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Get ready to slurp: New ramen restaurant coming to Wheeling

A chef who's found success in Des Plaines and recently expanded to Rolling Meadows is planning a place on Wheeling's Restaurant Row.

Kenta Ikehata, the restaurateur behind Chicago Ramen, Chicago Ramen Lab and Chicago Sushi, is getting ready to launch Chicago Ramen Wheeling at 743 N. Milwaukee Ave., in front of the Westin Chicago North Shore hotel.

A Subway sandwich shop that had operated in the roughly 1,300-square-foot space closed in August.

Village President Pat Horcher said Chicago Ramen Wheeling's pending arrival is “a great commentary on the work Wheeling is doing to attract restaurants.”

More restaurants are lining up to open in Wheeling, Horcher teased. He was tight-lipped about their identities.

“I'm very excited,” he said.

Ikehata's Chicago Ramen opened at 578 E. Oakton St., Des Plaines, in 2020. Chicago Sushi opened two doors away at 574 E. Oakton this summer.

Chicago Ramen Lab opened late last month at 2222 W. Algonquin Road, Rolling Meadows.

In addition to the Westin, Chicago Ramen Wheeling's neighbors will include Botti Nail & Spa, Elsa's and Massage Envy. It's across Milwaukee Avenue from the newly opened District Brew Yards.

Although it doesn't yet have a sign outside, posters in the windows advertise the pending menu and the proper way to eat tsukemen, a ramen dish in which the noodles are served separately and dipped into a bowl of broth.

The space will be renovated to accommodate Chicago Ramen. New booths, a new walk-in cooler and new signs are among the planned changes, documents indicate.

The work is expected to cost $101,800.

Ikehata is set to receive a roughly $49,482 municipal grant to cover some of the renovation costs. If approved, the funds will come from the village's Restaurant and Retail Build-Out Assistance program.

Through the program, business owners or property owners can be reimbursed for up to half a project's cost.

The village board will vote on the grant when it meets Monday. That session is set for 6:30 p.m. at village hall, 2 Community Blvd., and it will air live online at youtube.com/user/wheelingiltv.

  Chicago Ramen Wheeling is set to open at 743 N. Milwaukee Ave., along Restaurant Row. The storefront's windows already have signs advertising menu items. Russell Lissau/rlissau@dailyherald.com
  Chicago Ramen Wheeling is set to open at 743 N. Milwaukee Ave., along Restaurant Row. The storefront's windows already have signs advertising menu items. Russell Lissau/rlissau@dailyherald.com
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