CHICAGO RAMEN Lab

Update from my last visit from 5 stars change to 0.5stars Sunday after snow storm, stop by for lunch. There no one to talk to when you walk in so you go straight to kios, order and paid. Find out only 3 type of ramen available, and 2 choices of appetizer available. I pick karake appetizer and shrimp wonton ramen. Paid and the chef were saying both items not available. And they cant refund my money cause they are chef with no authorization. This a joke right? No its not, the chef cant refound my money so he said he have no choice but the food are available now. I got my ramen which is not making me come back here. And look at the pic of burnt chicken karake they gave me. I paid $28 for bad food and bad service. The owner doesn't care about this business anymore they used to be very good. So shame on you Chicago Ramen.

It is a very small restaurant located in a strip mall. There are only 3-4 tables for seating and nothing else - not even a restroom, so there’s not much to the place. However, the food was great. I got the Creamy Vegan Ramen with a side of an egg. I added fresh garlic and plenty of Onikasu (red spice) that are available on each table, which I really appreciated. The broth was so rich and flavorful, and I have happy with the toppings as well. I will definitely be back!

Nice small place. More for take away than dine in but they do have some tables. I ordered the mazesoba as it’s something Ive never had before. Toppings were tasty especially the crispy garlic but the real star of the show was the saucy noodles. It was unctious and delicious. I love trying something new every time I visit.

Oh boy there new Japanese restaurant open right around the corner from my home! It's CHICAGO RAMEN Lab! I had deep fried oyster appetizers, Shrimp Ramon soup and shrimp tempura!!!! Everything was delicious!!!! Brought me back to the days when I was 8 or 9 years old living in Okinawa!

one of the best japanese ramen places you can visit in the northwest suburbs of chicago! staff are amazing and friendly. food is so good (shrimp wonton ramen). all the sides are delicious too. they put love and care into all the dishes and feels like home. you have to try one of everything. winter is coming and it’s the perfect time to eat ramen!

EDITED: Staffing issues appear to have been fixed, so raising from 2 stars to 4 stars. I still think they should replace old posters and signs that advertise foods no longer on the menu. Great when it's open, but consistently not. Restaurant consistently has a tendency to just not be open but not modify their schedule and doesn't pick up when you try to call to confirm if they're open or not. Does not remove unavailable items from the menu: tsukemen is not available here, rather is at another associated location about five minutes away by car (which is utterly fantastic ftr). The king seafood ramen has been unavailable for a very long time. This wouldn't be the worst problem, but you can order online and I'm unsure if it'll just end up eating my money or not given how frequent I've come here just to see the door closed when it says it's open online. Someone else mentioned they ordered online and it was not communicated with the owners here, so I worry what might happen if you order food when they're closed outside their usual hours. Will change review when this stops being a problem, but even so they really need to remove things that are no longer available from the menu entirely.

Ordering is available on a kiosk. Service was very friendly, and there was a reasonable amount of seating for a small shop. The place was a little warm, but it was pleasantly similar to shops I’ve been into in Japan. The chicken ramen was good, and the oil on it was the best part.

Fantastic pork broth for the Tsukemen and fantastic Shoyu broth for the Shrimp Wonton. In my opinion I believe the Tsukemen here has a superior taste to the DePlains Chicago Ramen location. Both locations are great with amazing service and hospitality! Ramen quality is 10/10 reminds me a lot of the ramen I had when I was in Japan.

Our favorite Chicago Ramen location. I crave it all of the time! The restaurant is small, but the staff are always kind and the food is always hot and fresh. My favorite is the spicy red miso ramen, and my boyfriend's go-to is the curry ramen. Usually enough for two meals. I love Chicago Ramen and have become a regular!

I love this place. The small size reminds me of my time in Japan at the authentic ramen spots. We sat at the bar and enjoyed seeing the masters at work. The food was not fast, but we enjoyed that it was fresh (because we could see it)! It's quaint, a gem, tucked away. The service was responsive and friendly. You order on a screen (like in Japan) and then find a seat and await your delights.

Came here for the first time and had looked at the menu online and even joined their rewards club. Walk in, no greeting, order from the kiosk (was prompted for tip which was weird before I had even been serviced) and was disappointed they did not have the rice bowls or many of the appetizers as shown online. Ordered the chicken and beef ramen bowls, gyoza, chicken karaage, and drinks. Place was very hot inside, sat at one of the tables and after a few minutes one of the cooks comes out to say they are out of appetizers. They did refund me for them but I was annoyed they were on the kiosk when they weren't actually available. Food arrived but no drinks. Then turns out they're out of one of the drinks (Ramune). Mind you this was a Sat. afternoon so kind of strange they were out of so many things. The ramen was very good and huge portions so that was the saving grace but I do not think I would go back due to the limited menu and service (the only two people who worked there also spoke little English). Got better service from the ice cream place (La Michoacana) a few doors down.

Fantastic place. There's only bar space to sit here, so if you're looking for a table for a group, this is not the place. Takeout is a great option and prices are very fair. They have several options for ramen. I got the red miso ramen and it was so good. Had a little bit of spice and great, deep flavor. THICK broth, so if you like that, get the red miso. The only thing was I don't think the noodles were ramen noodles, they seemed a little wide, almost like fettuccine. Since you sit at the bar, the kitchen is right in front of you. Because of this, and the size of the shop, it can get a little hot. This is amplified by the heat of the ramen, so you will end up sweating. I can image this place being wonderful in the winter.

I was driving through town and Chicago Ramen Lab happened to be one of the very few non-chain restaurants open late. I am so happy we found it! It is very cozy and clean inside. There are a few two-people tables and bar seating. I always love when the kitchen is open since it shows the kitchen has nothing to hide. I tried the shrimp wonton ramen which was so good! It is a very filling/decent sized portion of food for the price too! The service was also great. The employee taking our order was very friendly and helpful and they cleaned up our table for us at the end.

I tried to order food from this location today online. After getting email confirmation and my account being charged for my food. I got a text from the delivery guy who was trying to pick up my food. I was told to call cause they didn't have anything in my name. After calling 5 times a guy finally picked up the phone. I tried to explain the situation, and after five minutes of arguing with him he finally decided to listen. I told him the situation and he told me he couldn't look up the order number that was provided with. He gave me two options: come to the store and show proof, and to cancel my order. I told him I want to cancel. He then told he didn't know how to cancel the order. After asking multiple times how I need to cancel he gave me a number to a different location, just to get me off the phone with him. I have no clue if the food is good or not...was hoping to try.....not a review on how good or bad their food is. Only a review on how bad this locations customers service was. I hope the man working their gains more patience and listens better in the future for other customers they have.

This location has really gone downhill. Tonight's visit was awful from the start. Honestly, we should have walked out when the first thing we noticed was the rancid meat smell. We've had a couple solid experiences here before so we thought we'd stay. Big mistake. We noticed the blood leaking from the refrigerator. That was probably what smelled. They took the ramen broth poured it in a wok to reheat it. The pork was still cold in the ramen. The taste of the ramen was sour, unlike any other time we've eaten here, so we stopped eating. Based on everything else we experienced , it may not have been safe. Hopefully they will get back to the quality they used to have. I just worry that the other locations are declining as well. Maybe opening too many locations caused a lack of focus for the individual sites. We will not be returning and may not return to any location.

Love the ramen sit up bar and that you could see in the kitchen! I've never been to this location before as they seem to have chains in the surrounding area. This particular location is small. Think galley way. A few tables to sit next to the window and a ramen bar over looking the kitchen. You place your order at the cash register and your food is delivered to the table. The menus on the wall and counter top are misleading though. It advertises different kinds of ramen and sushi but this location doesn't serve sushi and a few other kinds of ramen. (I don't remember the specific one) Why advertise sushi and a full menu if they don't serve it. We were told that we could drive 2 miles down the street to Schaumburg (Chicago Ramen Annex) for a full menu with more options. Kinda disappointed but now we know what to expect. Regardless, my white miso ramen was delicious! Broth was rich and bit salty for my liking, but the pork was tender. The noodles had a chewy bite! The bamboo was tough to chew though.. Kind felt like I was chewing on a twig. The gyoza filling was sub par, but points on the crispness of the wrapper! Also the dipping sauce that accompanied the gyoza was yum yum! I would definitely come back here for a quick bite and during non peak hours so I'm not rubbing elbows with others.

Egg cooked very nicely, noodles have a good texture. Spices in the side with the to go order are a nice touch. Soft shell crab side was very nice. Cools off easy when to-go, but still very good. Only downsides how cramped it is inside. Between the seating, people ordering and to-go orders there is very little room inside. Wish they had a way to have people wait outside. It was at capacity and I only see this place getting more popular as time goes on.

We actually love coming here instead of Chicago Ramen because there's less of a crowd than Chicago Ramen! The first time, I got the regular chicken ramen and added spices after. It was the perfect amount of spicy. The second time, I got it spicy and then mixed the whole dollop of spices in and it was so spicy, but sooooo good. I love that the broth is so light and flavor. Then that spiciness hits you, but makes you come back for more. It's usually quieter here and the staff will check up on you every so often.

I explored the neighborhood on Labor Day and ended up at this ramen location. I've been to two of their other locations, but it was my first time at this one. They have a spacious parking space, but the inside is small. It's perfect for solo dining or two but not for groups. It's more of a take-out style. I got the spicy tsukemen with egg, which I've tried at other locations. It's so good. The ramen had a great chewy texture. The egg was cooked perfectly. The flavor of the broth was delicious. The first bite brought me back to life, and all the bites after gave me joy in living again. I loved how the guy came over to check-in. I don't know if the AC was broken, but it was pretty toasty inside.

this restaurant is in a plaza next to la michoacana and ding tea. we got take out here and service was quick and friendly and to my recollection there are no tables or chairs to dine in. the container looked small at first upon opening up our food but i was left feeling satisfied after finishing it. it was delicious! i got both the red and white miso as these seemed to be the most popular. i felt the red miso soup base was way more flavorful than white but preferred the noodles in the white miso vs the red. i thought the dishes were both excellent and will definitely be coming here more often!

If I could give 6 stars I would! This place has such great food I'm obsessed and always love to eat here when I'm in the area!

More casual place than Chicago Ramen itself. Tsukemen tasted similar to Tsukemen from Chicago Ramen. I liked the hot chili pepper ramen a lot. It was like Japanese style DanDan noodle with soup. The minced pork was a bit spicy, a bit numb, and with a lot of sesame paste flavor. This location focuses on take out. Even you dine in, you will get taken out settings. Just a few tables with a couple of bar seat. I'll come back and I recommend it.

Great little ramen shop. Chicago Ramen in Des Plaines is one of our favorite ramen spots . We are excited to discover they are now available in Rolling Meadows! This place is small and probably best for take out or a quick dine in. Staff is really nice and the food ... just as good as the regular Chicago ramen, but in a smaller portion (and disposable bowls). Price is reasonable for what you'll get. I'd recommend it for a quick lunch but might not have the restaurant vibe for sit down gathering. Still glad it's here!

It is a very small restaurant located in a strip mall. There are only 3-4 tables for seating and nothing else - not even a restroom, so there's not much to the place. However, the food was great. I got the Creamy Vegan Ramen with a side of an egg. I added fresh garlic and plenty of Onikasu (red spice) that are available on each table, which I really appreciated. The broth was so rich and flavorful, and I have happy with the toppings as well. I will definitely be back!

A favorite of ours! The ramen is fresh and hot and quick! The quality is top notch! The annex in Rolling Meadows is great for a quick ramen fix. If you want total ambiance, go down the street to the restaurant so you can also enjoy some of their appetizers. They have nice long tables so you can easily go with a group but the restaurant is small so pick your time to go wisely!

I just had the chicken ramen and it is some of the best ramen I have had. If you like ramen give this place a try

The place is very compact. There are only three 2-person tables and the rest are bar stools (8) facing the kitchen. If somebody is seating on any one of the stools, the path is tight that you have to walk sideways to pass (like a crab). I've been in a smaller place in Japan that can only accommodate 3 people (stools). It is very easy to place an order from the touch screen. They serve the original Calpico beverage. I ordered Sea Tsukemen (seafood) but I don't know why my ramen had chicken broth. The broth was salty. I ordered extra broth bc I love sipping on broth but I left my salty broth behind and untouched. The tip is optional when finalizing your order. It's a bit awkward to add a tip before you get any service so to scale a appropriate & deserving tip is basically a guess work (fingers crossed). Also, keep in mind that the restaurant does not have a restroom for customer use. I think my experience very much reflect my recommendation of this place.

Great Ramen. Got take out. Not much space to eat inside. Even smaller then their sister location in des plaines. They do keep up the top notch quality.

We are big fans of Chicago Ramen, so when we passed by Chicago Ramen Lab, we had to found out if this is their sister restaurant, and indeed it is. Chicago Ramen is small, and this is even smaller because it is mostly a Carry Out restaurant, the place can barely sit 12 people, so if you want to dine in, you either come real early, or be prepared to wait. The star of Chicago Ramen Lab is truly its Ramen, just like Chicago Ramen, the noodle and the broth are the real deal. If you like ramen, you'll love Chicago Ramen Lab. The different between Chicago Ramen & Chicago Ramen Lab is the price, the price of ramen is way lower here, I guess partly because they give you less meat, but who cares, as long as the noodle and broth is good. I'm very excited that they opened this location because it's much closer to my house than Chicago Ramen.

Of note, I visited during soft opening. I think they mentioned their grand opening is 2/1. So all 3 stars go to the food. Food is delicious. Didn't miss a step from sister ramen shop, Chicago Ramen. Prices are cheaper because portions are smaller. Had spicy tuna rice bowl combo and red miso ramen. The ramen comes bare, so only soup and noodles, with 1 piece of meat, portions smaller to reflect the price, but everything else needs to be added a la carte. Missing 2 stars b/c the concept is confusing. I think if you want to just get ramen togo or delivered, this may be hitting out of the park. dining in, the meal is served in togo bowls. The service was weird b/c you order at the register and they bring it out to you which wasn't clear. Plus the front of the house seemed to be prioritizing togo orders, so as a dine in, its a free for all. Luckily it wasn't very busy for dine in, but if i were busy, I suspect service would be majorly lacking. They should consider a vending machine style like in Japan for ordering, would make it more convenient.

A thicker soup whether you order ramen or tsukemen. The gyoza was pretty good too. The lime they provide and the slice of chashu went great together for the tsukemen. Price point is very nice at 11 ish for the soups and 7 ish for the donburi rice bowls. Service was quick. Ambiance is a bit on small side and cozy. Won't be able to bring in large parties.

I forgot to take a picture of my food But it was really good! I got the white miso ramen with corn, tofu, and extra chashu. At first the meat looked a little dry, but when it's dipped in soup, it absorbs the soup and it MELTS in your mouth. It was so delicious. The meat was nice and tender, everything had good flavor, but the bamboo shoots were a little hard. I'm going to try something new again next time! Thank you!

Food was awesome! Ramen was authentic and 'thick' broth. Super flavorful! Service was great Not so much seating but that's fine. VERY intimate. To go containers were good and not flimsy. Forgot to take pics before we started eating..sorry

We did a pick up order and we ended up missing part of our order and was too difficult to get a refund for the missing item. The lady on the phone didn't understand what I was saying and we ordered online through yelp so I don't think they had a way to issue a refund and it was too far to drive back to to get a refund. Minus that we also said no onions to our order and seems like they put extra : (. The ramen and chasui bowl was just too salty for my preference

It was late on a Sunday and the place we had originally intended to go was already closed. Running low on options that were still open, we settled on a ramen shop in a strip mall. The moment we walked in the door, it was clear this was something out of the ordinary. The dining area was tiny, yet oddly cozy, like we had just wandered in off a Tokyo alley rather than from Algonquin Road. We both ordered the red miso ramen, which for the price, I assumed would be decent if unremarkable. Whoa. I was kind of blown away. Out here between a vape shop and a nail salon was some of the best ramen I've had, and in just about the perfect atmosphere for it, too. The only drawbacks: no bathroom (there's no room anyway) and someone had put an all-Katy Perry playlist on the PA. But the value, atmosphere, and incredible ramen are so strong, I can't bring myself to take off a star. This is a hidden gem.

Love the vegetarian ramen here but sad that they served it in a disposable bowl. Not sure if it's because it's a "lab"? I'm hoping they'll offer the creamy vegetarian option at the other Chicago Ramen locations!

Red miso Ramen and tsukemen noodles! Tiny ramen shop with a bar to sit and eat at. Food was excellent. Perfect, even. I can't begin to explain how wonderful and decadent the broth for our entrees were. I personally had the tsukemen with a side of chicken. Tsukemen is special because you are served cold noodles separately from a very salty and nutty pork broth sauce. And hours later, I can still taste this delicious broth. I have never had tsukemen specifically before and asked for more broth to be added to my sauce after eating most of the noodles, as suggested. The broth the Chef added to the salty sauce completely neutralized the oversaltiness and made it into a true soup!!! I wish I had more! Music choice was strange, however, and I wish that it matched the feeling eating eating such great Ramen in a place like that. Additionally, I was very sad the front worker misheard me asking for a togo box and threw my soup away. But the broth and everything was so good that I can't give this place anything less than a 5/5 review. I look forward to returning again soon.

The best Ramen in Northwest Suburbs so far!!!! The service is fast and easy! The people who works at Chicago Ramen Lab are so nice. The ambiance is very nice and chill. If you want on point and super good Ramen Go here at Chicago Ramen Lab!

I'm a big Ramen head this place food was fantastic I had red miso Ramen. The broth was on point the noodles was on point everything was delicious. I normally add things to it but this time I don't need to add anything just sit and enjoy, which is kind of rare I highly recommend this place.

The Ryman was disgusting. It had too much oil. It was weird never seen something like that.

"Lab" is a good name for it. Ordered shrimp wonton ramen (about $13) and a spinach add-on ($3.50). All in, over $18 before tip, for one bowl of bad ramen. The broth had a very thick layer of oil floating on top. The shrimp wonton looked like lasagna noodles with bits of shrimp inside. When you picked them up (with a spoon or with chopsticks) they fell apart. Two stars, not one, because the staff were so nice. But that's not enough for me to go back.

Service was terrible. Stood inside 5 minutes while boss man walked by looking and not saying a word to anyone. Finally the cook came out to tell me the order is 6 minutes away. After 10 of boss man slowly bagging one item at a time for a few different orders food still wasn't ready. The cook had to come out multiple times to do multiple jobs and then came and apologized to me for the delay. If the boss man got his stuff together this place could be much better. The cook is a boss though!!

Love this small, locally owned ramen place! Very authentic. Fast but delicious and filling. Good prices and fast service. Would 9/10 come again. I pork bowl, 1 ramen, 1 drink and 1 rice ball. $27

I've been ordering food delivery from their flagship for a couple of years. And now I can just drop in to this amazing new spot for carry out. White miso with some added heat is amazing. I'll have to check out the Tsukemen during the warmer months.

Small quaint ramen shop in rolling meadows. Ramen tastes flavorful and authentic. We will be back.

The ramen is just incredible here. Everyone in my family has a different favorite but everything is truly amazing and reasonably priced. My fav is the white miso ramen. The people who work here are so kind and friendly. Just an outstanding restaurant! The space itself is pretty small but you definitely can eat inside with the few tables that there are.

Place the was struggling to serve customers in a timely manner even when the place wasn't busy. We were literally the only dine-in party there with two dashers/uber eats drivers waiting for their orders. In fact, the delivery people weren't even acknowledged either for the longest time. We were all just standing around the small restaurant. The person on the register didn't know how to use the system right so my friends and I had to guide him. My boyfriend didn't think explaining their own system to them was worth the hassle to get his extra portion of meat in his ramen. They kept missing things from our party's orders. They apologized for the delay but there really wasn't an excuse other than not knowing what they had to be doing. It seem like they were in a rush to leave even though we left 30 mins before closing. We would've finished faster if we didn't wait 15 mins for someone to come to the register and take our order and us having to wait for them to fix our orders. Id probably have a better experience at the main restaurant but definitely not coming back to the lab. Food was just okay. Not worth the hassle.

Glad to have this ramen place close to my home. Very fast service. They do delivery which is perfect when you need your ramen fix.

I have never felt this sick. I'm currently on the toilet writing this review sweating and feeling terrible. Only thing I ate yesterday was the ramen. The chicken was kind of chewy, for sure won't be back.

A little bit busy night. I placed my order ahead of two dine in tables. But they served them first. I ended up waiting for my two orders of noodles for about 30 minutes. The noodles were just ok.

Excellent ramen! Place is very small, if you want to eat-in, go early. They also have good appetizer tofu.