Noodle Nights are On

A friendly reminder that ramen noodles are hotter than cronuts have ever been. The once collegiate pantry paperweight has risen to ravenous acclaim in recent years thanks to the onset of ramen burgers, ramen tacos, ramen-focused menus, and more. In light of the noodly fever pitch, a couple restaurants are rolling out new noodle-focused menu additions and weekly specials. Get ready to slurp.

Arami already has ample renown for its noodle prowess. The West Town Asian bastion draws in hordes of fans for sushi, sake, and noodles on the regular, but for the first time ever the restaurant is heating up a special night devoted specifically to the latter. On the last Monday of every month, guests can swing by for noodle night, wherein chef Fred Despres whips up a miscellany of noodle dishes to accompany the restaurant’s regular menu fixtures. Expect three specialty dishes each month, along with special Japanese beers and sakes. The noodle night takes place from 5:00 pm until 9:15 pm, running monthly through the end of March, aka the cold months when we need it most.

In case one night isn’t enough for you, Acadia rises to the occasion with a brothy night all its own. Every Sunday is henceforth ramen day at the South Loop restaurant, where diners can sidle up to the bar and get ready to slurp off the casual bar menu. It’s the latest bar menu innovation from chef Ryan McCaskey, whose casual dining endeavors – burgers and lobster rolls among them – have proven quite successful alongside his higher end fare in the main dining room. For his ramen, he focuses on a tonkotsu ramen made with pork belly, 24-hour pork shoulder, pickled quail egg, house sambal, enoki mushroom, and spicy lobster oil.

Arami
1829 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago
(312) 243-1535
Website

Acadia
1639 S. Wabash Avenue, Chicago
(312) 360-9500
Website