Well, We Know One Place LCD Soundsystem Ate This Week in the Bay Area

LCD Soundsystem is in the Bay Area for a multi-night run of concerts in both Oakland and San Francisco, and while for most fans that means snagging tickets for a show on either side of the bridge, for the food nerds (read: me) it more begs the question of: Where the heck is LCD Soundsystem eating all of these nights in Oakland and San Francisco?

On a lark, we put the question out to Instagram and discovered that everyone’s favorite indie-rock band dropped in to Oakland’s very own Ramen Shop — and enjoyed the experience so much, they asked the restaurant to cater their post-show meal at the Fox Theater on Wednesday, Ramen Shop chef Chelsea Nichols shares. “They came in and had dinner, and they were just like, ‘Hey, we really enjoyed your food and we want you guys to cater for us,’” she says. Although the restaurant doesn’t typically do catering orders, Nichols thought it’d be fun to do, so the staff came together to make food for LCD and their touring members on Wednesday, with a pickup at 10:30 p.m. — Nichols, who typically works during the day, also came in to help with the special order — and sent food off to the Fox Theater for the band’s post-show meal.

A favorite dish from the restaurant includes an albacore tataki with cucumbers and heirloom tomatoes, and Nichols says she also gave special consideration on what to make for the group backstage. Nichols says her team made hiyashi chuka, a chilled and marinated ramen made with a shoyu tare and ponzu, which the restaurant makes in-house; it’s then chilled and tossed in the sauce. “I thought it would be a little bit more refreshing after a long gig to have a chilled dish than maybe a hot dish,” Nichols says.

Although it turns out there is a familial connection between the band and restaurant — Ramen Shop owner Jerry Jaksich is related to LCD bassist and guitarist Tyler Pope — the LCD fans at the Shop were nonetheless thrilled the band stopped in for an unexpected visit. And to top it all off, the band is generous: “The most fun part is that the people on staff [that are LCD Soundsystem fans], were given guest list passes to their show,” Nichols says. “Four people went to the Oakland one and I’m going to a San Francisco show. It’s just kind of a fun spur-of-the-moment thing.”