Akahoshi Ramen evolved from a hard-to-get-into pop-up into a full-fledged, hard-to-get-into restaurant. Reservations are booked five weeks out, and a line forms outside 30 minutes before they open. But once you’ve finagled your way into a seat and had your first taste of their ramen, it’s clear why. Each of their four bowls is distinct, with only a handful of toppings, giving every ingredient room to showcase its flavor. But the must-order is their namesake dish, the Akahoshi Miso.

Monster Ramen is making some of the best bowls of ramen in the city—and they’re also some of the most unique. This sleek Logan Square spot specializes in gyukotsu, an uncommon broth made from beef bones. It has a delicious richness without feeling too heavy, and pairs perfectly with their thin, springy housemade noodles. Our go-to order is “The Monster”, which gets added depth and creaminess from some garlic miso tare.

It takes Logan Square’s Ramen Wasabi 45 hours to make their tonkotsu broth, a feat that seems particularly impressive considering we can’t even make it through a one-minute-long Instagram reel. But their velvety bowl of tonkotsu ramen is one of the city’s best, especially when accompanied by thick noodles, fatty pork belly, and an oozing soft-boiled egg. They also have a mushroom-based vegan option, so everyone is free to slurp some noodles to a playlist full of Thundercat and Tom Misch.

Rounding up the Ramen Wasabi family tree is Menya Goku, a North Center spot where the main draw is tantanmen. Their take on this ramen (whose origins are rooted in the Sichuan province of China) is a nutty and savory pork broth spiced with tingly peppercorns. It’s also loaded with thin noodles, bok choy, tender menma, and nikumiso ground pork that's full of umami. It’s ideal for a solo meal on an April evening—because Chicago "spring" is basically just an extension of winter.

Like a speakeasy, this tiny and dark West Loop shop is hidden in the basement of Green Street Smoked Meats. But instead of 1920’s jazz and bootleg gin, you’ll find a relentless hip-hop soundtrack and one of the city’s most unique (and spicy) bowls of ramen. Their signature High Five Ramen is packed with thick noodles, a juicy soft-boiled egg, buttery chashu pork, and an incredibly spicy tonkotsu broth. Start with the already fiery half-spice level, then gradually work your way up.

You won't find loaded bowls with 45 toppings at this Noble Square spot—Rudy’s Ramen keeps things simple. And the menu is short, with only seven ramen options. Rudy’s sticks to the basics and it’s that's what makes each bowl great. Their rich-but-not-too-fatty pork broth (or a mushroom broth for vegetarians) is balanced, topped with just a handful of ingredients. The open dining room has a similar simplicity—a few plant wall decals and basket lamps.

Though Oiistar in Wicker Park has a very delicious standard tonkotsu bowl, some of the best ramen variations at this busy spot are the ones that defenestrate (thanks SAT prep) tradition. Oiistar successfully cross-pollinates ramen with other cuisines—from the Tikkamen which is flavored with masala, to the Pozolemen which is packed with chipotle chiles. When combined with the pleasant chew of their housemade noodles, it’s worth rushing to grab a bar seat after work before this place fills up.

All three Chicago locations of Strings Ramen (Chinatown, Lakeview, and Hyde Park) make their own straight, square-cut noodles. They’re a little on the thicker side, and have a very strong, firm bite. But, aside from their noodles, what sets Strings apart from the other places on this list is a large ramen selection. They have tonkotsu, chicken and turkey based miso, seaweed based shoyu, as well as some vegetarian and vegan options.

With its long drink list and “Now That’s What I Call Hip-Hop” playlist, River North’s Ramen San feels less like a ramen shop and more like an energetic bar where you don’t have to ask yourself "Why is the floor sticky?” Ramen San also has lots of seating, making it a fun place to hang. Their ramen menu is short, but bowls like the kimchi and fried chicken, or the sumo with tonkotsu, dumplings, chashu, spicy crushed egg, and buttered corn, are worth checking out.

Like street parking downtown, gyukotsu, a ramen broth made from beef bones, is elusive. And should the West Loop parking gods ever be in your favor, you can check out Gyuro Ramen—the only place in the city that serves gyukotsu. Their rich, creamy broth has added saltiness from soy and is served with four topping combinations. Our favorite bowl here is The Gyukotsu Prime, which comes with thin noodles, sweet soft-boiled egg, menma, and medium-rare filet mignon.

Most ramen places in Chicago usually only have one vegetarian ramen on the menu. And while it does make ordering easier for vegetarians, if there’s one thing we learned from The Bachelor, it’s that it's nice to have options. Every single bowl at Rakkan Ramen in Uptown has a vegetable-based broth, and toppings like eggs and pork belly can be substituted with tofu and mushrooms. Their broth is light yet savory, and goes perfectly with their thin, chewy noodles.

This narrow, BYOB Lakeview restaurant is like Build-A-Bear Workshop, but instead of inserting a poorly recorded voice message into a teddy bear's heart, you customize a bowl of ramen. You can choose between tonkotsu or miso broth, the type of protein, noodle texture, and spice. Our favorite order here is tonkotsu, medium saltiness, with pork, garlic, green onion, spicy sauce, and noodles that have a medium chew. Though this might be the lightest tonkotsu broth we’ve tried, it’s still delicious.

Just a short drive from E Ramen is Shinya Ramen House, which is the only shop in the city that's open until 1:30am. Their standard bowls are good, but Shinya also has specialty options worth trying, like vegan tomato, curry, and—though purists might write a 20-page-long manifesto explaining why this is sacrilegious—miso ramen with udon noodles. Aside from table seating, they have a small area where you can eat on floor cushions.

The tonkotsu from E Ramen in Bridgeport might be the creamiest we’ve had in Chicago—it’s thick and opaque, and has the silkiness of luxurious hand cream. And like that lotion, a bowl at this small ramen spot is equally soothing. We recommend getting the spicy version which balances the intense creaminess with a combination of heat, sweetness from chashu and menma, along with thick chewy noodles. If rich broth is not your style, they also have great chicken ramen.