Birdman Ramen — Restaurant in Chicago

I have doubts about the source of all these five star reviews. We may have caught this place on an off night? Service was great. Staff was welcoming, professional, efficient and very pleasant. The setting is cool. The food wasn't good (other than the Chicken Karage). Someone else mentioned this: it felt like a number of dishes/ingredients were sourced from prepackaged grocery items. There was a thin slice of deli meat in the ramen that came directly from a sandwich meat deli pack (I think this served as the turkey). We tried two of the broths/ramen and neither were impressive to us. The 'Mochi Sundae' was 3 different store bought mochi pieces sliced in half - which would have been fine, if the garnish was more than a squirt of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.

I hope they succeed as a new spot but I don't want new customers misled by what might be inflated reviews on here from friends, family and staff (I find it unlikely for a brand new restaurant to have ~30 five star so early in it's existence without also making it into local news stories/media).

UPDATE: I appreciate that the establishment reached out regarding my review. It tells me they care about their customers' feedback which is really important for any establishment, but especially a new one. I don't know if we'll be back anytime soon but that's because we'll be travelling for the winter and often cook for ourselves. I'll be sure to update this review should we return and have a...

I hate to have to go bad review, but I had pretty bad service here as soon as I walked in I was greeted with a very wonderful young lady that helped me to the table. She was very pleasant made. The experience feel very comfortable, and I was excited to have dinner here, but then when I got a waiter, he just rushed everything. I ordered the tuna Poké bowl appetizer and the duck Ramen for my dinner. my rock waiter decided to bring out my appetizer and my dinner out the same time. Needless to say by the time I had my Ramen it was ice cold halfway through eating my Ramen my waiter decides to drop the check on the table and walk away quickly, I said I guess I’m done eating. He never even asked to see how anything was. He never even been bothered to say do you want anything else? I gave him my credit card I paid for everything and needless to say I was in this establishment for only 22 minutes. I will not be coming back here. it’s kind of sad because I’ve been traveling back-and-forth to Chicago for work as a Traveling Chef and I love supporting local restaurants and I love trying out new restaurants, especially because this place is only around the corner from the hotel that I stay at every time I travel to Chicago and I was very excited to try this place out, but there’s no something special about this Ramen at all, save your money and go...

We came into Chicago for Thanksgiving and stumbled upon this brand new ramen restaurant just off Michigan Avenue. From the moment we walked in we were welcomed by the friendly staff. The hostess took the time to point out a variety of items on the menu. We started with the shrimp crab wantons which were clearly homemade. There was just the right amount of heat as the wanton, shrimp and crab melted in our mouths. Next we tried the Torikawa Dumplings. The crispy chicken skin contrasted beautifully with the soft interior. The spicy mayo took it to a whole new level. This was a don’t miss dish. We then shared a ramen noodle dish with the Szechuan Tori Paitan at the gold level, which included duck breast and wood ear mushrooms. The broth was creamy with just the right touch of spice and the noodles were perfectly cooked. The large spears of bamboo were fresh and added a crunch to the dish. The duck was perfectly cooked and very tender. The egg was amazing with its sweet and salty taste. The flavors melded perfectly. The final dish we tried was the gluten free Yakisoba, as one of our party had a gluten allergy. The noodles were remarkable as they were gluten free and tasted almost like regular ramen. It was a rare treat to go to a ramen restaurant and find gluten free options. We will...