Reviews - Oiistar
Reviews summary
This restaurant offers a cozy atmosphere with dim lighting, making for a comfortable dining experience. The reviews were mixed, with some diners enjoying the flavorful and delicious food, especially the pollo bun and ramen dishes. Some guests appreciated the vegan options available. However, there were complaints about the quality of the ramen, with some finding it lacking in flavor or too sweet. The service received mixed reviews, with some encounters with rude staff members. Overall, it seems like a decent ramen spot with some standout dishes worth trying, but perhaps not the best in the area.
Was Steven Marterer at Oiistar a mag?
Oiistar never disappoints. My favorite ramen spot in chicago! The ramen is super seasoned and delicious. They have delicious pork belly. Not that dry or fatty pork belly you get at other places. The drinks are delicious and the dimly lit interior really sets the vibe.This visit it tried an assortment of the buns. I had duck, chicken and pork belly. The pork belly was my favorite. The duck was really good. Great flavo... View all feedback.
What Veronica Lozoya dislikes about Oiistar:
The only thing good about this place was the pollo bun which is delicious. I also like the atmosphere of the restaurant, it’s dimly lit and gives a cozy vibe.The ramen was below average, I didn’t even finish my bowl. The pork in the ramen was full of fat and I ordered the spicy garlic shoyumen ramen and it wasn’t spicy whatsoever it actually was lacking flavor. View all feedback.
Reviews from various users
Last update : 19.02.2026
Cool ramen spot I've been looking to try for awhile. I decided to forego eating my body weight in sushi this trip and went with something warm for a cold and rainy day. I stopped in for a lunch on a Friday afternoon and it was fairly busy. I sat myself at an empty spot towards the end of the bar. It was giving off izzy vibes with the dark lighting and group seating. Ordered a Sapporo while I decided what to eat. The duck bun was a must, and an excellent starter. I ended up with the spicy paitan shio ramen. Huge chucks of pork belly too tender to pick up with my chopsticks. The broth was excellent, not too salty or spicy, and had me drinking straight from the bowl once I finished off the noodles and toppings. And may I say that was the best soy egg I've ever had. Perfectly cooked, I would be good with just those, noodles and broth. I enjoyed both the ramen and watching the staff work their magic. Service: Dine in Meal type: Lunch Food: 4 Service: 4 Atmosphere: 4
Have had both #2 and and #7 they are both so unique and distinct but both great. Big bowls great for winter. Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Meal type: Lunch
Ed was fantastic! Tended to our needs right away. Oiistar is an incredible Restuarant and place to eat. Highly recommend ask for Eddy! Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Meal type: Dinner Price per person: $50–60
Last update : 07.04.2024
Pretty stellar all around: great dark casual vibe, very nice service with good recommendations, and in my top two ramen spots in the city. both the ramen and the buns we got were top notch. i'm looking forward to revisiting and trying some other starters and a few different types of the ramen.
I came here with a friend for lunch after searching for some ramen spots. Once we got to the restaurant, viewing the menu, and noticing that they have the Duck Breast Bun, we decided to get it as an appetizer. Afterward, I then ordered #3) the Paitan Shio with Roasted Garlic Ramen. I've never had duck breast before and I'm glad I was able to try it here for the first time. It was juicy, sweet, light, and refreshing. The Paitann Shio with Roasted Garlic Ramen broth was well flavored and balanced. Furthermore, the noodles were soft with a great portion. Overall, it was delicious and perfect for a cold day. The server was nice and answered any questions we had. Additionally, I enjoyed being able to see chefs cooking!
The bar seating experience on a Saturday at 6pm was impeccable, with no wait time, and the attentive staff enhanced our overall dining enjoyment. The ramen impressed with its rich and flavorful profile, while the slightly pricier buns offered a delightful blend of textures and flavors that are a definite must-try. Now, let's highlight the star--the shrimp tempura bun. A crispy masterpiece, it provides a satisfying crunch complemented by the pickled slaw. While the buns might impact your wallet, the exceptional dining experience makes it a worthwhile venture for those who value quality.
I would say this isn't my favorite ramen joint in the city, but it's pretty solid. Service is aight, the food takes a bit longer to come out than I usually like. The 6hr pork bun tastes way better than it looks, it was really delicious. Tuna carpaccio was alright. The spicy garlic shoyumen was the perfect amount of spiciness, it's also jam packed with garlic. The oiimen ramen is pretty good too, rich in flava, not really any spice at all, if that's your thing. You should be able to find pay to park street parking if needed.
Had a great casual dinner here. 4.5 so I'll round up to 5 stars. Really great ramen, we especially enjoyed the tonkatsu ramen with garlic. It was so flavorful without any dairy you could tell they really cook the broth for a long time to get that flavor. Pieces of pork were also larger than expectef. You can choose from thin or thick noodles which I appreciated. The umami ramen is great too if you like spicy. We also ordered a katsu bun which was tasty but a bit hard to eat/share as there are a lot of toppings and you can't really fold the bun without a bunch of stuff coming out lol. Regardless, it was tasty! Service is kind and friendly.
Last update : 20.09.2023
Okay hear me out— I am a pho girl, never ramen. But this place?!? This is the first time I’ve ever devoured a bowl of ramen and enjoyed every last bit. I got the roasted garlic ramen and broth was rich and savory, super flavorful, the pork belly just fell apart. I inhaled this bowl, I can’t believe we’ve been going to the place up the street the whole time. I got the shrimp tempura bun to start off with the sweet Thai chili sauce and pickled fennel — YUM. This will be our go to ramen spot. A bit pricier but very good. We got the bao donut for dessert— bleh, not worth it. Everything else was excellent.
Probably one of the best ramens I’ve tried in Chicago and my Japanese friend concurs. I forget what everyone got (I think I should start keeping track given that I write reviews) but I had the miso garlic coz I’m a sucker for garlic and the broth was so flavorful and rich and the meat was very tender. I think a couple of my friends got the shoyu one and they really liked it too. We came in about an hour before close on a Sunday, and they seemed a bit understaffed and the service wasn’t that great (mostly because it was slow, the people were very nice). Would absolutely recommend though!
The only thing good about this place was the pollo bun which is delicious. I also like the atmosphere of the restaurant, it’s dimly lit and gives a cozy vibe.The ramen was below average, I didn’t even finish my bowl. The pork in the ramen was full of fat and I ordered the spicy garlic shoyumen ramen and it wasn’t spicy whatsoever it actually was lacking flavor.
It was OK. I’ve been to many ramen places in Chicago, and came here because it was featured in many lists. It’s good, but I’ve had better (Ramen Takeya, Ramen Wasabi).The staff was very rude though! I came with my bike, and okay I can’t park it outside I get it, but man the runner went crazy. Very rude guy with long hair. It’s ok you hate your job (or life), but hey you can be nicer to the customers. I was about to choose another place, but stayed because my husband wanted.
Excellent ramen! I ordered the #3 which I believe is the tonkotsu style and spicy. I thought the spicy level was just right, not too hot but neither bland.The pork they add to the ramen is extremely flavorful and of appropriate size for the ramen, same for the noodles.I only wish the beer was served in a cold beer mug like the one they use for the cutlery, other ramen places do this too.The shrimp bun was also very tasty.Don’t miss this place!
Last update : 13.03.2023
I'm here twice. The first time I didn't like the rams at all. When I ordered the second time, I sank paprika, I was so much happier. Easy vegan made. Not the most authentic but super solid choice when you go with not Veggies. I loved the fungus bao, could go back and satisfy for just the bao each time.
The vegetarian ramens can be veganized by replacing the regular noodles for gluten-free!!!!
You can get vegan ramen, just make sure to tell them because they need to use different noodles. For me it was a little too filled with vegetables, I would have preferred fewer vegetables and more tofu, but I am a tofu lover. The nap sizes are huuuge, but unfortunately the noodles break into small mushy pieces when you store it for the next day. All in all, I'd go back to probs.
For the price and the amount of food, this place has a pretty good rug. The broth is tasty and the dish is loaded with vegetables. They serve him with basically a half block of Tofu, which would be a perk if they did something special to him (Spoiler: they did not). They also have a mushroom bao that was really good the first time I ordered it, but the second time I think it used dried mushrooms or something because the taste and texture was a bit off. Great place to go with friends because it was always easy to grab a table. You do not have vegan appetizers that are a bummer (besides a salad you need to order without cheese).
I was here twice. the first time I didn't like the rams at all. when I ordered the second time, sans paprika, I was so much happier. made slightly vegan. not authentic, but super solid choice when they go with not veggies. I loved the mushroom bao, could go back every time and leave it satisfied for just the bao.
