Ramen Favorite Ichiran Opens In U.S.

Ramen fans, mark your calendars for Wednesday. Cult favorite chain Ichiran is opening on the eastern edge of Williamsburg. For the uninitiated, Ichiran is a chain devoted to one (yes, just one) variety of ramen, the porky tonkotsu. Diners, who are seated at what are essentially library carrels, can adjust how much of the house's top-secret chile oil they would like and how much dashi, but that's about it. It is a temple to ramen.

The first American outpost has been about 10 years in the making. To keep standards up, the team first needed to open a factory to produce its signature chile oil, which is now made next door to the restaurant in a space that's big enough to support several other locations, Grub Street reports.

While tonkotsu ramen is still the only menu item and there are ramen carrels, the team has made some tweaks to their format for the new location; namely, half of the seating is for groups, so you can slurp with your friends.