Oiistar is a solid spot all around to try both ramen and other street fare! Upon arriving, we were greeted by a friendly host and menu with so many delicious and creative options that it was hard to choose. I settled on the zzajangmen and duck bao, while my lunch partners ordered the tonkotsu and umami ramen. They said that they enjoyed the broth's richness and the generous portions of pork. I found the duck to be chewy and the toppings a bit bland- would pass on this next time and try one of the other bao. The standout, however, was the zzajangmen- the sauce was a true eyebrow-raiser with savory, sweet, and spicy flavors all unified perfectly! The pork and chicken were so fresh and well seasoned- combined with runny egg yolk and crunchy veggies, it was a dish I will definitely order again. Will be back soon and am really looking forward to trying more of the menu! read more

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#6 Oiimen. Solid ramen spot in wicker. Gets busy early would reco getting their when they open read more

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

I came here for dinner and the food was amazing! I had the chicken ramen and shrimp bao buns! Both items were a 10/10 I was extremely blown away how tasty the food was and I have tried many ramen places but this was by far one of the best. The waiter was extremely attentive and helpful with navigating us through the menu and what he would recommend and why based on what we had a taste for that night specifically. The ambiance is for a mature adult vibe not for young children, they also have a drink menu as well if you're looking for a tasty cocktail or beer my go to is the Sapporo beer. read more

Oiistar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Overall had a great first experience at Oiistar! Came in on a Saturday night and it was busy but we didn't have to wait too long - I got the musclemen ramen which I'm not sure I would order again, the broth and noodles were great but I'm not sure the mussels were the best choice (unless you love mussels!) I did try my friend's chashu and that was fantastic, if I come again I would go for a chashu ramen. A solid spot! Food: 4/5 Ambience: 4/5 Service: 5/5 Price: 4/5 read more

Oiistar - Musclemen, Oiimen, Spicy Garlic - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Catching up on Yelp reviews in 2024. I visited Oiistar back in February on a Thursday around 7pm after I hit the gym. Oiistar is rated as one of the best ramen spots in Chicago so I'd figured I would give it a try. Ambiance was contemporary and small, similar to any ramen spot. As a single, I was able to get seated immediately and there were a good amount of people there already. I ordered the Shrimp Bao/Bun and the Veggie Ramen. Shrimp Bao/Bun came out extremely fast. Bao was soft and the mayo was awesome. Decent size and it was about $6-$7. I thought it was slightly overpriced and should have been at about $5. But hey inflation. The veggie ramen was good as it was loaded with veggies. Noodles were pretty soft and cooked well. Broth was ok. I thought Oiistar was slightly better than Kizuki down the street, but it was nowhere near the top ramen I've had in the city, but it was cool spot. Ramen prices were fair, but I thought the Bao/Buns was small and overpriced (pretty typical for Baos/Buns in my opinion). I thought service was adequate and the food came out extremely fast so that is a positive. Service is much better than Kizuki up the street. Oiistar is worth a try if you like ramen, but I definitely think there are better options in the city such as Ramen Wasabi, High Five, Strings, and Ramen-San. read more

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The three meals our family tried were all delicious. Friendly servers. Relaxing ambiance. read more

Oiistar - Pozolmen was spicy and so delicious. - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My coworkers and I decided last year to taste what we heard through the grapevine what were the "ten best ramen restaurants in Chicago", and we had a scoring system (1-5) for the meat, noodles, veggies, broth, non-ramen food, and intangibles of the restaurant -- and Oiistar won the whole damn thing! Delicious ramen with some of the most potent blend of flavors, without one too overpowering to turn you off. Exceptional "Bun" dishes and other apps, and even have a delicious house wine that pairs perfectly with their plethora of food options. I've been back three times now and even brought a friend who hates ramen--and they loved the alternative options. Exceptional service, wonderful vibes, top tier Ramen not just in Chicago, but anywhere. read more

Had a great casual dinner here. 4.5 so I'll round up to 5 stars. Really great ramen, we especially enjoyed the tonkatsu ramen with garlic. It was so flavorful without any dairy - you could tell they really cook the broth for a long time to get that flavor. Pieces of pork were also larger than expectef. You can choose from thin or thick noodles which I appreciated. The umami ramen is great too if you like spicy. We also ordered a katsu bun which was tasty but a bit hard to eat/share as there are a lot of toppings and you can't really fold the bun without a bunch of stuff coming out lol. Regardless, it was tasty! Service is kind and friendly. read more

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

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I would say this isn't my favorite ramen joint in the city, but it's pretty solid. Service is aight, the food takes a bit longer to come out than I usually like. The 6hr pork bun tastes way better than it looks, it was really delicious. Tuna carpaccio was alright. The spicy garlic shoyumen was the perfect amount of spiciness, it's also jam packed with garlic. The oiimen ramen is pretty good too, rich in flava, not really any spice at all, if that's your thing. You should be able to find pay to park street parking if needed. read more

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We walked in on a Wednesday night and were seated quickly. We were not that hungry so we only ordered the buns. The buns are so filled; the standout was the pork belly. The meat is tender, fatty, and juicy. I wish the buns were a bit softer, since they broke apart when we picked up the buns. The service was attentive. The ambiance was nice: during the summer time the windows are open so you can get fresh air. read more

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Great pork belly and appetizer buns! I will say their service is below par -- it took us three tries to get chopsticks and had to ask twice for menus since they thought we had already ordered. It gets pretty busy during peak dinner times and they don't do reservations! There is some street parking available on the side streets and is a great place to take friends to. read more

FINALLY crossed this off my list. I love ramen so much and this place really hit the spot. I ordered the spicy garlic shoyumen in hopes it would actually be spicy but it honestly wasn't. No big deal but next time I'll maybe include an add-on to make it more spicy. I also wish they had the option to add corn but they don't have that option. I like how you can choose what kind of noodles you want. The pork belly pieces really stood out to me because those babies were huge. They weren't little slices you're used to - they were chunks of tender meat! Loved everything about it. Will definitely be coming back!!! read more

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I will start this by admitting I am not a ramen person but my husband is. Oiistar was highly rated in wicker park and always packed so we gave it a shot for takeout. Now it comes off a bit pricey but we each made two meals out of our orders so honestly not a bad deal. Everything was ready on time and packaged nicely. We got the duck and the pork buns. Even though both had good flavor, I think they were def overpriced so I wouldn't get them again BUT if you are a bao bun person, they were both tasty! Great flavor. For ramen, I got the spicy garlic with brisket and my husband got one that started with an O, more of a umami flavor. Mine was the better of the two we both agreed but he also enjoyed his. Again, not a ramen person so I wasn't in love but it was all I could ask for in a ramen. read more

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Oiistar is an excellent ramen spot in Chicago! Its innovative menu certainly stands out and I'm glad I've gotten to try it a few times when in the Wicker Park area. It's a small space so get here early if you don't want to wait too long! Parking can be difficult to find sometimes too... Some items I've gotten are the Berkshire Pork Belly Buns, the Paitan Shio with Garlic Oil ramen, and the Oiimen Classic. In all three items they include some thiccc pork belly. My only gripe with it is that it's sometimes a bit dry and becomes tough to eat. Other times, part of it is tough but the other part is really tender. I'd appreciate more increase consistency in this area. The ramen broths are great and you can taste the amount of time they spend making it. I like the texture of the noodles and the ramen egg as well. Overall the service is fine, as expected for a spot like this. I think the prices are definitely on the high end when compared to other ramen in the Chicago area and I'm not sure they are really justified. Despite this, I look forward to coming again and trying some of the more unique ramens such as the Tikkamen. Food: 4/5 Service: 4/5 Price: 3.5/5 Overall: 3.75/5 read more

Oiistar - Tonkotsu ramen with black garlic oil - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The staff is super friendly and the space is nice. The ramen was just super mediocre. The broths didn't have a ton of flavor and the pork was a bit dry. We ordered two different ramens and they both felt very subpar. I can think of at least 5 ramen spots I'd rather eat at, so unfortunately we won't be back. read more

Oiistar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Felt myself getting the sniffles after a long 2 weeks of working events for my job. Any time I'm feeling under the weather a steaming hot bowl of ramen is always the answer. There are so many ramen spots in Wicker Park, and several all within walking distance on Milwaukee Ave, but Oiistar sets itself apart with its unique takes on a tried and true classic. I ordered the Pozolman - it's kind of like a Asian Mexican fusion ramen, with chopped jalapeños, corn, cilantro, & lime, combined with delicious pork belly and radish. It hit the spot. The flavors really popped, and the lime added an extra zesty kick to combat the jalapeño spice. The broth was hearty and flavorful. I like my ramen on the spicy side, and although this did have some spice, I would consider it mild so don't shy away from ordering this one. If you're ordering because you're sick like me, have plenty of tissues ready as this one will definitely clear up your sinuses! The online ordering was straight forward and we didn't have to wait long to pick up. The packaging was great, setting broth aside in one cup, with ingredients & noodles in another, so you could add in as much as you want and slurp up. Thanks Oiistar for being a remedy for the cold, and my cold! read more

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

Came on a Friday evening with a group of friends (recommend making a reservation as it gets packed pretty quick). The staff did subtly try to push us out since we were somewhat of a large group and they probably had additional reservations but onto the food... Drinks were reasonably priced (a vodka cranberry was only $6 like wOt) and the Fried Garlic Chicken, both the sweet and spicy versions, were perfectly crispy - the sauces they were coated in were yummy. They had a ton of ramen options but ended up with the Chadolem Modern (with a spice level 2, beef brisket, spicy miso, garlic, egg, etc.) and it was flavorful but not really spicy. Portions for the ramen were big so came home with a lot of leftovers. The ramen was tasty but I wouldn't say it's the most authentic spot so don't come here if you're expecting something traditional. read more

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3.5 stars To end the night we stopped by Oiistar for some ramen. They have a variety of signature ramen dishes but they are also known for their buns. We stopped by on a Saturday night at 10pm and were seated immediately for a party of two. We ordered the #6 oiimen classic ($17.50) which consisted of a tonkotsu broth, pork belly, ground pork, and a soft-boiled egg. The portions were pretty big and the broth was on the simpler side but was still flavorful. There wasn't much spice at all for a spice level 1 so if you prefer more spice in your ramen I'd recommend going for at least a spice level 2. We also ordered the Berkshire pork belly bun ($5.80) and the goki bun ($6.10). The former is their most popular and I definitely liked that more. It contained a thick piece of meat and had a hoisin sauce base. I felt the ramen was just okay and on the pricier side but my favorite thing was the Berkshire pork belly bun. read more

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A great place for Ramen in Chicago! I had the Paitan Shio with roasted garlic and my partner got the Spicy Garlic Shoyumen. Both were amazing! The spicy garlic was the perfect amount of spice for me (not too spicy - but just right!) The broths were both rich and flavorful. The egg was perfectly molten and gooey in the middle. Tried the duck breast and mashed buns. Both were excellent. Wouldn't pick the duck again as I think it is too pricey for what it is but still tasted good! Also tried the fried avocado/mushroom app and the fried chicken. Fried avocado was okay and chicken was good but nothing I'd go out of my way for. The ramens and the mashed bun are what I would highly recommend! Food: 5/5 - absolutely loved the ramen Service: 3/5 - service was a bit slow Ambiance: 5/5 Value: 4/5 Overall: 5/5 - definitely will be back for the ramen! read more

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The food was fantastic, great broth. Their pork belly was delightful and it was overall a great experience. 10/10 would go back again.

Best ramen in the Chicago area! Had Oiimen (tonkatsu) and the broth was thick enough, noodle chewy, they give you a lot of chasu pork meat, eggs comes with. MUCH better than ramen places downtown Chicago. Very generous portion - I couldn't finish the whole ramen! Service is quick, vibe is nice - a little dark but hip. It was a great experience. read more

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

Easily the best ramen in Chicago! My partner and I visited Oiistar on a chilly, rainy, Sunday (the perfect ramen weather). Please note, they do not take reservations so plan for a potential wait. We lucked up and were able to be seated immediately! The staff were extremely friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. My partner has a gluten allergy (which drew us to Oiistar) and our server guided us through the menu and items that were gluten-free for my partner. For all my folks who have a gluten sensitivity, Oiistar is your new favorite ramen restaurant (atleast know it is ours). They offer gluten free noodles as well as gluten free bowls and broth! My partner RAVED about how tasty his ramen was and how it was the best ramen he has had since developing a gluten allergy! (He ordered the #7 with gluten free noodles) I ordered the #4 and substituted the pork belly for fried chicken. AMAZING. It was seasoned well, had an awesome garlic flavor, and came with more than enough noodles and other toppings (it wasn't all broth like other ramen spots) I also ordered their home made sangria which really was the cherry on top for my meal! I HIGHLY recommend coming to Oiistar seriously the best ramen in Chicago and extremely gluten free friendly! read more

Nice cozy small restaurant. Ramen looked amazing, but I expected more flavor. Service was satisfactory. read more

Oiistar - Paitan Shio with roasted garlic (#3) - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I got the pork belly bun and their tonkotsu. This is one of those places that gives you a wooden spoon that is wholly unergonomic for eating soups. The ramen came out and it was some of the blandest food i have ever ordered. The broth, noodles and egg was as plain as whole wheat bread. The only redeeming quality is that they gave a lot of meat. This place is not kinton ramen tier bad, but it gets pretty close. Get the buns and not the ramen. read more

Oiistar - Pork Belly - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Oiistar was my first Ramen experience in Chicago. The atmosphere seemed very fast paced on this night and it was quite poppin. Luckily we scored a table vs having to sit at the bar and we were on our way. I ordered the Pollo and Goki (BBQ beef) Bao Buns to start. I truly enjoyed the texture of the bao and the filling was very flavorful and a great mix of textures between the meat and veggies etc. But the Goki was extremely hard to eat as I did not realize it was going to be that spicy...I opted only for a small bite of that one and devoured the Pollo. Make sure to note the spice of the Goki if ever going in future, certainly caught me off guard. For my ramen I ordered the Black Garlic Ramen, overall it had a great flavor and hit the spot. Was not a fan of how fatty the pork belly was though (could be my personal preference). Def a cool little spot in Wicker if craving Ramen. read more

Delicious ramen! Cute, cozy place. Our servers were very nice. Loved the food the buns were amazing and the ramen was so comforting.

I came here with a friend for lunch after searching for some ramen spots. Once we got to the restaurant, viewing the menu, and noticing that they have the Duck Breast Bun, we decided to get it as an appetizer. Afterward, I then ordered (#3) the Paitan Shio with Roasted Garlic Ramen. I've never had duck breast before and I'm glad I was able to try it here for the first time. It was juicy, sweet, light, and refreshing. The Paitann Shio with Roasted Garlic Ramen broth was well flavored and balanced. Furthermore, the noodles were soft with a great portion. Overall, it was delicious and perfect for a cold day. The server was nice and answered any questions we had. Additionally, I enjoyed being able to see chefs cooking! read more

Oiistar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very good service The broth is a bit salty for me, also the pork belly is either too fatty or too lean The egg tastes really flavorful read more

Oiistar - Pork Belly Tonkatsu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Absolutely loved our ramen and tempura appetizer. Excellent beer selection. Smallish spot, might need to wait (totally worth it), but the staff try to keep the line moving. read more

Order: #5 Umami Description: Portion size was great, broth was a 10/10 especially after the addition of the chili oil. The bamboo sprouts were well cooked, and the meat fell apart so nicely in the broth. However, the amount of meat in the ramen was a bit lacking. The restaurant has a nice vibe and friendly staff, no wait time on a Sunday during lunch/early dinner hours. The bar is a bit difficult to sit at for taller people so make sure to wait and/or ask for a table upon arrival if you're on the taller side. read more

Oiistar is my personal favorite ramen place, it can get busy but it is well worth any wait. The ramen itself is extremely flavorful and has a lot of depth, fresh ingredients and the meat itself is a big serving/had a nice char to it - I haven't experienced that a ton at different ramen places. The serving size itself is huge, for the ramen. Appetizers were also very tasty, had different baos and the chicken is incredible as well. A must check if you're in the area! read more

Very underwhelming ramen spot! I could only have the chicken ramen so that could be why it was not my favorite but the chicken broth tasted slightly sour and it just all felt underwhelming. There are better ramen spots in the city for sure read more

Wow, BEST ramen I've ever had. I'm not a huge ramen person - I don't generally crave ramen. I think ramen can be heavy and oily, but somehow Oiistar's ramen doesn't make me feel that way after eating it. It actually feels like a rich, deep bowl of healing goodness instead. The pork belly, or char siu as many know it, literally melts in your mouth and almost falls apart when picking up with chopsticks (and my chopstick skills are very good) - it's SO tasty. I think the price point is maybe a touch more expensive than the average ramen but portion and flavor-wise, it's 100% worth it. The spicy level 1 is essentially not spicy, and the spicy level 2 is maybe more like mild/mild-medium. I was also impressed by the baos - we tried the duck breast and the tempura cod. I think the flavors of the tempura cod are a bit more classic like fish & pickled cabbage that you may find in tacos, and it was done well. The duck breast had a southeast Asian influence to me and so tasty. The bao itself wasn't sticky or chewy as I was worried about, it's actually light and warm. The balance of acidity, saltiness and sweetness was perfect on these baos. I love the energy and the ambiance of Oiistar. It's almost like a casual-nice, intimate place to have a dinner with friends, slightly dim lighting, grab a draft beer and some warm baos & ramen. Sitting at the bar was very comfortable and easier to get seated there. Can't wait to be back! read more

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First time here, came for lunch on a Monday with 4 friends. Nice place, clean, outside seating, high tables. Menu read amazing, I wanted to try everything. Waiter was perfect, said he had been there 13 years and you could tell. Provided great suggestions, how to do gluten free, explained heat levels and such too. Constant water refills came it a large cold glass bottle, Nice. We all ordered various types or Ramen, I got the #3 so i will focus on that. We ordered pretty quickly and our ramen came out in about 10 minutes maybe a bit longer. As soon as the bowls were put down the smells were AMAZING! The presentation of all of them was great. I dove into my bowl, OMG this was great, the pork bellie was tender, the soy smoked egg was just a bit runny in the middle, the garlic flavor was very prominent. Best ramen I have had in a while. One downside was the ramen bowl my coworker got (not sure which it was) , had pork bellie that tasted different, and not really good, it was sweet, much sweeter than the pork bellie I got in my bowl. She didn't eat her Pork, but finished the rest of the bowl. In Summary, GREAT ramen, Great Service, knowledgable staff. Definitely give this place a try, I will be back for sure. Probably when it gets a bit chillier outside. It was a bit pricey, right around $19 a bowl before taxes and tip. so plan on 25 pp if you don't get drinks or appetizers. Thank you Oiistar! read more

What a flavor filled placed! The ramen here is VERY HEAVY so move along if that's not the kind of ramen you're searching for. I couldn't really the difference between all the different types of ramen, but then again I'm not a noodle connoisseur either The appetizers were made well and very filling! So pace yourself! The ramen wait time did take a while, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. read more

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Came here for lunch on a Wednesday at like 1 and it was pretty empty. Got seated right away and ordered quickly. The garlic ramen broth was rich and tasty and if I wasn't so full, I would drink it all haha. The egg was AMAZING. It was soft boiled to perfection and the yolk was so tasty! Not sure how they did it but it tasted like they added some seasoning or soy sauce to the yolk before they boiled it. Pork was crispy and delicious. Service was great. Very attentive staff. read more

Oiistar - #3 garlic ramen - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Excellent service, food was excellent. We had a bao bun that two of us shared as an appetizer. I was impressed with the quality of the mussels. Then, the big bowl of soup we shared was so comforting. Don't miss it. read more

Love the fusion flavors they offer in their ramen here! We started with the duck and pork belly buns. The pork belly was so tender! Both buns were delicious but the pork belly was definitely my favorite. Super messy and saucy so be careful! I got the oiimen ramen which also had pork belly (strategically decided because it was so good) and my boyfriend got the tikkamen. Mine was definitely more of a traditional ramen with a rich broth. The tikkamen was a tikka masala and ramen fusion! It was honestly so good. You get so much flavor in the broth and the chicken was so tender. Would recommend trying this if you want to stray away from the typical ramen flavors! The portions here are also amazing- we had enough to bring home for another meal the next day. This might be my new go to ramen place in wicker park! There's just so much variety to choose from and I can't wait to go back and try more of their ramen flavors. read more

Oiistar - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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a classic neighbor place-- I wouldn't travel far to eat here but it's good! the cucumber salad is fine, the Korean fried chicken is actually surprisingly good, might be one of the best I've had in the city? the ramen is also good but nothing to write home about. the jianiangmian is also surprisingly good but not like traditional jianiangmian. I feel like there was no black bean flavor to it, it was like if you tried to make jianiangmian while really high and just threw a bunch of random stuff into it but it tastes great/somehow everything works. read more

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Delicious ramen! I loved the bao buns too. I also got a cold beer - and that combined with steaming hot ramen was so good! There was quite a wait though and it's a bummer that they don't do reservations. The arcade bar opposite is a good waiting spot! read more