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Big news for ramen fans as it seems Daikokuya is set to expand in Little Tokyo soon. The massively popular Japanese restaurant won’t be adding to its current square-footage, though; Instead, expect a whole new ramen side-concept to come to the very same block next month.
The Los Angeles Beat blog was the first to report on the switcheroo, which currently has the original Daikokuya location in Little Tokyo locked up tight. There’s a staff member reportedly stationed out front sending hungry diners down the block to the former home of San Sui Tei, where Daikokuya’s staff is set up and cooking all the usual tonkotsu classics. That’s where, soon enough, they’ll be opening up a different ramen restaurant entirely, to be called Hachioji Craft Ramen, named for a bustling Tokyo suburb city.
The plan is to turn Hachioji Craft Ramen into a more modern ramen enterprise playing off the flavors of Tokyo, rather than just operating under the usual Daikokuya banner and menu. In fact, L.A. Beat says that a number of high-up Daikokuya chefs are back in Japan now eating and learning, and they’ll be taking that research trip back over the water to put to good use at the new location. Expect an opening for Hachioji Craft Ramen sometime in early-to-mid May, at which point the original Daikokuya down the block with the yellow awning will return to life in its usual form as well.
Hachioji Craft Ramen
313 E. 1st Street
Los Angeles, CA