Then , calamity struck . A kitchen fire in 2018 led to the closure of the 21st Street location ; it remains fenced off to this day . Next , the by-now-familiar litany : a pandemic , a pivot to takeout , a closure of the final R Street location , and another pivot to a food truck .
But co-owner Kathy Ueyama brightly explains that this is all part of the plan . She says that the pandemic was not much of a factor in the closure of the R Street location . The Ueyamas had been looking to downsize for some time , so in May 2021 they decided to sell to a buyer who had been eyeing the location for four years . The plan had been to take a few months to rest and regroup during the summer ( when Kathy , a full-time teacher , is free to help ), and reopen the 21st Street location in late 2021 — but that date has been pushed to summer 2022 .
The pandemic shuffled the Ueyamas ’ priorities . The lack of available staff and the need to keep the crew small to avoid COVID-19 transmission diverted Yasushi back to daily cooking , his original love . This rekindled passion influenced the Ueyamas to direct their architect , Craig Hausman of Hausman Architecture ( the firm behind the light-filled Urban Roots Brewery and Smokehouse ), to design their 21st Street location as a small , intimate space that could be run by two — a literal mom-andpop shop .
Kathy explains that Yasushi “ has always wanted to go back to his roots , kind of how we started . … We created Shoki together .”
As for the specifics of the plan and the menu , she plays it coy , hinting at possible collaborations , pop-ups , specialty ramens and non-ramen dishes . When the renewed Shoki opens , she will continue to work full time as a teacher , he ’ ll prep during the day , and they ’ ll run the restaurant together in the evenings .
Takeout titans
Also thriving — perhaps surprisingly , in the challenging environment of downtown K Street — is Kodaiko . Folks may associate Kodaiko primarily with high-profile entrepreneur and chef Billy Ngo ( Kru , Healthy Hounds , Red Lotus ), but Ngo
makes it clear that his business partner Takumi Abe deserves primary credit . Abe worked at Zuni Café in San Francisco and a ramen shop in Tokyo before moving to Sacramento to be closer to his wife ’ s family . He began working at Kru ’ s first J Street location in 2013 , where he says he and Ngo would “ talk about ramen all the time .” That led to wildly popular ramen pop-ups at Kru in 2018 , which got Ngo and Abe musing on a ramen-devoted restaurant . They opened Kodaiko in 2019 . Abe and Ngo both continue to take inspiration from Japan . “ The ramen shops in Japan are super tight and there ’ s lines out the door and they ’ re just pumping out these bowls ,” says Ngo . “ They ’ re delicious and it is crafted .”
Abe chimes in that due to ramen being a newer dish ( circa 1890s ) in Japan ’ s ancient
Kodaiko in downtown Sacramento takes inspiration from ramen shops in Japan , but with a Japanese American twist .
“ It ’ s not that we ’ re trying to buy a mansion and buy expensive cars . It ’ s just the cost itself to make real ramen from scratch .”
Tokiko Sawada , general manager and co-owner , Binchoyaki
culinary tradition , ramen-makers are free to have fun and experiment without the strictures placed on dishes such as sushi or soba . “ It ’ s fun and it ’ s amazing over there , and so that ’ s what we ’ re trying to capture . Try to have fun with it and bring a Japanese American point of view .”
As evidence , he points to a current menu offering of mazemen ( brothless ramen ) that approximates a reuben sandwich , complete with smoked cheddar , crispy caraway breadcrumbs and pastramicured pork belly . Most bowls at Kodaiko are priced from $ 15- $ 20 .
When asked about Kodaiko ’ s pandemic pivot , Abe credits Ngo ( along with third business partner , Peter Kwong ) with having the foresight to work to perfect the packaging for to-go ramen . Takeout ramen can be a touchy topic to ramen purists
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