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Friends Ramen, Chicago, IL

Friends Ramen

4.5
4.5
55 Reviews
$30 and under
Izakaya

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 6 times today
  • Neighborhood gem
Welcome to Friends Ramen. A Japanese Izakaya style dining dedicated to bringing you the best ramen experience. Mini-Bowls with Easy Grip Handles is our signature dish. So good ... to the last drop. Bring your friends and explore our flavors. We look forward to seeing you.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Izakaya, Japanese, Asian
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–11:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (312) 643-1209
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Carte Blanche, Contactless Payment, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Neighborhood
    River North (Chicago)
  • Cross street
    at W. Chicago Ave
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 55 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.3Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

55 Reviews
  1. Gabbi

    Chicago

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 6, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    We had a reservation, still waited at least 15-20 more minutes to get seated because they were accepting all walk ins. I asked her not to sit us right next to the door and she did anyway, it was freezing and we all had to wear our puffer coats while dining. Our server came to us twice- once for drink orders and once for our dinner order. My friend and I ordered the exact same thing but half of my ramen was missing the ingredients… couldn’t even get the waitress’s attention to tell her. Overall would not recommend, service was terrible and the food was mid at best.

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  2. elizabeth

    Chicago

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on December 2, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was great, the small really is a small so be aware

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  3. OpenTable Diner

    VIP

    New York City

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on May 26, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Awesome little place. Not many tables so make a reservation!
    Friends RamenResponded on May 29, 2024
    Hello and thank you for dining with us! We're so happy you enjoyed your dining experience and we can't wait to welcome you back soon!

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  4. OpenTable Diner

    Portland

    14 reviews

    5.0

    14 reviews

    Dined on April 5, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great ramen, friendly service. Appetizers were tasty and the spicy ramen was spicy indeed. All staff were very friendly.
    Friends RamenResponded on April 23, 2024
    Hello and thank you for dining with us! We're so happy you enjoyed your dining experience and the spicyness of the spice ramen! We can't wait to welcome you back soon!

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  5. BrennaC

    Greater Boston

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 25, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Wanted more flavor in the ramen, but its was fine

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  6. Bravos

    Chicago

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 25, 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Tables and seats were tight, hard and very awkward. Noodles in the ramen were overcooked and lacked any bite. Soup was just warm, not hot. Also, there wasn’t a double front door like at most Chicago restaurants, so the dining room was blasted with frigid Chicago air every time someone opened the door which was practically every minute during dinner rush.
    Friends RamenResponded on February 29, 2024
    Hello Bravos thank you for dining with us and we apologize for not meeting your expectations. We've sent a note to our kitchen team to ensure we're properly cooking the noodles and soup. We completely understand - no one wants to be blasted by cold air while they're eating their food - we've been actively working to ensure that our guests stay warm during the winter and plan to make changes in late 2024. If you have any additional feedback please email us at the email provided in our private reply. Thank you!

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  7. OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 21, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Good food, but Sat at the table across from the front door! Wind cooled down our food every time someone opened the door

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  8. FranciscoE

    Chicago

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 5, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great environment. Service was so friendly and the food was great!

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  9. OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    119 reviews

    4.0

    119 reviews

    Dined on December 17, 2023

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Good place to go in the neighborhood for ramen and other Japanese goodies. I like that they have a nice array of appetizers so you're not just limited to ramen. I also like that they have ramen in small and large sizes. The food itself (we shared two appetizers and had a small ramen each) was good and the matcha tiramisu was outstanding. Prices are quite fair (except for the criminally high prices for glasses of wine). Service was friendly and helpful.

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    VIP

    Chicago

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on December 3, 2023

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I usually like this place- however I wanted to substitute my pork belly for ground pork and they told me they’d have to charge me $4 extra for that. I said why? i’m just subbing i’m not adding on meat. they said it’s “policy”. kind of ridiculous to charge someone for something they aren’t even eating!
    Friends RamenResponded on December 26, 2023
    Hello and thank you for dining with us and we apologize for not meeting your expectations! We understand the frustration of being charged for asking for a substitute protein and being told that will cost extra. Substitutions create additional labor in our kitchen and require extra time for us, including a substitution request from pork belly to ground pork. We are bringing your review and input to a meeting later this week to review our policies and ensure we account for your feedback. If you have any further feedback, feel free to email us in the email provided in our private reply

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FAQs

Friends Ramen offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (312) 643-1209.

Friends Ramen is rated 4.5 stars by 55 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 6 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Friends Ramen

808 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610-3319

Additional information

  • Cross street
    at W. Chicago Ave
  • Neighborhood
    River North (Chicago)
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:30 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:30 am–11:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Izakaya, Japanese, Asian
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Carte Blanche, Contactless Payment, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Delivery, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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