Yokohama Ramen Joint’s owner finds a second spot, will open on Wichita’s east side
Yokohama Ramen Joint now has an east-side spot.
Jack Fukuda, who opened his tiny but popular Delano ramen restaurant in 2016, has always wanted an east location — one that was bigger than his original at 613 W. Douglas where he could expand his offerings.
He’s found it in the former Twizted Confections space at 6434 E. Central. The space, which is in Normandie Center at Central and Woodlawn, sits to the east of Il Primo Espresso Cafe.
Fukuda says he hopes to have the new restaurant, which he’ll call Yokohama Ramen Izakaya, open by the first week of August. Construction should start on May 1.
Finding the right space took a little longer than he thought it would, Fukuda said, but he likes the Normandie Center spot. A new owner has purchased the center and is working on the roof and parking lot, he said.
He was tipped off to the space, he said, by his friends at Cafe Asia, which operates in the corner of Normandie Center.
“They’re the ones who told me, ‘You might want to move there,’” he said. “I love that area. It’s a pretty busy area.”
The new restaurant will have space for about 55 people. The original Yokohama, which is always busy and packed, seats only 30.
In Japan, an ‘izakaya’ is a type of bar that serves drinks and small plates, and it’s becoming trendy in big cities. Fukuda’s new restaurant will serve the ramen soup the original Yokohama has become known for but also will offer alcoholic beverages like sake, fine Japanese whiskey and Japanese signature cocktails.
It will also serve unique Japanese-style small plate appetizers like carpaccio, fish dishes and Wagyu beef imported from Japan.
I’ll keep you updated on the new restaurant’s progress.
This story was originally published April 18, 2019 at 8:55 AM.
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