I've known of Wasabi for a long time and haven't had a a chance to go... until now. And I am glad I went. Ramen was perfectly delicious, portions were great and the soup was not overpowering! Quick and easy process and this may sound trivial but the fact they offer MEXICAN BOTTLED COKE made my whole experience much better. I wanted soda with my food and I saw the $2 price tag... thinking "if it's canned who cares" I was wrong and I got the bottled stuff! Happy! Will come back soon read more

Ramen Wasabi - Tonkotsu Ramen with Coca Cola - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place wasn't really all that great. It took a good HOUR to get my food and all I ordered were 2, 6-piece rolls, calamari, and one little chicken skewer. Everything there was also very overpriced. Even the rolls that were $10-$12 were only 6 pieces and pretty dry. I would have liked to see more spicy mayo or some type of sauce on the rolls. I've had better-don't waste your time and money on this place. read more

The interior of the restaurant was not as impressive as it looked on the default picture used. It was not nearly as well lit. There were tables open but the hostess would not seat me until the other person in my party arrived, which means I can't even begin ordering appetizer while I waited. The interior had a rustic hippie feel rather than modern. I ordered the tonkatsu ramen, the broth was very rich. Overall it was good, the half boiled egg was nothing impressive, but the ramen noodle was authentic ramen noodle, the best part is the braised pork belly, OH SO GOOD and tender. Just the right amount of fat with the meat, I can eat that all day and I am not even a huge fan of meat. The bamboo shoots are nicely pickled, the wood dried mushroom ears was sliced and crunchy. Overall a good dish. Still not comparable to NYC and California ramen joints, but I'd say this place came pretty darn close to being one of the very best ramen places in Chicago. A bit over priced, $13 for a simple bowl of ramen. My friend ordered the $17 lunch sashimi special, 6 tiny pieces of fish, with a bowl of rice but honest, just rice...A small scoop of ice cream green tea/red bean and a soup or salad. mehhh not very worth $17. They could have at least made it into a chirashi. I did not try the pork belly buns but I thought $8 for 2 buns is a bit over priced. read more

Ramen Wasabi - Tonkatsu ramen - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We went to ramen wasabi solely to try the pork bao. We didn't know what to expect but I think baos are now on my top favorite food. From the tonkotsu ramen to the bao, the pork belly is SO flavorful and just melt in your mouth. Tonkotsu broth was also so good I ate the whole bowl, something I don't even think I've ever done. My only gripe is that the bao is 2 for $8 otherwise, this is definitely a favorite of ours. read more

I went here at 6:30 pm on a Thursday night. There were only a couple of tables so we did not have to wait. We ordered the pork belly buns to start. I only had one and I almost wanted to give up my Tonkotsu ramen for another order of these. They were THAT good! Then my ramen came and I wish I never ordered the pork belly buns so I can eat 2 bowls of ramen. Both dishes were full of flavor and left me wanting more. I am awaiting my next trip here. I noticed the restaurant was almost full when we were leaving at 7:30 pm, so I will make sure to get here early to avoid lines. read more

Probably echoing a lot of reviews here: Best spicy Ramen in Chicago. Pretty much everything else I tried there was also delicious (seaweed salad, mushroom skewers, dragon roll, mochi icecream and cheesecake dessert). Desert portions were just right. Only thing from a perfect review is that it was quite noisy. Also, I was lucky to avoid the wait, but come planning to wait to be seated, it's that good. read more

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Kid friendly? Lmao no changing station in either bathroom.....so no!! This place is not friendly to kids! Ramen is actually not bad!! Tonkotsu original needs some work. But the others flavors was not bad at all!! read more

I've been here a couple times, once just for sushi and once for the ramen and everything was great! We definitely had the pork buns both times and oh my goodness, are they good! It's a special so I'm not sure how long they'll have it, so go soon and try them! As for the sushi, they were pretty great. I went with three of my girl friends and we split a ton of rolls. I think my favorite was the Cubby Bear. Suuuuuper yummy! The next time I went with my boyfriend and we split a roll, some pork buns and a bowl of ramen, the spicy garlic miso ramen to be exact. I personally loved it but I think he thought it was way too spicy to be enjoyable. So maybe next time we'll try something else. The other downer was that there were two REALLY noisy/drunk tables next to us and we were stone sober and forgot to bring something to drink (it's BYOB) so it kind of put a damper on our visit. Other than that, I think the service was pretty good, a couple times it took a little too long to get our food, but it was worth it. The atmosphere is nice too! read more

I came here to try their ramen and boy am I glad I did! There are only about 4 varieties of ramen - I tried the Tonkotsu for $13. It's high for ramen, but since there isn't a large market here, that's pretty typical. The broth was made from simmering pork bones for 48 hours and it was perfectly milky and flavorful. The ramen included generous amounts of pork belly, bamboo shoots, and a hard boiled egg. The noodles were perfectly cooked and had a slight chewiness to them. Amazing! The service was great - Wasabi is a pretty small restaurant, but we came on a weekday and were seated right away. The lighting is dimmed and very comfortable for date night or just having dinner with a friend. Plus they're BYOB! We brought some beers to go with our ramen. Highly recommend for ramen lovers in Chicago...or if you're new to ramen and would like to see what it's all about! read more

The best ramen I have had in the city! The broth in every dish is packed with flavor but not super salty like furious spoon (thankfully). The ambience is great and the staff is friendly. Be prepared to wait a while if you go in the weekend. read more

I really really loved my visit to Wasabi. It is a great place for a date or just to go with a group of friends. They take reservations but the night I was there with a girlfriend we were one of only five tables. The fish is fresh, super fresh. The rolls are good sized, fair price, and super delicious. BYOB!!!! Which cuts down on the bill. The wait staff is super friendly and very attentive. The prices are moderate and There is street parking and conveniently located near the Logan Square blue line stop. I will certainly be back. read more

Soup first or noodles first? First, observe the whole bowl. Appreciate its gestalt. Savor the aromas. Jewels of fat glittering on the surface. Shinachiku roots shining. Seaweed slowly sinking. Spring onions floating. Concentrate on the two pork slices... They play the key role, but stay modestly hidden. First caress the surface with the chopstick tips to express affection. Then poke the pork. Eat the pork first? No. Just touch it. Caress it with the chopstick tips. Gently pick it up...and dip it into the soup on the right of the bowl. What's important here is to apologize to the pork by saying..."See you soon." -From the movie Tampopo It's a perfect, albeit exaggerated look at how Japanese view and treat ramen. And this is why you will never be allowed to take out ramen from any reputable place. It is served perfectly, and you must eat it immediately. Wasabi's tonkotsu is easily the best tonkotsu in the city and area that I've eaten thus far - granted there are a couple more for me to try. But heck, it's the best bowl of ramen I've had in the US in some time. (Japanese mother approved too!) Broth is silky and full of luscious pork flavor. You can taste the care. Noodles are the perfect thickness. Cooked to perfection - just a little bit on the hard side. Chashu cuts were on the generous side. Moist pieces of wonderful Berkshire, salted nicely and tender. I finished every last drop. And yes, I drank from the bowl. And no, drinking from the bowl is not impolite. Rather the opposite - much like slurping noodles, you do it to show appreciation and enjoyment of the dish. The only real gripe is that it wasn't served piping hot. In Japan, the ramen comes out hot, like just under boiling temp hot. Also ordered a side of gyoza. To be honest, it was one of the better gyoza I've eaten in a while from a restaurant. Fried to perfection, slightly crisp on one side, soft on the other. Meat is nicely seasoned, heavy on the garlic. Interestingly, it came with a spicy goma sauce to dip as well. Wasabi also offers shoyu and miso ramen - though keep in mind that these aren't the true versions of these ramen, but rather with a tonkotsu base. They all tasted unique and delicious. Out of the three, tonkotsu is #1, shoyu #2, and miso #3 for me. Though truthfully, I'm not a huge miso ramen fan anyway, as tonkotsu is my fave. Prices are on the higher side of ramen, with tonkotsu being $13 (gyoza was $7), but about right for the location. With one taste and you can appreciate the preparation and ingredients. I only wish they were closer, as it took about an hour to drive on a late Saturday morning. It certainly wasn't a disappointing ride home. read more

Perfect, perfect ramen. I came with four friends for brunch on a Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and found the place relatively empty. Our table had a large basket on the side for our coats -- very thoughtful! There isn't a huge selection of ramen, which I suppose allows them to get the few items just right. I ordered the tonkotsu ramen ($13) and was definitely impressed, especially considering there doesn't seem to be a big market for ramen in Chicago (yet!). The broth was milky, rich and perfectly balanced AKA not overly salty. The noodles were the wavy kind, which I prefer. Instead of the typical chashu, it came with two generous slabs of pork belly, which upped the overall decadence of the dish. And it had lots of bamboo shoots, yum! The portion is a good size; we were all stuffed after licking our bowls clean. read more

Per boyfriend's request, we traveled about an hour by train to come to Wasabi on a hot, humid summer day. And quite honestly, it was worth it in my opinion. Transplanted from Hawaii, I have seen my fair share of ramen. We had tried the slurping turtle on a previous visit and I felt that it was mediocre at best. Wasabi seems to be a little more "legit" if you're looking for something authentic. At about $12-14 a bowl, this place can be considerably pricy...but what isn't expensive in Chicago? I guess by city standards, this is a steal. I had the Spicy Garlic Miso bowl and scarfed it down in what felt like a matter of minutes. It wasn't overwhelming spicy, but it certainly had a kick. The pork was so fatty and just fell apart. Amazing. Highly recommended. read more

Went in last night 3/30 and was seated at the bar. Very cute and cozy set up and very busy around 7pm. For appetizers we ordered the edamame and fried chicken buns which were delicious. My cousin ordered ramen and I ordered the vegan poke bowl both were delicious! read more

So last night marked my 7th dinner at Wasabi and I decided it was time to finally submit a review. Let me start off by saying this place has the best ramen in Chicago - I have tried others, including Slurping Turtle, and nothing compares. Apples to potato chips if you will... My favorite dish at Wasabi is the Chirashi, or Chirashizushi, which essentially a bowl of mixed sashimi over a bed of rice. The fish is always fresh, it's a super value and the whole shrimp keeps the meal entertaining. My second favorite thing about Wasabi is that it's BYOB! Coming from Milwaukee where it's illegal, I really appreciate a good food spot that allows me to supply my own beer, wine, etc. Finally, this place has great atmosphere. It's dark lit and has a warming texture. You can get away with a suit or blue jeans. The staff works hard and is always friendly. Best of all, it's CONSISTENT! So many places are hit-or-miss. This places has been 100% 7/7 times! read more

This is me jumping on the bandwagon. TRY THE RAMEN. It's seriously out of this world. This was a second date occasion, first eating situation. I know, not ideal, but we quickly lost our inhibitions. The ramen comes out with a pair of chopsticks and this adorable little ladle that's basically fashioned out of a small bamboo stick and some twine. After a little awkward laughter and some polite pretending that the food wasn't in fact sitting under our noses, we tentatively dug in. My side of the conversation went something like this: "Oh this is cute... how do you think we're supposed to?... Oh is that how it works? I see.. yeah.. oh okay. Oh wow.. yeah.. that's delicious.. oh holy cow. This is nothing like the Top Ramen-oh damn. I didn't know it could BE this way - Oh yeah? You're in marketing? Don't care. You love Amanda Blank too? Don't give a f--k. How are you still talking?! Can we have a moment of silence because I can't be bothered to talk or pay attention to anything besides this bowl of steaming deliciousness in front of me right now." So yeah, apparently they serve sushi too. Nobody talked about that too much, so we didn't bother (this time). This place is also BYOB. Lucky me, I'm centrally located in BYO Heaven :) Our server was incredibly attentive and very polite. The restaurant itself is pretty standard, which is not to say it's not well done. Dark finishes, low lighting, they play cool trip hop - think Portishead, Sneaker Pimps, etc. It's a little dated, but whatever, who cares. My beef with interior finishes is not going to keep me from coming back for a gigantic bowl of food nirvana. Especially at is heads into fall. OMG I can't wait! read more

This is really a 3.5 stars review. The decor is nice. The service is nice. The food is also "nice". But we were really looking for "OMG BEST RAMEN IN CHICAGO" based on so many reviews. I guess those people haven't had ramen at Santouka at Mitsuwa yet or been to ramen places in Cali or NY. We ordered the Spicy Miso and the Tonkotsu. The spoon is kind of cool, but it makes it hard to capture enough broth and noodle in one spoonful. The broth is pretty good. The egg is AMAZING. The meat is just ok. We didn't upgrade to the more expensive pork, but really for $14, I shouldn't have to. read more

I guess I went here with very high expectations, being a ramen connoisseur I have to say that I have definitely had better. We went on a Saturday afternoon and were seated right away. We ordered the 2 short rib skewers, the pork belly bun, lollipop chicken, the tonkatsu and spicy garlic ramens. To sum it up the short rib skewers were ok at best, pork belly was good but greasy and fatty, the lollipop chicken was good but nothing special, I personally enjoyed the spicy garlic ramen but thought it was lacking ingredients. The tonkatsu was good as well but almost tasted like a mushroom soup and again lacking a few ingredients. The service was on point, nothing special. I think that when I want ramen in the near future I will be heading to river north for Slurping Turtle or driving to Arlington Heights for Mitsuwa. Our bill for 3 people for lunch came to $80 with no drinks...... read more

Finally we made it to go to eat Wasabi's representational Tonkotsu ramen. Yes, the rich creamy tonkotsu soup is tasty and noodle was cooked just right. The chashu was thick and tender. But the price is way too high for the ramen. Ramen is categorized in casual and inexpensive food (in Japan). Making good ramen and offer it in reasonable price is the challenge for the ramen restaurant. However it's tasty ramen, $13-$14 is over the ramen range. It should go down under $10. read more

My family and I came here last night for dinner to escape the Chicago cold. We read a lot of mixed reviews between the spicy miso ramen and the tonkatsu ramen being the best and we tried both items along with some starters. My ratings: Service: 2.5/5 - very very slow and understaffed. Our waiter was nice but he only came by once and after seeing us waiting for awhile, the bust boy came and took our order and related it to our waiter. Ambiance: 4/5 love that it's modern and love the wood decor. Food: 3/5 nothing was amazing. - pork buns, I've definitely had better. Nothing special about I those. Buns weren't homemade and pork was just drenched with a teriyaki/hoisin type sauce. -sashimi cevhice- so so - chicken lollipops- probably my favorite starter. If you want to try any of their appetizers, I'd recommend this one. Good batter and texture -tonkatsu vs spicy miso- I'd go for the spicy miso. Tonkatsu was good but it was salty. Spicy miso had had good flavoring. Overall, their ramen is so so. Noodles aren't homemade and the pork belly was too much on the fatty side. I had 2 slices of pork belly in my bowl, one of which was completely fat. Plus side: Byob! read more

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(Not to be confused with 'Wasabi Cafe'...) Two years later and this is still my favorite ramen place in Chicago! I'm in love with both the 'tonkotsu' and the 'spicy roasted garlic miso' ramen. Their broth and noodle texture = perfection. $13 for a bowl is a bit pricey for just ramen but I'm willing to pay only because it is just SO good. If you're still hungry after one bowl, you have the option of getting a 'kae-dama' (adding extra noodles to your leftover broth) for only $2.5 more. Totally worth it. read more

- their house special ramen with pork, bamboo shoot, soft boiled egg, etc $13 - love the broth, very rich and creamy but cannot taste any MSG (another spot for good quality of ramen in Chicago beside Santoku) - Hamachi Toro $4 - fresh, melted in your mouth - prok belly bun - very delicious - house salad with fried organic tofu - my favorite dish, the dressing was so yum but not over seasoning Service - extremely friendly read more

This place is great. Good food and good ambiance. Price- Decently priced. You can get a lot of good food for a fair price. Quality- Great food. The fried chicken and ramen are super amazing Quantity- Pretty good actually. The broth from the ramen is very filling. Atmosphere- Very modern. Looks like a place filled with a good crowd looking for good food. Lots of low lighting and modern wood furniture. Staff- Very friendly and attentive. It's highly rated for a reason. read more

Some of the best Ramen I've ever had. We tried two ramens the spicy roasted garlic miso ramen and the tonkotsu ramen, both were fantastic. I personally prefer the tonkotsu ramen. The pork was so tender and the broth was to die for. I wish they had a location in Houston, TX! read more

Ramen Wasabi - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was really excited about this place because my coworkers hyped it up for me. I think that's why I was utterly disappointed in the potential it could have had. The service was nice and friendly. I came around 5:30pm on a Thursday night, and it was not packed. Thank God, since they don't do reservations. We started off with the pork belly buns. They were soooooooo delicious! I loved how it had a spicy kick, and the pork fell apart in my mouth. The steamed buns were so light and fluffy. Yum, I would definitely come back for this one 5/5 I have been to many ramen places prior to this, so I guess you can say I'm picky. Right when we ordered the ramen, it came out immediately after. I don't know if this is a good thing because the service was fast or bad because I couldn't thoroughly enjoy my appetizer. I ordered the tonkatsu ramen. The pork was good. The egg was salty. I thought the broth lacked the porky flavor it should. The noodles weren't chewy, a little soggy. The whole meal was meh. 3/5 I would come back to try it again - maybe it was just an off day. read more

Wasabi's food is amazing. Best ramen I have ever had in my life (spicy garlic miso ramen). But be prepared to wait. And wait a long time. Like they will tell you it's 45 minutes you come back 45 minutes later and they tell you it's going to be another 45 minutes. And they won't let you wait inside. A smart man would open a bar close by for the forty people waiting in line for wasabi. Pro tip- go early or go really late, otherwise prepare to wait out in the freezing cold/rain. Order the spring rolls - fantastic. Not your average rice paper spring rolls.. They fry them and give you an incredible sauce. Go all the way, give into your fatness and get these. read more

Stop looking what to order. Look no further. 1. Appetizers: Berkshire Pork Belly or Fried Chicken 2. Dinner: Syou Tonkotsu Ramen or Miso Ramen 3. Can't stop eating? Toro or Hamachi read more

I will be back. Not only is this excellent sushi, they have daily specials of very interesting items. To note I had the Kobe beef nigiri, seared slightly under a torch with some special sauce. It was top notch and a great addition to the toro I ordered. I am a sucker for BYOB and they delivered. I really like how this is no ordinary sushi place, with a large list of tapas style goodness. Dumplings, crab, oyster shooters, mussels, tuna tartar, just to name a few. It would have given another star if not for the inexperienced wait staff. They are nice and attentive, just a bit clumsy and shy. Also, it's called Wasbi but they only have the powdered type? How about some fresh or pure wasabi? I'm sure it's opening pains, correcting in the coming months through experience. read more

The food here is great and reasonably priced and I love that it's BYOB (although they didn't have sake glasses, which seemed odd for a sushi restaurant.... ) The otherwise stellar experience is marred by the super slow service I've received both times I've eaten here. Riding the chillwave, I guess. read more

My sweetie and I stop by a few times a month, always for the miso ramen. The spicy pork ramen is delicious. It's SO SO SO good. But, the portion keeps getting smaller and the price keeps going up. At first, I could order a bowl of ramen and have leftovers sufficient lunch or dinner the following day. Now, the bowl-size is smaller, and there isn't quite enough to take home. The broth to noodle ratio is all thrown off. Too many noodles! Not enough broth! For the price, the portion size is just too small. Bummer. But, the service is great. Just the appropriate level of attentive--I never felt like our servers intruded on our conversations. Our last waiter was wonderful about rushing our BYOB beer straight to the fridge to keep it cold. Go for good service, don't expect a huge heaping of ramen. read more

Yes, this is the best ramen in Chicago. After trying Slurping Turtle (pretty good), Arami (pretty good), Cocoro (good, not great), Mitsuwa (pretty good), Ginza (mediocre), Oiistar (disappointingly bad), Noodles by Takashi (mediocre), Gyu-kaku, Union Sushi, and a few other places, Wasabi stands out as the best. I should revisit the ramen at Gyu-kaku, Union, and Arami and try Yusho to truly confirm this judgement, but I'm pretty confident about Wasabi. For those of you from the coasts who want to pull out your favorite noodle shop in NY or SF, I agree there's better out there, but I'd say Wasabi deserves a place in the top tier. While some of you may prefer the spicy garlic miso ramen, I actually find that it's a little overpowering and there's too much going on (like Oiistar). I prefer the tonkatsu ramen. The broth is rich and flavorful with perfectly cooked noodles and delicious pork. Wasabi's status as the go-to ramen place is further enhanced by the fact that they are BYOB and the rest of their menu is good to great. Some favorites include the uni shooters (when not sold out) a great blend of sweet and salty, the agadashi tofu (yes, I know you're skeptical, who orders agadashi tofu, but try it, you will be glad), the pork buns, and the artmex roll. Go to Wasabi, you will like it. read more

Bottom line for me with this place was that I thought our server was great and the atmosphere was neat (+1 star), but I've had much better Japanese food at other restaurants. We tried everything, 8 pcs of nigiri sushi (most had a hint of fishiness to them), pork belly buns (way too much sauce, not that great) and two bowls of their ramen (spicy garlic and tonkotsu). With regard to the ramen, the noodles were fine, but we just didn't enjoy the flavor combos in either dish and have had much better pork belly in ramen before. My advice if you want to try this place is to definitely skip the apps and sushi, go straight for the ramen and bring a nice six pack of beer as it's BYOB. Also, if there is a line, there is a sign in sheet at by the door where you put your name on the waitlist. So just be aware of that, so you aren't waiting forever! read more

My goodness.. This was my first ramen experience and I can honestly say the food was amazing!! This was also my first positive sushi experience.. I think I can legit say I love sushi now.. Everything was amazing and they're BYOB (plus plus plus).. Be prepared to wait a while though. I got there not too long after they opened and the line was out of the door and the wait was about 45 minutes or more. read more

Ramen Wasabi - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've heard that Ramen Takeya is the same owner as Wasabi, but this place was a lot better! We went on a Thursday night and had a 15 minute wait. This place is BYOB so that's always a plus. The restaurant atmosphere is very loud and intimate, but I didn't mind the noise. Wasabi definitely has a wider range of foods than Ramen Takeya and more selection. We had the pork belly buns, spicy roasted garlic miso ramen, miso ramen, tonkatsu ramen, pike place roll, and philly roll. The pork belly buns were delicious (same as Ramen Takeya). The sauce was flavorful and not overpowering and the pork belly was cooked to perfection. The extra green onion and lettuce that they gave us was a plus, to offset the sauce. I felt like the ramen broth's were all so rich in flavor and just delicious. The spicy roasted garlic miso broth was my fave because of the roasted garlic chips that they add-in. The pike place roll was also great. The mango really is the star and freshens up the whole roll in one bite. Verdict: I will love to go back and try some of the other stuff on the menu. Only thing that would've made my experience was the service. The server greeted us and took our orders and after the food came out he was MIA for the entire time. read more

Really solid ramen. Having spent quite a few years in Cali, it's good to know that Chicago can deliver on really good ramen. We tried the spicy garlic miso and the tonkotsu. On the menu, it says the tonkotsu broth supposedly takes 45hours to make, and you can really taste it - very very fragrant broth and full of flavor. All the pork belly in the ramen also had great texture and cooked very well. Our only gripes: doesn't take reservations, and the servings sizes are a bit small given the price. The latter is easily solved - get the extra noodles. But the former is a bit annoying, especially in the cold Chicago winters when you really want a hot bowl of soup but have to wait outside for an hour read more

One of the best ramen places in the city. Small plates, fried and grilled skewers are great also. Best dish spicy miso ramen with chili oil. read more

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This may be the best ramen in the world, but waiting in excess of an hour with no ability to make a reservation is asinine. Going for tacos next door! read more

Their ramen are to die for! I tried them all and all are good with their own different character. The pork belly OMG...especially on those cold wintery nights...ahhh...slurp...slurp... Their sushi is just mediocre tho'...I've had better ones somewhere else. Can get long lines on weekend nights...but is totally worth the wait read more

One of the best places for Ramen in the city. I was a little skeptical because of their hipster vibe but overall it was amazing. The broth was very flavorful and everything was very balanced. The bowl size was just rnough to make you want more, but filling enough to prevent you from ordering another. This place ties the ramen from Mitsuwa for me, but if you want a nicer environment to hang out, and grab a drink Wasabi is your place. Wasabi is my standard when comparing Ramen. read more