A decades-old ramen chain based out of Japan, Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai will finally open its first San Diego location later this year.
Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai was officially founded in Tokyo, Japan, by Akira Nakahara in 1987, and the restaurant now has more than 70 locations. Inspired by a restaurant in Kitakata city that the founder long worked for, Nakahara launched his ramen restaurant in devotion to the Kitakata ramen style, which offers a distinctive flat, wide and hand-crumpled curly noodle made with the mountain spring water, a light yet flavorful broth, and the signature "Toro Chashu" pork belly.
The first San Diego location of Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai will open in a newly-built building between Costco and Target in Kearny Mesa. Expect a concise menu of several ramen types, including the signature Kitakata ramen, chashu ramen, miso ramen, spicy miso ramen, and Tsukemen dipping ramen, as well as several bowls and appetizers like gyoza, fried chicken karaage, and ban nai buns.
Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai is anticipated to open in late summer 2022 at 7951 Othello Avenue, Suite 103, in San Diego's Kearny Mesa. For more information, visit ramenbannai.com.
