While in town on a business trip, I was looking for a quick, filling dinner close to my hotel and came across Kyuramen--a new addition to the River North restaurant scene with fantastic reviews. The staff was incredibly friendly, and the service was excellent throughout my visit. It's a great spot whether you're going with a group or dining solo, which made me feel right at home. My waitress recommended the Katsuobushi Pork Ramen for its rich, thick broth and unique, thick-cut pork belly. Her suggestion was completely spot on! The creamy broth and pork belly were delicious. If you're looking to step outside the usual ramen lineup, give the Katsuobushi Pork Ramen a try--I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I also ordered the Takoyaki, which was fantastic as well. Highly recommended! read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Takoyaki Octopus Balls (5Pcs), (2) Katsuobushi Pork Ramen - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

All right let's talk about this hyped place. We saw a lot of reels when it first opened in LA and we were rlly curious about the omurice as you know, it is rlly hard to find in the US. Good ones, I mean. I'm sorry to say, the rice kinda ruined it all. The rice was jasmine rice, and ngl I could feel the rice grains while chewing and it is not as soft and fluffy as I imagined it would be. For context, i did had a lot of variety of omurice, so you know comparison is in place. Drinks are great, btw but The katsu is so dry. We had much better. The yakitori are passable. The sticks, why are they so dirty? At least clean the handle so we don't have to clean our fingers every single time we pick them up. Anyhoo. We prolly won't come back again, service is great tho, seats are super moody. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Finally got to try Kyuramen, and I thought that the overall experience was great. Service was fast, and I enjoyed mostly everything I ate. Unique layout and design of the restaurant. The booths are in honeycomb shapes, which were interesting. The place wasn't busy during lunch on a Thursday, so I was seated at the bar. I ordered a few items including the classic omurice set, a beef harami skewery, and agedashi tofu. The omurice was excellent. I had it with curry sauce although demi glace (contains beef and pork) was an option. The beef skewer was tender, and it had a nice teriyaki sauce. Not my favorite agedashi, because I was not a fan of the togarashi. It was an overkill. Texture was good though. I liked the extra crispness of the outer fry. read more

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I love the setup of this establishment as it creates an intimate dinning experience. We were seated in our own section where the curtain is drawn. There are buttons on the wall to alert the staff that we are ready to order and ready to pay our bill. The best tonkatsu omurice I've ever tasted. The tonkatsu was perfectly battered...crunchy on the exterior and tender on the interior. I used the curry as my dipping sauce and it paired very nicely. I love the fluffiness of the eggs. I will definitely order this during my next Chicago trip. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Pork Tonkatsu Omurice - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Visited this place twice, the first time was absolutely amazing and we were looking forward to coming back. The second time did not live up to our memory, the veggie ramen seems to have been completely changed. Still good! But not as great as it could be. The tempura battered purple sweet potato fries were fantastic though! A must order. Really cool booths, we got to sit in the hexagons halfway up the wall, great place for a date night. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Purple Sweet Potato Fries (8) Vegetable Miso Ramen (9) Chicken Ramen - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ramen: not really anything to write home about. Dessert: better than the ramen Good/friendly service. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The service was very good, they gave me recommendations and really helped explain some of the difference in the menu items and combos. I got one of the combos. I just can't recall what number it was but definitely would recommend doing a combo. The restaurant was cute. My only complaint is it felt pretty hot in the higher up pod. So after eating my hot Ramen, I was a little bit hot and ready to leave. However, the food was really good. The Ramen was 7.5 out of 10. the Matcha pudding was 9.5 out of 10. The pork boa bun was a pass. Overall, for a restaurant downtown, I would definitely dine again. read more

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Great flavors, friendly service, restaurant is clean and cutely decorated. They have a cute wishing tree that you can buy wishes for $1, write a wish, and hang it up. read more

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Flavorful and rich, Kyuramen's namesake ramen is just what you need when it's cold in Chicago, which is often. Located in river north, kyuramen is a good break from the standard fare in the area. The tonkotsu broth is a pork bone style base, which is thick and rich. It's pretty tasty - although it doesn't taste 100% authentic, it represents well in the category. The katsuobushi is even more flavor fyi. The noodles are firm and good thickness and there are plenty of toppings. In Chicago, you can't go wrong with this choice for ramen. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Menu - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Just had an amazing dinner at Kyuramen!! We were feeling like something lighter, casual, and a little different for dinner tonight after several days of Italian food in Chicago. Kyuramen was walking distance from our hotel and felt like a good choice. It was a great choice!! We were seated in a little private booth that was all light wood and had a cute curtain across the front. We had the pan fried dumplings as an appetizer. They were fantastic. Then we both had ramen bowls. It was excellent and exactly what we needed. A lovely quiet dinner together to wrap up our day and warm comforting delicious food. There were several people who brought water, drinks, and food. Our server was lovely and readily available as needed. We even had a little button to call her if we needed anything. Overall an excellent dining experience and would recommend Kyuramen very highly!! read more

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First, I was soo impressed and astonished by the unique interior of the restaurant. It really added to the experience of eating there. The food was super fast. I got the Kyushu spicy tonkastu ramen and it was spicer that I anticipated but extremely flavorful. The pork was tender and the egg was delicious. I also got takoyaki which came a bit later than the ramen, but I also highly recommend. Customer service was great as well. They were there when needed, constantly checked up, and were efficient. read more

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Came here as it was close to where I was staying downtown. I went on a Sunday and there were only 6 customers in the restaurant at 545pm. I was seated at a table and they brought out water right away. But that's where the service stopped. I was handed 3 menus... food, drinks, cocktail. It took forever to get one of the servers to come over and take my order. They were all huddled by the kitchen and hostess stand chatting with each other and on their cell phones. Finally one of them walked by my table and I had to get her attention and told her I would like to order. She brought out the iPad then looked around seeing if someone else should probably take the order. I felt I inconvenienced her. Got the tonkatsu shoyu ramen with black garlic and the takoyaki. Food came out fast. Takoyaki after the ramen but the takoyaki was delicious. Soft and creamy on the inside with the octopus was very tender. It was topped with plenty of katsuoboshi. Ramen was another story. Noodles had a really good chew as they advertised using sun noodle company. However the broth tasted very watered down and did not have the rich flavor and usually fat globules that make the soup. Cha siu was charred beautifully and portion size was good. Hopefully they can focus on the front of house service and the team can pay attention to customers. Maybe this is why there were only 6 customers at prime dinner time. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - (1) Tonkotsu Shouyu Ramen - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Ambiance: The restaurant is beautiful! I loved the little honeycomb booths. We had a party of 6, and they seated us in our own private dining room in the back of the restaurant. Food: The ramen was delicious! I ordered the spicy Tonkotsu ramen and substituted the meat with chicken (instead of pork). The portions were generous. Service: Our server was super friendly! I loved that there was a button on the wall that we can press to request service. We didn't have to press the button because our server was constantly checking in. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Visited for a Sunday afternoon lunch, made reservations for a party of three. We were seated immediately, which was great, though I was a bit disappointed we weren't placed in one of the honeycomb tables. Even though several were empty and I really had my heart set on them, we were sat at a standard table instead. We started with the shrimp tempura and chili garlic edamame--both were solid appetizers. For the main course, we tried the pork belly ramen, beef ramen, and the spicy tonkotsu. The broth was flavorful and the experience overall was good. A unique spot with a cool vibe. read more

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Went here after New Year's with friends since we were craving ramen! We ordered the Katsuobushi Pork Ramen, Thai Milk Tea, Kyuramen Pork Bao Bun, Takoyaki, Strawberry Lemonade, Fresh Passion Fruit Tea, Lychee Lime Green Tea, and Classic Combo B (Tokyo Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen, Mild Sapporo Miso Ramen, Popcorn Chicken, Matcha Pudding with Red Bean, and Japanese Cherry Blossom Jelly). The combo was a great deal, though the items are preselected. The ramens were all generally good, and the popcorn chicken was a hit. My friends thought the bao bun and takoyaki were just okay. The desserts weren't that great, and the Lychee Lime Green Tea was too sweet for my liking, though the Passion Fruit Tea was pretty good. Definitely planning to come back to try the Pork Tonkatsu Omurice next time. They take reservations for groups larger than 6, and there's also some cool beehive-style seating along one wall. read more

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Wanted something that wasn't pizza while we were staying in Chicago so walked over to Kyuramen after reading reviews. The interior was decorated nicely and since it was early on a weekday evening, it was pretty quiet. We got seated right away and they brought out plastic water cups for the kiddos (incidentally, of all the restaurants in Chicago we tried, this place is the only place that actually brought out kid friendly water cups after saying they would). Service was nice and everyone was friendly. We ordered some appetizers (agedashi tofu, ika geso kara-age, spring rolls) and main meals (katsuobushi pork ramen, beef shoyu ramen, omurice with curry sauce). The kids enjoyed the spring rolls, the tofu was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the squid was good. The ramens all had flavorful broth and a good portion of meat and the omurice was pretty good too. If we ever visit Chicago again, we'll be stopping by for a visit. read more

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It's a Lazy day Thursday so we decided to order food delivery on New Year's Day 2026! I got the Korean kimchi ramen and my son got the spicy Sapporo miso ramen. I'm so glad I added pork belly on mine for extra $3.99 because the Korean kimchi ramen doesn't come with any protein! SMH! Food was just okay! Im pretty disappointed with its quality and taste but its filling. I like that their disposable utensils come with not only chopsticks but it also has a toothpick, a soup spoon and a fork! Overall it was okay. read more

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During the holiday break, the girls and I stumbled upon Kyuramen. We were excited to try the infamous omurice as well as the ramen. We came around 4 and we were able to immediately get a booth for 3. My oldest daughter got the omurice and me and my other daughter had the ramen for 2 combo that also came with popcorn chicken, choice of 2 drinks as well as 2 desserts. We loved everything we ordered, but most especially loved the popcorn chicken as the standout. The drinks were great as well as the desserts. The combo was a great deal! We really were happy with everything we had. Service was great. The food came quickly and they checked on us on a regular basis. I really have no complaints. My oldest declared Kyuramen to be her new favorite and is already plotting a return visit and what she will try next. read more

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First time visiting Kyuramen with my 13‑year‑old niece and nephew, and we were all impressed. My niece ordered the omurice with curry sauce, my nephew had the chicken ramen, and I went with the shoyu beef ramen. Every dish was outstanding, and the whole experience was just as good. I'll definitely be back the next time I'm in Chicago. read more

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While on a Business Trip to Chicago, Kyuramen was highly recommend by a family member who told me to order the Omurice (Japanese Omelet) for a great dining experience. I came solo during dinner time, and upon entering, I felt that I was transported to Japan with the interior design of the restaurant! It was beautiful. I ordered the Pork Tonkatsu Omurice Rice Combo with the Demo Glaze Sauce and Lemonade; and a Pork Bao Bun. This is the first time I had Omurice and it was delicious. The Pork Tonkatsi was a great offset to the eggs and sauce. The Pork Bao Bun had a thick slice of pork belly and 1 was enough after having a hearty meal. The servers were very attentive, always made sure my water glass was full. Definitely will be back to try other dishes. Highly recommend if ever in Chicago, the Omurice is a MUST have! Special Shout out to Paige who made my dining experience AWESOME! read more

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Beautifully decorated with honeycomb seating arrangment and a tree that makes dreams come true. It happened for me so you should try it too! Write a wish and hang it on the tree :) My friend and I did one Combo A and one Combi B. The ramen perfect for a cold winter day and the matcha pudding was one of the best I have had. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I ordered the omurice with the designated sauce. It was very yummy with the soft soothing texture of the omelet being well cooked. However, the sauce and rice was not able to complement the entire dish. The sauce tasted a bit dark and lacked the sweet element a demiglaze sauce should contain. The fried rice lacked the unique element all fried rice needs the basic fried rice elements such as green onions and things like that. It instead entailed lots of black pepper and extra chunks of diced pork. Which I am NOT complaining about. Overall pretty tasty along with the chashu ramen I sampled off of my friend's plate. Servers were nice but a bit unaccomadating. Not allowing us to use the cool hexagon spaces. The place was well lit and the vibe set the town to be very cool and night lifeish. I would go here again but only if someone else recommends it first. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Onurice - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very happy that this restaurant was my first meal of the day and first meal when I landed in Chicago on a Saturday afternoon around 2:30 pm! Since I was dining solo, I was sat immediately at the bar. It has a great interior that emulates a Japanese izakaya and they also play kpop! They were playing some songs from Kpop Demon Hunters. I was so hungry so I got a big order of Takoyaki and the pork tonkatsu with omurice. The amazing lemonade came first and it was refreshing, not sour, had some tart. Loved it. The takoyaki comes with 6 pieces and it was done well. Lots of octopus inside, great ratio of filling to sauce to meat. Loved it. Then, the final dish arrived. My server comes in with a large tray with the omurice. He cuts it in front of me to see the gooey eggs and drenches the curry sauce on the eggs. Great presentation. The flavors were so hearty, warm, and delicious. The rice absorbed the curry and egg flavors so well. So filling and the pork paired well with the sauce. Would definitely come here again! read more

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Good experience here! The food came out quick and it was delicious! The music was also very nice I liked the very upbeat music. The waiters brought our water quickly, took our order quickly, and everything was so quick! I was out of here in 25 mins. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - (6) Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We ordered the Tokyo Shoyu and the Katsuobushi Pork Ramen. For the Tokyo Shoyu, the noodles were a 6/10, meat was a 6/10, and broth was a 9/10. Noodles and meat were fine, but not that memorable. Broth was really good!! Very rich and flavorful and not overly salty. I almost drank the whole thing. For the Katsuobushi, the noodles were a 6/10, meat was a 3/10, and broth was a 5/10. The noodles were the same as the Shoyu, the meat was way too fatty, and the broth wasn't that good. I'd definitely come back for the Tokyo Shoyu. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Menu (2025/10/12) - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We got the combo for two. There were a lot of food and we got left over. The ramen was good and of flavors. The desserts were unique and good as well. We also got a fried chicken appetizer. The atmosphere was great. There was this server that look distress whenever we glance over at him. It was like he is supposed to help but can't so he is just there and watch as the restaurant go down. We got a cute seat up in a box but the trade off is that it is like a sauna. read more

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Ramen was delicious, the broth was so flavorful. Love the authentic ambience. Will definitely be back. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Beef Ramen - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We ordered the Tokyo Tonkotsu with black garlic, plus extra noodles for my husband since he usually likes more noodles and less broth. The broth was good, but nothing too amazing. We also tried the Ika Geso Kara-age, which was just okay (too much batter and not enough crispiness). Worth trying once, but I would not go out of my way to come back. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It wasn't that busy when we walked in and got seated up at the booth which was so nice but it was so hot. It was like a sauna up there. The food was good where we got the combo with a drink which was a Thai iced tea and a dessert and ramen. I got the curry ramen which was alright, a little salty for me but the dessert and Thai tea was great. The ambiance inside was so nice and loved the music they were playing. read more

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Tried this Ramen place for the first time yesterday based on the reviews and it did not disappoint! When first walking in we were greeted by the hostess and were sat very quickly. Our waitress was very nice and gave great suggestions. We both ended up ordering their combo A where we got their chicken ramen and their curry ramen. Along with that we got their pork bao bun, Thai iced tea and Lemonade. Everything came out really quickly and all of it was delicious. The chicken ramen was nice and light. The broth was full of flavor and the chicken was cooked really well. The best part was that the portion was huge, so you definitely get your moneys worth. Same thing with the Curry Ramen, pork was cooked very well and the broth was full of flavor. The bao bun was really tasty as well. The restaurant itself has a really cool vibe. They have a bar at the front and then little individual rooms where you and your group can sit. You kind of get your own personal space without feeling like you're completely secluded. Overall love this place and will definitely come back! read more

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We had late lunch here and did not have to wait for a table. We were seated in a pentagon cube and thought it was so cute *_* Service: 5/5 Our waitress was friendly, quick, and efficient. She also didn't hesitate to recommend the sauce to go with omurice when we couldn't decide. Food: 4/5 Got their combo menu, which was worth it imo. The drink we chose (lemonade) was so tasty! Omurice - Delicious! We really appreciated how the curry sauce didn't come piping hot as we were able to eat it quickly. Omelette was cooked to perfection as well. Salt and pepper corn - Would skip this. A little too salty to our liking but it was a unique appetizer to try. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Classic Japanese Omurice - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is my go-to ramen downtown. While ramen-San is more popular and definitely vibey-ier, but this place has the superior bowl. The broth here has a lot of depth. I also love that you can replace the pork chashu with chicken. Also if someone in your party doesn't eat pork, they have both a chicken ramen and a vegetarian ramen. Many ramen places have one or the other. I've had both and they are very solid. Also it's one of the few places in the area where you can get seated immediately without reservations. There's also a ton of take out orders, but ramen tastes way batter when dining in. If you're dining alone, you won't be alone here. There ample bar space so dining solo isn't weird here. read more

Love how the restaurant is set up with individual stalls as well as private area for larger parties. Service is fast. Even though ramen isn't authentic I still enjoyed spicy tonkatsu ramen. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Matcha pudding - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Kyuramen in Chicago isn't the best ramen, but it is a delightful experience. They have little elevated tables that give an intimate vibe. They also have a button to call the waiter. Overall great service and perfect for a casual date. read more

I came here with a friend and we got the spicy ramen, takoyaki and chicken ramen and we thought that everything was pretty good ! The food came out quickly and the server was friendly. read more

It's my first time trying this spot and I am very pleasantly surprised! We first got seated in the upstairs seating which is very romantic and cute!! Food wise: We got the set 2B I believe which had two drinks, one pepper chicken, 2 ramen, and 2 desserts (all pre-picked) Lemonade: 9/10 very refreshing with a hint of passion fruit. My boyfriend finished it so fast! Thai iced tea: 8/10 very good and tasty Pepper corn chicken: 8.5/10 it paired really well with their sauce! My partner had the Miso ramen heat level spicy: he said it was good and very flavorful. He did say the egg felt a bit over cooked Tonkotsu ramen: 8/10 I personally liked the more simple flavors. I think personally for me the egg was cooked perfectly. The soy marinaded egg helped elevate the ramen. The pork was perfectly cooked. Cherry blossom jello/jelly: 10/10 very refreshing and my partner loved it!! Matcha pudding: 10/10 personally I loved this one. It was not overly sweet and was great to have as a dessert after a sweaty meal! Overall, I would come back to this spot when I am craving ramen in the city. The price was $72 for the both of us including tax and tip which is really good for dine in when inside of the loop. read more

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We had gone to Kyuramen for dinner. We had made a reservation before we went in. When we entered, we really loved the ambiance of the restaurant and specially the architecture. We went for their most popular items - pork bao, omu rice with pork cutlet, spicy tonkatsu ramen and matcha pudding with red beans. We paired our meal with thai tea. Throughly enjoyed every single dish. The omu rice with the gravy was really good. The thai tea was refreshing. Everything was perfect. Highly recommend. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Matcha Pudding W. Red Bean - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Spacious and clean inside. Staff are very friendly and attentive. Ramen was good but a bit below my expectations for the price. I feel like soup was a bit bland to me. Match pudding was smooth, creamy and refreshing. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My favorite part of the experience was the interior decor and ambiance. This location is small, but definitely cozy. The honeycomb seating is cute and makes for a nice place to enjoy food and chat. It is a welcoming space and the staff were also very friendly. It was a slow afternoon, so they were eager to take orders and answer any questions. The food was not bad and fairly tasty if you are craving ramen. However, it was not really a stand out compared to other ramen in and around Chicago. Everything was prepared well and it was a decently sized portion as well. Just cannot say it is a bowl I would actively go out of my way for. We also tried the omurice, which again, was prepare and presented well. The flavors were just kind of lacking. Not sure how a demi-glacé can be bland, but it was. Good portions for the price and great location for an experience, but maybe not the boldest flavors. read more

Had a good bowl of ramen at this place. I had the pork and soy broth and I added a bit of spice to it. Loved the egg, bamboo, noodles , and pork. Everything was good. Friendly staff greeted me upon entry. Service was attentive and walked me through the Menu questions. Good size restaurant with an interesting aesthetic. Give it a try for your ramen needs. read more

Kyuramen - Downtown Chicago - Japanese Curry Near Me - Chicago, Illinois