Birdman Ramen — Restaurant in Lake View Township

Recently ate here and had a bad experience. There is definitely some promise here if they can improve the food.

We walked in on a Friday night and it was super crowded - so we were pretty excited when we sat down. The atmosphere was great - little bit of a kitschy version of Japan (think Pokémon statues at the door and plastic cherry blossoms in the ceiling). It was fun and all the paper lanterns everywhere really lit up the interior nicely. Im not sure if they’re still waiting on their liquor license, but if they do get one the bar will look wonderful all stocked up.

The service was friendly and prompt. One quick note is that I would encourage their waiters to stop saying, “bird-based ramen” and maybe say, like, poultry forward or something? Bird-based gives kind of an unpleasant feeling.

And here’s where it turned. As we looked at the menu (which had a great selection of N/A drinks) a few things came up that were a little confusing. One of the main broths is sichuan spicy (as in like the part of central China known for spicy food - so different from Japanese food?). Then you pick a ‘tier.’ We thought it was a pick one kind of meat thing but when we ordered were informed you get all the kinds of meat depending on the tier? Tier 2 included two kinds of turkey, two kinds of chicken, and duck. We went ahead and ordered the gold one with the duck and definitely should have removed all the other bizarre meats. We also ordered the Dan Dan noodles (actual sichuan dish - the Japanese word for which is tantanmen. Interesting cross overs here) because i was reading between the lines and wondering if they did sichuan food really well because of all the shoutouts to it on the menu in various dishes.

The food comes out and it’s…. Super bizarre. We did the non spicy broth for the ramen. It was like chicken noodle broth base with tons of garlic. It was… neutral and fine? Other than garlic fairly bland. The noodles were so odd, like the completely wrong texture for something like this. They were super sticky and cling together like tangled hair and also way too thin, like vermicelli (which i tend to associate with Vietnamese food? What the hell is going on here?). You end up jerking them out of the wad of food which your slippery chopsticks and they snap, getting broth all over your shirt. Lastly, the toppings on the ramen were quite unusual. Namely a bamboo shoot that was like 8 inches long? You guys, it was like biting into a pickled squid penis. It look liked a white, jarred carrot that was hollow on the middle, and although it tasted fine it was just so strange in the context of everything else. Also, have i mentioned the slice of straight up hillshire farms deli turkey they slapped across the top??? Like what i used for sandwiches in 4th grade. I think there were six (6!) different kinds of meat? Weirdly the most flavorful one was the ground turkey - it was basically the most flavorful thing we ate the whole time there. The duck meat was also pretty decent as a topping.

The dan dan noodles were even stranger. It had like tahini (?) on it and was made with either a kind of Sichuan peppercorn or the Japanese relative of it (Sansho/ white pepper) that totally numbs out your whole tongue. This peppercorn can be really good but you have to use it much more sparingly - it totally obliterates any other flavor and completely numbs out your actual mouth. Then it also comes with the ramen toppings?? Ginger, cucumber, an 8 inch phallic bamboo shoot… what is even going on here. Imagine having ur tongue so numb and then chewing on this bamboo shoot, unable to taste anything and left alone with the bizarre texture. We ended up going to forever yogurt immediately after to clear out the numbing pepper taste from our mouths.

The cumulative effect of this is that it feels like someone described ramen to an alien, and then that alien made a ramen restaurant. Very odd stuff, and i wouldn’t necessarily return unless they totally...

🍜I recently visited Birdman Ramen and had a great experience overall. The place has a cozy, modern vibe with unique décor that adds to the warm ambiance. It’s clear they put thought into both their food and their aesthetic. The star of the show was definitely the ramen. I had the bowl with duck breast, soft-boiled egg, minced pork, and scallions — absolutely packed with flavor. The broth was rich and creamy with just the right kick of spice, and the duck was tender with a beautifully charred edge. The texture and balance of the toppings really stood out — everything complemented each other perfectly. I also tried the dumplings (featured in their photos), which came with a deliciously creamy sauce, chili crisp, and fresh scallions. They were plated beautifully and had a fantastic depth of flavor — both spicy and savory with a nice crunch from the topping. Service was friendly and attentive without being intrusive. Staff answered questions happily and made solid recommendations. The price point is around $20–30, which is reasonable for the quality and presentation. Portions are generous, and I definitely felt it was worth it.😍 If you’re a ramen fan or just want to try something bold and flavorful, Birdman Ramen is a great spot. The duck ramen is a must-try, and the appetizers are just as impressive. I’d recommend getting there right when they open at 5 PM if you want a more relaxed...

As a big ramen fan, I'm always excited to see a new spot in the neighborhood. Birdman has potential, but for now, it's missing the mark in a few ways.

This chicken-focused shop offers three ramen broths (Shoyu, Szechuan Tori Paitan, and Garlic Miso). I opted for the Szechuan Tori Paitan for my visit, which had a promising base but was underwhelming overall - the flavor fell flat and lacked the richness and spice kick you'd expect from the name, and the chicken chashu was more like deli meat rather than a proper ramen topping. The duck was decent though, and the bamboo shoots added a nice crunch to the bowl.

The salmon don was also off - serving cold sashimi over warm rice just felt strange. The rice needed seasoning and could benefit from some rice vinegar and wasabi. The salmon was sliced super thin, which might be fair for the price but made for way too much rice per bowl.

The karaage appetizer was alright but tasted more like regular fried chicken than Japanese karaage and was missing the signature mirin flavor that makes karaage special.

All in all, Birdman isn't going to be the best ramen spot, but it works for a quick fix in Lakeview. The bright decor and friendly service helped make the experience a bit more...