Kizuki Ramen To Open In Lincoln Park

CHICAGO — Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya is slated to open in Lincoln Park this week. Founded in Japan, the restaurant has more than 20 locations in Tokyo, and has expanded to the Pacific Northwest, Indiana, Australia and Taiwan. Kizuki opened its first Midwest location in Wicker Park in 2016.

Kizuki will open its Lincoln Park location at 1457 N. Halsted St. on Friday, Jan. 25. For the grand opening, Kizuki will give away 100 free bowls of their Tokyo Shoyu Ramen starting at 11:30 a.m. (first come, first served). Another perk — anyone who dines at either Chicago location through Thursday, Feb. 28 will be entered for a chance to win a grand prize of airfare for one to Tokyo.

"Kizuki's main focus is to be engaged with the local community as much as possible," said Kizuki partner Kevin Yu. "Our passion is to share Japanese culture locally while providing diners with a taste of authentic Japanese ramen without having to fly to Tokyo for the experience."

Kizuki organized the first Chicago Japanese Matsuri Festival, which brought about 8,000 people to Lincoln Park. The event featured Japanese street food, arts, martial arts, Taiko drumming and other entertainment.

With a design inspired by the beauty of the lake and Lincoln Park, Kizuki's master designer created three-dimensional wall art made from chopsticks that features a Lake Michigan wave. All furniture and decor have been sourced from and crafted in Asia.

With seating for 55 guests, Kizuki will also offer a noodle bar plus an intimate bar with additional seating for nine. For the warmer months, Kizuki will have patio seating for 15 diners.

Yu said the layout was designed to accommodate Lincoln Park's large population of young families.

"Our furniture is specially designed for group or family outings," Yu said. "Our booths will be lower and wider to accommodate booster seats for families with young children."

With a slightly larger bar and more draft lines, the Lincoln Park restaurant will have more beer options than its Wicker Park counterpart. Kizuki will offer imported Japanese drafts along with local craft beers that pair well with Asian cuisine like Saboo, an Asian craft beer out of Indiana, and Forbidden Root.

"Every single draft offered has been specifically chosen because of its ability to complement the Asian dining experience," Yu said.

Kizuki Ramen & Izakaya offers customizable, made-to-order ramen dishes featuring a variety of broths, toppings and five different types of noodles including the Chuka, Tonk, Tsukemen, Shirataki and Kale noodle.

The menu combines fresh, locally sourced ingredients with special items from Japan like fish flakes, kelp and yuzu (Japanese citrus). Kizuki makes four ramen broths daily in-house, and uses a unique method of roasting the chicken and pork bones before making the broth, resulting in soup that is rich in flavor, fragrant and full of depth without the gaminess and strong smell that pork can have.

The menu also features 18 small plates including Chicken Karaage, Chicken Wings, Gyoza, Takoyaki Octopus Dumplings and Japanese Pork Buns.

Images credit: Vanessa Vu Design