Long-Awaited Ramen Shop to Finally Open at Lincoln Park’s NEWCITY

A second Chicago location of Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya should finally open next week inside the NEWCITY center near Lincoln Park at Halsted and Clybourn. The restaurant was announced back in July 2016. The Japanese chain has been serving Chicago since 2016 when it opened a Wicker Park location.

The new restaurant’s dining room will seat 55 in a family-friendly space with room for strollers. There’s also a nine-seat noodle bar and a 15-seat patio. The NEWCITY center is a mix of retail that includes Dick’s Sporting Goods, Saks Off Fifth, and ArcLight Cinemas. Kizuki will provide shoppers with an Asian option that includes a bar with craft beer from Forbidden Root in West Town and Saboo Asian Craft Beer in Indianapolis. Kizuki management says the domestic and Japanese beer was carefully picked to complement the food. The new restaurant’s bar is a little bigger than the Wicker Park location’s bar, so they’ll have more draft options at NEWCITY.

Kizuki Ramen [Official Rendering]

The Wicker Park menu — with ramen, chicken karaage, and dumplings — will carry over to NEWCITY. The chain doesn’t specialize in a style of ramen, say like Ramen Takeya’s chicken paitan on Fulton Market. Kizuki serves four different broths and five different types of noodles. Ramens include tonkotsu shoyu, yuzu shio, and vegetable.

When Kizuki arrived three years ago in Chicago, the city didn’t have as many ramen shops. The landscape has since changed. Over at NEWCITY, signage for Kizuki remained visible over the last two and a half years, but customers couldn’t see progress. Some wondered if Kizuki would ever open. Now in the middle of Chicago’s winter, they’ll have the option of a hot bowl of ramen to keep them warm. The restaurant hasn’t announced an opening date, but look for the first bowls to be served early next week.