Ajida

After reading some of the reviews, I was looking forward to some great ramen but I was very disappointed. I took advantage of the happy hour deal,$ 14.00 for an appetizer, ramen, and a drink. I had the shrimp tempura app, and the batter was too thick and total unseasoned. I had the classic shiromaru classic ramen with pork and I found the tonkatsu broth thin and lacking character and depth. Even worse the ramen was thin and chewy. With the lack of any seasoning, and none available on the table, and the poor service (despite the fact that I was the only patron for most of the time I was in the restaurant, my water glass was never refilled), I can not recommend Ajida.

After 3pm, $ 14 will get you an appetizer, a ramen, and a beer! It’s not the absolute best ramen in the city, but for the price I will definitely be coming back! I had a serious craving for ramen for the past month and finally stumbled into this place. It definitely hit the spot.

Love this restaurant for a delicious ramen fix ! It is right next to my apt building and take out only takes 10 – 15 minutes. The Shoyu Ramen is definitely my favorite! I’m excited to head back and try all the other entrees out!

Delightful! Great spot for lunch.

This is an amazing place that probably the best ramen restaurant during I visit Chicago Loop. Price is reasonable because of Happy hour and envir is quiet and nice service. All in all, pick this place when you would like to go for Ramen.

I was really in the mood for noodles and I wanted to try this place out, it is on my home and it is in the loop area, Wells and Lake street. It is Japanese ramen place and the prices are a bit high but it is the Loop area. I ordered the classic ramen and an order of the Gyoza which is potstickers and my meal was very good. The bill in total was about $ 18.20 which is a bit pricey but you get a significant portion of ramen and the potstickers were yummy. I would go back and try other things.

It’s comparable to some of the Tokyo shops and one of my trusted Ramen partners in the loop. I ordered the Shiromaru classic to and the broth was rich, creamy and flavorful. The grilled chashu was the highlight of the dish.

Ordered Ramen soup, it was warm, not hot. The broth was just ok. Waitress also got my order wrong regarding appetizer. Instead of making it right, she was going to charge me for the appetizer full price in addition to the charge of the mistake. I will not be coming back.

Downgrading a star because we attempted to eat 30 minutes before they closed and we were actually told we could be seated but would rather we not dune there. What the hell? Rude.

Is there ever a good reason to hang in the Loop after 6 pm any day of the week? Well, my best friend and Ramen at Ajida have changed my mind.
The bestie recently moved and we were starved. Not too many options so when we saw the sign for Ajida lit up we raced in. Happy hour from 3 pm to close? Heck yes!!!
We both ordered their $ 14 happy hour combo: 1 appetizer, your choice of ramen and a drink. They also have $ 10-​$ 12 combos that include skewers.
Appetizers: Gyoza and hot buns (pork)
Ramen: Classic and Curry
Drinks: they offer alcoholic and non alcoholic choices.
Service was speedy and all the dishes were yummy. I’m stuffed!!! We got 6 Gyoza dumplings and 1 HUGE pork hot bun (very savory with a sriracha type of sauce). The ramens were really tasty. The bestie said he wished it were a little more spicy but it was perfect for me (I’m not a lover of really spicy food).
I’ve tried various ramen spots around the city and was pleasantly surprised by Ajida. It’s a hidden gem in the Loop. Give it a try!

Definitely worthing the 20 minutes walk to this place during a winter day. Delicious Ramen noodle soup is the best food for the lunch during the winter monthes.
I tried the Shoyu Ramen with pork as it was marked spicy comparing to the classic Ramen. My friend got the classic one and then asked for the chilly sauce.
The noodle was perfectly: full of flavor and a bit chewy. Tasted like home made noodles. The tops were pretty good. Pork belly was braised and pan fried. A bit more fat than I prefered. The broth was too salty for me to drink, however, which was the reason the noodles had the perfect taste.
The Edaname was perfectly cooked and seasoned. We got it as a complimentary dish as we checked in on the Unilocal app. A bonus.
The service was quick and nice. definitely will walk over again for lunch.

So… mixed review here. I ate lots and lots of ramen in Japan, and while Ajida is not like a true Japanese ramen restaurant, I thought the ramen was still good compared to some hip places around the loop and river north. It was the «closest» in taste to the ones I ate in Japan.
The ambiance and decoration is not the best though. I did not feel like sitting and chatting for a long time with friends, just eat and go (maybe indeed like those ramen shops in Japan). Perhaps it is more of a lunch time restaurant for those working in the loop.

I’m quite shocked that Ajida’s ratings aren’t higher. I highly recommend coming after 3PM to take advantage of the happy hour specials.
$ 10 = 1 appetizer, 2 skewers, 1 drink
$ 14 = 2 appetizers, 2 skewers, 1 drink
$ 14 = 1 ramen, 1 appetizer, 1 drink
$ 6 = small beer and small sake
Don’t forget to check in for free edamame!
My boyfriend and I both jumped at the $ 14 ramen special and chose the classic (tonkotsu) ramen. Although I wasn’t a fan of some of the toppings (i.e. ginger), the noodles were cooked well and the broth was decent. Our server was attentive and refilled my tea about a bajillion times. Overall, I would come back if I was in the area.

It is a steal not a deal.
Appetizer + Vino + ramen noodles for only $ 14
Clean environment, nice and helpful stuff.
Taste could be more expressive but good enough for quick bite.

Descriptive phrase: best Asian fusion food dinner deal in Chicago.
$ 14 Combo (after 3PM): any 1 ramen, any 1 appetizer, any 1 drink. That’s absurd. That’s not just not normal Chicago prices, that’s not normal anywhere prices.
For me: Shiromaru Hakata Classic Ramen, Gyoza (potstickers), house sake. These were all full-​sized portions. Potstickers (6 of them!) were on-​point. House sake was good and plentiful. Classic Ramen was filling and rich.
Solid place for a later-​bite in the Loop, which can be hard to find.

Happy Hour pricing reels me in and earns 5 stars!
Get the #2 Ramen w/​pork and 5 wing app and a Kirin Light. Your cost?
FOURTEEN DOLLARS TOTAL.

I really can’t understand how this place got a 3.5 average on Unilocal.
Perhaps it’s because they are conveniently located and they open late (even on weekends), which is pretty rare for the loop.
The place: It’s attached to a nice-​looking apartment building, and is pretty clean and well arranged overall. It was very empty on a Saturday night, which was a bit of a warning sign.
The service: It was decent. Communicating was a little hard though as my server spoke almost no English. I was pretty sure I heard him speaking Chinese so I ended up speaking to him in Chinese, but he just looked even more confused. Oh well, at least I tried.
The food: This is really the most disappointing part. I had chicken wings as an appetizer (which actually came after the ramen). They are pretty well fried, but there is some weird sweet and sour sauce on them that I have a hard time appreciating. I then had the shoyu ramen with beef. It actually looked very legit, but the taste was pretty meh. I felt like they just smashed some honey bbq beef, cold soft-​boiled egg, fresh white noodles, and random spices together. Individually all of them are decent, but I just really didn’t think they went together.
Overall: I won’t come back again because I actually want the food. I might have to though if I’m starving on a Sunday night and everything else is closed.

I should have known better as I saw Chinese-​looking servers and a possible owner that I am very unlikely to get a good ramen and that the restaurant was very empty.
And guess what? Yes, their ramen wasn’t tasty at all. Not even closed to being decent. The lesson of the day, you want some ramen, go to a ramen place owned by Japanese people and where they cook in front of you like they usually do in Japan.

My friend and I were searching for a high rated deli I researched on Unilocal.When we saw the sign for Ramen on the window at Ajida we abandoned that plan and ran to warm our icy cold bones with some comforting noodles and green tea!
The restaurant was near empty on a Sunday afternoon except for a couple and a group of guys. The space is definitely laid out like a mall food court as another reviewer had pointed out. The rumbling of the train is also quite loud but I kind of liked the touch it added.
We ordered up some green tea and looked at the menu. I ordered Ramen made spicy. When I bit into my first spoonful I immediately choked. Too much spice there. The broth was a little too salty. I mixed it around some more. Once I got to the bottom of the dish I wished I had a straw to suck up all of the flavor! It was delicious. Ordered my meal with chicken but next time I have Ramen I will definitely do the beef instead. Had a bite of my friends eel and that was delicious as well. Not a bad place to stumble upon. Appreciate the free edimame coupon, too bad i live all the way in NY.

Great Japanese food option for dinner in the Loop. Hearty ramen, variety of BBQ skewers, appetizers and salads, reasonably priced (especially with 30% off ramen from 3 – 9).
Tonkotsu ramen with chicken and udon is a great option for 2 people with a couple sides (recommend kimchi and duck bun).
Lamb short rib was Ok.
Quick service, no lines, perfect for a quick mid-​week winter dinner.