The place is connected inside to the Sushi restaurant next door. So if you are debating between the 2, I wonder if there are common dishes on the menu. The place might have been around for a while. The wall by the entry is full of customer messages. I like the feel of the old wood table and benches. The waitress was friendly and did not give us a hard time for asking for more time or for warm water instead of cold. We had the pork bun, Karagge Chicken, Mso ramen and Kimchi ramen. The Prok bun had too much sauce and the bun was barely warm when it came to the table. The Karagge chicken was tasty and fried just right. The ramen broth taste just right, not too salty as many places tend to be. I was disappointed by the Pork belly in the ramen which was chopped up and was overcooked. read more

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Friends Ramen was good. Came with a reservation but it seems like they just take a constant flow of walk ins. It's not huge but they seem to manage the demand. Small tables inside and is ideal for groups of 2-4. Larger may be more difficult. The food was good and quick. Had the spicy edamame to start. Came out quick. I'd recommend a large bowl (rice or ramen) or two small bowls. Will be back! read more

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Absolutely love this place! When I first visited Chicago 4 years ago on a friend's trip we stumbled across this place and loved it! This trip around I wanted to make sure I paid them a visit. The ramen is so flavorful and you can tell everything is cooked freshly. The hostess took our order quickly and the food came out surprisingly fast. You can add different spice levels to your ramen. I went with mild and added more chili oil to my liking. The chicken gyozas are one of the best I have had. They have crunchy exterior and the chicken inside is flavorful. This ramen spot is a must for any future Chicago trips! read more

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Came for a quick dinner nearby. Service was fast. The food came out hot. The ambiance is nice, cozy feeling. It's a sister restaurant and connect with the friends sushi and muan jai thai kitchen and hot pot (collectively called Friends Station), so you could actually order off any of their menus. We ended up at a table in the back of the sushi side. The okonomiyaki was good. Nothing crazy special but flavorful. My mini spicy miso ramen came in a tiny clay pot. It had a good amount of toppings. Less soup to noodle ratio. I was satisfied after. read more

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Ambience is the only thing that saves from this restaurant. Very cute and good service Food: overcooked noodles that I don't think are actually ramen noodles, the pork belly was disgusting, half not eatable and not even seasoned the Japanese way, the egg was overcooked, broth had a weird taste, especially mixed with pickled ginger. The only reason I tried to finish it is because I hate wasting food. Value: 18 usd a big bowl of ramen, you can find better for that price. The small size seems way too small read more

Friends Ramen - On the go ramen - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is such a cute and unique place. The food was top notch too! I am in love with the pork buns! Definitely coming back again to try the noodles next read more

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Just atmosphere alone awards this place an additional star. The vibes in here are so cool. I love the vibes of the wood bench seating in here, but it is definitely not very comfortable since it is so up right. There are a lot of options of ramen bowls on the menu which is nice. The service was quick and the food also came quickly. I think the ramen was standard. It didn't change my life or blow me away. I wouldn't say this place is any better or worse than any other ramen places I've tried in the area. read more

This was a really cute little Ramen shop I stopped at on a trip to Chicago. I liked that you can order a smaller portion of the ramen if you want to try multiple things. I liked the spicy miso. Wasn't blown away but it definitely hit the spot. There are small booths available so it is easy to come in and sit by yourself if you are grabbing a quick meal. There is a Whole Foods around the corner. read more

Tried Friends Ramen for the first time and we were pleased. We ordered it TOGO. The restaurant looked very nice inside. They give you the option of SMALL or LARGE sized bowls. I ordered the small ramen and large noodle & soup. Both were good. The only issue that I had was when I was ordering online, they don't offer the Noodle & Soup. I had to then call my order into the restaurant. It would be great if they'd just add this to the online menu. It's a great option for kids who like ramen without all the extra things in it. read more

Friends Ramen - Spicy Miso Ramen TOGO. Very Good. - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I came here for ramen with friends one evening and it was alright. The inside of the ramen shop is cutely decorated with posters of their food items, wooden seats, and dim lighting. The only complaint that I have is that the space of the tables we were seated at (at the front of the restaurant) was VERY tight and uncomfortable to sit at. We ordered a number of ramen and appetizers. Everything was pretty good, but I would say that there are better ramen shops out there. The broth wasn't very deep and the egg wasn't properly soft-boiled, like how traditional ramen shops do it. Overall, I thought that it was okay! read more

Friends Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Excellent food and service! Their spicy miso ramen is heavenly and I came back for the same food after a few days. read more

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My friend and I decided to randomly stop by at Friends Ramen for hot and piping ramen on an extremely chilly night. We ordered Fried tofu buns and small veggie spicy miso ramen bowls. The tofu buns were good but the hoisin sauce isn't my favourite and I have had better buns before! The spicy veggie miso ramen was an absolute hit though! It was perfectly spiced. If you don't like spicy broth, ask for a medium spiced ramen rather than regular ramen! The portion size at first seemed too less but it was actually pretty good and my friend and I were full and satiated by the end. I reduced few stars only because the service maybe could be better. My friend and I were in the middle of a conversation and the server just stormed to us to pick up the empty plates and even asked if she could take the spoon. How do you expect someone to have soup with a spoon? It was honestly a bit weird. Overall, a great spot, like most ramen spots it has fewer seats so I can see this place having space issues during rush hours! read more

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A very ramen spot that's a hole in the wall. It's open late, which makes it a great spot for some drunchie vibes. The ramen was good, not the best I've had, but very good. The employees were so nice and courteous! There's a decent amount of seating, and the vibes of the place are so fun. Also decently priced for what you get read more

Friends Ramen - Karaage Chicken Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Yummy!!! I love me some Ramen so when we were in Chicago we had to make a stop. This place was perfect, make your reservation online because it does get packed and it's small. The apps were great loved the salad to start and potstickers so delicious and flavorful. Now the ramen, perfect flavorful broth, great noodles, I for a side of Kimchi for some Added spice. They do have levels of spice and also two sizes of ramen the large bowl and the smaller which I really liked. The smaller with apps was just enough for us. Definitely will be back when I'm in the city! read more

Friends Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Stopped by on a Tuesday afternoon to no wait. The store was mostly empty and got my order taken quickly. I got the niku ramen, the special geso karaage, diet coke, and a side of kimchi. I liked the niku ramen, I wish it came with other toppings. It was a good flavor, but it was one note and very rich so I ended up getting a side of kimchi. The geso karaage was good! I'd definitely recommend it if it's still on the menu. Soon after getting my food I was given the bill. I hadn't even finished half of my food and I felt rushed. I ignored the bill to finish eating more and got asked twice if I was doing okay. I ended up just getting a togo box since it felt like I was being rushed. Even after just trying to finish the soda I bought before leaving I felt like I had to chug it. Overall a decent ramen spot, wish the toppings of the ramen had more variety and felt rushed to get in and out quickly read more

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Portion sizes are really small, especially for the price. The soup for the "ramen" was really salty and you can taste the soy sauce in there. The noodles themselves don't really count as ramen either even though they called it ramen, there was only noodles, soup, meat, and some green onions. Where was the chashu, the garnish, or the egg? It was something that you could make at home for yourself for much cheaper and tastier. Would've been only barely worth it if it was only 1/3 of the price. The gyoza tasted like it came from a frozen package. Really disappointing. The rice bowl was definitely pre-made, it was cold, and not very good. One star for the handsome server. read more

Friends Ramen - Niku Ramen Pork Belly Rice Bowl TOGO Chicken Gyoza 6pcs TOGO - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Service is friendly, but the ramen here is quite bad... I would recommend making it at home if you're considering coming here

This is a takeout review- I got the small miso ramen and small kimchi ramen. Both were delicious and filling with lots of great toppings, including some thick pork cuts. I liked the kimchi ramen better though expect some spice! I only wish I was given more broth to fully cover the toppings. Great price too! read more

My friend and I swung by Friends Ramen on a cold windy night. We were amazed to see the small ramen bowl option. I often can't finish my ramen and I am not too keen on eating the leftovers the next day, so this option was perfect! It was just enough for a one time meal, and very economical too. We also ordered eggplant Bao.The eggplant Bao was decent but I have had better. I ordered the medium spicy medium ramen and it was good but not my favorite. One thing to note is that regular ramen is spicier than medium ramen, which is odd but that's how this place works I guess. Overall, the food wasn't that great but decent enough for a casual dinner. The waitress was kind of weird though. She tried to take away our cutlery while we were eating. Also, while I was taking a bite from my ramen, she started asking me questions and I couldn't reply back since I had my mouth full, she kept on asking the questions over and over again. I mean, don't you have any customer service sense? The place is also really small which is typical of a ramen place. I don't highly recommend this place but I might still swing by with low expectations. read more

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This was not my favorite ramen experience in Chicago. When I get ramen, i look for a soft boiled egg and chewy ramen noodles. The noodles they used didn't really seem like ramen noodles and it wasn't chewy :/ the egg was also hard boiled. our ramen overall didn't have much flavor or spice despite getting medium spicy. the meat in the niku buns were good but some parts of my bun was hard, maybe from being reheated? takoyaki was good though! service was efficient. cute little booths inside not a ton of seating so better for smaller parties! read more

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Friends Ramen is a great neighborhood spot. It's connected to two other Friends restaurants. The inside is small and funky, very reminiscent of being in a hole in the wall restaurant in Asia. The ramen is good. My favorite is the Karaage Chicken which is chicken, corn, scallions, and some spicy mayo. I'm not a big spice fan yet I don't find this too spicy. Seating is pretty limited here so I'd suggest a reservation. read more

Hello Everyone! Long time no review! I am finally doing a review of my favorite place to eat in downtown Chicago.... Friends ramen. I loved it here since the first time I tried their food. I used to be able to eat everything so after my body began to have more reactions to my current allergies I thought when I visited I wouldn't be able to eat. But they do have gluten free ramen noodles and vegan broth. The flavors are amazing, the choices are so good. Please stop by, bring a friend, or go have a self date cause it's a vibe in there too! The staff is friendly, they have great music, and it smells so good. read more

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My new favorite ramen!!!!!!! Quick service, friendly staff, will be back. You also get free mochi if you post it on your story read more

Friends Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The Niku Ramen was flavorful and somewhat sweet but in a good way. The On the Go was tender and well seasoned. Cool ambience and friendly service. Great way to end our mini vacay. read more

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Really cute restaurant! Would recommend making a reservation beforehand because seating is pretty limited. All the ramen bowls come in small and large and I think the small size is the perfect size to hit any cravings (also only ~$8)! The spicy miso ramen was really tasty and surprisingly actually spicy. read more

Friends Ramen - Veggie Spicy Miso Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Food was good, service was speedy. Ramen was a bit less "bulked up" than other places (less toppings/mix-ins) but flavor was still good. The seating is unfortunate - it was not good for my back injury and it doesn't accommodate larger bodies. Tables are nailed down, so you can't move them around to accommodate other people in your party. read more

Absolutely incredible experience here!! Came for a weekend lunch with a group of 4 and we were seated immediately. The interior is so cozy and cute. We tried the Oyakodon special, Pork Belly rice bowl, and the Ramen Combo Set with Chicken Gyoza and Karaage Chicken ramen. EVERYTHING was INCREDIBLE!! Usually a restaurant only gets one or two things right, but at Friends Ramen, every single bite was phenomenal. I'm pretty sure you can order anything off the menu here and have a great meal. I live an hour away and I'll be coming back. So good!!!! read more

Friends Ramen - Front: Ramen Combo Set (House Salad, Chicken Gyoza, and Karaage Chicken Ramen) Back: Pork Belly Rice Bowl - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

note: This is for Friends Sushi - on state st. I have had friends sushi on rush several times and was never disappointed by food or service. For valentine's day we got a reservation at this location (i guess friends ramen, thai and sushi) assuming it was the same. I don't know how these two places even share a name. This restaurant took the first place spot for the worst experience I've had in 24 years of life. So let me set the scene. Our reservation was 6:30. Waited to be sat, then didn't get menus. 30 minutes later, the first person walks by to help us. The couple next to us gets up and leaves before getting their food. Finally take our order at 7. By 7:58, my strawberry martini finally shows up with brown goo pouring down the side of the glass. The strawberry on top is unwashed. But there's more! Definitely strawberry svedka. OH and a bug on the strawberry!! No concept of our food arriving. Could not tell us if my allergy would be accommodated. By that point we had enough. But finding someone to help us? Forget it. Tracked someone down to pay for the bug drink just so we could leave without having to wait any longer. The hostess SHOVED past me as I walked out. I don't ever write food reviews, but this surpassed my expectations of a nightmare dining experience. Just go to the McDonalds across the street. Happy Valentine's Day I guess. (the waitress herself was nice, hope she gets a job somewhere else) read more

The ambience looked just like a ramen shop in Japan which drew me in, but the food so disappointing.... 3 of us dined. We ordered gyoza. It was totally deep fried. Not steamed with the bottom crispy. No ponzu chili oil sauce. The sauce was a teriyaki sauce drizzled out it. We all thot that the soup base was a little sweet. The marinated egg was hard boiled. Not the nice jammy yolk.you couldn't taste any marination. And.... they were out of sake!!! I would not go back to this ramen restaurant. It a nutshelll, very Americanized. Only the ambience was Japanese. read more

I love how you are able to get combo sets/smaller portions to try more dishes! The noodle was similar to rice noodles? not chewy at all so probably will not be getting noodle dishes anymore:( read more

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Very good ramen spot, very cool ambiance. Food was great. I wok recommend this restaurant.

The Ambiance is great, the food on the other hand is HORRIBLE. The broth was bland and the noodles weren't even ramen noodles and they were also overcooked. I ordered the Tan Tan Men, and switched it out for another one as the broth was flavorless (basically just dirty tap water) and the noodles were overcooked. The miso ramen was just as bad. If you are looking for good ramen head over to Ramen-San, or Torino. This place has a lot of fake reviews on google, as well as reviews from people who have never had REAL ramen before. None of the appetizers were fresh, everything tasted frozen. The ramen was genuinely offensive to Japanese culture. As a Japanese person this feels like a horrible misrepresentation of our food. read more

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! read more

Friends Ramen - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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! read more

Friends Ramen - Spicy miso ramen and pork belly rice bowl - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stopped by here for dinner. The environment is super cool. Lots of traditional Japanese decorations and ornaments and they also play anime on the TV above the bar. I think that's just about all this place has to offer unfortunately. I ordered small of their, "On the Go" ramen, shrimp tempura, and melon soda. The ramen fell flat for me. The broth was really dull, toppings were nothing to write home about and the noodles were far too soft. Shrimp tempura looked like it came out of a package as well. Cool place to eat at but the food was really underwhelming read more

Great ramen, fried chicken, sake. Come here for that Ramen. The resturant looks nice and good vibes read more

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I had a donut but I was still hungry for something warm and soupy due to the freezing snow day. I was glad there was an option for a small portion, which was just a perfect size for me! The ramen had a balanced flavor and generous meat. I would certainly be back when in town. read more

Friends Ramen - On the Go TOGO - Ramen Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Little hole in the spot ramen place and it's honestly my wife and I's favorite ramen spot in Chicago. Their karaage Chicken ramen is incredible! If you like a little bit of spice order this with heat level 3. Also try their mango mochi which is phebomenal. We've been several times and the waitress is super nice. Highly recomend! read more

Been ordering to go from them for years now and never disappoints! Would recommend the gyoza and karrage chicken ramen and it travels well

This is some of the best food I have had in Chicago. The atmosphere is amazing, staff is nice, and I love how small the dining area is and how it created a more intimate vibe. The Pork Belly Bao Buns were the star and I can not recommend them enough. I got the spicy miso ramen and the broth and pork was exactly what I needed. My only complaint is that I usually like soft boiled eggs instead of hard in my ramen and I wish there was an in between size for the ramen, but I will just get the large next time because it was so good and the small left me wanting more! read more

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