Tanaka Ramen — Restaurant in Bolingbrook

First I want to say that my husband is Japanese so we are accustomed to good ramen. For him to rave about it, means a lot... $.02!

This place is quaint and nicely decorated and has the cutest/great quality table wear (good chopsticks, wooden spoon and wooden fork). The chopstick rests are very cute little kittens and the plates are very nice. The ramen bowls are huge.

We ordered the Takoyaki-Octopus Ball (6 large pcs) for an appetizer and they were AWESOME!!! We had the Rock Shrimp as well and it was just OK. The Pork Gyoza (6 pcs) were very very good but pricey at $6.80, they were more than a dollar per piece. :/

The Ramen is really good and the "Cold Ramen" (there's only one selection) is surprisingly VERY GOOD!! It has a sesame/garlic dressing on it. (It's not a soup, just noodles and you can add other stuff to it, which is awesome).

I like that you can order additional items (there are 24 choices!!) to add to your ramen bowl, including extra noodles (cold or hot).

The bowls are huge and very tasty/filling.

I had the "Tanaka Spicy Miso" Ramen (pictured) and it was really very good! It was a little spicy which I loved. I added an extra seasoned egg to it because I like the protein. Next time I will add the Beef Sukiyaki with the added egg. The ground pork is kind of hard to eat in the bowl because it sinks to the bottom and doesn't really stick to the noodles but I liked it anyway.

My daughter ordered the Tanaka Spicy Ramen (with extra noodles which came on the side but she couldn't finish...eyes were bigger than her tummy). She liked mine a little better because she likes miso but hers was very good and pretty spicy (she ordered it "regular" spicy...you can add heat if you want it). She added beef sukiyaki and pork gyoza and asked to leave out the bean sprouts and kikurage (type of mushroom with very little taste) and she said it was awesome.

I will definitely return for the octopus ball appetizer and customize that miso ramen again!

The only negative is that there is no liquor but then again...it kept our meal cost down to half what it usually is because of that! Ha!

Highly...

There are 2 different sides to Tanaka ramen. The dine in, and the take out/delivery.

I'll start with dine in. I cannot say if this is normal or not but the wait was abysmal. It seemed like they were operating with a skeleton crew front of house, only 1 person bringing food to tables, taking orders, bussing tables, directing diners to tables, etc. I do not blame this employee at all, they were a legend, but they desparatelh need to hire a few more people. This was around 6pm, about normal dinner time. Would not reccomend dine in

Take out/delivery: very quick and packed in great containers. We still use them just as normal food containers as they're sturdy and can be washed in our dish washer very well if on the top rack. Food arrives hot and delicious. Cannot reccomend this method more

The food: amazing. I've been to Japan a couple of times and this is one of my favorite places to get ramen in America. Topped only by a ramen tatsuya Austin Texas and himawari in San Mateo. But those places don't deliver/can't get take out. If you're in the Chicago land area, this is the best ramen I've had here. If you order and get extra noodles, it can easily make 2-3 meals for yourself. Ends up being a good deal.

Vegan options: not super available, but the creamy vegan ramen is just amazing. I highly reccomend it with the atsuage tofu as it adds a bit of heat that I personally like, as well as added garlic.

Tldr: get take out or delivery, food is amazing, cannot reccomend more. Containers food comes in works well for use after as well for...

Oh Tanaka Ramen you have stolen my heart! How many ways can you make ramen?

Whether it's snowy cold or scorching hot outside, I know that I can count on you for a delicious bowl of noodle soup.

The warm broth is oh so yummy, the subtle soft miso flavor accentuates the flavors of the thinly sliced chashu, egg, vegetables, and other ingredients & toppings.

If you have never been here, just know that you are paying for freshness and quality. The noodles should never be compared to a store bought $1 packet of instant ramen. These noodles here are the real deal - stretchy, chewy, plump, and flavorful.

The comfortable decor is modern and contemporary with a definite Asian flare. They have focused on every little detail to give a stylized fusion Asian experience, such as setting the tables with wooden forks, chopsticks, and unique soup spoons on a small round platter.

As they have a very small dining area, I find that arriving early is best before the tables fill up. Otherwise, it could be a 45 minute wait as this is the kind of place you go not to rush, but to savor delicious food and good company. I have not yet dined outside on the patio, but look forward to it now that the summer weather...