RAKKAN Ramen in Uptown is a solid spot when you’re craving something comforting. The broth is light but flavorful, the noodles have a nice bite, and the space feels warm and welcoming. It’s not the richest or most intense ramen in the city, but everything tastes fresh and thoughtfully made. A dependable bowl and an easy place to enjoy a relaxed meal.
Vegan Restaurant
RAKKAN Ramen
· $$$$ · Chicago · Strict-vegan verified
Fully vegan
Editor synopsis · 0 reviews
Diners overwhelmingly call out the signature dish as the must-order. The vibe reads as vegan restaurant — service is consistently described as warm and unhurried. Common gotcha: queues form at peak times — go early or late.
Excerpts
RAKKAN Ramen in Uptown is a solid spot when you’re craving something comforting. The broth is light but flavorful, the noodles have a nice bite, and the space feels warm and welcoming. It’s not the richest or most intense ramen in the city, but everything tastes fresh and thoughtfully made. A dependable bowl and an easy place to enjoy a relaxed meal.
I have never visited their spots in Tokyo when I lived there, there are too many good ramen joints in Japan, and as a traditionalist, I can't imagine how a vegetarian broth, Umami or not, can be comparable to the old school pork broth with all of the flavors from bone and cartilage. Regardless, I kept my "optimism" on this visit 😂 Don't get me wrong, this would probably be perfect for a vegetarian, but it is not for me. It literally tasted like a vegetable broth with whatever you add on top of it, soy sauce, miso, spice oil, etc. The broth is still rich, but does not have the depth and flavors of the traditional pork broth. Now if the basic broth has some fish dashi, that would be a different story, but it won't be true vegetarian unfortunately. Besides the thin pork slices, everything else is OK, if you believe in paying more than 3X the price that people paid in Japan. I mean I am sure bone marrow cost more than veggies. Oh wait, the vegetarian dumplings are more expensive than the pork ones. Also, $12 for Takoyaki? 😂 I didn't try the other items in the menu like Sushi and Poke, those just don't belong in a ramen joint. I did try the pork bowl however, it is good, the torched diced pork was on point, probably could hold back some of those mayonnaise though. Overall, this is not for me, over priced vs. value. But if you are a vegetarian, I would recommend it since you basically don't have a choice. Oh yeah, you should probably check with them before you go because they ran out of 3 of their 4 draft beers when I was there so I had a beer flight with the same beer 😂
I have never visited their spots in Tokyo when I lived there, there are too many good ramen joints in Japan, and as a traditionalist, I can't imagine how a vegetarian broth, Umami or not, can be comparable to the old school pork broth with all of the flavors from bone and cartilage. Regardless, I kept my "optimism" on this visit 😂 Don't get me wrong, this would probably be perfect for a vegetarian, but it is not for me. It literally tasted like a vegetable broth with whatever you add on top of it, soy sauce, miso, spice oil, etc. The broth is still rich, but does not have the depth and flavors of the traditional pork broth. Now if the basic broth has some fish dashi, that would be a different story, but it won't be true vegetarian unfortunately. Besides the thin pork slices, everything else is OK, if you believe in paying more than 3X the price that people paid in Japan. I mean I am sure bone marrow cost more than veggies. Oh wait, the vegetarian dumplings are more expensive than the pork ones. Also, $12 for Takoyaki? 😂 I didn't try the other items in the menu like Sushi and Poke, those just don't belong in a ramen joint. I did try the pork bowl however, it is good, the torched diced pork was on point, probably could hold back some of those mayonnaise though. Overall, this is not for me, over priced vs. value. But if you are a vegetarian, I would recommend it since you basically don't have a choice. Oh yeah, you should probably check with them before you go because they ran out of 3 of their 4 draft beers when I was there so I had a beer flight with the same beer 😂
The vegan bun was basically just mushrooms, which I didn’t really enjoy. We also ordered the spicy ramen, but it wasn’t spicy at all — pretty disappointing. The service was very slow, and we ordered bottled drinks that should have been quick to serve, but they arrived last. It doesn’t make sense to bring ready-made drinks after everything else. Overall, not a great experience.