The fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take down San Diego restaurants with the latest victim being the one-year-old Artisan Noodle Tatsuki.
Japanese chef Daiki Tanaka spent a half decade working at Los Angeles' renowned artisan ramen shop Tsujita before relocating to San Diego last year for the opening of his first solo restaurant Artisan Noodle Tatsuki, which unveiled in August 2019 at 531 Broadway in downtown San Diego. The eatery offered a concise Japanese menu centered around Tonkotsu and Tsukemen ramen noodle soups. The name 'Tatsuki' means "a tree with strong roots," and Chef Tanaka chose this moniker to symbolize his commitment for his restaurant to become a mainstay in San Diego's evolving culinary culture. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic made the cost of doing business insurmountable and the landlord of the space is seeking to terminate the lease citing the business as abandoned.
Artisan Noodle Tatsuki closure follows a string of local restaurants going belly up due to the struggle of making ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic. Other notable San Diego eateries that have shuttered since COVID-19 stay-at-home orders began in mid-March 2020 include Crab Catcher in La Jolla, Searsucker in the Gaslamp, downtown's Bang Bang, Donovan's Steak & Chophouse, Whisknladle in La Jolla, The Oceanaire Seafood Room in the Gaslamp, The Balboa Bar & Grill in Bankers Hill, and the entire Souplantation chain. Hospitality industry insiders have predicted that as many as 85% of independent restaurants may be forced out of business by the end of the year, according to a new report commissioned by the Independent Restaurant Coalition.
