Aodake Ramen — Restaurant in Lyons Township

Came here on a weekday evening and there were plenty of seats in the restaurant. I don't eat much outside the Chicago city proper so I can't comment on how the restaurant compares to others in the neighbourhood but I thought the food was decent.

For appetizers we got the karaage and the spicy brussel sprouts. The karaage came in 5 huge pieces. The breading was nice and crispy, but it wasn’t as flavourful as other ones I’ve had before, so you have to take advantage of the sauce. The chicken was cooked very well, very juicy and tender; although I wish the pieces were a bit smaller so you get better surface area to volume ratio. The spicy brussel sprouts had a batter that was fried to be very crispy, and sprouts themselves were cooked well. The sauce was really nice, sweet and spicy, and complimented the taste of the vegetable.

For ramen we got the Spicy Tonkotsu Ramen and the Shoyu Ramen with an egg. I really regret adding in chilli oil and chilli powder in my bowl because I made it way too spicy. I think the flavouring is a lot stronger than other ramen shops so definitely go easy on the condiments. From what I ate before adding in the spicy stuff, the broth was fine and the vegetables seemed to be fresh and cooked well. Noodles were a good texture, fairly springy. The egg was nicely soft boiled and the chashu was pretty tender, wish there was a bit more char on the chashu though. My SO was able to handle the heat a lot better than me and he really enjoyed the spicy tonkotsu ramen.

We also got the plum wine and red bean mochi ice cream ($4 for 2 pieces). They cut the mochi ice cream into 4s with cream and chocolate drizzle, so it was very pretty. The red bean was alright but the plum wine was sooooo good. Sweet with a tiny hint of acidity.

Service was pretty good. The waitress was very friendly and came with the water often once she saw I was...

The food is overpriced for the portions. They should be embarrassed to give 6 small gyoza for $9. The $16 ramen bowl was half full, and honestly, the least authentic miso I've ever had with dry chicken bits floating around. Not to mention, we ordered mushrooms for another $2 and barely got ANY, which was infuriating, to say the least. With an already small portion of food for so much, I was expecting an actual Ramen expirence with full bowls and delivery on the actual service, which left a lot to be desired. They brought out my food about 7 minutes before my friend ever got served, which is just weird because why wouldn't you wait for their food to be done so I can actually eat. as well as waiting multiple minutes to serve my friend their tea while I already had my drink. It's a small place. There's no way it takes that long to bring a drink. The bowls give the illusion of being a lot, but they have very wide tops and thin bottoms, and my friend was served udon in what looked like an eccentric cat bowl. Not to mention, the small fried rice that tasted burnt to the pan was $7.50, which is ridiculous for such a small portion. I wouldn't recommend eating here for a plethora of reasons. Save yourself $80. (Ps the mango milk tea doesn't taste like mango just sad milk with warm popping Boba).

My friend also mentioned the Thai tea might be a powder which might not be a deal breaker for some but for almost $7 I expected actual effort in what they're serving.

Also also I barely ate of thier food and my to go container wasn't even half way full because of these pitiful portions. I'm so disheartened that this place ended up being my friends first Ramen expirence. Rip to my tastebuds, wallet, and time. On my way to McDonald's to...

I came in one day, I was the only customer at the time. The young gentleman at the front counter sat me down for dine-in. He got me water and checked in to see if I was ready. After a few more minutes, the waitress named Rubi took care of me my rest of my stay here.

I understand everybody has their hard days at work. I always give benefit of the doubt. When I came in, I was the only customer. Lots of others came in while I was reading the menu, some for take-out, some for just a drink. Rubi treated them with a very respectful, very courteous demeanor. I noticed Rubi and the other young man were giggling and laughing with each other in the back, which didn’t upset me or bother me in the slightest. but I get the sense that Rubi thought that I was trying to be flirty with the young man. She offered if I would like a fork, to which I said can I actually get one please, and she very blatantly, rolled her eyes at me. I left the business crying. I don’t need to be disrespected just because a young woman feels threatened about another woman stealing her work crush. It didn’t upset me when I heard them both giggling and laughing with each other in the back, but I did nothing to deserve being treated the way I was that day. She seemed very bothered the 2 times she went to check in with me. The food was not too great. By the time I got the food, I just...