High Five Ramen

I went here on a Thursday night with my boyfriend and thought it was just okay. I followed other Unilocalers’ advice and went a little before 6pm when they open to avoid a long wait. We got there at 5:45… and still waited an hour. When the doors opened, we were fifth in line on the sign-​in clipboard. We waited upstairs at Green Street Smoked Meats and perused the concise menu online so we’d be ready to order by the time we sat down.
Once we sat down, I ordered the no spice Hive Five Ramen ($ 14), and my boyfriend ordered the Shio Ramen $ 15). Both were undoubtedly good, BUT I’ve had better. The broth was a little too salty and the pork belly was verrrry salty (melted in your mouth though, mmm). I wish there had been more in the ramen than just bean sprouts, pork belly, and an egg.
At sixteen bar stools, the space is definitely teeny, so it’s safe to assume you’ll be waiting in line no matter what day or time you go. Service was fine. I’m in no rush to go back, there’s way too many other ramen places in the city to try!

Loved this place. I would describe it as the «Au Cheval» of Ramen: if you don’t get there at the right time, you’ll wait forever (we waited 2 hours), and the Ramen (like Au Cheval’s burger) is so simple, but SO perfect. It’s a «back to basics» approach to Ramen and succeeds marvelously.
Notes:
— The wait sucks, BUT you are waiting inside of Green Street Meats so you can drink while you chill (and they have a great beer selection + cocktail list)
— I like spicy, and decided to go with the half spice to be on the safe side and was glad I did. It’s a good amount of kick without overwhelming the whole thing

With all the reviews already established here, I just need to further push the greatness. My party was in the line and made it through the first rotation. Get there within fifteen minutes of opening and you’ll get the tail end. Half spice had so much Flavor. The no spice was sweet and flavorful; umami bomb. Noodles were cooked perfectly. This is a great place to introduce folks to real ramen.

The noodles are so on point! They reminded me of the dipping ramen from Tokyo. I finally got a seat w/​o waiting after 3 different attempts. Hallelujah! Came 20 minutes before they opened at 6pm on a Tuesday night and was the first group to be seated. RAISE THE ROOF! I was so stoked to be the first group seated. They only open for 6 hours on weeknights and 7 on weekends, closed on Mondays and Sundays. If you don’t want the «spicy Chinese tasting soup» then order the half-​spice high-​five ramen. My bf got the full-​spice, and we agree w/​everyone that it tasted sorta Chinese. They have booze and ramen. That’s it. I dig the simple menu the establishment offers. It just makes my ordering experience so much easier. Who wants to feel overwhelmed when it comes to ordering food? Add hunger on top of that. It’s like the most stressful situation to be in. More restaurants should learn from High Five’s menu layout. I usually order a cocktail when im at a gem like this, but cocktails just don’t mix well w/​hot ramen, and i wanted to workout that night, so opted out. Which means, i will be back very soon just for those slush cocktails! Only $ 8? What a steal!
Warning: long line b/​c the place is tiny, so put your name on the wait-​list and grab a drink from Green Street Smoked Meats.

I love this place! And I’m the girl that absolutely hates waiting for her food. The place is first come first serve and they have a sign in sheet (don’t forget to put your name down!). I’ve been on off nights and super busy ones and just once did I get seated right away. I have grown accustomed to getting a nice drink or two at green street smoked meats (right upstairs) and chatting away until there was a spot available for us (they have 16 seats I believe, so it’s pretty tiny). It’s a nice per meal ritual at this point. :) The ramen is amazing! They have a super spicy option, which I have to admit is too much for me. The Kanabo is spicy enough to make my mouth feel like it’s swelling up like a balloon. And I’ve only ever had a sip or two of it. So it’s great for those spice lovers in your life. My personal favorite is either the special (they change it and the last one I had was with sea food, the current is vegetarian I believe), or the chicken one. They also have a very limited (but really tasty) drink selection.
The servers are always super nice and the environment is excellent. I love it and can’t wait to go back.

Outside of the wait this is the best ramen ever in the city. We got here 5 minutes before they open at 6:05 n it’s already a 1 – 1 ½ hour wait but like I said its worth it. Get full spice for those who like spicy like me. I’m Asian n I usually can handle
It but if u go kanabo don’t go crying.

Im an Asian from LA, eat ramen almost every week. Give this ramen 2.5 stars, full spicy just like 2 stars spicy to me. People nice here, 4 stars for them.

Arrived at 1145 on a Saturday night and barely waited 10 minutes to be seated. Super small restaurant with about 15 seats, feels very exclusive-​the type of place Anthony bourdain would approve of.
Ordered:
Coconut slushie
Corpse reviver #2
Both tiny, but strong and delicious! Preferred the reviver because it was super sour and tart
Half spice
Great flavor, delicious broth and TO DIE FOR pork belly. The meat was so tender is fell apart (drooling as I type this), just wish there was more of it. Also loved that they give a whole soft egg. Noodles were perfect. Huge portions that you can definitely share. Only complaint was that it really wasn’t that spicy, based on Unilocal reviews I was hesitant to get full spice just by the exaggeration of How spicy the ramen here is. Ended up putting a lot of my own spice in there. Next time I’ll get full spice.

The beauty of traveling solo… not only do you move at your own pace, get to explore the city the way you want to (Metro) but you also don’t have to wait to be seated at a busy bar.
It was around midnight and I didn’t feel like going back to my hotel in Chicago, so I hopped on a subway line and went out west a bit. As soon as I walked in, I got to cut everybody.
#PartyOf1
This place was amazing and funny and charming. NYC where you at?
The ramen was amazing and I washed it down with whiskey. The guy on my left got the spicy option and regretted it. He kept blowing his nose. He was a funny guy though, he chatted with me for a bit until he and his friends left.
I only bring this up because it speaks to the kind of people who go here: Fancy people and college frat bros.
Fantastic array of clientele.
But when I say the venue is amazing, it is. And on stage is the food.
5 STARS.

Not worth it. For this review, I am only reviewing the ramen and drinks, and excluding my 2 hour wait on a Tuesday night. I knew there would be a wait, so I was well aware of this risk and likelihood. Let’s start on a positive note.
The good: Noodles cooked well, hip hop music, a pitcher of ice water, decent pork and must be Green St smoke meats pork brisket. Felt like a ramen place in Tokyo with the Barstool seating. You get a whole egg. Staff was fine, not good or bad.
The bad: The Broth. Just Terrible, The essence of all Ramen is the broth. My wife got the Half Spice and I got the No Spice as I wanted to taste the underlining broth. The No Spice tasted like someone took the after drippings of a Korean BBQ place and added stock. Oily, Salty, and I did not drink it to the last drop as I do at other Ramen establishments. The Half Spice was 1 note, and it actually was not spicy. If you eat Spicy Ramen or any kind of spicy food, forget all the other warnings of spiciness, much as this place was, it was all hype. I can’t even handle spicy anymore as I am getting old, but believe me it was not spicy.
Slush Drinks: We ordered the Coconut PainKiller and the Corpse Reviver #2, besides being the size of a 7 – 11 sample cup that you get free on July 11, it reminded me of horrible mixed drinks at all-​inclusive resorts, that you just drink cause it’s all-​inclusive.
After all the good things I have heard, and all the Ramen that I have had recently throughout Chicago, NYC, Cali, and Tokyo; I really wanted to like it and the waiting was not a problem as I was well aware and cautiously optimistic.
But, it comes down to a few tests for me, did I close my eyes when I ate from enjoyment (no), would I want to come back here again (unfortunately, no), and would I recommend this to other people (no).

Yes, the hype is real.
I love ramen. I basically hunt for ramen spots in every city I visit. I’ve had ramen all over the US and High Five Ramen is at the top of the list. That explosion of flavor in the hot, spicy bowl of delicious ramen is ridiculous.
My party of 3 arrived on a Friday night around 11PM. The place only sits around 15, so of course there was a wait. The place is located in an alley, there’s a door with a hand painted on it. Go through the door and down the stairs to the left. Put your name and number on the list then go right next door to Greene St Smoked Meats for drinks. That’s exactly what my friends and I did and although our wait time was only about 20 minutes, it made the time fly by. We were actually separated (2 + 1), but it wasn’t really an issue. The food comes out quick and you’ll be so focused on the amazing taste of the ramen that you’ll forget to even have a conversation with your friend.
I was a bit scared to order the High Five Ramen at full spice since everyone around me went with the half spice and were sweating bullets. However, I thought the full spice was just perfect. I love spicy foods and this broth was spicy, but not overpowering. It had loads of flavor to it that grabbed your attention more so than the heat. The pork belly was perfectly tender. It had a sweet and smoky taste to it. The noodles were chewy and cooked just right. Portion size was great — I couldn’t even finish all of it even though I really wanted to! My sister was able to enjoy it as left overs.
I also ordered the whiskey on the rocks, which was only $ 4. My sister went with the coconut painkiller for $ 8. It was a pretty small cup, but very strong and tasted great.
Loved everything about this spot! I wish they’d open one in VA! D:
This will be a must-​stop for me every time I go to Chicago!

I’ve been dreaming of this place ever since I went for dinner last week. It’s an extremely small and interesting space with a sign on the wall that «helps» you, rather than a host. I went on a Wednesday night and the wait was around an hour. I assume they send you a text when there’s space available, but we were waiting anxiously by the door.
I went with two of my friends visiting from the Bay Area (fairly experienced ramen consumers) and we all loved it. The woman helping us scared me into getting the half spice instead of the full spice, but I’ll definitely get the full spice next time. The broth was great, the meat was so tender, and the eggs were perfect. I personally just love ramen. I would definitely avoid coming here at peak hours though.

The delicious ramen was worth the two hour wait on a Friday night! Get there early and put your name on the list. Have your phone near you and wait for them to text you.
The half spice and the special ramen were both delicious. The cocktail slushies were refreshing as well. The space is intimate and cozy and the staff is wonderful. The half spice had the right amount of heat to it; it was not overpowering at all. I would get the full spice next time.
Jen was great!

Arrived to Chicago on a super chilly night and I figured a bowl of hot, steaming ramen was just the ideal meal before a night of debauchery. It was raining when we arrived, but that did not slow down the crowd. People lined up to be seated, lined up to sign in. There were a good 20 parties before us, yet we decided to put our number down for a party of 4 and wait for that forsaken text to be seated. Luckily, Green St. bar was right upstairs, so we had our fill of beers (2 pitchers to be exact) before finally receiving that text 1.5 hours later. As atrocious as the wait sounds, it is ABSOLUTLELY worth that beautiful bowl of scorching heaven.
Seated separately, my friends being first and ordering first, I was able to try their soup before ordering my own, and good thing. Although Kanabo ramen (supposedly the spiciest) was deliciously spicy and bearable the first spoonful, I don’t think I can take more than a few slurps without chugging a gallon of water. So I ended up High Five ramen, full spice.
Let me tell ya. first sip of the soup, it was this savory, warmth that filled my body. Bite after bite, it became more mind and tongue numbingly addicting. The alkaline noodles were chewy and thick, just like how I prefer my ramen noodles. The pieces of pork were tender and unctuous with a slight smokiness to add to the mouthwatering broth. This added such depth to the soup; it’s unlike any tonkotsu broth I’ve ever had, without any of the heaviness. Don’t let the bowl of scorching hot pepper soup scare you, the spices were not overwhelming at all, just added a subtle heat that was so soothing as I devoured the bowl. AND the season soft boiled egg was cooked to perfection and oozed its delicious yolky goodness when bitten into.
To say the least, it was sooooo good that I actually came back two nights later to have it again. And I still crave it, especially now that I’m back home. There’s a reason why there’s always an hour wait every night, not just because it’s a small 16-​seater ramen shop.

I heard about this place from a co-​worker and we decided to check it out. It was a Tuesday. We showed up around 5:40 and there was already a line for High Five Ramen inside Green Street Smoked Meats. We grabbed drinks at the bar and waited… When the door opened, we went downstairs into the restaurant. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the first cut of diners, so we signed the waitlist and went back up to Green Street Smoked Meats for more drinks. The wait was about an hour until High Five Ramen texted me to tell us our seats were ready.
My first impression walking in was that it is a really small space. I mean, really small. Extremely limited seating. Be prepared to wait. Do not show up starving or you’ll cave in and end up eating at Green Street Smoked Meats. We were seated at the bar, which was perfect because we got to see the ramen being made and talk to the waitstaff. By the way, the staff was great! Friendly, accommodating, and cute. ;)
On to the food… I thought it was interesting that each bowl of ramen started with the same broth, but was seasoned in a made-​to-​order fashion. The pork belly was cooked to perfection! (**You can add more pork belly or more noodles to your ramen**) I went with the original full spice high five ramen. I found the spice level to be just right for my taste. My friend, who doesn’t tolerate spice well, ordered the half spice high five ramen with extra pork belly and we both agreed that it wasn’t spicy at all. Both were seasoned very well. It’s difficult to describe the high five ramen. It had a very unique flavor that is unlike any other ramen I’ve had before. It is for that reason that I can’t really compare it to other ramen places. I did like it though and would definitely go back for more.
Tip: If you have leftover broth, then they will pack it to go with extra noodles and pork belly on the side. Makes for a nice meal the next day.

The best ramen I’ve ever had! The best!
Now I’m not qualified to say it’s the best around, since I’ve only had ramen very few times in my life, but this one was by far the best in both taste and texture.
The space is so small that you’re probably going to have to wait for a seat if it’s busy. But that’s no problem, you’ll have to wait upstairs at Green Street Smoked Meats, and chances are you might be enticed to eat some BBQ instead, but don’t fall for that just temptation. What awaits you is something you’ll be thankful you waited for.
Once you grab a seat, just order the High Five Ramen, go for half spice if you want a good level of burn or no spice if you can’t handle. But don’t be a fool and order the Kanabo Spice Ramen, the rules already direct you not to. Plus the half spice has sufficient enough spiciness.
I say this was the best because in terms of the balance between spicy and savory in the broth, I’ve had none like it. I didn’t have to mix it altogether or anything, it was ready for consumption the second it was places before me. But don’t let the «half spice» description trick you, you’ll need a glass of water or two. The other reason this ramen was the best is because my girlfriend actually liked it, even with pork broth. She usually gets veggie broth of some sort of bond broth creation. The unavailability of any veggie broth left her no option but to try the no spice High Five Ramen; without the meat or course, and she loved it. Still raves about it til this day.
I highly recommend this place to any ramen lover or non alike. The close quarters might have you rubbing elbows with strangers but the vibe is easy going and inviting. You’ll be glad to have tried it.

I was introduced to this restaurant by my brother. I don’t believe that I would have known how to find this place without him. It’s a first come first serve seating and diners must sign on a clipboard with number to be called to dine. The place is extremely small. It’s bar style seating with probably 20 stools that are not movable.
The menu offers only 5 different bowls of ramen noodle soups. Some are spicy and some are not. I ordered the clam ramen soup and it was just ok. I did not hate it, but I did not love it either. I felt that the ramen noodles were not cooked enough. A bit tougher than I enjoy.
Overall my experience was ok. Nothing that I will rave about. The bill with 2 bowls of ramen and a beer was under $ 50 including tip.

I’ll give them 4 stars just for a unique experience and finally getting a bowl of ramen that can stimulate my spice tolerance. Otherwise, it’s not the best ramen I’ve had neither in the US or Chicago.
Let me start with this: GET THERE BEFORE 6pm! We were there at 5:50 in line and we still waited until 7:00 to get seated. If you get there early enough, you need to redirect yourself to Green Street Smoked Meats and stand in the line there. No worries. They have a full bar there. If you’re not one of the 10 or so people to be seated, you will be directed to a clipboard that allows you to write down your name and number, so that they may text you. I thought this was pretty handy until I was standing next to it and couldn’t help but notice how many out of town area codes there were on the sheet. That brought me to thinking, «wow, everybody’s name and phone number is just thrown out for anyone to get.» Hmmm…
You head up to the Green’s and get a drink. Get an appetizer if you want. And, you wait. Make sure your phone is charged so that you can keep yourself occupied. They’ll text you once you need to get back downstairs for them to call your name. Once down there, they seat you at one of two counters. It’s not authentic Japanese: loud, flashy, and more hipster than anything. Also, the two waitresses were Asian, but the dudes cooking ramen were white, one with long hair. Whatever.
I got the full spice ramen. The waitress advised me that, if I have never been there before, don’t start with that: try half spice. I told her that I had eaten Sichuan food several times before and that this would be peanuts. Still, she offered her suggestion and I ignored it completely, getting my spicy bowl of ramen. The wait for your food isn’t long, but I had unfortunately ordered spicy soup and was now starving after a long wait. Spicy soup + empty stomach = bad evening. My wife got the half spice.
Honestly, the spice level was exactly what I wanted it to be. Because they use a lot of peppercorns, it’s more numbing than it is hot. Reminder: that means beer tastes like sugar water. My wife had a hard time eating hers. It was too spicy for her, which is weird because she’s Korean. Either I have a high tolerance or she doesn’t fit the stereotype. I ate mine and then some of hers. Overall, I thought it was tasty.
Now, bottom line, right? Was it worth a bill of $ 50 (including tip) for two people to eat ramen? The noodles weren’t handmade there. The broth was good, but that good? I love a good bowl of noodle soup, but all of these places want to charge an arm and a leg just because it’s so trendy right now. Seriously, I’m going to open up a food truck and charge people $ 20 in the Loop for some instant noodles. When I was in Japan, I paid $ 10 for both my wife and I to eat DELICIOUS handmade ramen that was freshly made in front of us in Tokyo.
Anyways, go and enjoy the experience. Take pictures. Try the spiciest one, take pictures, and tell everyone you ate it all, even if you couldn’t get past the first bite. Just remember, you’re eating instant noodles with a fancy broth.

Not your normal/​traditional Japanese ramen, so don’t come here expecting the normal ramen taste and you won’t be disappointed.
The entrance of this place is in the unmarked back corner of green street smoked meats and you should come and line up 30mins before the restaurant opens so you can sign in and wait. The restaurant is tiny, but you can grab a drink at green street while you wait for the «your table is ready» text.
Once inside the vibe is dark & casual (with great music playing, BTW) and the service is pretty quick. The ramen itself has a very interesting taste. The full spice high five ramen is actually quite spicy. The flavor is more Chinese than Japanese because of all the spices they use for the broth. However, the noodles, egg, and pork belly are reminiscent of a traditional Japanese ramen. Come with an open mind, and try to enjoy the meal for its unique flavor and I think you’d be wonderfully surprised.
Overall, great little ramen shop if you know how to work the wait system & got some time to spare while waiting. The hubs loooved it because he loved the broth. I liked it very much, but next time I will have to get the half spice.

I was going through one of my random ramen craves and decided to check this place out since a bunch of my friends kept raving about how good it was. After reading some reviews, I kept seeing that the wait was around 2 hours on the weekends. I didn’t wanna deal with that, so I decided to come here on a Wednesday. The wait couldn’t be that long in the middle of the week, right? Wrong!!! I guess I underestimated the power of this bowl of ramen.
They don’t open until 6 PM, but some people start lining up well before then. You need to go through the Green St. Smoked Meats entrance before 6. I arrived at around 6:05, went downstairs, and put my name on the clipboard list. There were only 5 or 6 names ahead of me, so I figured I missed the first wave and would just have to wait 30 – 40 minutes to catch the next one. Now I’ve waited in some pretty long lines in my day, and have usually come up empty handed. I waited outside Circuit City all night before black Friday just to see the item I wanted was out of stock. I waited in line for 4.5 hrs at Hot Doug’s two weeks before it closed just to decide that another 2 hrs of waiting wouldn’t be worth it. This was the one time I wouldn’t be a quitter… I was gonna get my bowl of ramen dammit!
We did end up waiting an hour and 40 minutes before getting seated, but honestly the wait didn’t drag on that bad since I had Green St. smoked meats upstairs to distract me in the meantime. A couple pounds of brisket and ribs along with a few beers makes the time go by.
Ambiance: This place gave off that dark, underground, hole in the wall vibe, but still with a trendy polish. The were a handful of stools along the bar and then a few tables right behind it. That’s about it.
Service: Despite waiting all that time, the food came out literally in minutes. Put your order in, get the food, then slurp it down while it’s still hot. It’s all business.
Food: I ordered the no spice high five ramen and absolutely loved it! It was a minimalist’s bowl of ramen with just broth, noodles, pork belly, a soft boiled egg, and a few sprouts garnished on top. The pork belly was succulent and the egg was cooked perfect, with the yolk just oozing out. The noodles were thin and wavy, and had a nice chewy texture. For me though, the focal point of the whole meal has got to be the broth. This tonkotsu broth was just amazing. It was so rich and deep flavored that I literally felt like I was eating meat as I was sipping it. It’s one of the darkest broths I’ve seen and it was on the saltier side, which I actually preferred. My friend got the full spice and it had a completely different flavor profile. I definitely preferred the no spice. No spice high five will be my go to every time I come here.
Overall, I still enjoyed the hell outta this dinner even though I had to wait so long. This is probably my favorite bowl of ramen I’ve tried so far in Chicago. I’m hoping I was just unlucky and picked the wrong day to go. I definitely plan on coming back and will just pray that the wait is 40 minutes tops.