October 28, 2018
Japanese native Hiromichi Igarashi has worked as a ramen chef since he was 18 and was initially homeless for a short period upon migrating to the United Stated. He eventually teamed up with a friend to open the beloved Silverlake Ramen in Los Angeles before partnering with his former employer, Tadanori Akasaka of Takara Ramen, for the opening of HiroNori Craft Ramen, which first debuted within Irvine's TRADE center in May 2017 and immediately had hungry patrons lining up out the door. Due to the popularity of the flagship branch, a second HiroNori was opened in Long Beach in May 2018 to equal fanfare and praise.
HiroNori Craft Ramen offers a simple menu with only three ramen choices - vegan, Tonkotsu and Shoyu. The Tonkotsu ramen is cooked for 24 hours with noodles prepared and cut daily. The restaurant also offers spicy cold dipping noodles, a handful of rice bowls, Japanese side dishes like pork buns & crispy chicken, and mochi ice cream, as well as a selection of Japanese & craft beers, wine and sake. Patrons sign up at the door for seating via an Ipad and the restaurant has a no-tipping policy, since they build in 15% for service to their dish costs, which mostly all fall under $10.
HiroNori Craft Ramen is anticipated to open in early 2019 at 3803 5th Avenue in San Diego's Hillcrest. For more information, visit hironoricraftramen.com.
