Kyoto Ramen

First of all , the Karage chicken is not pop corn chicken. Let me tell you something, I went in to order a Miso ramen for 17.99,the broth was medium, the chashu is just a huge cunk of fat with a quarter side piece of pork. The noodles are not fresh like other ramen shops that I've been to for less people. Honestly, don't waste your money in this location, and trust me, I'm not trying to be a hater, but this one really got me F up. Here are a few recommendations if you doubt my taste, please visit ((kitakata)) in Schaumburg or ((Ramen house)) in Vernon Hills. You will not be disappointed, and guess what? only 14 dollars and real Karage chickens. Honestly, kioto ramen go by people's ignorance and take advantage(in my opinion), but for 17 dollars for a bowl of ramen, it's insulting.

Visited Kyoto Ramen 5 days after their grand opening. We were seated immediately for dinner on a weekday. Inside is Asian themed and with some anime decor. Our waiter greeted us fairly quickly. Two of the appetizers we wanted to order they did not have. We opted for shrimp tempura. They tasted exactly like the frozen ones from Costco. When our appetizer came, we had to flag down a waiter for plates. The plates they gave us were paper plates. We were also given plastic forks. This gave off a very food court vibe. If I'm dining in, I expect to be using silverware and regular plates! We ordered Miso Ramen and Tonkotsu Ramen. They were both mediocre at best. Soup for both ramen were warm and not hot. The chashu (pork belly) was all full of fat. Barely any meat on it. It was not good. I’ve had better. A great addition to Gurnee but I have no desire dining here again.

So it was my first time coming to this location. I’m going to be honest I have high expectations as I’m heavy into cooking in general and creating my own concoction of ramen, I also have a cousin who’s a Michelin Star Chef, and have had my fair share of A1 level Ramen from a variety of places! To be fair, this is a great spot for Ramen being in the northern suburbs. My girlfriend and I had the TanTan and Tonkotsu Ramen. Portion of both broth, noodles, and condiments are fair. I just think there might be something missing in the broth (flavor wise). Not sure what would be the core focus of this place, as far as food chain, or fast food type. Just in my humble opinion, perhaps the broth could use a longer cooking time to really get all the flavor with some added ingredients. The egg was a little bit more fully cooked than expected. Overall I would give it a 6 or 7 out of 10. However, my girlfriend on the other hand would rate it a 9 or 10/10. One thing I would like to suggest as well is include extra hot/spice options. Spicy powder, chili oil, etc. Overall the ambiance is amazing. The neon lights, decorated walls and separate rooms for a more intimate setting is just right. I’m also happy that they are open until 11pm as I do have those late night munchies and nothing is normally open outside of the fast food chains. We came around 8:30pm so service was fair. It wasn’t crowded at all. Very friendly staff, and Sam ( I’m guessing the owner) is very welcoming. I hope this place stays for a very long time next to my friends place within the same plaza at Gurnee Donuts. You have won me over to continue supporting local business! Thank you,

The tonkatsu ramen is very delicious!!! My family, friends, and I usually drive far to eat authentic ramen but not anymore since Kyoto Ramen is open! Update: Came back another day and tried other ramens. I am impressed because our go-to ramen is Tonkatsu, but after today, our opinion changed. We ordered the beef shoyu and miso ramen. The miso ramen was so creamy and flavorful! The beef shoyu was equally flavorsome! People who gave negative reviews must have came at the grand opening because our waiter on both visits were attentive and our food arrived promptly. They should come again since it we was expected that they would be busy on the grand opening.

Had the tonkotsu Ramen, had a side of shrimp tempura(perfect crunch to it), kimchi (great flavor and spice) and corn. Added the corn to my ramen and kimchi and made the ramen so much better. I wish they had more things to make it spicy but that’s just a personal preference. Overall broth had good flavor, staff were very kind and loved the way the place was decorated. Seeing the scenes from different animes was also very cool