Ramen Arrives in Pilsen as Furious Spoon Opens Friday

It took a little longer than planned, but Pilsen is finally getting a ramen shop. A new location of Furious Spoon should officially open on Friday at 1316 W. 18th St. Shin Thompson’s fast-casual Japanese chain debuted two years ago in Wicker Park, hooking diners with noodles made on premises. Locations since opened in Logan Square and inside Revival Food Hall in the Loop, and a neighboring FireFin/Furious Spoon combo is slated to open this summer in Boystown with a stand-alone Furious Spoon also coming to suburban Evanston.

The new Pilsen location offers a few surprises including new food items and a bar with draft cocktails serving well-past midnight on Saturday and Sunday. The space has room for 50, with familiar communal tables where diners can rapidly slurp their noodles.

Thompson and crew are celebrating the Pilsen location with a new menu at all four locations. New items (see below) include shrimp broth (white shrimp, chili noodles, fresno chilis). Diners should also look for “limited-run” ramen specials that will be introduced without notice.

Perhaps mocktails are a catching trend, as Furious Spoon now serves them. As the bar will remain open until 2 a.m. on Friday and 3 a.m. on Saturday, there’s plenty of booze to be had including a draft cocktail called the “Gucci Bandana” (Hennessy VSOP, combier, yuzu sparkling sake, lemon) and the “Shaolin Colada,” a mash up of Japanese and Latin American flavors (Flor de Caña rum, Sailor Jerry spiced rum, crème de coco, lychee).

Thompson and co-owner Anshul Mangal have to tread lightly in Pilsen, a neighborhood with Mexican roots where restaurateurs are quickly snapping up real estate. But ramen is a scarcity for the area and could be seen as an asset.

Check out the new menu below. Furious Spoon in Pilsen opens at 11 a.m. on Friday.

Furious Spoon, 1316 W. 18th St., open 11 a.m. daily. Closes at 2 a.m. on Saturday and 3 a.m. on Sunday.