According to the company website, Chicago Ramen is slated to open two new locations, one in Mundelein and the other in Palatine.
A representative of Chicago Ramen was not immediately available for commentary upon What Now Chicago’s request.
The Mundelein location will reside at 404 N Lake Street in the Hawley Lake Plaza, with the Palatine address not yet disclosed, according to the website. Mundelein is slated to open sometime later this month, while Palatine is slated to open sometime in February.
“Japanese Chef and Restaurateur Kenta Ikehata opened his first ramen restaurant in the Midwest. Chef Ikehata was trained at Tsujita in Tokyo, a beloved artisan ramen brand, which was selected as one of the best 10 ramen shops in Tokyo by the readers of Japan Times in 2019.”
“After more than 7 years of experience at Tsujita in Tokyo, Chef Ikehata was sent to Los Angeles to open and manage its first US location, which was described in 2017 as “the king of Tonkotsu ramen in Los Angeles” by the late food critic Jonathan Gold of the Los Angeles Times.”
According to a recent article from the Daily Herald about the Mundelein location, “The space last was occupied by a franchise restaurant called Surf’s Up that opened in 2020 and closed about two years later.”
“The community got something of a sneak peek in October during the opening reception for the Lure of the Local art exhibition, which was staged at the plaza. Attendees were able to enjoy bowls of the restaurant’s namesake dish, in addition to food from other restaurants, said Colleen Malec, the village’s senior planner.”
“Other Chicago Ramen restaurants operate in Des Plaines, Rolling Meadows, Wheeling, Algonquin, Palatine, and Park Ridge. A sister restaurant called Chicago Sushi is in Des Plaines, too, and Chicago Ramen Annex opened last year in Schaumburg.”
