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After a long journey more than two years in the making, RakiRaki Ramen & Tsukemen's restaurant in Little Italy is finally complete; the India Street eatery announced its super soft opening on Facebook yesterday.
Since first announcing RakiRaki's expansion in 2014, chef and owner Junya Watanabe has already launched another popular concept, Pokirrito, which debuted in April to huge crowds in a space adjacent to the original RakiRaki in Kearny Mesa.
Pokirrito's sushi burritos and poke bowl are also on the menu in Little Italy, which is now open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and features RakiRaki's signature menu of ramen and tsukemen, appetizers, ramen burgers, and rice bowls, plus yakitori and beer, wine and sake.
As for the new yakitori shop which was to slot into the small space next to his Angels & Hearts creperie on Convoy Street, Watanabe says he will now pivot the concept to focus on traditional Japanese hand rolls; it's aiming to open later this fall.