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I’d been hearing ominous rumblings from agents in the field about the demise of Tori Shin, one of a handful of legitimate Japanese izakayas out in the northwest burbs, but it wasn’t till I read John Greenfield’s account of owner Toshiro “Tony” Koneko’s relocation to rural Rochelle that I realized there was a bright silver lining. Moving into the Mount Prospect strip mall was Ramen Misoya, the first midwest outpost of a large Japanese ramen chain that specializes in miso-based ramen. If you’ve read my review this week, you know I think it’s a contender for the best ramen in the region, rivaling even that of Santouka in Arlington Heights’ Mitsuwa Marketplace. If you don’t agree, check your pulse.
I journeyed to an Arlington Heights strip mall to check out the tiny, half-hidden Sozai Banzai primarily for its ramen, which looks pretty but falls way short of the standard now set by Ramen Misoya. What I found was a lot more interesting. This little place isn’t an izakaya or a ramen-ya—though they do have sushi and 14 varieties of noodles, those aren’t what you want to order here. Sozai specializes in small plates of homey, family-style Japanese dishes—lots of them—in addition to simple, inexpensive set menus and bento boxes that pack the place with expats during lunchtime; things like grilled mackerel, donburi, chicken karaage (fried chicken), and tonkatsu (not tonkotsu ramen, though they have that too). Check the sign above the register for specials—and take a look at some after the jump.
- Mike Sula
- Garlic ramen
The ramen here is pretty but, as I said, a letdown compared to the other offerings. This garlic ramen tasted like it had been dosed with stale, bottled garlic powder.
