HiroNori Craft Ramen is opening its third Bay Area location in the former Ajisen Ramen at 211 E. 3rd Ave. in San Mateo, according to a pending ABC license found in state public records. The LA-based ramen chain has taken the Golden State by storm with their fresh-cut noodles and homemade tonkotsu, shoyu and vegan broths.
Kent Takai, who is the Bay Area partner for HiroNori, tells What Now San Francisco that the San Mateo location should be ready to open by late February. Takai grew up with co-founder Hiro Igarashi in Japan and helped his friend’s restaurant make a gracious debut in the Bay Area.
He successfully opened the Santa Clara location in January 2019, followed by the Cupertino location in August 2021. Takai says that we can expect the same delicious ramen menu offered at the original location in Southern California, with a few minor differences.
The Spicy Cold Dipping Noodle, for example, will likely not be offered until the summer. While most SoCal locations offer boba drinks, Takai notes that he doesn’t offer these as there are already neighboring boba shops by his restaurants.
This shouldn’t be a problem considering that customers are really heading to HiroNori Craft Ramen for their mouthwatering pork chashu, which is cooked for 24 hours, or their unbelievable Vegan Ramen homemade with a sesame miso broth. For more information, visit hironori.com.
