Reviews for Hokkaido Ramen Santouka in Arlington Heights, IL

Extremely delicious ramen. Key is in the tasty miso pork broth and also the perfectly dente noodles. The pork is well done. That... broth though... so savory, spicy, and deep. The depth of flavor of that broth coupled with a bite of pork, bamboo, egg, andnoodles is a masterpiece that perfectly came together inside my mouth. Highly recommend despite the 30 minute long wait. Read more

Same high quality ramen as other Santouka locations! Friendly service. Very popular stand, so budget time when you go there.

FINALLY MADE IT HERE! Love love love the ramen here - very authentic and reminds me a lot of Japan. Great chew and the shoyu... ramen is slightly sweet and has a fantastic umami taste. I actually liked it more than the spicy miso Pork neck had a fantasticsmoky flavor. We came here around 3pm on a weekend. While the front chaser says the wait might be 20 minutes, don't be fooled!We got ours in 7mins I ordered the set to come with salmon + salmon roe rice (comparing with previous pics it seems like theydecreased the amount of roe a lot due to inflation ) More on Instagram: @midwestmunching Read more

Got the salt broth char siu ramen. Great noodle texture. Not mushy. Really rich broth that isn?t overly dark. Soy broth is super... toasty and sesame-ey. Slaps. Read more

I?ve been coming to this Ramen shop since I was in high school and it?s still one of the favorites in town. Don?t be afraid of... the long line it won?t last too long and it will definitely be worth the wait. I always get all of the extras like the egg andthe salmon rice with salmon eggs. It would be advantageous for your party to have somebody wait in line while somebody looks fora table during busy days. Read more

best ramen we?ve had! Their broth are not too thick and the flavors are well balanced. Try to get the set, only a couple bucks... more. I suggest you get medium or large, unless if you have a small appetite then go for small, because you might want more. Ihonestly think you get what you pay for. This is a set that came with rice bowl that has a salmon roe and salmon fish edges ontop and a ramen egg(tastes great btw). Mine came with a chashu(sliced marinated pork on top) white can affect the price Read more

So this was my first experience eating let's say "Real" Ramen. I went in with pretty high expectations honestly. This is... something I have wanted for a long time now and I waited for the right restaurant to try it. I gotta say I was more than happywith my experience. The line was long, but more than worth the wait. After eating my Ramen I would wait in a line twice aslong. I got the Miso Ramen, it was delicious. 9/10 forsure. Only cuz i wasn't a fan of the fish cake. Other than mouthwatering. I will return no doubt. Read more

I ordered a regular-sized, miso broth, charsiu ramen. This place has locations all over the world, including Japan - -... originating in Hokkaido--, and of course this popular spot in Chicagoland. I probably should have ordered the shio ramen sincethat's their specialty, which I'd get next time since it's worth another try. This time, however, the ramen didn't meet myexpectations. I had heard only good things about Santouka, and since it's located inside Mitsuwa Marketplace, it has discerningcustomers galore, so the high rating should have been well-deserved. They promise "a substantial bowl of ramen piled high with aprecious amount of pork roasted to the point of falling apart," and there was definitely A LOT of char siu in the bowl. However,having lived in Japan for over a decade myself, I had never had such undercooked and overly-fatty char siu before. It wasgenerous, but not of the quality that made me want that amount. The noodles are firm, which I usually like, but these were alittle too firm and actually seemed underdone. The other ingredients were good, however, and the broth - - which is key ofcourse - - was excellent. I finished the bowl no problem, since the regular size is actually not that big, soup and all and feltsatisfied. Next time I'll get the 'oomori' shio ramen without all the extra char siu, and expect that will be a betterexperience. Read more