Japanese ramen and tsukemen shop Taishoken is about to open a location in San Francisco. Construction began in February in the former MAU space at 665 Valencia St., when a beer and wine license was also filed with the state. CEO Yoshihiro Sakaguchi told Tablehopper at the time that he anticipates opening the Mission District shop by June.
Yoshihiro is the grandson of the chain’s founder, Masayasu Sakaguchi. Masayasu moved to Nakano, Tokyo, where he opened the first Taishoken restaurant with a relative, Kazuo Yamagishi, in 1951. It was during Nakano’s hot summer days when staff would eat cold leftover ramen noodles by dipping it into hot soup and thus, creating the concept of tsukemen.
Once customers caught on to this dish, it soon became a fixture on Taishoken’s menu and now remains a pillar of Japanese ramen culture. Today, Taishoken boasts more than 100 locations across Japan, plus one in San Mateo that was opened by Masayasu’s son Mitsuo and grandson Yoshihiro in 2019.
The San Francisco spot is expected to have more appetizers and elevated décor, plus beer, wine and sake to start. Check out www.taishokenusa.com for more information.
