Ramen is on the rise in San Diego; established names like Ramen Yamadaya and RakiRaki are working on new locations and while Jinya Ramen is prepping for local entry. The next ramen brand opening here is Nishiki Ramen, which was established over 20 years ago in Japan; the group's first restaurant in the United States will land in July 2015 at 8055 Armour Street in the same plaza as Mitsuwa Marketplace.
Mike Furuichi, who along with Nishiki Ramen owner Takashi Endo is spearheading the new stateside expansion, says that Nishiki's outposts in Japan sell over 80,000 bowls of ramen a month; during the Tokyo Ramen Show (pictured above), the Nishiki stand served 2,000 bowls a day.
Satoshi Ikedo of Ikedo Design is working on the design of 1,608-square-foot Kearny Mesa space, which will serve an entirely new menu for the U.S. market, from meat to seafood-based ramen. Furuichi tells Eater that the Nishiki's menu will be healthy and use no MSG or preservatives, with a soup base that manages to be low in fat while maintaining a smooth and creamy texture. Unique to local ramen restaurants is a custom noodle-making machine, where diners can watch the ramen noodles being made fresh every day.