Ocean Garden Ramen is opening at 1835 Pioneer Pkwy E in Springfield, taking over the space long known as Naya’s Taqueria, a Mexican restaurant that had served the area for years. The business is co-owned by Guangliang Lei and Meizhen Huang, who identified herself to What Now as the restaurant’s manager and confirmed the new business is targeting an opening in early September.
Ramen and pho have both grown into steady favorites across the Pacific Northwest in recent years, with diners drawn to the customizable broths, noodles, and toppings each dish allows. Ocean Garden Ramen’s menu, built around ramen, pho, and fried rice, keeps things simple and centers on the comfort food style that’s helped both dishes find a following well beyond their original Japanese and Vietnamese roots. Springfield’s Pioneer Parkway corridor has leaned heavily toward fast food and casual dining in recent years, and a dedicated ramen and pho spot would give the area a different kind of comfort food option than what’s currently on the strip.
The Pioneer Parkway corridor in Springfield has become a dense stretch of restaurants and fast food options, with neighbors including Jazzies Bar & Grill, Oishii Sushi, Chicken Bonz, Bizzy Jean’s Donuts and a Jack in the Box just down the street, giving Ocean Garden Ramen a built in flow of foot traffic from an already established dining corridor.
