Friends Ramen

My daughter’s ramen looked amazing and she loved it! She keeps craving it and she loves ramen so she’d be a good judge. I had the fried squid tentacles and they were tender, crunchy on the outside and tasty! I also tried their mochi ice cream and it was delicious! Good service and I loved the decor!

Love this place it does have the Japanese atmosphere to it play anime on TV and also play music you'll hear in Japan. Friend Ramen has a nice selection of food that's Japanese inspired and they are very delicious. The host is super inviting and very considerate and very warm person. The place is small but I don't mine it at all.

A friend recommended this place and wow it was so good. I got the spicy idk what it was called but it had pork belly and ramen and an egg and bamboo and it was soo good. Also the shrimp tempura with spicy mayo was delicious. My fighter did not like the white rice said it was too dry brushes liked the ramen and broth. Also the mochi ice cream strawberry and vanilla was delicious. We will be back again before we leave to try the kraaken chicken.

We love the ramen here. It carries great authentic flavors and heavy broths with American spins and favorites and have nice rice bowls and sides too. It's generally not bad value at all and it tastes good, so we would frequent this place.

Absolutely loved everything about this spot. Stopped here randomly on our last day in Chicago and my family loved it. The Niku Ramen especially is a personal fave. I'll definitely stop in again on my next trip.

I ordered the Tantanmen, which was good, but the dish was a little one dimensional, don't get me wrong it tasted very good but it's a little expensive and you get the tiniest porkbelly pieces with it. It's not a lot of value for your buck, I find it slightly overpriced and not very complex flavors.

Great local ramen place. Cute atmosphere and great for eating alone. Lots of options, bowls , ramen and buns. The shumai was awesome and so was the ramen. I like that you can pick the size of the ramen , small or large.

This ramen bowl lacked flavor and was tasteless. Worse ramen bowl I have ever consumed. Just look at the broth. This is the miso ramen. Its sorry looking. Dont know how this place is highly rated.

Candy was a wonderful interaction to help correct a mistake made on a recent visit. Food was good, atmosphere was pleasant although the seating is kinda small and the pricing is a little bit higher than other places. Loved the decor in the restaurant. Overall we would go back if ever in the neighborhood.

Such great food and service! Love the authentic Japanese style of the restaurant and the food was amazing.

My go-to for takeout ramen. Favorites on the menu include karaage chicken ramen and chicken gyoza. Great takeout option for colder months when you want a spicy bowl of ramen to warm you up! Friendly staff/service and speedy delivery!

Wowwwww, we just left here and if I could I would give this place 10 stars! I'm from San Diego and I was craving ramen while out here in chicago. This ramen place was the only one open around 9pm so we rushed here for last call. I must say the portion size is small but it's just perfect. I first ordered the spicy miso soup and karaage appetizer. I finished the spicy miso soup and had to get another order! It was that good. It's a decent price too. $8 for a small bowl. Definitely recommend for everyone to get their ramen fix here!

Great little place! Little being the key word. Dont go in a group. 2 people per bench is comfy but then 4 would be a lot. Small spicy miso ramen - I like spice and this was spicy! Wowee. It was spicy with a ton of chili oil. Otherwise it was great. The small is just a normal bowl, it's small. Dont expect it to be a full meal and it's full of noodles with little broth. It barely tasted like miso at all, it was fairly bland and mostly just spicy. Not salty which is great! Noodles are a little thicker here. Spicy miso veggie soup - very good! More flavorful than the spicy miso and still not salty which is awesome. Lots of noodles. Noodles are a little thicker here. Spicy edamame- very good Tempura shrimp - good California roll - very food Staff super nice and attentive Price is a little expensive

Guys and Dolls, this has to be one of the best kept Ramen restaurants in our beautiful city. Situated in the heart and start of downtown (Chicago Ave. & State Street, diagonal from Holy Name Cathedral) is a cozy, yummy, dining experience you won't want to miss! Under $30, ALL YOU CAN EAT!!! amazing service, full bar with Happy hours 11am-4pm, and food of high delicious quality, I guarantee you will leave a happy customer!

We came to this spot close to closing last night and the server was incredibly nice about it! He was quick, attentive, and welcoming. The wish wall is such a touch and homage to the Japanese wish tree. We really liked how intimate the establishment is and the bowl size options. We got two small bowls. The spicy miso ramen was delicious and QUITE spicy. I loved it. The pork belly was really well cooked and tender to chew. I enjoyed it a lot. It was the perfect portion and only $8 per bowl. I wish more places were like this!

I love the interior of this restaurant. It definitely gives authentic Japanese vibes. Their ramen comes in a small and large portion size. The veggie ramen that I had was not super flavorful, but it has good toppings.

Ordered the fried tofu buns and spicy veggie ramen. The buns were ok, nothing to write home about. The sauce was good and tofu was crisp but overall was lacking flavor and texture. The spicy ramen was SO SPICY! I guess that's on me that I didn't ask how spicy. I like things spicy but this was too spicy for me, whole mouth and lips were on fire. I couldn't finish it because of how spicy it was. The tofu in the ramen was also kind of bland and seemed like it wasn't prepared beyond just chopping.

Got to say I love that they have bowl sizes from small to large. Made me portion control for sure however the small I feel is a little too small. A medium option would have been perfect!! But hands down good ramen I did want more!!! I don't do spicy so I like that they had non spicy options that were not sweet soo bonus point for that!! For starters we had the edamame and Karaage chicken. Karaage chicken I would skip as it tasted chewy, old and as though it was just rewarded in a microwave.

Yum! We came here randomly towards the end of our trip and to our surprise, this place was great! It's definitely a smaller space, maybe 8 tables max with a bar? The tables and chairs leave barely any room and I'm quite petite). Other than that the food and service was great! My partner opted for the ramen combo set and you can choose either noodle with a side, green salad and pop. He chose to get the spicy miso, Takoyaki and a Diet Coke. They do not give you a cup nor ice and I found it to be quiet gross. It's hot and you're served a some what cold Diet Coke.. I got the niku and the spicy ramen as they were quite small, but both delicious! As we were nearing the end of the meal, I quickly went to the bathroom before leaving. To my surprise, the bathroom was full of writing and I thought it was pretty neat! However, there is a cloth that covers a window but the middle isn't fully closed...overall this was a very positive experience and we will definetly be back!

Good but not great. The booths were incredibly uncomfortable, which made the overall experience less than enjoyable. The appetizers were really tasty though, and I loved the small portions of the main menu items. The pork belly rice bowl was the best dish. The spicy ramen was good but ridiculously spicy; it made it hard to taste the yummy broth. I'd get takeout from here and be more careful about what I ordered, but I probably wouldn't dine in again.

Ambience is really cool, reminiscent of japanese bars. Unfortunately I was not so moved by the ramen.. the other dishes were alright, but the ramen was so.. lacking. The noodles weren't chewy, just broke apart and didn't carry enough of the soup, the broth was too light and had an odd sweetness to it, and the pork wasn't as soft as it should be..

Cool to see a couple of restaurants with the same Name but different food concentration. We went with the Ramen route as it looked to be a quick and easy bite, and it did not disappoint. The combo gave a good amount of food and the ramen came in a little cute bowl ( coulda ate more ramen tho! Overall the meal was pretty good but the overall feel of the restaurant was something to experience! It was small but felt big enough for the meal and was able to enjoy a pretty good view!

VERY intimate. Seats are uncomfortable however i understand the aesthetic and the food completely makes up for it. I got the spicy miso ramen and it was perfection!!! THE CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE GYOZA ARE TO DIE FOR!!!!!!!!!! This is a perfect lunch or dinner spot if youre alone or with a friend!

Honestly, my wife and I just popped in to Friends Ramen because it's right next to our hotel. But this is a great little place. You'll likely see review after review saying CUTE RESTAURANT, and that's only because it is. They're clearly going for the cute little ramen shop aesthetic, and I'd say they nailed it. Not a ramen expert but the broth and ingredients both seemed really pleasant. Waitstaff was quick and helpful. If you're already in the area it's worth a visit. I've posted a few supporting photos for your consideration.

Aside from the aesthetic of the facility feeling like your in a local Japanese noodle shop the food here was a total miss. I ordered the tantan ramen and it very super bland in flavor and salt. Broth tastes like water and a very very light pork flavor broth, the noodles were also not egg noodles, it was something similar to vermicelli noodles in thickness and texture. I feel like the ramen is also considerably overpriced for the quality of ingredients used and lack there of. Overall very disappointing.

Stopped in this cute little spot for a quick lunch. Love that they offer small ramen portions. It was perfect. We started with steamed shrimp shumai- which was served a little different from the norm - in a bowl with shredded greens and a little soy mixture. It was good. We went with spicy miso veggie and spicy chicken ramen. Both were very good. Seating is limited-staff was friendly- they serve alcohol- great music and a cool vibe.

Small ramen portion was perfect size! I also really liked that the noodles were thinner than the typical ramen noodle. Cocktails were delicious as well and had a cozy ambiance - very small place but on a winter weekday evening it was busy, but not packed. Service was decent, music was 2010's hip hop and indie so, interesting vibe LOL I would go back again for the ramen

We were greeted with warm and welcoming smiles. We sat ourselves and felt comfortable. I loved the wall of notes and the wooden tables and chairs. We had 1 combo and 1 small ramen. Perfect for a light dinner for two. My husband got the small Niku ramen with shrimp tempura and garden salad. The dressing on the salad was great and full of flavour. Wasabi soya sauce and I don't know what else. But they need to bottle and sell that dressing! Or send me the recipe. He felt the Niku needed some spice. As it was a little bland I had the karaage chicken ramen. Lots of flavour,. I did add the left overs dressing to spice it up a little. Cost was so reasonable if you are on a budget. Would come back.

Cute interior and good service and food, but on one visit we weren't sure the ramen was made with the proper noodles.

We were so happy to find this little gem of a restaurant! My kid has just recently fallen in love with ramen, so she was pumped to try the real deal. Cool decor with something noteworthy to look at on every wall. The staff was extremely helpful with ordering and brought out chopstick helpers for both kids. They were so excited to order just straight noodles and broth and ate every bite of it. My husband had the spicy miso ramen and said it was absolutely delicious. My On the Go ramen was also delicious -- the pork was so tender and tasty. We will absolutely be visiting again during our next trip!

It was nearby and I was cold and just wanted ramen. A cute little place. A bit of a hole in the wall, but I kind of liked that. $8 for a small ramen and $16 for a large. The small was really small and large was really large. I wish they'd had an in-between size. It wasn't my favorite ramen by any means, but it was good. My sister absolutely loved hers. She lives in a small farm town and hasn't had ramen in years though. ;)

Good option for ramen in downtown! Been here several times and I enjoyed the food each time. Their small size ramen is a bit small, but it's called small for a reason. It's $8 which isn't too bad but I feel like you can get more for your money at other ramen spots downtown! I've tried the Spicy Shrimp Ramen and the Spicy Miso Ramen and they were pretty good! Good amount of spice. I've also tried their Tofu & Rice Bowl, which I didn't like as much as their ramen. I thought it lacked some flavor and I requested some chili oil on the side so that helped it taste a bit better! Tried the Mai Tai and that was good. Good strength! And presentation was nice also! The restaurant has a nice ambience with some nice decorations. It's just a bit small and they have very limited seating. I went with a group of 6 once and we had to split up to dine in since their tables really can't accommodate more than 4 people (and only 4 if 2 people are squeezing next to each other on one side of the table). I'd still say it's a decent option for ramen!

Cute lil ramen spot in river north aint much more to say. Must say service was incredibly fast which was v important to me cuz i was ina rush. Also hope u like SPICE cuz ur GETTING IT ik i do so thumbs up from me...

One of the best ramen joints I have visited!! Loved the small size ramen options. I will come back!!

This is my go-to spot for lunch and dinner when I don't know what to eat. Although this is a ramen shop I really love the rice bowls here as they give nice portions (you can pick out of 2 sizes). The ramen is also very tasty no matter what you decide to order. I also find the place to be very cute and the staff are attentive and not pushy. For pick up/take away the dishes are packed nicely and usually takes only 15-30mins to be ready. Very easy in and out!

small and cute ramen place in river north with great service. i ordered the fried tofu baos and spicy miso veggie ramen. the baos were great and superrr soft though the tofu could've used a little more flavor. the ramen was solid too-- it contained rice noodles instead of traditional ramen which was an interesting twist. the broth was solid and fragrant, but could have been more flavorful. overall, the prices weren't too bad either especially for the river north area.

Stumbled upon here right next to our hotel and it was such a great surprise! I love how they have "mini" portions so you can try a little bit of everything. You can make reservations here but can also walk in. We walked in and luckily got sat within a few minutes. 5/5 - Shrimp tempura 5/5 - Ebi katsu 5/5 - chicken karaage; love the sauce they sprinkle on top! 5/5 - Tan tan men ramen 3/5 - chicken karaage ramen; chicken karaage shouldn't go together with ramen

Cute little ramen shop that is perfect for single diners. If you have a party of 3 or more, make a reservation. Not a place for big parties. They do two different size portions of ramen as well as a set for $22. The set comes with a small ramen, side, salad, and a drink. If you get the set and order hot tea, don't get a refill like because they charge you another $3. The set may look small at first but it is filling. The side was quite generous as well. Small ramen $18 Large $16 The only down side was that I came here thinking the noodles would be thick and chewy like others had posted but they actually serve thin noodles. They don't hold the broth flavor well. I got the spicy miso and it was mild and not as deep in flavor. Although it wasn't what I expected, I'm down to try the other broths next time. Overall it's good for the price!

Definitely a great bang for your buck! Friends Ramen has a great variety of menu options, but we certainly came for the Ramen. Our appetites were not heavy, but we were really craving Ramen and the smaller portion size option was absolutely perfect. Ramen can sometimes be a little too filling and having a smaller portion option definitely sets this shop apart from the rest. Enough about the size though that's not what matters, right? That's true in this scenario at least. The broth was creamy and flavorful, filled with umami and salty goodness. The noodles weren't quite as springy as I have experienced elsewhere, but they certainly lived up to the hype. Unlike many Ramen shops, the coveted toppings were full of freshness and flavor. If you are ever in the downtown area, or perhaps a Loyola student living nearby, you definitely need to try out Friends Ramen

I wanted to love it! The shrimp tempura and potsticker appetizers were good but the actual ramen was a little light on flavor. Unique and fun decor so it is an interesting place to checkout. Service was pretty standard, not bad but not above and beyond. Would love to check out the sister restaurants located next door

I ordered takeout from Friends Ramen. I got the spicy miso and added ground pork. It was odd because I ordered at about 7 and it said the order would be complete in 20-40 min, but I got no text saying it was ready, so I showed up after an hour and there it was, very clearly ready and still no text. Aside from that part, the food itself was pretty good. To be fair, I was starving and could've eaten anything at that point and said it was delicious, so a little difficult for me to actually gauge the taste since I was just shoveling the food down. I liked the ground pork though, that was probably my favorite part. The egg was cooked for a little too long (probs cause I waited an hour). Finally, 2 hours after putting my order in and having since finished my food, I got the text that it was ready. I was seriously considering going back to see if they had another bowl, but decided against it. Overall, decent, but I've had better. Also I wish they would've texted me.

Even living a block away doesn't make this restaurant worth it. Gone a couple times and it's just so underwhelming. The chairs are super uncomfortable and the food is sub par. I think the noodles were closer to spaghetti noodles than ramen noodles, they hardboil the egg in the ramen so it's not runny at all, and the pork belly rice dish I got was devoid of flavor aside from an ungodly amount of soy sauce. Even if it were significantly cheaper, I personally wouldn't go. Two stars because the service is generally friendly.

Such a cute and casual place! We got the shrimp tempura and shumai for starters followed by the chicken and spicy veggie ramen. It was so delicious and service was perfect. Would definitely recommend and go again!

This is great! Thick chunks of cooked pork, sweet sautéed corn, spicy miso broth and a gooey egg to wrap up in ramen noodles. The place looked like an authentic rustic Japanese house and would have been enjoyable but I had to take mine to go this time. I would have given the fifth star but they didn't honor the 10% off coupon I got for my yelp check-in.

Nestled in Chicago's Good Coast on State street near the corner of Chicago avenue is Friends Ramen. A location of Friends Sushi is also in the same space. However, this review will only concern Friends Ramen. First, the decor will transport you to Japan. This not your typical Western ramen restaurant that is in a large room with many big tables. While this not a prototypical Japanese style ramen shop with a long bar and limited table seating, it does have the feel of if small Japanese isakyaki. They have a few small booths in a small front room. Second, the food is very good. I ordered two types of their ramen. The spicy miso ramen and the on the go ramen (mild broth with pork belly). Be ready for a large bit of spicy if you order the spicy miso ramen. The broth was very flavorful and the pork was tender. The noodles were thick and al dente and held the both well. If want something more mild then the on the god ramen is for you. Despite being a mild both, it had a nice flavor. I also ordered appetizers of takoyaki and Karaage (fried chicken). The takoyaki can out hot and yummy. The best part is that each ball contained large pieces of tako (octopus). The karaage was amazing. It was hot and crispy. The chicken was also tender and delicious. Third, the experience was a fun. Like I said above, the atmosphere was reminiscent of some restaurants I ate at in Japan. I loved being transported to another place for my meal. The largue Ramen bowls had cool pictures of cats on them which added to the charm. There were some negatives. First, the value was ok. Each large bowl of ramen was about $16.00, not cheap, but the going rate in the Golf Coast/River North area. Second, the egg in each bowl of ramen was overcooked. Rather than getting a nice semi-runny yolk of a spring egg, I got a fully cooked hard-boiled egg. Overall, Friends Ramen is a good neighborhood ramen shop. It's worth a visit for your ramen cravings.

Spicy Veggie Miso Ramen: It was trash. It tastes like water. No miso or spice found. It was so underwhelming, it's basically water. I added things to it at home to be able to eat this. Noodles also far too soft. I don't know why some places put out veggie broths that lack so hard in flavors. I'm definitely not returning. Some ramen places I liked instead: Wasabi, Strings, and High Five

Ramen so delicious, I kept dreaming about it. While on travel for work, I had the craving for ramen. After searching nearby ramen shops, I decided on Friends ramen. Flavors were so amazing, I had the spicy shoyu ramen and want to come back again and again. I recommend going for the ramen if you live nearby or visiting in town and in the mood for ramen.

I was super excited to try Friends Ramen after walking past it so many times - ramen is one of my favorite foods. They have a very cool-girl ambience with loud music and wooden interiors. I decided to try takeout, where I ordered a large Spicy Miso Ramen with added Kimchi, soy sauce, and chicken gyoza. The order was ready literally one minute after it was accepted, despite an estimated wait time of 20-40 minutes. After a long walk to pick the food up, it had cooled down quite a bit. The ramen itself was tasty - just the right amount of spice and toppings. However, I was disappointed by the portion sizes for an $18 large cup of ramen. The kimchi that I paid $2 to add was also not included and I was very sad. When I called and asked about this mishap, they hung up on me. The chicken gyoza was very flavorful and had a great sauce pairing. It was an overall mediocre experience due to portions and a lack of attention to detail in the online order process. I did enjoy the ramen, but sadly don't think I would go out of my way to have it again.

For a small sport, their food sure is tasty! The space is small, the tables and restaurant are cozy! It feels like the family built everything with lots of love! We shared the edamame and Karaage Chicken. Both were delicious. The Tan Tan Men ramen has a really nice broth. The egg was perfectly cooked and the noodles just the right amount! You tell everything is homemade!

Friendly and attentive service. We started with the shrimp shumai, and it was terrific. We could've ordered two. At first, I got the 'Tan Tan Men' ramen, but surprisingly it was spicy for me to eat, so I got my partner 'On The Go' instead. We were both amazed by the broth. It's so rich and creamy. Noodles had good textures; the pickled ginger, corn, and some bamboo shoots were great add-ons. The ramen also had pork belly, just a personal preference, but it would be better if the meat were cut thinner. Anyway, I'm glad we got to visit this place; this was one of the restaurants we kept talking about during our trip.

Wow! This place is so tiny but I love the vibe. It feels very authentic. I ordered the spicy miso and takoyaki to go and man... I was not disappointed. It was the prefect amount of Ramen. Spicy but not overly spicy. I wish I had a little more broth but it was really good! The takoyaki was absolutely amazing. The servers were awesome too, they were definitely working hard with all the people who were inside eating. I definitely must dine in next time.

I love Friends Ramen! It is super tasty and very reasonably priced. This is a very small restaurant--only a few tables and you are packed pretty tight in there. However, their tasty ramen (I got the veggie) is so so good! They have a cool wall where you can write your wishes too for good luck. Not sure what else to say because this is a straightforward, yummy restaurant. They do accept reservations, which I recommend since it is so small. Also, the bathroom is in the back and kind of tricky to find.

I'd avoid this place as a vegetarian. The ramen had absolutely no taste and broth may have well just been water. Typically ramen tofu I've had is prepared, but nothing more than taking the tofu out the box and cutting into rectangles was done. The ambiance of the place was pretty nice though.

This restaurant doesn't look like much when you walk by, and it is not eye catching when you walk in either! However, the ramen here was really good! The restaurant itself is a little small. I would not recommend this to any group larger than 4. I feel like even 4 people would be too large of a group because the tables are tiny and cannot be placed together to accommodate. The Spicy Veggie Ramen was very flavorful. I ordered a small order of the ramen and the small order of the Chicken Karaage. Both of them were super tiny, and I wouldn't recommend you ordering the small size if you are hungry!

I've been a couple times now and there's some good and actually a lot more that needs improvement. I've had the chicken gyoza, pork belly rice bowl and Karaage chicken ramen. Both visits were take-out. Their current space is really small, very tight with music blaring so it's a hard pass for me right now. The to-go ordering systems are terrible. You can use Grub-hub but as most of us have learned by now, all the menu items are more money. You can't use their system because it's a hard stop at the phone field for some reason. It thinks you're overseas. If you use Grub-hub it adds 40 minutes as if it's a delivery or something so be prepared. They need to work on the website issue. Not happy with the to-go packaging. They need to replace the styrofoam with something else. Anything recyclable would be fine. The chicken gyoza are good. The sticky sweet sauce that comes with it isn't my personal preference but this is a good appetizer. I ordered the pork belly rice bowl with scallion and kimchi add-ons. Too much money for the add-ons and the rice bowl was pretty boring. I ended up adding some soy sauce from my pantry and it was just ok. I like the kimchi but for $2, put some more in the huge cup they sent it in. The Karaage chicken ramen was the best of the three things I tried. On the website, you can sub rice noodles for egg noodles but when you call them you'll get push back for some reason and on the website, either are a $1 uncharge which is ridiculous. We insisted on rice noodles and after an argument, they relented. It was very tasty, a little aggressively spicy for me but I liked it. It's not inexpensive. They have a ton of things to work on here if they care to do so. It's a welcome addition to the neighborhood and you should give it a try. Maybe if we support them for awhile, they'll figure it out.

So good!! Such a cool vibe in this restaurant and ramen was amazing, you can also modify how spicy you want a bowl which I liked

The atmosphere here makes you feel like you just stepped out of Chicago into the streets of Japan. Cozy, relaxed place with shockingly an awesome playlist of American r&b/calm club music. A very in-and-out experience so prepare yourself. The best and more unique quality about this ramen place is the option to order a SMALL ramen that way you can try a different bowl without feeling like a piggy. Friends Ramen supports the name, a wonderful stomping ground for lunchtime with coworkers or a quick bit with your lover.

A small, cute, little ramen spot downtown. Prices are so good for the quality of what you get. Thoroughly enjoyed my ramen bowl, and the appetizers. Try the canned jelly sake!