Best of
Best ramen in the West Loop, Chicago
Ramen in the West Loop ranges from a tonkotsu specialist hidden under a smoked-meats restaurant to a brand-new Hokkaido-style flagship on Halsted to a Tokyo-leaning sushi-and-ramen room on Madison. Below is the curated list.
Ramen specialists
Dedicated ramen shops with single-cuisine focus.
- High Five Ramen Open now Hidden ramen counter under Green Street Smoked Meats — limited seating accessible via a secret staircase. Tonkotsu, shio, shoyu, and maitake bowls. Worth the wait.112 N Green St, Chicago, IL, 60607
- Hokkaido Ramen Santouka Open now Hokkaido Ramen Santouka's West Loop flagship at 160 N Halsted (opened Feb 2026) — the chain's 2nd Chicago location and 18th in the US. Shio, shoyu, miso, spicy miso, and the signature Tokusen Toroniku with pork cheek.160 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL, 60661
- Gyuro Ramen Open now Gyuro Ramen at 171 N Aberdeen — house specialty is gyukotsu-style ramen now made with creamy bison-bone broth (corrected from beef in some older reviews); topped with beef chashu or braised wagyu, plus wonton fillings of wagyu and truffle.171 N Aberdeen St, Chicago, IL, 60607
- Ramen Wasabi Open now Wasabi team's ramen counter — chicken paitan plus signature Hokkaido-inspired bowls.819 W Fulton Market 1 & Bsmt, Chicago, IL, 60607
- Tamashii Ramen Open now Tonkotsu ramen specialist on West Jackson Boulevard. (Brand's own site styles the name "Tamashii" with double-i.)810 W Jackson Blvd 1st, Chicago, IL, 60607
Combined sushi + ramen rooms
Japanese restaurants pairing ramen with sushi and broader menus.
- Ryota Open now Tokyo-style Japanese restaurant on West Madison combining ramen with a serious sushi program — nigiri flights, elaborate house rolls, and chirashi. Makes its own soy sauce.1131 W Madison St 1, Chicago, IL, 60607
- Talay Open now Talay Chicago — dual Thai-and-Japanese menu with traditional Thai stir-fries and curries alongside Japanese maki, nigiri, and sashimi.1222 W Madison St 1 102, Chicago, IL, 60607
- Urbanbelly Chef Bill Kim's Asian noodle bar at 954 W Fulton — dumplings and globally-inspired noodles plus a patio and budget-friendly lunch.954 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL, 60607
Frequently asked questions
- Where is the best ramen in the West Loop, Chicago?
- High Five Ramen under Green Street Smoked Meats is the long-running cult pick; the new Hokkaido Ramen Santouka on Halsted brings the Japanese chain's signature Tokusen Toroniku to the neighborhood. For beef-bone broth, Gyuro Ramen on Aberdeen. For ramen + sushi together, Ryota on Madison.
- Is there tonkotsu ramen in the West Loop?
- High Five Ramen is tonkotsu-focused. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka serves a tonkotsu base in some of its broths but is best known for Hokkaido-style shio and the Tokusen Toroniku.
- What's the difference between Hokkaido and Tokyo-style ramen?
- Hokkaido-style ramen typically uses miso or shio broth with rich, fatty pork; Tokyo-style leans toward soy-sauce-based (shoyu) broths with thinner noodles. Hokkaido Ramen Santouka is the Hokkaido specialist; Ryota leans Tokyo.
Most recent pick verified 5 days ago. Some picks may be older — the date reflects whichever pick on this page was checked most recently.