Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya

In a town where so many restaurants have left me disappointed for the money I spent, Tanaka Ramen has given me hope and set a gold standard. Great portion sizes and just incredible tastes that are sustained through every bite. Flavor? In my dishes?! Say it ain't soThe spice level for the ramen is actually to be taken seriously; Level 2 was considerably spicy even for someone like me who devours spicy foods all day. The tonkotsu pork is exactly what you'd always want it to be: tender and explosive in umami.I chose fries as the complementary side to the ramen out of curiosity (I usually dismiss fries in restaurants that aren't burger joints as cheap filler). Even the FRIES are banging. They stay crispy even after cooling 10 minutes later and every crinkle fry is perfectly seasoned with salt.The takoyaki was great— a medley of saltiness, savoriness, and textures. The mochi ice cream— particularly the pink berry-flavored one— is phenomenal.In the words of Gordon Ramsay: "Finally, some good ----ing food."

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu

Very good vegan ramen!

Vegetarian options: There are 2 vegan ramen types

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen

I ordered carry out from Tanaka Ramen for lunch because I thought the lunch special of a free appetizer with any entree seemed like a good deal. The food was ready for pick-up on time but after I got back to work, I noticed that the appetizer hadn't been included. After driving back and explaining, the server was apologetic, offered a free drink and said that the kitchen was very busy (there were a grand total of 6 people in the restaurant) and assured me that the food would be ready in 3-5 minutes. 15 minutes later he comes back to apologize to both me and a delivery driver who said that his order was over 20 minutes late as well. It was another 10 minutes before my food was finally brought out. I think the food here is pretty good and you could tell this poor server was doing his best but the management and the kitchen in this place are total garbage. This place is probably fine for dine-in but NEVER order takeout, unless you enjoy being shortchanged and having to wait 2-3 times longer than they tell you to get your food.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 4

Service: 1

Staff were very friendly and helpful, BUT they are definitely understaffed. Foods were served in an extremely slow pace - my appetizer was actually served after main entree because apparently no one was able to work on it until the last minute. Ramen was ok, soup base was definitely made from concentrated paste/powder, noodles was little bit harder than I expected, wish they offer an option for longer boiling time/softer textured noodles.

Service seems rather poor. We stood at the front for at least ten minutes without being acknowledged by a waiter. There was only one table occupied, so there is no excuse. So we then decided to order takeout from the kiosk instead.The food was a bit expensive, but the quality justifies the pricing. What is not justified, though, is the fact that I ordered extra pork chashu and did not receive them. I genuinely cannot give a good rating based on this experience.

Food: 4

Service: 1

Amazing spicy tori ramen and Takoyaki (octopus balls). The spicy broth was so addicting I had to finish my bowl definitley check it

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Spicy Tori Ramen, Takoyaki

Great food, great service. They were fast and friendly. Definitely recommend if you’re in the area.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu

Tasty! Food served fast. I only waited for about 10 minutes. Clean and big area.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

My husband and I loved the food. The ramen was delicious. We cook ramen at home all the time and felt like this was comparable for taste and amount of food. The ramen was full of flavor and creamy. I got level 3 spice and definitely felt the heat and I’m a spice lover. My husband got level 4 and he loved it! our sever must have been a high schooler or just young. We felt like he didn’t want to be there and didn’t care to provide quality service. We probably would have explored the menu more. Overall we recommend this place because it was good ramen at a decent price.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 3

Ordered delivery and food was well packaged and arrived tasting fresh! I chose spicy level 2 broth, which had enough kick for me to make the ramen enjoyable without being too overpowering. The Takoyaki was crispy/soft and had a generous serving of toppings. Definitely would recommend.

Food: 5

Recommended dishes: Tanaka Classic

Broth is so watered out and service from one of the waiters was really bad. We also got charged big table tip of 18% as a grouo of 5 when our friends who also went in a seperate group of 5 did not get charged.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1

Tasty food and nice staff! I really like this spot, easily the best ramen in the uiuc / green st area. I like the gyoza a lot

Today(04/15/2023) I went to Tanaka ramen in Champaign to dine in at 7:30 ish pm since I love the food there. But today's experience was quite unpleasant.There were 2 servers: Kevin and a white lady.Although Kevin was the sweetest, the lady was extremely rude , to the point that she seemed racist. We (me and my boyfriend) were so upset by her behavior that we decided to abruptly end our meal and leave.Tanaka ramen please look into this, as I do not want anyone else to experience this.

The food was average, but the service ruined the experience. Service was so sluggish that we had to ask 5 times for an extra glass of water. Further, our server forgot to ring in three dishes and would answer in a curt fashion whenever we mentioned her mistakes. Don't forget, a silent mandatory tip added to our group check (which we were forced at the end of our meal, even though we wanted individual checks). Beyond this, the ambiance is very cold and not well thought, plus the automated server robot (although sorta cool), constantly plays a tune while passing. Would not revisit.

I would like to say, this place, has quite possibly altered the trajectory of my life in the most wonderful way. Everything about it was exquisite; the food, service, the silly little robot, you name it. I will be returning no doubt. I want to try that rice bowl :).