The Best Chicago Restaurants For Dining Solo - Chicago - The Infatuation

"Increase your chances of eating the best ramen in Chicago without a long wait by going to Akahoshi Ramen solo. Our favorite place to sit is at the kitchen counter. That means a view of cooks making giant noodle pulls using equally giant chopsticks, woks breathing fire, and the chef blow-torching pork slices. But as long as a bowl of ramen is in front of you, there isn’t a bad seat at Akahoshi—even if you’re stuck sitting at the window, gazing at the post office across the street. Reservations are released five weeks out at noon every Monday. If you can’t get one, you can set an alert on OpenTable. But we've also had success just walking in and snagging a seat or two—just be prepared for about a 30-45 minute wait. Get access to exclusive reservations at this spot with Chase Sapphire Reserve. New cardmembers get $300 in annual dining statement credits." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen