Slurping Turtle

I’ve been twice.
The first time I got a veggie ramen. The serving size was huge! Super great for the price. However the actual dish was a bit of a let down; somewhat bland. I was convinced to go again recently.
The second time I got pickled veggies and a veggie roll. The pickled veggies were a delicious and sweet appetizer, and the dragon roll was also solid. A great light meal.
The people are always nice, the prices are pretty good, its very clean, and the location can’t be beat. The dishes seem hit or miss, sadly.

I’m a newbie to ramen… like good, not college dorm room, costs more than 20 cents a packet ramen. My only previous experience was when I ordered delivery from a spot and was not impressed. We stumbled upon slurping turtle when our first choice was closed, causing us to Unilocal alternative places to eat which led us here.
We started with the pork belly bao, which was delicious. One friend ordered the Miso Tonkotsu, one friend ordered the special of the day (cold noodles, no broth, which veggies and a variety of meat/​seafood, and a delicious dressing), and two of us got the Shoyu Tofu mushroom. That final dish usually comes with rice noodles but can be replaced with regular ramen noodles. We asked to get ramen noodles, but still ended up getting the rice noodles. No big deal — it ended up being delicious as is! However, I will definitely be trying the ramen noodles next time and will ask them to ensure I do get it. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals. The portion was so large that it looked like I barely made a dent in my dish! I got the spicy volcano paste on the side and … it’s not a joke. I had a small drop on the tip of my fork to try it and I needed to chase with water. I barely was able to put ¹⁄₃ of a spoonful into my ramen. I knew if I overdid it, I wouldn’t be able to eat my meal! So be warned… but it’s tasty, so I’d get it, just be careful and add slowly!
Our server was super friendly and talkative about the different menu items and what was popular/​what he enjoyed most and why. Service was efficient and fast, but they weren’t full, either.

If your looking for a good Ramen place look no further! Not many in the area, especially river north. Good noodles & broth really liked everything I tried!
The owner Chef Takashi Yakahashi is a fantastic Japanese chef. He opened Okada at the Wynn in Las Vegas to much acclaim as well as many other top Restaurants and has even competed on «Top Chef Master’s» on bravo.
A little pricey but nothing too crazy. When going for the first time use the black polka dot doors and go down the hall and through the door on the left.

Simply the best ramen.
You must definitely check this place out!
But i can’t quite understand why some of their servers are not as attentive like what they are supposed to be .
But the food is the bomb! Gonna come back here when i feel like eating a ramen. Thank you!

There are not a lot of places in Chicago area specializing in Ramen and this one is really good, a little pricy ($ 14 plus $ 1.50 for poached egg). Broth was very creamy and well balanced too but portion size a bit small. Definitely a soecial lunch or dinner kind of place.

I didn’t even know this spot was here, what a nice find. It’s a little tucked away, but worth the visit.
The ramen is made to order, it can get a little pricey as you add the things you like, but it is well worth it. We started with the pork belly, kimchi trio, and edamame. I enjoyed each of them, but the pork belly was the absolute best, if you eat pork I suggest it. The ramen bowl was huge, the soup was very flavorful, I added all the good stuff, especially the pouched egg (yummy).
We sat upstairs, facing the inside of the restaurant, I enjoyed the people watching. I enjoyed the music. And the staff was very nice.

I feel bad that this place doesn’t get the hype other ramen places tend to get in Chicago. After all, it was Chef Takashi that is responsible for popularizing ramen here. Now it seems like there’s a place or two in every neighborhood…
I’ve had a few different ramens and a rice bowl here. Nothing particularly jumps out at me, but everything is always solid, reliable, and reasonably priced for River North. In fact, the prices here are similar to Logan Square and Wicker Park ramen joints. I’d stick to the basics here for lunch or dinner and you will not be disappointed.
I’d surely recommend coming here to see where ramen started in Chicago over many of the more trendy options in this neighborhood.

Environment– clean. Seats are set up to maximum potential.
Restroom– located outside in a (private?) alley, through the door, and down the stairs. Odd location for a restroom but it looked clean and access looked secure
Food
Spicy salmon donburi– tasty
Tonkotsu ramen– soup base was creamy and a bit heavy (which I like). But the ramen was a bit bland in flavor and texture was a bit different. Although the pairing kind of worked together, I’ve had better ramen and was a bit disappointed in the taste and the selection that they offered. So many ramen pics on Unilocal but there was only 4 different options.
Parking– street parking. Enough said.

What should one do when the temperature swings FORTY DEGREES in 24 hours in Chicago? (and NOT the right way, either)
Ramen.
When my lunching comrade suggested Slurping Turtle for a late lunch today I was thrilled. YES, ramen. All the yes to all the ramen.
And it was as enjoyable as it could’ve been. Easily sat at a nice comfy booth we tucked into the menu — deciding on the special, I went with the Tonkotsu Ramen and added in a side salad and iced green tea for good measure. All turned out to be solid choices.
The ramen is priced at «River North» at $ 14 — but the portion was very large. It was also delicious. The house salad also delightful. Iced green tea — it was iced and it was green, we’re in business.
For around $ 50 (inc. tip) we had 2 crazy big steaming bowls of ramen, house salads and drinks. Not cheap but about par for the course.
And when it drops from 80 to 40 — well, sometimes it doesn’t matter the price point, you need some soup. Soup for you, soup for me, we’re really going to make it to summer guys. Hang in there.
*pro-​tip if you want an extra kick add on the fiery godzilla sauce on the side. It’s a bit extra but packs a wollop of hot.

I only came here because my friend was hungry for ramen. The flavor is definitely Americanized so I wouldn’t come here for authentic ramen but still not bad. I also tried their Yuzu sorbet and that was pretty refreshing. I like that they also have a black sesame ice cream which is becoming more popular and definitely a staple flavor in Japan, also tasted yummy.

«Let’s eat some ramen and get wasted.» That should be the tagline here, I mean it’s a ramen place in River North, so it was clear that folks coming here on Saturday night were ready to get the party going and wanted a quick, trendy, yet inexpensive dinner to save money for more booze.
GREAT PRE-​BOOZE MEAL. Seriously, a hearty soup is exactly what’s needed before going out for a night. Get something meaty and you will be drinking like a champ the rest of the night.
THE MANAGER THAT IGNORES YOU. I was a bit shocked by that. So our waiter took the order and never came back to check in for almost 30 min. That’s not acceptable already, but you’d think the manager would act differently. As I was looking around trying to find someone to close the tab, the manager walked by FOUR times without even paying attention or asking if we need anything. I actually had to get up, flag him down and only then he closed out the tab.
THE RAMEN IS GOOD. I’ve had a prior experience that went fine when the restaurant was empty, so clearly they weren’t able to cope with the demand. Both times, I did enjoy the ramen, it wasn’t over salted and was very tasty.

I saved my #300 for this spot, since it was my very first Top Chef Restaurant. And a Top Chef Master’s restaurant, at that!
Ramen has been becoming an up and coming trend, and it’s no difficulty to see why. It’s asian food, but soulful and hearty. It’s the upscale version of what we all survived on during our super-​broke, college days. It’s soul food in a bowl. Hearty. Complex. Savory, and slurpable.
In comparison to other competitors, I feel like Slurping Turtle ranks as my #2 joint for ramen. I chose the spicy bowl. Dropped a point for me, because it definitely leaned on the salty side. I always prefer savory over sweet, but it was a little too seasoned, where I lost interest in the bowl, and didn’t even care for leftovers (it’s massive!)
The star of the show: The duck fat fried chicken wings. If this came as a meal, I would order it, all on its own! the skin was perfect. The juice. The flavor. The seasoning. I’m telling you. If i could order this by the bucket, I’d be sitting on my couch right now, holding my dog off with one leg, while slurping the meat off the bone. It’s a smaller portion, and one that you’ll have a hard time sharing.
However, it’s reasonably priced, the broth is good, noodles on point, and ST gives a cool ambience. Not stuffy, and not the kind of place you’ll want to overdress. I can’t give it 5 stars, since it’s still a spot that I have to pay $ 20 for parking, and my meal could be less.
In terms of drinks, they did have a nice selection of sake (but I’m a newb and had a hard time deciding… fortunately our waitress was quite patient and well versed in a recommendation… eh. i see this spot as more for the foodie, or for a chill date night.)
It was an awesome place to try, especially if you’re a ramen junkie. I just don’t see myself itching for a return visit any time soon.

I’m still getting used to paying $ 15 for a bowl of ramen but apparently that’s standard for ramen in river north… ahh, miss the days of $ 7 mitsuwa ramen but that makes for another story.
Anyway, before I get to the actual ramen, make sure you download the Wisely app before coming here! The first time you download it, you get $ 10 off your bill! Compound that with the Spring Rewards app, you forget you’re paying $ 15 for ramen, kind of.
The ramen itself. The noodles were surprisingly just OK but the broth was textured and memorable. We also ordered the brussel sprouts and at $ 6, it was meh. Not a huge portion, but not terrible. It’s made in the tempura dipping sauce — or at least I think it was — so it was far from your traditional brussel sprouts.
Til next time, slurping turtle! I’ll be back to get my ramen fix.

Cruised thru for dinner here the other night and it was aiiite. Doesn’t really compare to any of the ramen places I’ve been to back in SoCal. Price wise you’re looking at $ 15 per bowl of ramen but for its location in River North you can’t be too surprised. Ambiance I would describe as a casual, modern and trendy bar lounge, yet to be clear it is a sit down spot with servers. I think the large communal table bothers me the most. Basically forces everyone to walk down one side of the big table or the other. Kind of a cluster**** watching servers and people walk through at times and seeing some near misses when this place gets busy. I assume their are plenty of spills which would explain the sticky floors. :/​anyways, I digress…
For starters, we shared an order of the fried Brussel sprouts. Pretty tasty and topped off with fried scallions and umami soy. Not bad! For entrees I did their special for the evening, which was the roasted duck ramen. Served in shoyu broth with broccoli, bamboo shoots, scallions, and a half of a half boiled egg because I guess they don’t know how to soft boil a full egg? Overall, pretty tasty and the quality of their homemade ramen noodles is noteworthy but I was little bit disappointed in the amount of roast duck was actually in there. I believe it was 3 little slices to be exact. :(I did get to try a bit of my girlfriend’s tan tan men which is their spicy ramen served with their homemade ramen noodles, pork meatball, pork chashu, pork miso, bok choy, & bean sprouts. I would describe this as a spicy pork delight. Overall very good, but probably too spicy for me to eat an entire bowl.
Some final points, I’d definitely wait for a booth table rather sitting at the communal table for a more enjoyable experience. Make sure you sign up for their rewards program to get $ 10 off your bill! ‘Til next time, happy slurping!

Was looking forward to a get bowl of authentic ramen after a long drive into the city.
After a short walk in the snow and wind, we were greeted with a fusion ambience and I was worried about getting a good bowl of noodles.
The duck fat fried chicken was fantastic and sets the mood, and expectation to what was to follow, I had ordered the special duck ramen. The noodles had great texture, the poached egg (???) was okay, the ingredients were fresh, but I guess the broth couldn’t hold it all together. It didn’t do it for me :(
If I had just stop at the duck fat fried chicken, this would be a 4 star review.

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been past here but hadn’t stopped in. Winter in Chicago screams for ramen so when Slurping Turtle was on the restaurant week list, it was a must visit on my list. The restaurant week menu included a nice variety of bites. The full menu looked pretty interesting to. I definitely plan on returning for some more slurps!!!
The duck fat fried chicken was really tasty. It had a great flavor and the chicken was super tender. It was a little greasy and the dipping sauce portion was a little small. Still… yum! The house salad was absolutely gorgeous. The colors were bright and the veggies were crisp and fresh. The tonkotsu ramen was stellar. Super porky without being too salty. The noodles has just the right bite and the portion was extremely generous… I couldn’t finish (mostly because I knew dessert was coming). Dessert was this light fluffy custard filled cream puff. Such a great way to end the meal. I opted for the coconut version. One negative, and it’s hard to call it that, was that the cream to puff ratio was off. There was too much custard and not quite enough pastry… but the custard was delish so it didn’t stop me from finishing it off.
I will be back. It was a great lunch. Portion sizes were on point and the food was fresh and delicious. Reservations are not accepted for parties of less than 6 but the space is pretty large and well paced service keeps wait time at a minimum.

This neat little place is a gem on a cold, windy day. We stopped in for ramen and ended up getting a few other goodies.
I’d highly recommend the brussel sprouts and duck fat fried chicken for sharing. The brussel sprouts were surprisingly very tasty and the chicken was juicy and flavorful. For the noodles, I tried the tan tan ramen. It was nice and spicy just the way I like it. It was a generous size bowl of noodles. For dessert, the sous chef shared one of his special kobocha (mini-​pumpkin) desserts with us. It was a seasonal special during our visit but it should be on the menu every fall!
TIP: The restaurant was very busy for dinner so we called in advance for reservations.

Slurping Turtle is a really fun option for lunch and dinner in River North. We were lucky enough to be seated in one of the coveted booths upstairs, and enjoyed the views of the street outside and the restaurant below. Overall, it was the perfect lunch for a freezing Chicago day!
We started with the famous brussels sprouts, which I’m now obsessed with. Seriously, I’m not exaggerating when I say they were the best brussels sprouts of my life. The sauce was the epitome of umami deliciousness, and the crispy shallots on top were the perfect touch. Outstanding. We scarfed those down fast.
The ramen broth was rich and complex, and the noodles are made fresh daily and it showed. I went with the classic Tonkotsu and ordered extra wild Japanese mushrooms, which added earthy depth to every bite. The portion was enormous, and all the ingredients were super fresh. My boyfriend ordered the spicier ramen and we traded tastes. Many breathing breaks were had over the hour and a half we were there, because it was so filling. But we hadn’t eaten breakfast, so we were able to nearly finish both our dishes. Great success!
Our server Joshua was awesome. He clearly loved his job, and was very knowledgeable about the menu and happy to answer questions. He checked in on us the perfect number of times throughout.
We can’t wait to return the next time we’re in Chicago. In the meantime, I need to figure out how to make the brussels sprouts.

I do have an obsession over noodle soup. So it is not too crazy for me to walk 20 minutes to try out the Ramen noodle soup at Slurping Turtle. A good work out for me too.
The Entry was pretty fancy and confusing. You need to go through the black door with the huge handle to go in. Very crowded over the lunch hour.
I chose the Tonkutsu noodle which is one of my favorites and have tried from different noodle place. When we talk about a noodle soup, we have the soup/​broth, noodles, then the toppings. The soup here great. Perfect taste with sweetness and creamy but not overly salty which is usual the case for some noodle places. The noodles was nicely chewy and cooked just right. The toppings, however, didn’t not meet my expectaion. The pork belley was dry and the veggi was slightly undercooked.
Overall, this is a nice place to have the noolde soup and deserve the 4 stars by food. But the price ($ 14) for a bowl of noodle soup is kind of expense so mark it down to 3 stars. I could get comparable one around 10 or 11.

I came here with friends recently after one raved about how good it is. It was good, but I wouldn’t put it up there with the best ever. It’s a solid ramen place with a nice atmosphere and good service and sake list.
We sat upstairs in a booth which was nice and felt secluded. We shared a bottle of sake and an order of shashimi. Both were good. Then, based on my friend’s recommendation, I went with the Tan Tan Men Ramen (spicy) that comes with homemade ramen noodles, pork meatball, pork chashu, pork miso, bok choy, bean sprouts. Aside from the chasu not being juicy and tender, my bowl was completely empty by the end of the meal. We finished with the green tea cream puff which I highly recommend.
It was enjoyable and I would return.