Ken Ken Ramen Opens This Week [Update: Opening Sunday]

Grid View

Sooner than expected, a peek at Ken Ken Ramen, where soft-opening noodle slurpage shall commence on Thursday Sunday. See here the space built out entirely by owners Robert Patterson, chef Takahiro Hori and Stefan Roesh: from the plumbing to the eye-catching, live-edge Mendocino Redwood bar. The blueish painting you see above the bar (second pic in the gallery) was a gift from the nearby, now-defunct Country Station Sushi where Hori used to work. "We want to carry on their great, underground energy," says Patterson. The rest of the art is still to come, along with some decorative Japanese-style roofs going in above the kitchen and outside on the face of the restaurant.

On top of the aforementioned 5 ramen options, there will be vegan ramen, which we've only seen at one other place in SF before this: Minako. The beer and wine license is still a week or two out, but drinks from the Boba Guys—who make artisan boba in small batches—will be on offer. Also look out for a fun, "clean" Swedish-Japanese brunch "like a smörgåsbord" in the future. In the beginning Ken Ken will only open four days a week (Thurs.-Sun.), but that schedule might not begin immediately. You know how these things are. Keep watching Twitter.

· All Ken Ken Ramen Coverage [~ ESF ~]