Sozai Banzai

They have great katsu curry and gyoza! Service is quick and friendly. The ramen is decent as well, tasty broth. We always mean to try something new but our favorites are so good we haven’t branched out yet.

Immediate reaction after eating: i ate all my ramen to the last drop, if that is any indication. I thought it was a solid showing of ramen and it’s nice that you can combo with gyoza or chicken karaage and it is still cheaper than most ramen places. Ramen is also a bit smaller than what we see in Chicago but is actually the perfect amount to fill you up and they have so many side dish options that I want to come back and try. If you like ramen and you are in the area (ikea or wood field shopping or Ramen Misoya has a 2 hour wait then come here to enjoy some ramen and even a few alcoholic beverages.
We were headed to the suburbs to do some shopping and my wife said she was hungry and to just drive and she would tell me where we were eating when we get there. Exciting right!!! Inquiring minds want to know. We arrived to this random strip mall to this very unassuming Japanese restaurant. When we got inside, the place had a few diners but not busy and we proceeded to the counter to look over the menu, order and pay first. We settled on the miso chashu ramen and made it a combo with rice and small chicken karaage (about 7 pieces) and a spicy tang tang ramen. There were so many choices for sides and ramen I wanted to try them all but I would just be ramen them all in my mouth. :p
We got some water ourselves in little cups and sat down waiting for the food. The food came out at a reasonable normal timing for ramen and we proceeded to begin with the broth. The tang tang was moderately spicy with some slight kick but nothing insane. The miso flavor was very present but not as rich as I usually like it but still very delicious. The ramen itself was smaller than most ramen places but it seemed like the perfect amount and is a bit cheaper than other ramen spots.
The chicken karaage was really really good! Almost stealing the show because it was so juicy and crispy. I would definitely go back for more.

I love this place. It’s a bit hidden, but a hidden gem. And it’s so much more than ramen. It’s full of Japanese comfort food and I’m grateful it exists. I hope it will be around for many years to come.
I’ve been twice, and had the curry and fish special with croquettes. Favorites like Bentos, all sorts of donburi, fish, ramen, side dishes (karaage, tamago) are available, as well as sushi and dessert (matcha ice cream and custard). I don’t know how they do all these dishes in that small space! My favorite dish is the special, salmon belly. It’s grilled in foil and oh so tasty.

will be coming back. am quiet surprised how this place is so hidden but it’s quiet and relaxing. the ramen was spot on so was the croquette

Inside the last strip mall before entering the Village of Mount Prospect, there was a neon sign «Sushi & Grill.» Oops, we missed the entrance! We then turned around, parked our vehicle in the strip-​mall lot, and then headed inside… with a suspicious mind and an empty stomach.
Obviously, «Sozai Banzai» is the official name for this place. This little eatery serves home-​style Japanese dishes, ranging from ramen to many well-​known side dishes that one can see on a typical Japanese family’s dinner table. I saw many Japanese hanging out there, so it proved that there was a certain degree of authenticity involved.
Everyone works there seems to be a «jack of all trades.» The young man who took our order was primarily in charge of the dining room and the front-​line responsibilities. All orders are taken at the register. All directions are clearly written in both English and Japanese.
After we put our orders in: butter corn miso ramen and spicy stamina ramen, we helped ourselves with water. By the way, there’s a minimum $ 10 requirement for using a debit or credit card. One (1) bowl of ramen with a choice of side dish, or a bottle of Premium Black Asahi will do. Yes, they do serve wine and beer. Getting a business liquor license is much more affordable in the suburbs.
My spicy stamina ramen was delicious! It could have been a great belly-​warmer, except the temperature still remains high 70s in late September here in the Midwest. Hence, it was sweating the entire time slurping my bowl. That really wasn’t a complaint though!
Hubby enjoyed this sweet corn miso ramen as well. He finished it in a lightening speed, so you knew that he liked it.
The other table with three (3) Japanese gentlemen seemed to have a blast with their choices of entrees, because they weren’t commenting negatively about the food, but the family of four (4) behind them in Japanese. Hey, that’s the power of knowing a second language. I often do that, too, so I’m no saint, people!
With Miki Imai’s soothing, womanly voice playing in the background, the ramen was steadily transported to our stomachs. I have to say «Sozai Banzai» is truly a hidden gem in Arlington Heights, yet Unilocal helps unearth it.

Incredible that’s all. first time here because of Unilocal so my cousin and i decided to try it out
Absolutely great i do recommend it

Sozai Banzai is a great place for addressing a ramen jones. It’s one of my favorites in the area, and there are a lot of choices in the immediate vicinity. Sozai’s located in a decrepit strip mall which looks like a stage set out of the latter seasons of Breaking Bad, so I braced myself when I rolled up with my wife and brother. We walked into a clean but spartan dining room with plastic chairs (a la Ikea). It’s not full-​service here so I wouldn’t go on any hot dates to Sozai; you order at the counter and seat yourselves.
The food is very, very tasty though. I’ve had the Spicy Stamina Ramen with pork which was excellent. They also serve variations of miso ramen, including a garlic ramen which I would like to try. The ramen ran me about $ 9, which I think is very reasonable for the size and quality. They also offer sushi, bentos, and a variety of other entrees. I’ve already gone here a few times and the service and food quality are excellent each time. Also, they sell booze!

Soup of the ramen is comparably light. There are other places w heavy (more greasy) and salty soup base, where I always ask for extra broth to add to the ramen.
Here I could just eat as it was was made. Today we had miso chasu ramen, curry katsu, crochettes, and chicken karaage. It was all good. My hubby usually gets stamina ramen (spicy ramen) which he says is good too. It’s all self serve.

Hands down to my favorite Japanese restaurant in Chicago :)
Here are some reasons:
1. Authentic and really delicious Japanese food. I wish I can buy a house near this place so I can visit more often. I think they have the best ramen in Chicago, but I know, that’s always a heated topic with no possible conclusion.
2. Free parking space always available right in front of the restaurant. (If you’ve been to Misoya or Cocoro or Takashi or Wasabi, you know what I am talking about).
3. Cheap price and friendly service. It’s not a fancy place full of exotic fishes, it’s just a family restaurant that makes you contented.

Hidden in a tiny strip mall. Not busy at all!
Most of the menu is in Japanese.
I got the Garlic Ramen.
I LOVE garlic!
+The broth was amazing! Very garlicky!
–Only one piece of pork but it was very tender (I need more pork please)
–Only one half of egg (I need my other half of egg)
–Noodles are okay. Nothing special but tons of noodles.
I ended up eating all my broth, egg, and pork but had tons of noodles leftover.

Soup Taiwanese style was good.
Regular bento was also good but small portion. Cheap prices. Clean restaurant. Friendly staff.

Alien used to live in Japan. Alien could have real Japanese dishes at Sozai Banzai. Wish Alien live closer to this nice restaurant, then Alien would go there every day! Salt-​grilled mackerel is Alien’s favorite.

what a little gem!
you wouldnt think this place is good but it is!
I came here with a friend for a late lunch and ordered the Spicy Ramen, and it was ready in about 5 min. The portion was huge and had enough for leftovers the next day.
I saw on the menu a Kimchi katsu??? sounds delicious!
i’ll defintely be back to try more food!

While some people might think it’s just another boring suburb, the Arlington Heights area seems to be pretty money when it comes to Japanese/​ramen restaurants. Sozai Banzai was the next stop on my ramen tour. It’s a small place in the middle of a quiet strip mall, and they don’t even have their name out front… instead it just says Sushi and Grill on the outside. It has more of a casual food court style atmosphere where you order at the counter and just find a seat yourself, which makes it super convenient for a quick meal since you don’t have to deal with servers.
Even though I’ve been eating a ridiculous amount of ramen lately, I’m still not tired of it because each place has something slightly different about their bowl of ramen. At Sozai Banzai, there were a couple different kinds of ramen, but as I was scanning the menu my eyes came across the magic word: garlic. Bingo, no need to look any further. For me, garlic is a game changer. It just makes everything better.
The Garlic Ramen here was just great. While I’ve had some garlic flavored ramens at other places, none were as garlicky as here. I wouldn’t consider the broth to be very thick in terms of texture, but it was a nice dark broth that had a very deep and intense garlic taste. I can’t really describe it in any other way without saying garlic over and over again. Let’s just say if you’re a garlic lover, you won’t be disappointed. The noodles were just average and honestly tasted like generic instant ramen noodles, but I didn’t really care since the broth is usually my main focus. The pork was actually really good too. It was fatty and tender, but the problem was the bowl only came with one piece. I’m definitely gonna order extra meat the next time around. The egg was more fully boiled than I’d like, but whatever, still better than no egg at all. The total cost was under $ 10, so it was a nice change from the $ 15 bowls in the city.
Overall, just a solid bowl of ramen. Sozai Banzai may not be too fancy but it gets the job done. It’s tasty, fast, and the price is right. I’ll definitely come back whenever I need a quick ramen fix.

The uninspiring «Sushi Grill» sign outside belies the awesomeness that is Sozai Banzai’s legit Japanese food inside. Would have never found this hidden gem except we were brought here after dragon boat practice by a friend who lived in the area for 8 years.
Had the hardest time ordering since so many things looked good (curry! ramen! small plates!). Ended up trying the Taiwanese Tonkatsu Ramen (which has a place on their helpful Top 5 Ramen list despite not appearing on the menu) and the chicken karaage. Ramen was great with flavorful broth and very good (but not quite amazing) noodles and toppings. Karaage was very good, but still falls a little short of Misoya’s (curry powder!) and Ramen Takeya. For ramen, Misoya is better overall (can’t beat their grilled pork) and Santouka is probably as good, but you can avoid the insane crowds at those two places on the weekend. Also, they have a huge variety, I can’t wait to go back to try the chashu, dan dan, dipping noodle ramen, and all the small plates.
Friendly staff, simple, but very clean environment, and no lines, what’s not to like? Only thing giving this 4 vs 5 stars is that Misoya ramen is better.

This place hands down has the best ramen in chicago. I tried the abu ramen and udon here. The udon i only got the small so the portion was not very big, but the broth was delicious out of this world!
The abu ramen had nice noodle that got a good bite to it. First time trying ramen without the broth, and they did a great job with adding the right sauces to it.
Their dessert menu is lackluster though, so i’d just stay away. Tried the cream animatsu and it’s a ³⁄₁₀.
This is a hole in the wall kind of place, not exactly hole in the wall price but it is quite authentic.

Sozai Banzai is such a quintessential Japanese restaurant, serving authentic Japanese cuisine. You can tell because both the staff and customers are mainly Japanese. I’d consider this establishment a hole in the wall, hidden within a small strip mall with a banner that reads «Sushi and Grill». Nevertheless, once you step inside, it’s a homey, clean, and inviting feeling.
First off, I hate to say this, but the ramen at Sozai Banzai is not that good, probably not even average. The noodles, broth, and meat really just miss the mark, and the portions are small. HOWEVER, EVERYTHING ELSE, literally, EVERYTHING ELSE served at Sozai Banzai is legit and delicious. Udon, donburi, appetizers, hamburg steak, katsu… you name it. They’re good and as Japanese as it can get.

I love ramen, yes I do. I love ramen, how about you?
3.5 stars.
I couldn’t believe this place wasn’t busy on a Friday night, but I wasn’t complaining. Sozai Bonzai is located in a tiny strip mall. It is small, brightly lit, and clean. They have several ramen options as well as tonkatsu (pork cutlet) and some sushi options. The workers all speak fluent Japanese and I noticed most of the customers were speaking Japanese as well. That has to be a good sign, right…
Walk up to the counter, place your order, pay, and have a seat. Someone will bring your order to you on a green tray.
I ordered the Butter Corn Ramen and added 3 pieces of chashu for an additional $ 1.50 (so worth it!) and a White Peach JPop sparkling cocktail. The bottled drink tasted like a wine cooler. Next time I’ll order an Asahi beer. The ramen had thinner, curly noodles, a thin slap of butter, lots of corn, two pieces of seaweed, a few bamboo shoots, and lots of thinly sliced green onion. The brother wasn’t incredibly complex or savory, but it wasn’t bad. It’s definitely better than eating the packets of instant ramen at home (…even Shin Ramen Black!) For around $ 11 (this is including the chashu I added) it was a perfect fix for my ramen craving. Plus, I didn’t have to wait an hour like at some of the trendier ramen places. I’ll definitely be returning again!
Bottom line: t’s a great place to come in for a quick ramen fix, but it’s not the highest quality ramen.

This is a great little strip-​mall place for a no-​frills Japanese ramen or bento box meal. They also have a few other offerings as well. The dining space is casual and simple but does the job after you order at the back counter. Wife has their deluxe bento box (with smoked mackerel) for $ 10.95. I had their charsu ramen bowl for $ 9.50 and liked that it wasn’t over salty, as at so many other places. The portions are decent and value is good. They also offer a limited bottled beer selection. Will be back sometime I’m sure.

Sozai Banzai is a nice little Japanese restaurant with the name Sushi & Grill on the outside. If you were not looking for it you would drive right by in on the south side of Golf road.
They have ramen dishes, bento boxes, and bowls. They also have sushi on their to go menu but we didn’t see it on the menu that was handed to us at the checkout counter. There is a popular menu that they display just in front of the kitchen and behind the front checkout counter. The set up is really simple with tables for seating of four. They have a television and music playing in the background. They offer drinks out of an open freezer and even alcoholic beverages.
I had the spicy ramen and the gyoza and both were on point. The ramen serving size was large but good for me and the four pieces of gyoza were excellent. The woman working at the time was very kind and helpful. She brought our food out to us on green trays and took them for us when we were finished.