Strings Ramen, currently named by Thrillist as one of “The Absolute Best Bowls of Ramen in Chicago,” opened a Hyde Park location on January 1 at 1453 E. 53rd Street. The restaurant had a soft opening for one week, and is now open with its regular hours – 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
There’s currently a special offer for Hyde Park diners – receive free edamame or a soft boiled egg with your order when you check in on Yelp or post a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #stringshydepark.
Strings Ramen bowls feature four different options for stock/broth, including soy, chicken with sea salt, chicken with bean paste, and pork. If you’re a newcomer to Strings, Tristan Liang, assistant manager/shift leader, recommends starting with the Hell Ramen, which can be ordered with five spice levels. For the brave, there’s the Monster Hell Ramen Challenge – you must finish an entire bowl of level 5 ramen with all the broth in 20 minutes or less to receive bragging rights, a $50 gift card, t-shirt, and your bowl for free. Liang commented that about 15 people have attempted the challenge in Hyde Park since the opening, but none have been able to finish — yet.
The Hyde Park location of Strings Ramen is the only one at this time to offer sushi, and the restaurant has a full-time sushi chef with 15+ years of experience on staff.
In addition to Hyde Park, Strings Ramen has locations in Chinatown; Lakeview; and Madison, Wisconsin.
The restaurant is hiring kitchen staff as well as servers for the morning shift. Applicants are invited to complete an application in the restaurant, apply online, or email a resume to stringshydepark@gmail.com.
