Buns pork belly and tempura shrimp were good starters. The crunch and texture of both buns were delicious. The Sambal fried chicken is a decent portion to share. Ramen bowls are also plentiful, hearty and very tasty. Umami ramen had a flavorful broth. read more

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Omg the fried garlic chicken was delicious! Love the sweet chili sauce they used and the chicken was not dry at all. So much chicken eings it's almost the size of a half chicken!!! Spicy garlic shoyumen broth was so good and the portion was very generous. I usually finish my ramen but I couldn't finish theirs. The pork bao was good but the pork tasted a little different. We did order duck bao as well but that one never came out so we were unsure what protein it was bc it didn't taste like pork. Even though our duck bao never came out they didn't put it on our check. The waiter must've just forgotten about it but when we ordered he did repeated that we were ordering both pork and duck baos. read more

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Ramen is my go to during the long chicago winters (which apparently last into May) and oiistar is a solid supplier for a fix... I like their seasonal/special ramens, past versions have included the brisket and spicy ramen bowls... good broth, crazy large size (definitely shareable) and tender protein... next on my list to try is the tikkamen and the seafood Also the buns are pretty good, the tempura cod is my favorite If you're in the neighborhood, definitely worth stopping in... read more

Oiistar - Tempura Cod - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

1. What a euphoric bun 2. When I'm on death row, drown me in this ramen 3. Ask for Alex Rodriguez Came in sober, leaving drunk. Potentially infused ramen. Just kidding- maybe it was the sake. read more

Oiistar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The landscape of ramen options have definitely grown since the last time I've visited Oiistar. I still like the physical appeal, but man, the Umami ramen I had seems to lack a couple of refinements I'm used to in a bowl. 1) Too much broth and it's way too salty. I was a little annoyed at the big, heavy, ceramic soup spoon, but I guess it doesn't matter since there's no way I could drink this salt bath. 2) Very thick cut pork belly. Again, it's a lack of detail and refinement, I've got chopsticks, not a fork and knife. It's does fall apart if one takes a stab. 3) This is going to sound terrible, but the egg wasn't cut lengthwise. Presentation-wise, it falls short, but the stubbiness also makes harder to pick up. On the plus side, they didn't skimp and gave you a whole egg. I discovered there's also bits of ground pork and bamboo shoots, but was just difficult to fish out. Overall, could be better balanced bowl. read more

This was not great. The vegetarian ramen was a salad in a mediocre broth. Literally raw spring mix, bell pepper and portobello. The broth was meh. One of the worst ramens I've ever had. The meat ramen #2 was ok nothing special. read more

Shockingly Oiistar was not super crowded for a Friday night! We were seated almost right after we got there in their long communal table with other parties which did not bother us. It was a group of 4 of us and we started off with a few different buns... tempura shrimp, duck breast, pork belly, and pollo buns. We also shared the fried garlic chicken which was great!! Highly recommend sharing the fried chicken (we got it spicy) however it was not that spicy... the sauce was very tasty and the chicken was juicy. We all ordered our ramen entrees... Two of us got the classic ramen (Oiimen) and my other two friends ordered the Pozolmen and the Musclemen. The ramen is a lot to go through.. I saw a lot of people left a lot of their broth there and others had left overs. I kind of just ate most of the noodles and the pork belly and left some of the broth... it was just too much! Finally we also tried 1 of each of their desserts... the poached pear, bao donuts, and the creme brulee. Honestly my favorite were the Bao donuts since they came with some sort of dipping sauce that were just amazing. The poached pear was good but hard to cut with the spoon. They also have a drink menu with a few sakes and other traditional drinks ... I got myself a small bottle of sake which was very smooth (can't remember the name) and my friend got the hot sake which was also very smooth and easy to drink. The place can be a bit loud depending where you are seated but it was a great experience overall. I would recommend it if you are in the mood for some serious ramen dish and if you don't mind crowds... the place is small and they pack people there! read more

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Excellent Bowl of Ramen. Ordered the #6. Very flavorful pork broth much better than the #3. Also heard that the #4 is also good. read more

Oiistar - #6 Ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Not bad, not bad. -$5 tap beers yet limited selection! -Good service! -Pan seared portabella mushrooms! Excellent value! -Oiimen ramen. Broth was delicious but I think it would be more enjoyable with traditional ramen noodles. Still pretty good though! -ZZAJANGMEN. Interesting. Asian Italian fusion. Think jjajangmyun & spaghetti hybrid sort of dish with the thicker noodles and it gets topped off with parmesan. Tasty! Worth a stop if you're in the area! Cheers! read more

Oiistar - Pan seared portobello mushrooms - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I rarely get to eat ramen, and they are very accommodating for celiac. They had a couple of ramen options that were gluten free. The food was delicious and well seasoned. The ambience is warm and inviting. The staff are incredibly friendly. When we lived in Wicker, we went once a week. read more

Great ramen restaurant!! The atmosphere is warm and intimate and the service was friendly. Got a little busy so the staff wasn't the most attentive but still had an enjoyable time! The sangria was fantastic as well and I'd definitely recommend! Overall a fun place to stop in! read more

Third time eating here and tried the pork belly bun! It was fire . I never stray from my usual Chadolmen Modern Ramen. Like your soup spicy? I recommend ordering a side of chili oil it is delicious with the broth. Didn't forget my oiimoji cocktail first time trying their Oiistar sangría it is fruity and strong too. read more

Oiistar - Sharing the Pork belly bun with my love - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I always like to go try new ramen places that I never been to. This time I found this place in Chicago, I'm super picky about my ramen. This place was delish. I had the Duck Breast bun and Umami Ramen, and they weren't disappointed. The bun was so good and soft. I would definitely recommend this to everyone read more

Oiistar - Pollo Pork Belly Duck Breast - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is a very yummy ramen restaurant across the street from the walgreens. The beef was DELICIOUSS OH MYYY it was so flavorful and tasty. I got the spicy garlic ramen and it was sooo big I couldn't finish it. We also tried the famous buns and they were to DIE FOR. My guest and I split one bun, and that was enough to get a taste especially with the amount of ramen we ate after. Overall, the parking here is a little rough because it's on a Main Street, but the food was very very yummy and we would definitely return! read more

The environment is great, not too busy for Saturday night. The buns were outstanding. Three was very filling for two. The ramen was okay, not bad but not great. Nothing very special in flavor, too fatty. Would recommend trying something other than the classic. read more

Oiistar - Buns - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My 3-star rating means I wasn't mad that I spent my money and calories here, but I won't be putting this on my list of places to repeat giving how much great food there is in Chicago. The food was decent but overall it did not shine. ___ I came in to Oiistar today for lunch, just after they opened for the day at noon. The two window tables had already been taken but the remainder of the restaurant was mostly empty. By the time we left, around 1:30, it was pretty much full. For starters, we ordered two buns: the duck breast and the tempura shrimp. The waiter said these were definitely the best two buns they had. The buns come one per order, so they are honestly a little pricey as they're $4 per bun or more. The duck breast bun is $4.50, and there was not a ton of meat in it. It was like, 60% herbs. The flavor was decent; the duck had a chargrilled taste, and the fresh herbs were good on top of that. The tempura shrimp bun was definitely the better of the two, though. It was much bigger. The shrimp tasted fresh and juicy, and the breading and everything else made for a great textural bite. A downside to both buns was that they both immediately split in half when we picked them up, because they were thinner in the middle. This made them super awkward to eat. I've never seen a bao bun do this like a cheap taco before... it was weird. For ramens, we ordered the Spicy Garlic Shoyumen and the Chadolmen Modern. If you go to the menu on their website, you won't see these because the website is outdated. In both of these ramens, the noodles were overcooked and too soft, and there were too many noodles given the amount of broth. The eggs were undercooked, so they were simultaneously hard to cut, and when you try to cut them, the yolk runs out everywhere into broth and are lost (generally i like my ramen egg to be more gelatinous). The Spicy Garlic Shoyumen had three pepper signs next to it, which means it is the spiciest ramen on their menu. The version of this that we received had barely any spice, and the Chadolmen actually had more of a kick. I ended up adding a good dose of their table hot sauce to make this one be actually spicy. The broth on the Shoyumen was not anything special. It tasted very thin and basic. Yes i know it's a chicken-based broth, but even as chicken-based broths go it was not that flavorful. I will say they did an excellent job on the pork belly though. It was tender and a little charred / smoky, and it was definitely the best thing about this dish. The Chadolmen Modern reads like it's going to wow you with flavors.... Brisket, ground pork, kimchi, spicy miso broth.... The broth was better than the Shoyumen broth, but this one still underwhelmed. The brisket I got was straight up cold, so I was swimming it around in the broth to heat it up before eating it. Some of the brisket pieces were actually kind of tough. They cut the brisket really thinly, which is weird. I lived in Texas for three years and never once saw a thin brisket. I was really expecting it to be a thick chunk to pull apart, like the pork belly. As far as the ground pork, there was a small dollop of it that mostly disappeared into the bowl. I don't remember it having all that much flavor. read more

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Chicago. Day 3. Ramen. Duxelles - 4/5 Broth (umami spicy) - 3/5 Noodles - 3/5 Pork belly - 3/5 Brisket - 2/5 Overall, "A-OK." read more

Oiistar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm obsessed with their sambal fried chicken! Five pieces of crispy fried chicken served on a ladle of sambal spice. Ugh, I can live on this all day long. read more

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My favorite ramen place in the area, so obsessed with the whole menu. The pork belly is the best I have ever had. Sambal chicken is so crunchy and delicious. 10:/10 would recommend, I always bring people visiting the city here. read more

Oiistar - unami ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Excellent bowl of ramen. The stand out for me from other places in the area is the pork belly in the bowl

Oiistar needs more attention from the owners. It's current management is running the place down. 20 minutes ago, my husband and I walked into Oiistar today, right after a long day at the office, and were refused service by the manager Samantha when my husband asked for a bottle of wine. It appeared as if staff at 8:30p.m wanted to start clearing the place down and start the closing/check out process. According to Samantha, her excuse for refusal in serving us was the fact that I was intoxicated and slurring. She did offer if we wanted anything to go. Clearly my hint for, (we are trying to close). We opted to walk out. In summary, what a sad experience and after so many years, will think twice about coming back. Nor my husband nor I had even once drip of alcohol prior to arriving at Oiistar. Sad that a good business is ruined by its management. Consider Wasabi further down on Milwaukee. For similar prices, you get much better quality of food, in a much posher space, with professional staff. read more

probably best pork belly in the city, 1st or second best ramen broth, etc. Mashed potatoes bun amazing, shrimp bun great, pork belly bun amazing too. read more

Super tasty, really cool ambiance/vibe, would definitely recommend. Bao buns are really good and ramen is fantastic!

Ramen pozole. If you go, you need to order this. Hispanic and Asian spices meet to give you a bowl of ramen you never want to end. Had a great night with my girlfriend here. Go!! read more

Oiistar - Pozole ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Pleasantly surprised with how creamy the ramen are at Oiistar. I would say their ramen is just as good or even better than the more popular ones such as Ramen Takeya or Wasabi Ramen. ~$14 for HUGE portions, so definitely is a bang for your buck. I got the Umami and would 10/10 order it again. Broth was extremely rich! They also provide great gluten free options as well. read more

Solid four stars. Tempura shrimp bun was excellent! Combined all the ingredients that I really like and I had hard time resisting the urge of licking the plate clean. Goki bun was good too. I ordered oiimen ramen and it came in a huge (I mean HUGE!) bowl. I really liked the flavor profile but taking one star off for unbalanced dish, there was way too many noodles and too little toppings. Adding more toppings from the extras menu might help but then you are going to be left with leftovers and nobody wants to eat second day ramen. Otherwise great place with friendly service. I will be back! read more

My favorite ramen in town. I like the consistency and pork belly, always made fresh and a good portion

I went with a friend today, and the ramen was incredible. My friend is gluten free and vegan, and they were able to modify the ramen order with little issue, which is a huge plus. I can't eat any pork profits, and they were able to modify my bowl so that it didn't have ground pork and was simmered in the veggie broth instead of the standard pork belly broth. The portions were huge and there were plenty of delicious leftovers. Overall, excellent dining experience! read more

My first tinder date took me here.! I had the veg ramen. It was just delicious omfg. I usually hate all the ramen places I have tried and was about to give up. Usually the ramen I order is very salty and the noodle is off. This just hits all the spots for me. Too bad I live in Wisconsin . But I'll try to hit this place up whenever I'm in town. The tinder date went great and he texted me right after the date. Saying "it was nice meeting me". But I haven't heard from him since. Lol ‍ whatever , I'm just glad he took me to this gem!! Thanks tinder .! lol read more

Oiistar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've eaten at a good number of Chicago ramen spots and if you like spicy, Oiistar does it well (even better than High Five Ramen in my opinion). Really good pork belly and the broth itself had nice spice. Very large portion so the $15 price point is worth it. Really good and friendly service. Spicy Garlic Ramen: 5/5 Pork Belly Bao: 5/5 read more

I was really intrigued by their Asian fusion dishes on their menu so I decided to try this place. We ordered two Bao Buns--tempera cod and mashed, and they were both SO good. We also got their Fried Garlic Chicken, and it also had an interesting twist to it in comparison to regular Asian fried chicken. Last, we ordered a Classic Ramen to share for the two of us; ramen wasn't the most authentic, but definitely was good on its own! read more

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Bao buns are amazinggggg! Ramen bowls are huge! Broth is excellent. Bao buns are reasonably priced as well if you want something quick and delicious to eat! Everything was perfect read more

Oiistar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Hands down my favorite Ramen spot in Chicago. Really flavorful broth and everything is just, well, delicious. In pre covid times I would always have leftovers for lunch the next day, though either my appetite has increased or portions have decreased in takeout form as I definitely crushed the entire thing when doing takeout (my guess: the latter). read more

Oiistar - Ramen takeout - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

TL:DR - The wings aren't as good as other reviewers are making them out to be. I mean they're fine, but forgettable. The Oiiman Classic was amazing and so satisfying. The broth was bold and flavorful, which I liked, but some yelpers apparently didn't. Portions are very big for a ramen place. The amount of meat they give you in the ramen is legit though! Man, this place is AMAZING. I came in on a Thursday night and it wasn't too packed. I think my group of 6 got seated relatively immediately. I will say that the only other ramen place I've had thus far in Chicago has been at high five ramen, so there will be lots of comparisons, especially since that place is held in high regard by locals it seems. So this place is relatively cozy, but not even close to as small as high five is. It is a long rectangular shaped space with high communal tables down the hall way and a few low tops around the front. Beautiful wood interior with low lighting to create a great environment to just sit enjoy and chat. The food itself was clearly the star of the show. I got the oiiman classic, and shared chicken wings based on the yelp reviews. The wings were honestly a swing and a miss. They seemed to be going for a korean fried chicken thing, but the skin was so much soggier than most KFC's I've had. One of the hallmark of KFCs it that they remain unbelievably crispy even when covered in sauce. Even then the, sauce they used was relatively tame forgettable. Despite this poor showing upfront, the ramen itself was AMAZING. I would use the term "flavorful" and "bold" to describe the broth. A few other people noted that it was almost too strong, but to me it was perfect. I couldn't wait to get another spoonful of noodles and broth. Not only that, but the pork belly portions were not only amazing, BUT HUGE and filling. Like most of these ramen places just give you enough pork belly, to say they have pork belly in it. But Oiistar gives you the amount of pork belly that you would serve yourself if you were cooking this at home. They treat you right! On top of that, the amount of noodles and broth was just a hair past satisfied. Like so many places don't give you enough to really leave you like like back in your chair, rub your belly, and let out a light groan full. This place totally does that. Two other side notes, our server here was awkward, but serviceable. Probably not a good barometer for the service here as a whole. Second note, is while I did not get a bun, my friends did. The general consensus was that they were good and bigger than expected. So take that for what its worth. read more

I can't wait for indoor dining to reopen. Really missing the ramen and the mashed potato bun that I used to get here. So tasty!!!! read more

Oiistar - Ramen & Sake! - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Heard good things about their ramen, but I had ramen the day before so I ended up getting the Kimchee Chow, pretty much their take on a kimchi fried rice. They add in spinach and cotija cheese which is delicious. The portion is so huge, it's definitely worth the price. It was about 12 dollars and I ended up having it for 5 different meals. My friend ordered ramen and it came in a humongous bowl that she couldn't finish either. She said she enjoyed it, but it wasn't the best that she's ever had. The service was great. Our waiter was friendly and patient and checked in us a good amount of times. I'm not a huge fan of their seating. A lot or most of their chairs were backless, so I was a bit uncomfortable after sitting there for a while. We got there a couple minutes before it opened and there were already a couple parties waiting outside the door! read more

OMG where to start! This place was just plain amazing. Everything we had was like a flavor bomb with a lot of umami (my favorite!!). First the setting. Dimly lit restaurant with a decent amount of seating with a great selection of 90s music playing. We arrived during lunchtime on a Saturday and the place was packed, but that didn't impact the service at all. Our server was friendly and attentive. Our food came out quickly and the entire lunch was very efficient. Now on to the food. My wife and I split the oii salad, pan seared portabello mushrooms, and the pork belly, mushroom and duck breast buns. MY GAWD. This was such an amazing meal. Every one of the dishes was exploding with flavor. And every one had a number of different flavors tickling the various taste receptors all over your tongue. Yet despite each bite being packed with a ton of different flavors, it was never overwhelming or too much. My personal favorite was the duck breast bun, but the pan seared portabello was a very close second. If I lived in Chicago, this would be a regular haunt for me. Such amazing food and I didn't even try the ramen they are so well known for! read more

Oiistar - Pan seared portabello - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great food!!! I took my little cousin out and he absolutely loves ramen! He got the Pork Belly ramen and said it was delicious! I got the Veggiemen and got it vegan by requesting gluten free noodles. John is an excellent server. He was so nice and has good sense of humor. Great vibes! & excellent recommendations! We also go the Avocado Tempura. It was pretty good. The servings are extremely generous. I had so much food left over. It was perfect!!!! I know what I'm having for lunch today. Thank you, John! You're dope. read more

You get a treat at Oiistar! Love the service. Love the food! Try the buns and the Sangria! Then try them again. Lol! read more

The best ramen I have ever tried in my life!! Not up for debate! Every time I am in Chicago rain, snow or insufferable heat, I make sure to take a trip to Oiistar. I can't recommend this pace enough read more