I stopped in here while I was waiting to join a book club. I tried the Bao of the day :barbecued pork , the spicy chicken, dumpling, and the Ramen of the day, which was a yellow curry. along with a Tokyo old-fashioned as my drink. I will describe the place as more of a modern take on Ramen with Korean elements. everything tasted excellent in my opinion. I was torn between getting the yellow curry, Ramen of the day or the pork belly Ramen. To help with the decision They gave me a side of their pork broth to try for the next time I come in. So I ordered the yellow curry Ramen of the day since the pork belly is on their menu daily. The broth for both was so good. Since it was just me dining, I did have plenty of leftovers which were just as good a couple days later. Especially since the tofu in the Ramen really soaked up some of the flavor of the broth. I will definitely come here again, especially for that Tokyo old-fashioned. It was delicious. It was made with a tequila versus a whiskey and I think about it every day. read more

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We frequent here in the summer when it's Crioussals and wanted to give it a try when they turn it to west side ramen in the winter! We always check out a menu before we go somewhere because my daughter and I are vegetarian so we need to make sure there are options. Now let me tell you - the veggie burger is so tasty loaded with flavor. And I got three meals out of it! We also LOVED the umami fries that we got without the fish these were so epic and so tasty And don't you dare leave without getting the saganaki Bao bun! Holy sh** it's so good! Outside of food we also love the ambiance because it's bustling. Coming from living in the city I hate sitting at a quiet restaurant especially when our daughter joins. Nick- great job and thanks for the veggie burger read more

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Sadly gone from Libertyville, the place was fun food and creative takes on Japanese. The umami fries were amazing. When these guys reopen, seek them out. I hope they the yuzu cocktails. read more

Everything about this ramen place was fantastic. Sadly, they had to relocate and are still finding a new spot but 100% will follow them when they do. The rotating specials are always delicious and interesting. One of the best ramen places around with a very knowledgeable staff who can assist with recommendations if you are unsure what to try first. Cannot recommend the food here enough. read more

Ooh yes! Amazingly flavorful food and drinks! Excited to come back there again! Tried fried avocado, umami fries and sumo ramen. read more

West Side Ramen - Sumo Ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Libertyville, Illinois

I had heard great things about this place and love ramen, so I was excited to try it. Let's start with the positives: The first star goes to the service. Brad was phenomenal. He is personable; he shared the specials, gave recommendations, and served us very quickly. The second star goes to the salad. I really enjoyed the Asian chopped salad as an appetizer. It had a great variety of ingredients, textures, and flavors. Plus the portion size was enough for 4 people. Drinks were okay, but the prices are equivalent to and sometimes higher than a lot of places in the city. I would go to another place to get a drink. Let's now talk about the ramen. I ordered the chicken katsu. The noodles and veggies were cooked fine, and I enjoyed the breaded chicken katsu. However, the broth was impossible to enjoy as it was SUPER salty. I believe that stuff can give someone high blood pressure. My family ordered other ramen dishes such as miso and chicken shoyu; however, everyone agreed that the broth was disappointing. We avoided drinking any of the broth and just ate everything else to fill ourselves up. For this price and large portion size of broth, something needs to change. read more

The food was good. We ordered dumpling appetizers, umami fries, and an assortment of bao buns. The shrimp tempura and the mushroom bao were very good. The ramen however was a bit salty compared to others I have tried at other establishments. Ambiance was cool considering this is a pop up ramen restaurant. Service was great and we had no issues with that. read more

My husband and I were super excited to visit & it did not disappoint! The vibe is very cool & different. Service staff is lovely, very knowledgeable, and everyone is so so kind. And of course food & drinks are a 10/10. Definitely a must hit if you're looking for some yummy, warm, comfort food or if you want to impress folks with a unique menu & experience! read more

West Side Ramen - Chicken Katsu Ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Libertyville, Illinois

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Broth was very salty. Service was very slow, we spent over 2 hours here. Ambiance was cool. Lots of people

Overall a cool place and such a great location! The service was also very attentive and our server was always available. I also highly recommend the garlic edamame! My downside with this restaurant was the very limited ramen options. Other ramen restaurants I've been to are ramen focused so there were a plethora to choose from. The ramen I ate was a special for that night and I am happy with the amount of dumplings I received. This restaurant is on the pricey side so be prepared to see how much 2 bowls of ramen, edamame and 2 drinks will come up to read more

I was drawn to this place because of its various vegetarian options. The garlic edamame, the avocado Bao buns , and chopped Asian salad were really good. The miso ramen was too strong in flavor, very difficult to enjoy the broth. The portobello burger was also ok, very messy and difficult to eat. The mushroom Bao buns were cold- didn't like that much either. read more

So disappointed in the meal we had here. One star for great service and one star for the good salad. But the ramen...oy. I ordered the chicken ramen. The menu said the chicken was slow roasted which should make it tender and yummy, like it was falling off the bone. But mine was tough, fatty and gristly. The broth lacked the flavor and complexity that a good ramen broth should have. The massive chunk of bok choy was absolutely ridiculous. They need to cut that into manageable pieces so it can be consumed. I shouldn't have to ask for a fork and knife for something in my ramen bowl. I'd give this place one more shot to try the smash burger. And would get that salad to go again! read more

They're back by popular demand and you know what's the best part of this return? The flavors are CONSISTENT and JUST AS DELICIOUS as last year! Guys you only have a small window of time to check this place out, so make sure you do! And make sure you tip the hard working staff! They are so friendly and give great recommendations. Well done guys! Please find a permanent home so we can see you more often! read more

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My wife and I stopped in for a super late dinner. We had frequented Chrissoulas and wanted to try this place knowing it's the same owners. Did some research on yelp and noticed some people were saying that the ramen was "too salty" so I had that on my mind beforehand. I ordered a burger my wife had the chicken Katsu ramen. My burger and fries were excellent, great flavor. The only thing I would say is I want to taste the beef a little more. Tried my wife's ramen (again remembering the "salty" reviews) it was seasoned great. I'm not sure if people just aren't used to seasoning maybe, but if you like seasoning you'll like the broth. If a little bit of salt scares you then I don't know how to help you. All in all still a great place to eat, the people that work there are great people and they all deserve 5 stars. read more

Our first experience and it was great. The ambiance is delightful and noise level would be moderate. The appetizers we had were the fried avocado and tempura ship bao buns, both wonderful. I then ordered the chicken shoyu ramen and my husband had the chicken katsu ramen. The flavors were mild and the serving size was huge. Don't forget the cocktail list. Definitely an explosion of fun cocktails available. Lastly, the service was exceptional. We were always checked on not only by our waiter but by other staff members. We will be back to try more dishes and specials. read more

I came here with one of my friends and we started off with the cheeseburger egg rolls which were really good. What really ruined our experience was the ramen. We ordered the pork belly ramen at first. And we are not picky eaters whatsoever, we've also tried ramen from so many different places. However, the ramen here was not good, the broth was not it. We let our waitress know we did not like the broth and wanted to see if we could get some other ramen, we thought maybe it was just the pork ramen. We swapped it for the chicken shoyu which was at least eatable, but still not so good. If you come here I'd stick to appetizers and drinks. Also the food does take quite some time to get out. read more

West Side Ramen - Pork Belly Ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Libertyville, Illinois

First, I live in libertyville literally across the street and frequent high quality restaurants in the area. This location should be ashamed of what they sell and how they sell it. I have a strong feeling the 5 stars are friends and family reviews. Friday night 6:15 pm reservation, sat at 6:30 pm Upon first entering the restaurant, there was nothing but chaos and a clear energy that people needed to pay, and get out. Me and 3 friends spent close to $250 all said and done. Drinks, entrees the whole thing. The ramen, is absolutely no where near the quality for the price. Noodles seemed non hand made and the broth was watered down. Torino ramen in wilmette makes this place look like amateur hour. The only thing we enjoyed was the fries and dumpling appetizers. The "ramen" and "bao" were a joke. At $20 a bowl it needs to be incredible. After we finished our meal and ordered a second round of drinks the servers Kept coming to the table "no rush, but would you like your check?" We were there for just enough time to eat and drink. After the server 4 separate times essentially said "get out we have people waiting" we gulped down the half full drinks we had left. I have never been charged this much money for the way I was treated here. 0 respect for our time, our money or our experience. I can't stress enough, DO NOT waste your hard earned money here. read more

Ive had better ramen for 8 dollars cheaper. Sure serving is plentiful but the broth is flat, which is the most important part of a ramen. Its just not very good read more

Amazing ramen! We made reservations and when we got there most of the tables were empty but as soon as we were seated the room got packed so make sure to have a reservation just in case. Definitely my new favorite ramen place in the burbs. read more

First time here and can't wait to come back. Food was perfectly tour guided. Not sure which is better the service or the food.

Absolutely amazing. First thought, which shocked us - best burger in town. I will struggle to eat a burger anywhere else. My wife got the ramen special which was absolutely unbelievable. Great ambiance, amazing service. WE WILL BE BACK! read more

Customer service was really good great job explaining the dishes... dumplings were delicious & spicy just how I like it... ramen was delicious as well chicken & vegetables were well cooked good amount of food... the ambience set the tone for sure read more

West Side Ramen - Spicy Chicken Dumplings - Asian Fusion Near Me - Libertyville, Illinois

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Meh... overhyped and overpriced ramen. There are so many other places that do it better. I'm not sure why a Greek restaurant would decide to do a pop up ?? read more

I was a huge fan of Chrissoulas so not going to lie I was bummed it was switching over to West Side Ramen permanently. We had dinner there tonight and it was amazing. We had the spicy chicken potstickers which we loved and could have drank the dipping sauce they were in. They had a great kick of heat too. We also had the tempura shrimp bao bun and the saganaki bao bun which blew us away, The bun had the perfect chew and they were both packed with flavor. For the mains I had the spicy vegetable stir fry with ramen which I loved and my husband had the pork belly ramen that he is still talking about 5 hours later. The Chicken Katsu ramen was my daughter's favorite and her boyfriend loved his Merkts Burger. They have a great menu and I appreciated the vegetarian options they had as well. Super fun and lively atmosphere. Definitely a place you leave smiling. We will definitely be back!!!!! Sorry Nick and Theo, you guys are still stuck with us. We loved it! read more

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Sorry but they don't serve Ramen. If you are looking for a Ramen this is not the place. Broth is salty!

I went to this place for a feel of Japanese cuisine and American cuisine. It didn't prove me wrong. Waiter was super nice and the food was great! I'd recommend the tonkatsu sandwich! read more

The ramen if you called that ramen too salty the noodles under cooked..small and dark space too loud/noisy music playing while eating you can't hear anything I don't know if I'm in a club or in a restaurant and it's over priced..also the main entrance door is in the back dark alley so be safe..not enough space for parking. read more

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The appetizers were a surprise. We had the pork dumplings and the cheeseburger egg roll. The flavor of the dumpling was exceptional! The egg roll was genius! Crispy on the outside, hot and flavorful on the inside. Nothing greasy. The Ramen was served hot and you can get add on's to enhance your experience. Seeing the owner working the tables and taking pride in his establishment was a big plus! 10 minutes in and you are already planning your return; not in week's, but in days. Make reservations, so you get a seat. If the place is packed, don't be discouraged. That means that the food and service is on point. Be patient, they will take great care of you. Oh yeah, if you like cocktails; theirs are exquisite. Samurai Smoke and the Tokyo Slipper put us in a happy state of mind tonight. read more

GREAT!! By far the BEST ramen experience in the north suburbs and certainly the Chicago Metro area. Nick and Teddy do a fantastic job!! Numerous tasty creative dishes you will not find in other ramen restaurants. Located in beautiful downtown Libertyville. If you love ramen, it's a must !! John G Kim G read more

I was in the area for some bubble tea when I ran into this popup shop. I wanted some because I was hungry. Ramen places is very rare in this area so I was intrigued The ambiance was really nice inside. I like the lights inside. It was very cute. I was sad to see that this was only a popup. So make sure to visit. When I asked how long this would be open they said maybe up til March so if you're thinking of going, you should go now. Food: I got the pork belly bun, umami fries, and birria ramen which was their specialty. I was a bit full when coming here because I got bubble tea around the corner. I ate the pork belly bun in a few seconds. The umami fries was also really tasty. I remember saying that I'm sad because now I will crave this fries and I don't know where I will get it once the popup is over. It's hands down the best fries I have tried. I usually don't finish fries but this fries was really bomb. The birria ramen was alright. It was not terrible. I think the flavor suited the name. I think I was just used to that umami Asian taste and when I got Mexican pozole flavor. It was not the taste I was expecting from the ramen. I want to come back and try their other ramen flavors though. Service- The lady serving us was super nice and she answered all our questions. She also recommended some food on the menu. I really enjoyed the mocktail she offered to me. It was really yummy. The food came super fast as well. Overall, It was a really good experience. I would come back again when I'm in the area and not flying. I hope it's still open by then. I highly recommend people to try this place out before the popup is over. I really hope they keep it. read more

Smash burger was good for me. Other 3 in our group had the ramen and felt it was a bit salty. Lots of people in the restaurant that night though and the service was good. read more

Delicious food. Loved the fried avocado and cheeseburger egg rolls to start. Ramen of course is great!

We are so happy we got to try this delicious ramen and bao buns! Absolutely delicious, fresh ingredients and 100 % authentic ! Ready in no Time and super friendly staff! read more

This place is so claustrophobic, but the Service was pretty good, my mom ordered ramen with chicken and it came out a little messy, I ordered a smash Burger with no mayo and no lettuce, Burger itself look pretty good, but the amount of fries was way too filling, my parents said that they would never go here again, Don't go here it's not worth it. read more

Subpar ramen. Ordered the spicy dumplings as an appetizer and it came out cold. It wasn't even warm. I had the tonkatsu ramen and the broth was trash. It was all salt no flavor. I had high hopes for this place, but if I had to do it over again I'd go with a burger instead because their ramen isn't where it's at. I can see a specific demographic thinking this is good ramen, it isn't... if you've had good ramen so stick with their burgers, they might be better. Wife ordered the ramen with the chicken and although the broth was different, it was just as bad. It's like they purposely overcompensate with the salt. She couldn't finish it and asked for it to go. They came back with a glad container, which I guess was a good thing because we didn't have to pack the broth. I don't know if it's their first time at the rodeo show, but ramen should be packed in a soup container. I doubled checked with their hostess on my way to the restroom, and she assured me that was the container they use for ramen. The service wasn't bad though, just the food. read more

West Side Ramen - Chicken Shoyu Ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Libertyville, Illinois

We had a drink at the bar before being seated. The young bartender Brad was awesome and the drink was delicious! We were seated in the section of a friendly young girl with blonde hair. She had a great knowledge of the menu and recommended a few items such as the fried avocado which we tried and loved. The Chefs at West Side Ramen really know what they're doing. When it comes to ramen it was flavorful and piled high. We'll be back again soon!!! read more

Went to WEST SIDE RAMEN in libertyville and they practically kicked us out. We werent even sitting there long after we ate. We were having a great convo when little miss Ramen told us she needed the table in 5 minutes. NEVER had that happen before. The Ramen was salty and apparently others have said the same BUT The avocado app and desert was good. It definitely was not authentic ramen I feel. Ive had way better at Ramen San. Anyways never going back there again. Also Ive been a server for 10 years and yes people do stay long after they're done eating but NEVER rushed people out. Maybe post or tell your guests there's a time limit but that's tacky in my personal opinion. Also as latino's in my opinion..... the experience could have felt like something more as we were singled out in an establishment thats predominantly white. I don't know but we definitely left with a bad taste in our mouths. #iwanttotalktoyourmanager read more

Food was delicious. HOWEVER I was SHOCKED at how expensive some of the appetizers were based on what I received. $15 for 5 TINY dumplings? I was absolutely shocked. They were good but that is an insane price. The ramen is fairly priced though and VERY delicious. I would recommend this place for the ramen and would definitely return but won't be getting any appetizers. read more

Worst ramen I've ever had. The broth was cold when the ramen was served, and the broth was too salty and tasted nothing like tonkutso broth.

Just finished up our 1st order and wow!! Flavor is amazing, had the pork bao and the tonkotsu. Pork belly cooked to perfection. Would highly recommend for an elevated flavor palate in a bowl of ramen. With even COVID restrictions you have to appreciate the effort being put together to make it work. read more

West Side Ramen - Pork Bao, Tonkotsu Ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Libertyville, Illinois