Craving ramen? You're in luck: a new business has opened its doors in the neighborhood. Located at 553 W. Diversey Pkwy. (between Hampden Ct. & Lehmann Ct.) in Lakeview, the newcomer is called Tanaka Ramen.
This new spot—located in the former Jinya Ramen Bar space, which closed earlier this month—specializes in traditional ramen dishes, rice bowls and Japanese-inspired tapas, according to its Yelp page.
On the menu, expect to see a selection of tonkotsu pork broth varieties, red miso with ground pork and bean sprouts, and Tanaka chicken with wonton, spinach and fried onions.
If you're looking for a little something different, there are donburi rice bowls that include the pork cha shu with spinach and seasoned egg, a sukiyaki bowl with slow-braised beef and Tokyo-style curry with ground chicken and steamed rice.
For tapas, expect to see offerings like pork gyoza, chicken karaage and tempura Brussels sprouts.
With a three-star rating out of two reviews on Yelp so far, Tanaka Ramen has received mixed feedback—but it's still early days.
Yang Y., who was among the first Yelpers to review the new spot on March 20th, said, "Why five stars? Because this was a surprise from a trip into Chicago. I went to Chicago for a business trip last week, and came to Tanaka Ramen for dinner. The service was nice and fast, the food was decent!"
Yelper Jiapei T. added, “I traveled from Seattle for spring break and I visited Tanaka Ramen three times in a week just because all [of] the food is amazing.”
Swing on by to take a peek for yourself: Tanaka Ramen is open daily from 11am–10pm.
