An Essential Ramen Chain to Open a Yakisoba Restaurant in East Lakeview

The owner of popular Japanese ramen chain Ramen Misoya is planning to expand the brand’s Chicago footprint with a new noodle spot in Lakeview East. Yakisoba Misoya is slated to start offering stir-fried Japanese noodles at 2852 N. Clark Street at the end of August, but representatives cautioned that the shop may open later. Representatives announced the forthcoming restaurant on Facebook.

The 2,300 square-foot restaurant will seat around 35 customers. The space is currently under construction, and ownership isn’t sharing much information yet about its appearance or decor. Diners can expect steaming piles of stir-fried noodles with vegetables and proteins like chicken and pork. The menu will also include chicken karaage, Japanese fried chicken, and takoyaki, small fried, battered balls stuffed with octopus, tempura bits, and pickled ginger. Yakisoba Misoya will also offer “yakisoba dogs,” hot dog buns stuffed with yakisoba noodles. Customers may be able to add a Vienna Beef sausage.

Yakisoba Misoya [Official Photo]

Yakisoba first appeared among Japanese street food offerings in the early 20th Century, and consists of fried ramen-style wheat noodles, chopped meat and vegetables, and a special savory yakisoba sauce. Yakisoba Misoya has its own custom sauce, but its ingredients are a closely-guarded secret. The noodles are typically topped with onori (seaweed powder), shredded pickled ginger, katsobushi (fermented fish flakes), and mayonnaise.

Ramen Misoya currently operates locations in Streeterville and Mt. Prospect, which are members of Eater Chicago’s map of essential ramen restaurants. The Japanese brand also runs shops in Silicon Valley and New York City.

Stay tuned for more news as the project progresses.