Musashiya Ramen

This is my hands down best ramen restaurant in Chicago yet. The lady employee was very friendly and she took care of a lot of customer during busy hours alone. Very impressive. I am a very picky eater and a ramen snob, but the ramen here tastes perfect with good spice level for someone from Thailand who likes spice, but not crazy Thai spice. My formula, if anyone wants to follow, is karaage chicken, miso base, soft ramen, 2 cloves of garlic, with spice, light sodium. The cabbage threw me off because I have never seen cabbage in a ramen before, but it adds crunchy texture so it’s all good. The hot tea was authentic. I will definitely go back for a second round. The price is good too!

Cool little ramen spot off Broadway. I got the build your own ramen with tonkotsu broth, chicken karaage, green onion, with a medium salt level. I could have definitely gone with the high salt which would have packed a little more of a punch. The ramen was good and hit the spot on a cold November night. The servers are also really nice and attentive. It’s small with limited seating, so you may have to wait if there are already a few larger parties dining inside. We got lucky and didn’t have to wait for a table.

The potstickers were the real highlight of this lunch! Crispy on the outside, whatever was in the soy sauce dip was citrusy. Cannot wait to get these again! My husband LOVED the chicken esp inside of his ramen. I’m not a huge ramen person so to me it was decent. However the service was excellent

Musashiya Ramen is such a hidden gem!!! Everything we ordered was a 10/10. Flavor profile of the shrimp tempura udon dipping noodles was incredible… I knew from the first bite that this was my new favorite spot in Chicago. We got the pork cashu ramen as well and the noodles were the perfect consistency. The pork cutlet was battered and fried well, and the curry tasted homey. The chicken karagge was also a great appetizer, and the sauce complemented the flavors of the other dishes well.

Musashiya Ramen is my favorite Ramen spot in all of Chicago. I’ll often bike over on a Saturday afternoon to have some ramen while I read. The ordering process is really simple as you fill out a paper form with how you’d like your noodles cooked and what amount of spice or garlic to add. It comes out in 15 minutes or less, it’s always delicious, and it is a lovely, relaxing setting. Highly recommend!

Cute ramen spot by lake view with a very carefully and tasty menu consisting Ramen, Rice bowl and a bunch of Apps! Good date spot! The tofu rice bowl and vegan ramen is a perfect choice for vegan dieters. They also have a couple of Pork based ramen bowl which was 10/10! Plenty of seatings and nicely lit restaurant makes it a perfect date spot! The staff is super sweet and are quick with your order! Next time you crave ramen, you know where to go :) For more, Follow @thefoodblogie on insta!

Went here solo. Great service, and perfect environment for me personally. This spot is probably top three ramens I’ve ever had. I got the veggie miso broth with 2 garlic cloves, medium salt, and medium firm noodles. Tasted the broth and dove in so my picture isn’t the way it was given to me. 14/10 will be going back asap.

I randomly walked past the place and decided to give it a try. I was alone, and wanted to enjoy a nice ramen. The food was amazing and very fairly priced. The service was outstanding. The staff made me feel very comfortable and only came to my table a few times to know if everything was ok (which I appreciated!). I had the karaage chicken tonkatsu ramen, with a side of spicy bamboo shots. I will be back !

u can customize your own ramen and I got the shrimp tempura with the spicy sauce. the broth was super tasty and overall would come again for some good ramen. The service was also good! There is seating inside and is a bit more casual.

Pros - pork chashu tastes decent. but not very thick or big, like at authentic japanese restaurants - noodles have decent texture Cons - tonkatsu broth is not rich. watery and bland

Underrated ramen spot! Very small but the food was on tier with ramen wasabi and ramen san. The broth was great and there was so much in the ramen, it felt like a good bang for your buck. I had it twice in one week (1 time takeout) and it was great both inside and for takeout. Great for the winter and cozy spot for intimate date nights. Not great for groups as seating inside is limited.

Musashiya Ramen is such a hidden gem!!! Everything we ordered was a 10/10. Flavor profile of the shrimp tempura udon dipping noodles was incredible, and the pork cashu ramen had the perfect noodle consistency. The pork cutlet was battered and fried well, and the curry tasted homey. The chicken karagge was also a great appetizer, and the sauce complemented the flavors of the other dishes well. The staff was so friendly and explained the dishes well, and the interior is homey and modern. I'll definitely be back!

Cute ramen spot by lake view with a very carefully and tasty menu consisting Ramen, Rice bowl and a bunch of Apps! Good date spot! The tofu rice bowl and vegan ramen is a perfect choice for vegan dieters. They also have a couple of Pork based ramen bowl which was 10/10! Plenty of seatings and nicely lit restaurant makes it a perfect date spot! The staff is super sweet and are quick with your order! Next time you crave ramen, you know where to go :) For more, Follow @thefoodblogie on insta!

Decent ramen and Japanese food spot. I ordered the curry udon with pork katsu. The curry was nice and thick and had good flavor. I do wish they gave a bit more curry sauce as I had a lot of noodles left with barely any curry. The pork was crispy, but a bit dry so the curry helped there. I didn't get the ramen but my friend liked hers. It's nice that you can customize the ramen.

I don't consider myself a huge ramen fan, but this spot changed my mind! First off, the wonderful fragrance of the broth traveled outside the restaurant inviting us in, especially on the cold night after a movie. The tonkatsu ramen has a rich, flavorful broth, probably just the way it's supposed to taste. Same thing with the noodles -- they are an al dente consistency holding up for a pleasant and hearty bite. I'll be back!

The curry here is absolutely amazing! You can tell they make it from scratch. The service was a little slow but chef was really kind about it and they apologized. Usually the service is quicker, so shouldn't have to worry about a wait. I recommend the tokatsu and curry! The tokatsu was a little tough though, maybe because it was overcooked? But still all pretty tasty. The takoyaki was okay, it didn't have any Japanese mayo drizzled on top so it wasn't as tasty as it could've been. The vibes are really cute and laidback here so I highly recommend for a cute girls night or date night

Although we gave a decent tip, the service was subpar unfortunately. I'll just look at it as an off night for our server. I won't get into details. I should be back sometime in 2024 and will give it another shot. I'll try lunch next time. The curry with tonkatsu looked pretty good. My takoyaki and gyoza was ok. They ran out of rice.

My partner and I were not very impressed with the ramen here. We'd rate it about a 6.5/10. It was lacking flavor and depth. We are both from the LA area and know ramen very well and I personally had higher hopes coming here since it was on my list of bookmarked ramen spots. The plus is that they are BYOB so it makes for a cheaper date night or for catching up with friends on a budget. Our server was nice I guess? Not super friendly, but did his job. It was weird that him and the cook never communicate or talk. The vibe of the staff and the lack of music was just really weird. It's a small/narrow place so the seating is smaller/crammed which isn't necessarily bad for us, but it's not the most intimate setting for dining... and with a lot of take-out orders by DoorDash or Postmates, they would come in and yell across the way for the orders they were picking up. Not the best experience to dine in, lol.

A nice ramen place in Lakeview on a block with lots of other Asian places around (poke, Red Pig, and more)! I liked that the ramens were all very customizable with firmness of noodles, garlic, and flavor. However, I do wish they had more options for spiciness! They do have a checkbox for spicy or no spicy but the soicy option was very light and when my party asked for hot chili oil they didnt have any but had some spice flakes that didn't add much. Another plus to this place is that they have japanese curry katsu dishes, a rarity in Chicago compared to other big cities. The curry was flavorful but again could use some more spice. It was a pretty simple dish with literally just rice, curry, and meat that would satisfy a curry craving but would not be a favorite.

Phenomenal food, great service. One of the better ramen spots in the city. Can't go wrong here

Not my favorite ramen in the city, but it's pretty good if you're in the area. I think it's cool how they let you customize different parts of the ramen like the noodle firmness, saltiness, and how much garlic is in it. I got the Chicken Karaage Tonkotsu and while I thought the chicken quality could have been a little better it was pretty great overall. The service was good throughout. Ambiance isn't anything special, but it was clean and modern. I'd recommend overall, but I wouldn't consider it to be a destination worth traveling for.

Located in lake view east, was able to try musashiya ramen. On a Tuesday night, the place was busy, but there was little wait time to get seated at a table. You can customize your ramen bowl with the order sheet to your liking. I choose light saltiness and extra garlic and the tonkotsu broth still packed flavor. The medium noodle texture was springy and easy to eat. The server was attentive and continually refilled water and checked to see how the meal was going. I would pass on the chicken karrage and try the more traditional pork chashu in the future. This place is a solid place to get ramen at in Chicago.

stopped in randomly as it had been on our list and we were looking for a quick spot to eat early, so we got there just as it opened. cute little cozy spot, reminded me of similar places in Japan. no fuss, just good food and quick service. ordered the karaage curry udon which was so very tasty, and always great to find non-sushi Japanese joints in the city. looking forward to go back and trying the ramen.

I really liked this place. When I got in, the water asked if I had been there before and since I haven't he explained the ordering process with the sheet of paper and specifying how you'd like your ramen. I got the tonkatsu ramen with the pork charshu, extra firm noodles, and regular saltiness. I think the noodles were great texture and the broth had great flavor. I might adjust the brother flavor to less salty next time I come. This is a great place to have a date or meet up with your friends as it isn't too loud or hectic in there.

Our server Ryan was really patient with my ignorance on Ramen. It feels like your in Japan with how tight the tables are by the kitchen. The tonkztsu soup has a deep fatty complex flavor. Being able to dictate the firmness or softness of the noodles I thought was cool Pork was Melt in your mouth soft. The miso soup base my wife had is a less powerful on taste but just as satisfying. Both define comfort food

The interior of this restaurant is very authentic looking and the chef and waitress greeted us upon entrance into the establishment. The menu was very cut and dry, straight to the point. The ramen option paper reminded me of Shin Sen Gumi (one of my go to ramen places). We ordered takoyaki, 1 miso ramen no spice, and 1 tonkotsu ramen with extra garlic and spicy. Everything came out in a timely manner and the overall ingredients were bland while the broth was flavorful which balanced out the overall ramen bowl. Overall experience was good except the other customers were just super loud (which can't be helped). If I had the choice of coming back again I think I would pass since the ramen wasn't anything out of the ordinary. However if I had an extreme craving for ramen and this was the best choice available then I would most likely come just to satisfy the craving.

Karaage curry and ramen were excellent. Food is made right in front of you and served quickly

This place is so yummy. We ordered the Karage Udon and the Karage pork cut with rice and curry. We finished everything. It was super authentic and the service is exceptional! It's a cozy space curdled in curry essence with relaxing music and dim lighting. Highly recommend for the best noodles and curry in Chicago!

This is the best ramen I've had in a really long time. It's really cool how you can choose how cooked you want your noodles, how much garlic you want, whether you want it spicy, and whether you want green onion. You can even choose the saltiness level! Never been to such a customizable ramen place! This place seems very authentic and is reasonably priced. The service was also great.

The food here is the real deal and you will feel like you are eating in Japan...The chicken curry and Udon noodles with fried pork cutlets were fantastic and the pan fried Gyoza were perfectly cooked....This place even goes the extra step of being like a Japanese spot to eat by having fake plastic renderings of food displayed in the window...Nice touch. Cant wait to try more on the menu.

Warning, very few vegetarian options. Almost all ramen, soups, etc have a pork base to them. If you don't eat pork, this is not the place for you. Restaurant is mostly set up for take-out. I was the only dinner in the restaurant. The water served to the table was undrinkable; chemical taste. The soup base of the ramen is incredible. That was the highlight of my visit to Musashiya. Size could be a little larger for the price.

So a hobby of mine is checking out Ramen shops and then heading over to Yelp for a review. I'm usually generous because unless it's really bad, I have a severe problem or it just wasn't that good. Too many review sites have a lot of unneeded negativity and I want to cheer on our local businesses. Generally if I give a high review, I'd probably go back. This is not a generous 5 star. This is a "please go here, the food is genuinely amazing" kind of 5 star This unassuming ramen place has an awesome menu. Curry Katsu, ramen, karrage, all the good izakaya noms for a solid lunch or dinner. While they have listed ramen, I just went off the little sheet of paper that lets you customize your order. You can select the saltiness, the noodle texture, spice, and your protein. I was floored, the broth was perfect, the noodles were amazing and all the toppings were utterly delicious. My only complaint; I want more chashu! It's really good here! Ramen is kind of a fast food and like most fast foods, I feel a little weighed down and full of junk. Even the best ramens make me feel like that. This ramen did not. I felt perfectly refreshed and was amazed at just how quality the food is here. It both satisfying and good on your stomach. Cannot recommend this place enough. I'm trying the curry next time because I'm hyped up enough as is.

Ordered delivery and considering the wait, the food arrived warm and in decent condition. We ordered the tonkotsu ramen, fried pork curry udon and fried chicken nuggets (Kara age). The ramen soup was packaged separately, thankfully. I liked the option of customizing the ramen, but I almost wish the recipe was already set and the customization was only for ingredient or dietary. For example, we did Medium Chicken Oil, Spicy, With Green Onion, Firm noodles, 1 Clove of garlic, Medium Salt (but imo, the soup was still too salty). Also, the two slices of pork were very fatty. The fried chicken was a little rubbery- would've been better if it was crisper. Overall, the flavors were good, but I can't say I found a new go-to.

We got tonkotsu ramen and pork Katsu curry. Tonkotsu ramen was bland, even similar to instant noodle soup flavor. But the chashu, noodles, and soft boiled egg were good. We were very happy with the curry's flavor and katsu's light crispiness. I definitely plan to order delivery from this place for just the katsu curry. Employees were very nice. Lots of street parking but it's a busy area. 4 stars for the katsu curry and good service. I'll knock off only one star for the ramen.

Ordered a pork ramen for take away and it was utterly mediocre. It had all the elements but minimal actual flavor.

Really good food and quick service. Found a hair in my ramen but it didn't deter my appetite

Musashiya Ramen is a small but great ramen place to visit in the Lakeview Area. The servers are kind and it's very cool seeing the kitchen while you're waiting for the food. Their edamame was probably some of the best I have ever had because they added a lot of salt. Me and my partner both ordered Tonkotsu Ramens. You can either build your own or pick an option off their menu, which is very simple. Their ramen was delicious with crunchy vegetables, great shrimp tempura, noodles, and a delicious broth. I would highly recommend trying Musashiya if you're in the area and in the mood for ramen!

I really liked the ordering style here. You fill out a slip of paper saying which broth you want and then customizing the saltiness, fattiness, spice, garlic, etc. Then you choose between chicken or pork. Besides this, though, I didn't like how limited the menu was. I really wanted to try a curry, but the only options were pork by default. Not very dietary inclusive, but at least they did offer chicken in the ramen! The ramen was flavorful although a bit small of a portion, and the noodles were very good. Definitely a good option for a quick local spot.

I am on the search for good japanese curry and wanted to try this place. The curry here is decent. The curry taste is pretty authentic but the texture is a little gritty. It does lack a little bit of depth - it tastes just slightly diluted. I think the curry you can make at home with the japanese curry cubes are a little better. The proteins were really great though! The fried chicken and pork cutlets were super crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The panko they used is pretty nice and flavorful. The service here is great and the restaurant itself is pretty cute!

Authentic feel, decent ramen! Food: My boyfriend and I both got tonkatsu ramen. You receive a slip of paper in which you indicate things such as what broth you would like, the amount of chicken oil, the firmness of the noodles, and the spice level. There are dashed circles around the default options, so if you're lost you can always go with that. I personally love when ramen shops allow you to personalize your bowl, and I feel like that's hard to come by in the Midwest, so A+ for that. The con to that is your selections can make or break your ramen. I think I made the wrong choice of selecting less chicken oil, which made my broth taste quite dull. However, the noodles were the perfect firmness and the toppings + meat tasted good. I tried my boyfriend's spicy broth, and I do think it tasted better. If I were to come again, I would select the regular amount of chicken oil and go for the spicy broth. Service / space: The service is good - nothing I have to complain about! The place is quite narrow, and most tables only seat 2 people. There are some tables at the front of the store that could seat 4 people. Best to come with a small group to enjoy your ramen.

I've tried a lot of ramen places in Chicago and usually it's a hit or miss with the noodles, broth, or both. This place definitely cooks their noodles perfectly and has yummy broth. Usually these small local ramen places do way better job than the big chain ramen places. It's nice they also let you customize your ramen but I would definitely go with what's recommended on their menu. I got the tonkotsu broth and it was very good. Great service as well. Chill ambiance. Will definitely come back here again.

Really enjoyed the gyoza and spicy chicken ramen. Flavor was on point and the noodles were cooked perfectly. The broth was so flavorful and warming.

The ramen is soo good! The broth was just the right amount of rich and flavorful- not too salty. Good amount of toppings. The chicken karaage is the best one so far I had in Chicago! You can definitely taste the ginger flavor. Overall, 5/5 would recommend to a friend!

Delicious!!! My friends and I came here on a Friday night and despite it being on a busy street it feels like a nice cozy neighborhood restaurant. It's BYOB so we brought a bottle of wine and enjoyed the food--which I thought was outstanding (and I don't always love ramen). I got the tofu noodles with an egg

Experience: The girlfriend and I were in the mood for Japanese food and came across this gem. It's literally right next to Crisp (which doesn't have dine in by the way). During dinner time in the weekend, with a part of two, we were able to be seated fairly quickly. Parking: Just the fact it's Lakeview, you are going to have a difficult time find parking, especially free ones. If you do visit, I suggest coming during the week. I came here on a weekend and it was surely a struggle to find a spot. Or better yet, take public transportation. Worth: Definitely worth the experience and the visit. When you first enter, they greet you in Japanese which was a pleasant surprise. It is pretty small, so big groups may be difficult to do. Since it was only the two of us, dine in was not a problem. Food was delicious and well made. I had their version of a chicken katsu over rice and takoyaki (both pictured below) and no disappointments on my end. I would definitely come back here again!

I'm trying to only write positive reviews during COVID, because it must be hard to keep a restaurant open, and after moving back to Chicago, I'm so grateful to have such a wide selection of my favorite foods at my fingertips again. I've been feeling particularly lazy and decided to order katsu kare instead of just make it my damn self. Theirs could have easily been a golden curry block, it didn't strike me as extra delicious, but it certainly hit the spot. I also ordered a tonkotsu ramen, which was kinda strange. The broth was very rich and porky, but was overreduced or fortified w/ gelatin to the point it was like a sticky semi-gel even when very hot, not milky and pleasantly rich like I hoped. I actually had to add a splash of water to make it more slurpable, but otherwise it was pretty flavorful and a comforting bowl of noodles. The only true real complaint I have is that their take out containers cause the crispy foods to go soggy during delivery. Other restaurants have solved this problem a number of ways, but maybe in the mean time you can request that they poke a whole in the lid or something so your karaage stays light and crispy. If I were in the area in normal times, i'd definitely stop in for a quick meal. In these covid times, I might order here again for convenience? The food arrived quickly and tasted fine, but I don't think I would crave this specific ramen again, and I usually make curry at home. But it's certainly great comforting food for a rainy day, especially if you live close by enough to pick up.

Ordered the pork gyoza, fried chicken nuggets, and miso ramen. The pork gyoza was good, nothing special. The fried chicken nuggets were REALLY chewy and fatty feeling. I didn't like them. The miso ramen was not good at all, and I'm 80% sure it's my own fault because this is the first ramen place I've ever been to that lets you choose the amount of each ingredient and I had no idea what I was doing. I was extremely disappointed with the overall taste but the service was fast and friendly.

Normally I'm a bigger fan of tonkatsu ramen, but at this restaurant, I like their miso ramen more! Both are tasty though! They are new to Lincoln Park and are currently giving 15% off dine-in and pick up phone orders if you check in on Yelp! I got my ramen to-go. To-go plating just isn't as good as dine-in plating but at least you get the satisfaction of pouring in your own broth!

great ramen and great service. we would highly recommend it. spicy bamboo shoots were a great side dish also.

Cute place, friendly staff, the food is good. Love the takoyaki, octopus cook perfectly. Gyoza and karaage is decent and standard. Tender and juicy chicken, I'd skip the lemon, it taste pretty good without it. Ramen is alright, 1 thinly sliced piece of meat and half of a soft boiled egg seems a bit stingy for the price. The soup tastes good but together is a bit bland. I'd order heavy flavor and let it soak for a min. I feel this place will definitely need some sort of signature to be able to compete with all the other Japanese restaurants in the area. Right now it's a safe and standard menu with everything offered everywhere else.

Customizable ramen?!? Sign me up! The fact I can request light salt already makes this a 4/5, but the delicious noodles bump it to a 5. I got the miso base for the soup, and it was delicious - I wish the miso was a bit stronger, but it was still really good nonetheless. Takoyaki was good as well. Would highly recommend!

Yummy ramen and wonderful curry! Quick and attentive service! Cute little neighborhood spot, will definitely be returning!

Great food. Dined in. Loved the customizability, as I prefer firm noodles and low salt broth. Both broths (tonkatsu and miso) were delicious. Waiter (didn't catch his name) was polite and quick. Didn't love how expensive it was but I'll attribute that to Putin's price hike. I'd go back.

My experience here was great! I walked in and ordered my meal to-go, and even though they were working through a ton of online orders, my food was ready in less than 10 minutes. Their service was kind and very accommodating. The shop itself was small but still had a lot seating without feeling too crowded. I got the Tonkatsu Ramen with chicken, and it was great! I had about a 10 minute walk home and it was still warm and fresh, and the to-go boxes were actually very high quality (definitely kept them)!

This place should not be empty on a Friday night. This food was amazing. The pork is seasoned well and the egg melts in your mouth. For what you receive the price is good. Please come visit and give this place business!

Honestly my favorite ramen place so far in Chicago! I've tried a handful of places and the broth just usually is average. But here, the broth is so creamy and flavorful! My favorite is the spicy miso ramen with an extra egg yummmmm!!! I've only ever had delivery so I can only imagine how good it would be in person. Highly recommend!

Very friendly service. Soup was good but I've had way better. Also I've never seen corn in Ramen soup before. I should have done a little more research on their Yelp photos before ordering. Nice place but I'd go somewhere else next time.