Akahoshi Ramen
2340 N California Ave Suite B, Chicago, IL 60647
I have heard so many great things about Akahoshi Ramen, mostly through Reddit. You see, the owner is quite famous on Reddit for being a ramen lover (he goes by the username Ramen_Lord). People on /r/chicagofood especially have been raving about this place for years on end. So I decided to stop by during my quick stop in Chicago on my way back to campus!
I booked a bar seat at 6pm approximately a month before. I strategically bought my plane and train tickets so that I would have enough time to take the Orange and then the Blue Line to Logan Square, eat my ramen, and then take the Blue Line back to Union Station. I estimated that it would take me approximately an hour and a half to get to Akahoshi from Midway, so I ended up choosing a flight that landed at 4:40pm. Thankfully, there was an Amtrak heading back to campus at 8pm, which meant I would have approximately an hour and 15 minutes at most from when I arrived at Akahoshi to when I would have to leave. As a solo diner, that was plenty of time.
As soon as I got off the plane, I headed to the subway station to take the Orange Line to downtown. From there, I transferred to the Blue Line. I unfortunately did not know that you can’t transfer lines from inside the station, so it took me some time to find the proper entrance to the Blue Line. I ended up not really finding it in the end and had to go back underground through a Red Line entrance, but it took me to the Blue Line turnstiles after some walking, which I was so grateful for. This little lapse made me approximately 10 minutes late to my reservation, but Akahoshi holds reservations for up to 15 minutes, so I wasn’t too worried. Still, the trains can unexpectedly run late sometimes—so I wrote up a quick email to Akahoshi, explaining that I would be 10 minutes late. (They request that you send them an email if you’re going to be more than 15 minutes late).
As soon as I arrived, I was seated. The manager offered to stow away my carry-on behind the bar, which I was super grateful for. I ordered the Midwest Shoyu (sub egg for chashu—substitution is free) and took in the surroundings while waiting for my food. I could see the kitchen staff stir-frying the hell out of a wok in the corner, Ramen_Lord himself torching some chashu, and another cook carefully arranging the noodles in individual bowls.
And after ~10-15 minutes of waiting, the bowl finally came out:
I could tell the bowl was crafted with a great deal of care. I actually watched the owner wiping the sides of the bowl with a paper towel before it was delivered to the bar, which I appreciated.
First off: the broth. To put it simply, the broth was great. The deep, smokiness of the katsuobushi and sababushi blended fantastically with the salty shoyu flavor, which really heightened the overall umami of the broth base. It was definitely saltier than expected but in a good way—I did not feel any fishiness from the broth. It was deep, warm, and soothing.
The noodles were thin, decently cooked, and super slurpable, but I didn't get as much of a bite as I wanted from them. I think that’s inevitable even if you cook the noodles for less than the recommended time considering they’re super thin AND will be sitting in a bowl of hot broth perpetually. So perhaps next time I will ask that they be cooked for just a tad bit shorter.
The egg was on point when it came to flavor and doneness but was saltier than the broth itself, which made it difficult to enjoy fully. The yolk was nice and fudgy and the whites weren't too tight and easily gave in to my chopsticks, so kudos to them for that. Genuinely one of the better cooked ramen eggs I have ever had the pleasure of eating. But again, I could have had a whole bowl of rice with just the egg alone. So it was difficult to enjoy on its own. The egg is something that you typically have to add to the ramen for an extra charge (if you order the shoyu, substituting the chashu with the egg is free). However, now that I’ve tasted it and know how salty it is, I don’t think adding the egg is something I would do if I ever revisit in the future.
I actually liked the shio koji chicken more than the egg, which doesn't happen often! The chicken was so moist and intense in flavor contrary to its unassuming appearance. And when I say intense in flavor, I don’t mean just the “chicken-ness” of it—I mean that every bite had this oomph and lasting umami-ness that reminded me of the savoriness and deliciousness of foods with naturally-occurring glutamate, such as fermented foods and cheese. I need to get my hands on some shio koji soon. Seriuosly. (Also I really wish they would give me more than one small piece!)
And lastly, I appreciated how finely the green onions were chopped. Their small size made it easier for the little wheels to get swept up in the flurry of noodles, which meant I could eat them with the noodles instead of fishing around for them afterwards with a spoon!
Overall, this was a very solid bowl. I would love to try their signature miso next time.
(Special shoutout to the cool groovy chopsticks that helped me hold the noodles up better!)
The bill:
I knew about the mandatory 20% service charge before I went, so I was fine with that. But one thing that did take me by surprise is how they had a little step during the check-out process where I was asked for an additional tip. ANOTHER one? I just said $0.00 and moved on, but I did find that strange. When restaurants have a mandatory service charge, they typically indicate that tipping is not mandatory somewhere on the menu. But not here, I guess.
After paying, I picked up my carry-on from behind the counter and headed to Union Station. They still had a giant tree up, which was super nice to see. I was glad that I had been able to have a very fruitful layover! Chicago has a ton of great food, and one day I want to spend a couple of days just eating and sightseeing.
