I was super excited when I heard a new ramen restaurant was opening up in Madison. I walked past it several times in anticipation for it to open. It finally did and I was not disappointed. Strings Ramen has locations in Chicago, and I heard how good it was from friends. When it opened, I had to go. I was on a mission to try all ramen restaurants in Madison and am working on a Vuepinion piece, so stay tuned.

The restaurant has limited seating so it can be a challenge during peak hours, but thankfully, turnover is quick. It was opening week, so we were seated immediately since few knew it had opened. As you walk in you are greeted by the entire kitchen, which makes you feel welcomed and that they actually care you are there. They had a few specials that day so we ordered a spicy pork belly don (I don’t remember the name of it). I’ve been hoping that they would have this as special again because it was so good. The pork belly was served on top of rice garnished with spicy mayo, pickled ginger, roasted garlic, and scallions, which is different to the one on their menu. I enjoyed the boldness of the pork belly spiced up with the spicy mayo and scallions but subdued by the acidity of the ginger and buttery textured garlic. I almost wanted to order another one just for myself since it was shared among the table.

I typically order tonkotsu when I go to a ramen restaurant but saw Hell Ramen on the menu. I love crispy pork skin so I was sold. I had to decide on the spice level and settled on level three, Shugou. It was spicy but not over the top. I love spicy so I would not recommend getting this level if you hardly eat spicy food. My tongue did go numb but its due to the spices not how spicy it tasted to me. The broth was full bodied and the ramen noodles were perfection. I often find other ramen broth from local restaurants underwhelming and broth is key to any noodle soup dish.

I am so happy this restaurant opened up as another option for ramen on a cold day or even hot summer day (see photos). My friends were not disappointed with their ramen either so I definitely would recommend trying this restaurant if you’re looking for good ramen.

https://www.ramenchicago.com