Alvin Cailan’s Ramen Champ Nears its Chinatown Debut

The ramen (and other stuff) is almost ready at Ramen Champ, the second floor Chinatown hideout for all things noodle, courtesy of Alvin Cailan. The man with the EggSlut plan previously teased the masses with hints about a late 2014 soft-opening, but it looks like those dreams have been dashed in favor of a more realistic January start.

Judging by the Champ team’s active social media work, ramen-eaters should expect to only wait days, not weeks, though nothing is official; they’re all mostly waiting in final approvals from the city, last-minute kitchen issues, and the usual slate of hurry-up-and-wait moments that come with opening a new restaurant.

It’s interesting to note that out of towner Andy Ricker actually managed to beat Cailan and the Ramen Champ team to the punch, opening his Pok Pok Phat Thai downstairs in the same Far East Plaza. Not that you can blame Cailan — Ricker is a notoriously hard worker who loves to save time and money by doing everything himself. And what he can’t do himself, he apparently hires monks for.

Ramen Champ
727 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA