Tokyo-based ramen and dumpling restaurant Afuri is set to fill the retail space at 688 Mateo Street in Los Angeles. Construction is expected to start next month with a five-month turnaround. There are plans to also open in the Orange County area, according to CEO Mars Duan, who said that it’s up in the air where they will open exactly, but they’re currently considering the neighborhoods Costa Mesa and Irvine.
What Now Los Angeles learned of the company’s expansion plans after an LLC filed a Conditional Use Beverage Permit for the 4,097-square-foot restaurant with 71 interior seats and 30 exterior seats on a 455-square-foot patio.
The restaurant will anchor a 19,720-square-foot office/retail project that is currently under renovation being marketed by Cushman & Wakefield at the center of the Arts District. The building was constructed in 1985.
Already, Afuri has a location in Cupertino, California, as well as Singapore, Hong Kong, British Columbia, and two locations in Portland, Oregon along with sister restaurants in Tokyo and Lisbon. The restaurant prides itself as one of the most acclaimed ramen chains in Tokyo with a specialty in yuzu shio, a clear chicken broth ramen. The restaurant’s expansion to the U.S. has been the help of CEO Taichi Ishizuki, whose bio notes that there is “more to comes [sic]”
