An ‘Artisanal Ramen’ Chain Called Kayava Is Launching in Fremont

Is Fremont the center of the ramen universe? That would have sounded like a ridiculous proposition several months ago, but then the highly praised food truck Midnite Ramen put down roots at Figurehead Brewing on Stone Way, and now the neighborhood is going to be the birthplace of Kayava, a restaurant that the owners hope will be the first location of an “artisanal ramen” chain.

What’s artisanal ramen, you ask? According to the press release, it’s “a distinctive style of ramen that features soup, noodles, chashu pork, and bamboo shoots all meticulously prepared by hand using traditional techniques.” This does not sound that much different from regular, non-artisanal ramen, but the owners of Kayava are so confident that it will catch on that the release says Kayava “aims to start a new wave of ramen culture and spread it throughout the United States, starting in Seattle, a city with fewer ramen restaurants than Los Angeles or New York, yet more willing to try new flavors.”

Kayava, which will open on October 3 in the space that used to be home to Eve, is owned by Plenus, a Japanese company that is unknown to most Americans. Its most well-known brands are the Hotto Motto bento takeout chain (which is big in Japan) and Yayoiken, an international restaurant chain with three locations in the Bay Area. It sounds like this ramen shop in Fremont represents an effort by Plenus to branch out further into the U.S. (A spokesperson confirmed that Plenus plans more Kayava locations but wasn’t sure when or where they would open.)

What lends this enterprise an air of seriousness is that Plenus is bringing aboard a “culinary consultant” named Masuo Onishi. He owns two ramen spots in Japan and also Tsurumen in Boston, a restaurant that was originally intended to be open for only 1,000 days and switch up its style of ramen every 200. Onishi, who sounds like an interesting guy, once told the Boston Globe, “A person’s life is limited. If someone were to be immortal, they wouldn’t pay as much attention to the moment. Setting an end to things makes you focus on what you’re doing now.”

Tsurumen decided to stay open after the 1,000-day mark and declared on Instagram, “Our new dream is to be the king of ramen in the U.S.” It certainly is well regarded; our cousins at Eater Boston put it on their list of top ramen restaurants, singling out the paitan ramen — which has a thick, cloudy, chicken-based broth — as its signature dish. Probably not coincidentally, paitan ramen is Kayava’s “flagship” ramen style, though guests will also be able to get pork shoyu ramen, truffle shantan ramen, and other flavors.

Kayava will open on October 3 at 704 North 34th Street in Fremont. Its hours will be Wednesday to Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. It will not take reservations. Follow it on Instagram for updates.