Chicago Ramen Palatine - Japanese Izakaya

the ramen is alright but definitely not as good as other local places I've tried. for me I tend to like the broth the most in a bowl of ramen and there's just not a lot of broth relative to everything else in the bowl.

the food was brought out pretty quickly but otherwise service was not great. my partner and I were the only party in the restaurant (another couple came in, then left after several items they tried to order were unavailable) but the server did not check on us at all. the ramen is pretty salty, which isn't a big problem for me but it does mean I'd want water refills. I was hoping the eye contact I made with her multiple times would signal that we wanted her to come by the table but she just went back to looking at her phone, so we had to stand to signal we wanted to get the check and leave.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 1

My friend and I ordered two soups — our first time here, and we absolutely loved it! The food was delicious and came out fast. Everyone was so kind and welcoming. The two Asian girls in the kitchen are amazing cooks — everything was perfect!

The 2nd location to check for CR. Huge difference in the ambiance - while the previous one felt like a place in a Tokyo neighborhood, this has a different vibe. A really red one.
The menu is also different - includes sushi, curry.
The vegetarian ramen was pretty close to the other location - less veggies and still overfilled with things to chew. Not so much liquid.
Still acceptable and the price is not bad.
Talking of which - an extra egg for 2 while half a handful of corn for 3.50$ doesn't make much sense.
Will stop again - it is a block away from our Wing Tsun school. A much larger sitting area - can bring all the students some day.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Ramen

Absolutely love this place. The wheeling location has gone so far downhill that we don’t mind driving the 15-20 minutes to get here. We LOVE Chicago ramen!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Very good ramen and atmosphere

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Ramen, Chicken Ramen

We visited Chicago Ramen Palatine and were very impressed! The food is delicious, fresh, and perfectly prepared. Special thanks to the staff — they are very polite, attentive, and friendly. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and we felt very comfortable. We will definitely come back and recommend this place to our friends!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Excellent Ramen and friendly staff

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Cozy vibe. Delicious food! 12 and 8 year old kid approved!
I had the Shrimp Wonton Ramen and everything was delicious! Definitely recommend and will be returning!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The shrimp tempura was good, but it came with what seemed like an oddly thick soy sauce. The ramen was not good. Noodles were undercooked and the soft boiled egg was spongy for reason. I also don't know why the broth was so dark.

Service was terrible. The waitress did the bare minimum as in she just dropped off the menus and walked away, after she took our orders and brought it out, she didn't come back for the rest of the evening. It's not like it was busy either. Just our party of 2 and one other party of 2 in the restaurant.

The decor was eclectic and it had a cool vibe, which is the only redeeming quality from my experience there. I'm quite disappointed the food and the service was lacking.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 1

Recommended dishes: White Miso Ramen

I don’t usually leave reviews, but my experience here was so disappointing that I felt I had to.

I arrived at 5:30pm and the restaurant was completely empty. The only employee in sight was in the back, on her phone. I was hoping that the door shutting behind me was enough noise to notify her that I was there but it took a minute for her to realize I walked in. When she finally did, she muttered a quick “hi” and vaguely pointed to the tables instead of seating me, offering menus, or even water (which I was waiting for, since it was hot outside).

My friend arrived a few minutes later, but it still took around 10 minutes after that for the employee to come take our order. When our appetizer came, no small plates were provided. We ended up eating over napkins, I know she noticed and still didn’t offer a plate. I was hoping the ramen would make up for the service, but unfortunately it was extremely oily, the noodles were chewy, and the portion sizes between different ramen options were inconsistent.

During this time, the employee did not come over once to see if the food was to our liking and if we needed anything else. Just a reminder — we are the only table here.

A couple came in around 6:30, and oddly enough, they were brought their check before us, even though we had finished eating long before them. The employee only returned to our table when she passed by after giving them their bill, asking if we were ready for ours after she saw me staring at her. It seemed like she couldn’t care less that anyone was there.

We were there from 5:30 to 8pm, and the lack of attentiveness made it very clear why the restaurant was empty. Don’t waste your money here. I’d rather go to a place with horrible service like this but have amazing food. It is safe to say I will never return here again.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

I was really bummed because we drove all the way out to try their ramen. The place closes at 10pm and we showed up at 8:55pm allowing the kitchen enough time to prep the food. When we walked in the kitchen staff shook their head and said they will not sit us. I wish they would say this somewhere online that the kitchen closes an hour before the restaurant closes since it’s usually 30 mins before hand.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 2

The food was not good. It was cold and service was super slow. They were out of a lot of stuff. Do not go here!

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

They didn't cut up the pork cutlet and there are no knives at the table. Normally this is cut before plating since it is eaten with chopsticks. The flavors were authentic. There were a bunch of kids being super loud. The food here is worth a try though.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Ramen, Curry, Gyoza

Ramen is good & the interior is new! If you like a light broth, would u reccomend Hakata tonkatsu ramen. Love the tuna crispy rice as an appetizer. Great portion & would come back

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Ramen

I’ve always eaten at other locations and am glad to have a Palatine location. I’m a frequent visitor and the ramen always hits the spot.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Red Miso Ramen, Chicken Ramen, Gyoza, Spicy Tsukemen