsu ramen is one of the city’s best, especially when accompanied by thick noodles, fatty pork belly, and an oozing soft-boiled egg. They also have a mushroom-based vegan option, so everyone is free to slurp some noodles to a playlist full of Thundercat and Tom Misch.
Ramen Takeya is Wasabi’s sister restaurant in Fulton Market. This place is devoted to delicious bowls of chicken paitan ramen, a chicken bone-based broth that has a pleasant level of salty creaminess despite being lighter than a pork-based soup. Takeya’s signature bowl comes with thin, firm noodles, black mushrooms, sweet char siu pork belly, ajitama egg, and raw onions that add a welcome pop of freshness.
Rounding up the Ramen Wasabi family tree is Menya Goku, a North Center spot where the main draw is tantanmen. Their take on this ramen (whose origins are rooted in the Sichuan province of China) is a nutty and savory pork broth spiced with tingly peppercorns. It’s also loaded with thin noodles, bok choy, tender menma, and nikumiso ground pork that's full of umami. It’s ideal for a solo meal on an April evening—because Chicago "spring" is basically just an extension of winter.
Like a speakeasy, this tiny and dark West Loop shop is hidden in the basement of Green Street Smoked Meats. But instead of 1920’s jazz and bootleg gin, you’ll find a relentless hip-hop soundtrack and one of the city’s most unique (and spicy) bowls of ramen. Their signature High Five Ramen is packed with thick noodles, a juicy soft-boiled egg, buttery chashu pork, and an incredibly spicy tonkotsu broth. Start with the already fiery half-spice level, then gradually work your way up.
With its long drink list and “Now That’s What I Call Hip-Hop” playlist, River North’s Ramen San feels less like a ramen shop and more like an energetic bar where you don’t have to ask yourself "Why is the floor sticky?” Ramen San also has lots of seating, making it a fun place to hang. Their ramen menu is short, but bowls like the kimchi and fried chicken, or the sumo with tonkotsu, dumplings, chashu, spicy crushed egg, and buttered corn, are worth checking out.
All three Chicago locations of Strings Ramen (Chinatown, Lakeview, and Hyde Park) make their own straight, square-cut noodles. They’re a little on the thicker side, and have a very strong, firm bite. But, aside from their noodles, what sets Strings apart from the other places on this list is a large ramen selection. They have tonkotsu, chicken and turkey based miso, seaweed based shoyu, as well as some vegetarian and vegan options.
Though Oiistar in Wicker Park has a very delicious standard tonkotsu bowl, some of the best ramen variations at this busy spot are the ones that defenestrate (thanks SAT prep) tradition. Oiistar successfully cross-pollinates ramen with other cuisines—from the Tikkamen which is flavored with masala, to the Pozolemen which is packed with chipotle chiles. When combined with the pleasant chew of their housemade noodles, it’s worth rushing to grab a bar seat after work before this place fills up.
Like street parking downtown, gyukotsu, a ramen broth made from beef bones, is elusive. And should the West Loop parking gods ever be in your favor, you can check out Gyuro Ramen—the only place in the city that serves gyukotsu. Their rich, creamy broth has added saltiness from soy and is served with four topping combinations. Our favorite bowl here is The Gyukotsu Prime, which comes with thin noodles, sweet soft-boiled egg, menma, and medium-rare filet mignon.
Kizuki Ramen is part of a Japanese chain that gained popularity in America after setting up shop in the Pacific Northwest. Their specialty is a tonkotsu broth that's different from other places on this list. They roast the pork bones before boiling them, giving the soup an extra layer of depth and smokiness. Their menu also includes yuzu shio ramen with a pork and chicken broth mix, and tsukemen—where noodles are served separately from the soup and are dunked before each bite.