Ramen Misoya Review: Truly Authentic Ramen that’s Worth the Wait

What does it mean when you see a restaurant packed with long lines of people?

According to restaurant philosophy, long lines is usually the shining symbol of success, the food must be pretty wonderfully amazing to have people willing to wait in line for one meal.

A perfect example of this? None other than Misoya, the ramen heaven that has got everybody talking. Originally a noodle joint started in Japan, Misoya has spread the ramen love throughout the world, with chain locations now in San Francisco, Montreal, Taipei, and Bangkok, just to name a few.

After hearing countless testimonies of how Misoya has been ranked the best ramen in town, I had to give this spot a taste and share my Ramen Misoya review with you.

Warning:

Prepare to wait, the place was literally packed when I arrived for a quick dinner with friends. I guess “quick” was being a little too hopeful, after seeing our name at the bottom of an extremely long list of other hungry people waiting to be seated. But rest assured, good things really do come those who wait. After you take that first bite of ramen, you’ll understand why.

After being seated and greeted with a warm “Irasshaimase!” from the waiters, it was time to explore a menu of beautiful ramen choices. The theme of Misoya is none other than Miso, with Miso being the main flavoring to their ramen creations.

Kome Miso (Hokkaido Style)

A hearty bowl of ramen soaked in pork soup, soybean paste, and topped with ground pork, vegetables, and fried potatoes. A little sour, a bit tangy, and filled with the taste of fresh tomatoes, the Kome Miso is the unique choice that adds an extra zesty pop to your taste buds.

Shio Miso (Kyoto Style)

Also soaked in pork soup and soybean paste, the Shio Miso comes topped with ground pork, onions, fried tofu, and mushrooms. Lighter in flavor, slightly sweet in taste, and filled with the flavor of fresh vegetables, the Shio Miso was refreshingly delicious and my personal favorite. If you’re like me and don’t like your ramen too rich and strong in flavor, the Shio Miso will definitely top your list.

Mame Miso (Nagoya)

The tasty pattern continues with the Mame Miso, which also comes mixed in soybean paste, ground pork, and vegetables. What makes the Mame different, is the special touch of shrimp tempura that’s added to it. If you’re a ramen fan who loves your soup rich with ingredients and intense in flavor, Mame is already calling your name. To add bonus points, there’s a slight taste of alcohol in the soup base.

Usually the appetizer comes first, but of course ramen is the star of this show, so we left the appetizers for last. If you want a little extra Japanese BBQ to enjoy with your ramen, the Karange Chicken is a choice worth trying. These pieces of crispy chicken goblets served with sweet mayonnaise can only be defined with three words: deep fried goodness.

All Misoya ramen comes with the combination choice of either Yasai (assorted vegetables) or Cha-Shu (roasted pork). With no hesitation, I eagerly raise my chopsticks and highly recommend adding the Cha-Shu.

Quality Cha-Shu is seriously rare to find nowadays, with many places either making it overly dry or disgustingly oily. However Misoya has definitely hit the spot, with their Cha-Shu crispy on the outside, tenderly moist on the inside, and filled with off-the-grill medium rare perfection. Don’t miss out, your ramen just wouldn’t be quite the same without it.

Misoya teaches us all that patience is truly a virtue and that waiting an entire hour in line is completely worth it, especially for a big bowl of authentic ramen.

With their quality, this popular ramen franchise is rapidly continuing to grow and it’s no surprise why stampedes of people keep running back for more, their tiny space packed daily.

Chances are, after you’ve satisfyingly finished your first bowl, you’ll find yourself happily joining the stampede as well, welcome aboard.

Grade: A

Ramen Misoya

1584 S. Busse Road

Mount Prospect, IL.

60056

847-437-4590

Closed Tuesdays

Locations nationwide and worldwide

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Wenna Pang

A writer and photographer who's in love with new experiences, visual art, and the written word. Born and raised in Chicago, I've also spent time living in New York City, Hong Kong, and traveled throughout various places. A travel enthusiast by heart, I love roaming new places and exploring the people & food that comes with it. As an avid story teller, I love sharing my discoveries, whether it be my latest travel experience or newest food adventure. I truly believe that food is the universal factor that connects all of us, no matter how different we may be in other ways, we cannot deny that there’s at least one thing that we love to eat and that one favorite food magically and unconditionally gives us comfort and pleasure. That feeling is one of the purest forms of happiness and I’d love to share that feeling through my work

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