Bowls of Dreams
Sacramento ramen shops are keeping fans fed while adapting to market demands
STORY BY Becky Grunewald PHOTOS BY Debbie Cunningham
Chef Yasushi Ueyama co-founded Shoki Ramen House with his wife Kathy Ueyama in 2007 and gained a cult following for his from-scratch broths .
PHOTO COURTESY OF SHOKI / PHOTO BY FELIPE SILVIA
If you ’ ve been fortunate enough to dine in a ramen-ya ( ramen shop ) in Japan , you know that each shop and region has its own unique spin on the noodle dish . You may have purchased your ramen from a ticket machine or had a robot deliver it to your table . Maybe you experienced different regional styles , like the seafoodbased champon of Nagasaki or the deeply porcine aroma of Hakata-style . Not everyone can make it to Japan , but a range of ramen shops with varying specialities , angles and passionate motivations can now be found in Sacramento . After all , as the chalkboard sign outside the downtown ramen shop Kodaiko proclaims , “ You can ’ t spell Sacramento without ‘ ramen .’”
One of the earliest additions to the Capital Region ’ s ramen scene was Shoki Ramen House ( motto : “ A bowl of dreams ”). Ramen heads have been following the saga of Shoki since its original 24th Street location opened in 2007 , and what a journey it ’ s been . Chef and co-owner Yasushi Ueyama , who got his start owning restaurants in Japan in the 1990s , built a cult following based on his complex , from-scratch broths . Soon the slightly scruffy , 20-seat restaurant had a sign-in sheet and a hungry crowd outside . A second , sleek and new location opened on R Street in 2011 , again attracting crowds .
The original Curtis Park location closed in 2015 , followed shortly by the opening of another Shoki on 21st Street in the former location of the 1950s-era Trails restaurant , a quirky combo of Western decor and Japanese charm that we didn ’ t know we needed until we had it .
34 comstocksmag . com | April 2022