Ramen House Shinchan

Wow. A Ramen House this good in Palatine? Who would have thought.
There were six in our party, and the restaurant is small. Maybe they have ten or twelve tables. Luckily, we only waited about ten minutes before they had a table ready for us. We ordered gyoza to start, these were great — sautéed enough to be crisp, yet soft and chewy inside. Tasty.
The service was fast and we received our ramen before we finished the gyoza. I had the Taiwan Ramen, which was spicy with ground pork (lots), green onion and herbs of various kinds. And, man was it spicy. I love spicy foods but know it’s really spicy when my eyes water. And they did.
The only think I found curious was they did not offer hot tea. They offer a variety of soft drinks. They have canned iced tea (?). I stuck with water. While this was disappointing, the food and experience were both good. Had they offered hot tea I think my review would have given them five stars.
If the owners read this, please take this as a suggestion. But regardless of their beverages, I’ll be back.

We admittedly do not have much ramen experience, but after hearing how great this place was, we were not impressed!

Had ramen for the first time today at Ramen House Sinchan, and I’m so glad I did. We were there right at 11:30 when they opened and weren’t the only ones. Get there early because the tables fill! Had the Kara-​Age fried chicken for an appetizer, was the bomb! Followed by Tonkotsu Ramen, still savoring that umami goodness an hour later.
Thanks for a great first ramen experience, Result!

Hands down this has the most delicious Tonkatsu porkbellly ramen. Super efficient. this place. Excellent paper thin gyoza skin and really good fried rice that’s steamed instead of fried. Try it you won’t be disappointed.

I’ve gone back a few times since my original review and in all fairness I definitely need to bump up my rating. When I first tried this place, I honestly wasn’t impressed. In fact, it was one of my lowest rated ramen reviews despite getting all the love from that article in the Chicago Tribune. As I said in my first review, I loved the broth, liked the noodles, but hated the unappetizing, grey pieces of pork that came in the tonkotsu. While I still think the pork is lacking in so many ways, the broth is consistently good and I was able to find a few other awesome items on the menu that make me forget about the lackluster slices of pork.
Taiwan Meat — This was the game changer for me. You can instantly take any of their bowls of ramen to the next level for a mere $ 2. Highly suggest it. It’s basically a decent size bowl of ground pork and huge cloves of garlic, drowned in some sort of chili oil. For anyone who’s left wanting more after seeing only 1 or 2 strips of meat in their ramen, this is the solution. Plus, it adds an amazing garlicky spice. When you combine the Taiwan meat with the tonkotsu broth… game over dude. When that milky broth turns orange, it’s on.
Tonkotsu Ramen — See my original review for the details. The broth was creamy, salty, and super porky. The noodles were thin and al dente, and the soft boiled egg was perfect for me: moist and gelatinous, but not completely runny. The cha shu pork was unfortunately bland.
Tebasaki wings — An order came with 5 wings. They weren’t the typical overly sauced, sweet and spicy Asian glazed wings that you see everywhere. Instead, the skin was soft but still with a broiled type texture on the outside. There wasn’t a sauce but rather a salt/​pepper looking rub. Really tasty.
Gyoza — Seared nice and crispy on the outside and the inside had juicy meat. Pretty standard.
Karaage — Lightly breaded chicken with a delicious mayo and salt/​pepper blend on the side. It wasn’t as crispy as I was expecting but the meat was still very juicy. TIP: I would suggest getting the small because the large costs twice as much but didn’t seem like it had twice the quantity.
Drinks: Shinchan seems like a business lunch type place. Most people come in to get their ramen fix and are back on their way shortly after. It didn’t seem like a happy hour environment where people just sit around, drink, and get rowdy. Well… that didn’t stop us from trying haha. The only alcoholic drinks they had were Japanese beer, and one type of sake that came in a jar. Sounds like sake bombs to me! A few of these and you’re good to go.
Overall, Ramen House Shinchan has quickly become my go to ramen spot in the burbs. Sorry I ever doubted you guys…

Reliably excellent Ramen. REAL ramen made by Japanese cooks with fresh ingredients. Very friendly service, they gladly explain the dishes to the uninformed, english speakers like me. A real gem out in the burbs.

The Ramen Gods have answered my prayers. FINALLY. Legit ramen in the burbs. I no longer have to yearn for wasabis in the city. I got the tonkatsu ramen. Awesome broth. Awesome noodles. Perfect temp. Pork on point. 2 glorious eggs. It was a good day.

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A friend and I arrived around 8pm on a frigid Chicago Saturday. I’ve heard very good reviews being the top 10 ramen in Chicago and needed that stick to your bones broth. It has table or bar seating you find at typical Japanese ramen joints, so be advised there will be a short wait. They have a normal menu along with a couple chalkboards highlighting some of their other specials. Neat, but I came for that tonkotsu ramen and kara-​age because I was starving.
I opted for extra cha-​shyu in my bowl and came with a total of 5 pieces: makes me wonder how many pieces the normal bowl comes with. The broth was good and could taste the long simmering of the pork bones, but was missing a key element from make it amazing. As another reviewer said, I too had «soup skin» and wasn’t piping hot as others have stated. For suburbs standards, I thought it was good and would come back; probably one of the better in the northwest suburbs. The noodles were slight past al dente and had good texture and the medium boiled egg (miso flavored) was spot on except being a little cold. I noticed at the end of my bowl that the broth tasted like scallion soup. Where did that pork broth go? I would’ve drank the broth but couldn’t handle that much scallion soup. The (small order) kara-​age was very juicy from them using chicken thighs. The dip options were Japanese mayo or salt & pepper: nothing fancy and could’ve been a bit crispier.
My friend had the Best Condition Ramen and asked for extra spicy. The spiciness over-​powered all the flavors (I’ll put the blame on his part) and reminded me of jjampong (spicy Korean noodle soup). He also ordered the miso-​katsu, and although the pork was fried well, the miso sauce was too salty for my taste. I need to be corrected if I’m wrong, but I swear they put sake in their miso sauce for the katsu and thought it was a little overbearing with the combo of saltiness. Glad I had the kara-​age chicken. When I got home, I didn’t realize how much sodium we consumed. I understand I had ramen, but I was downing water like a bad hangover.
All in all, I thought it was good for the suburbs. I may have come in with hopes too high. I’d come back to satisfy my tonkotsu craving, but would rather go to the city if I wanted to lick the bowl clean. As far as top 10 ramen in Chicago… I’d have to try some other places, but I’d put them in the mid-​range of top 10 best.

This place is great for some authentic ramen. It definitely hits the spot on a cold night. I got the tonkotsu ramen. The broth was creamy and white which I was surprised to see but it didn’t taste like dairy. It had a really nice pork flavor to the broth and was perfectly seasoned, not overly salty. The noodles were fine but nothing out of the ordinary. There was one fatty piece of pork which was perfect for my liking and the egg was amazing.
My friend and I also shared the fried chicken which tasted great. it was fried and seasoned just right. The servers were very friendly, attentive, and quick which was good because there were a lot of customers there. We lucked out because we got there 2 minutes before it opened at 5pm so we were able to get a table with no wait. I would suggest going with a group no more than 4. Overall, this is a great place to grab a hot tasty bowl of ramen with friendly service.

Came here around 1:30pm on a Sunday. The place was packed! We had to wait 30min for a party of 6. The place is tiny, so not a lot of room for waiting around. At one point my friends and I were standing outside in the cold since it was too crowded inside. One of the Japanese servers there does not know English very well — I took it as a sign of authenticity.
I had the Miso Ramen. The broth is just ok… was disappointed a little bit cuz there wasn’t a strong miso taste. But the slice of pork that I had was very good, same with the egg.
I had a taste of the Tonkatsu ramen. It was so good that I wish i had gotten that. The broth was very flavorful. Definitely worth trying the next time. My friend also ordered the fried chicken for our table to share. Oh my! It was very good. It was so juicy that some of it squirted out when I took my first bite. The meat was very well seasoned. I’ll surely get that next time I visit. This place is indeed a gem in the Chicago suburb!

Many of my friends and co-​workers are big ramen fans, so I’ve spent a considerable amount of effort trying out many of the top ramen places in Chicago (Strings, Ramen Misoya, Santouka, Sozai Banzai, etc.). I had heard many great things about Ramen House Shinchan before coming here and had actually visited several times before I actually ate here this last visit. Previously, I would go relatively early for lunch but end up going elsewhere due to the long wait to get a seat. This time, I got there 20 minutes before they opened and fortunately was able to be seated soon after opening time (the line to get in at opening was about equal to the total number of seats available in the restaurant).
Overall, I had high expectations for the food from what I heard from others. My actual experience was pretty good — the food was enjoyable, not mind blowing in terms of flavor or creativity — but it was prepared well, colorful, served quickly, and had simple flavors. I wish the non-​ramen dishes could’ve been prepared better and that there could’ve been more depth of flavor in each component of the ramen though. Here were my thoughts on the items I tried.
Chahan — A bit on the salty side, really lacking in flavor from the scallions and a very small hint of egg flavor (which I think is almost essential to any fried rice). The pork was also a bit tough and the fish cake barely added any flavor. Nice contrast of textures but wasn’t a fan of the flavors.
Tebasaki — Enjoyable chicken wings with nice tender meat. A bit strong on the seasonings though as you’ll get a good kick of sweetness and saltiness at the same time with a strong kick of pepper while you taste soy sauce and rice wine adding a bit of flavor depth.
Kara-​age — Chicken was tender and juicy but I wish the batter had been fried a bit more.
Shio Ramen — The egg noodle is a bit more firm than what many may expect, but that’s normal for this type of noodle. The soft boiled egg is done very well and does mix well with the braised pork which is soft, tender, and just slightly salty. The clear chicken broth does feel healthy but really is a bit light on flavor. The additional of a few additional components such as seaweed or seafood could’ve added much greater flavor to the broth.
Chanpon Ramen — Fish cake, pork, and vegetables in a creamy pork broth with medium firmness noodle. This tastes pretty similar to the seafood noodle soup preparations you’ll find in finer Chinese and Korean noodle restaurants. The cabbage did bring out a good amount of sweetness but I wish that the shrimp was a little larger and that the vegetable mix was a bit more premium.
Tonkotsu Ramen — This seems to be the dish that everyone raves about. It does have a nice flavorful broth with soft egg noodles and braised pork that is very tender (but could really use additional seasonings). The entire dish does have a creamy feel to it with very strong themes of pork bone and meat. I wasn’t blown away by it however — as the only component that differentiated this ramen from others was the quality of the broth. There is still room for improvement to really elevate this to a special-​trip worthy bowl.
Overall, the food is enjoyable but really not worth a special trip if you don’t already live in the suburbs and have to wait a long time for a seat.

Aside from its overwhelming popularity and long waits due to minimal competition in the burbs,
Shinchan is pretty awesome.
The items on their menu are reasonably priced and delicious. The ramen noodles are perfectly prepared with enough chewiness. The broths are flavorful, yet not too rich. The eggs are soft-​boiled well. The meat could use some upgrading, but it isn’t bad. The appetizers are decent as well.
Tip: Don’t come during prime hours.

ramen lovers in the burbs — this is the stop on your list.
If I lived closeby, I would be a regular. It is my question to try every dish on the menu.
Totally authentic and easy on the pocket book.
This place gets busy, so a good idea to arrive just at opening for lunch dn then for dinner as well. They close midday for break.
The toppers could be a good idea for more than one person as the size is quite good. The Scallion topper with meat is lacking in meat but serves as almost like a nice salad to go along with the soup.
Chicken Karagge is well flavored and crispy. The single order was good enough to share.
I had the best condition ramen which is an all vegetarian garlic bonanza of a ramen bowl. Features stir fried veggies, garlic and some sweat inducing heat. It’s absolutely great for a cold day!
lots of regulars frequent the restaurant and its only been open about a year. Join on in on the eat the entire menu club! See ya there!

I am starting off with the fact that I wish Unilocal allowed half stars, they were really, really good, but just little things kept them from a 5 in my eyes.
To start, you MUST get the chicken wings for an appetizer!!! They are delicious! I would go back just for those! The soups were good, with very rich and flavorful broths. (There were three of us in our party and we each had different soups.) The service was good, but I felt that we were ignored at points and we never got our drinks refilled, despite the fact that staff were standing and chatting with other patrons.

Alien had small karaage, dumplings, shoyu ramen, and tonkotsu ramen. Each was one good and reasonably priced.
Shoyu ramen:
Nothing very unique, but this is THE good shoyu ramen.
Very standard Japanese shoyu ramen soup with thick egg noodles. Alien could tell flavors of broth. Toppings (braised pork, bamboo shoots, green onions, and bean sprouts) were also simple but went great with the soup. The egg was perfectly cooked.
Tonkotsu ramen:
Very thin noodles. The soup was very creamy, standard Japanese tonkotsu ramen.
Some tonkotsu ramen can smell badly due to pork borns, but this ramen just had good flavors. Yum yum!
Karaage:
Freshly-​fried and very juicy! And reasonable price for this amount of karaage. Alien love flavors of the yummy powder (salt & Japanese pepper). It was a bit oily though. Alien prefer more crispy karaage.
Dumplings:
Very standard Japanese fried dumpling with thin dough skins. As yummy as dumplings Alien used to have in Japan. The sauce was yum yum!
It was a bit sad that some dumplings had broken skin though.

Officially a carry out spot! The food remains remarkable, with uncompromising quality and flavors. The staff is not only attentive, but welcoming and warm.
Refer back to my original review for the hearty details on why I’m better off indulging in the sanctity of my own home (yes, I’m ramen-​impaired, at least when it comes to consuming in public) and while I’m good at dining alone– the mess is quite embarrassing (not to me, but those dining in my general vicinity)
So glad to see this place jumping– with patrons in every seat and a few of us loners waiting on parcels of ramen-​deliciousness.
Off I go, in less than 5 minutes of ordering, my romantic evening of ramen for one, is ready. (Ok, so I ordered two… It’s THAT good!!)

I was surprised to find an authentic ramen restaurant in this part of IL. I think the staff spoke in Japanese, though they can potentially be Taiwanese as well.
Food:
Ordered a Shio ramen. Noodles had a nice bouncy texture. Soup was good. Decent bowl of ramen.
Service:
Very friendly staff.
Environment:
Sat by the bar area which is exactly how I my ramen served.
Price:
Decently priced.
Food: 4
Service: 4
Environment: 5
Price: 4

Came here and got some delicious ramen. I’m not a huge ramen fan but I could eat here every day. Their tonkatsu ramen was delicious and not too oily and salty. It had the right amount of flavor without overdoing it. I also tried their wings and they were amazing. Very unique in flavor and made with some sort of «dry rub» to ensure that it’s not too saucy (I don’t care for sauce covered wings). They are probably one of the top wings I have had and will be getting this every time I come back.
The place is very small so it is not good for big groups but they are open very late which is a plus! If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s a must!

This is a legitimate ramen house in the burbs. We came during lunch hour, and it was fairly busy (though there was absolutely no wait for us). We were immediately seated at a two-​seater table and given our menus. They have a lot to choose from, so I’ll have to come back and try some of their other ramens and dishes (particularly the chicken karaage).
My boo ordered the tonkotsu ramen, which comes in a rith pork broth, barisedpork belly, a soft boiled egg, scallions and bean sprouts. This is the type of broth and ramen noodles you would look for in tonkotsu ramen. The broth was savory, the noodles were cooked well, and the pork was decent (not the best I’ve had, some are like melt-​in-​your-​mouth sexy goodness).
I ordered the Best Condition ramen, and the first thing I thought of when it came out was «holy mother of veggies, batman!» Yes, there’s a lot of stir-​fried vegetables on top, with plenty of sprouts (my fav) and lots of garlic pieces (probably too much, but it did wonders to the broth flavor). This comes in a chicken based broth, but was still pretty savory. Not as rich as the pork, which is what I seem to prefer, but the spiciness was nice and refreshing.

Finding a place to eat in the burbs at 11p at night that isn’t fast food or drunk food is nearly impossible. Lo and behold Ramen House was to the rescue!
The owner greeted us immediately as we walked in and was very friendly. The place is very clean, brightly lit and modern. The menu has other items for non-​ramen eaters. Keep an eye out on their chalkboard for specials. We ordered the chicken wings, Tiwan ramen and Shio ramen. The food came out quickly, which is something I like. We’ve been to other ramen places where you’re waiting an eternity for your food. Don’t mess with a girl who is hangry!
The Tiwan ramen was spicy, meaty, filing and down right delicious. It had a enough heat to give it a kick but without burning your mouth. The Shio was smooth, light and complemented the other ingredients very well. As for those wings, we made the right choice ordering them. The wings had a nice crispy finish without being over cooked or oily. Needless to say we were happily in a food coma and fell right asleep when we got home. Now I’ve a reason to come out to the burbs more often!