Ramen Shop To Open in Square

Adding to the cultural and culinary diversity of the Square, Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, a traditional ramen restaurant originally native to Japan, is slated to open in late 2014 or early 2015.

The eatery will be located at 1 Bow St., the former location of a Dunkin’ Donuts. According to Miho Suyama, who works in store development and marketing at Santouka, this location will be the franchise’s second stand-alone restaurant in the U.S., joining over 50 other locations in Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, and around the world.

“We were searching the whole area...but Harvard is such a good place,” said Suyama, noting that unlike New York, Boston has relatively few Ramen restaurants. “There’s a lot of people from other countries [in Cambridge]. Also around that area, it’s easy to get people to try other cultures because it’s around the university [and part of the] culture.”

Suyama said that the broth for Santouka’s ramen will be made fresh every day, replicating the broth that the company sells in Japan. However, she added, the menu of each franchise location varies from region to region to incorporate local ingredients.

Though Suyama said that the business hours of the restaurant are still undecided, she said that the company will try to accommodate the preferences of its Harvard Square customers.

Jeremiah P. Murphy Jr. ’73, president of the Harvard Coop and the manager of a company which owns the property on 1 Bow St., said he anticipated an opening date near the end of December or the beginning of Jan. 2015. According to Murphy, the deal to lease the space to Santouka was finalized over the last few months.

“We looked at several different potential people to go in there and from our point of view [Santouka] had both the best concept with what’s going on in Harvard Square and what meets the community needs,” Murphy said.

Denise A. Jillson, executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association, said she expects Santouka to be a great addition to the Square.

“Noodles are a very attractive food item for students in particular because they tend to be hot, delicious and affordable. Students love them, so no matter where they go they will enliven the area,” she said.

Students, too, have expressed eagerness about the prospect of ramen in the Square.

“I love ramen; it’s one of my favorite Japanese foods,” Hao-Kai Pai ’16 said. “I found out about this new restaurant on Facebook. Someone shared it, and I saw it, and then I shared it, too. I’m pretty excited.”

—Staff writer Ivan B. K. Levingston can be reached at Ivan.Levingston@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @IvanLevingston.

—Staff writer Celeste M. Mendoza can be reached at Celeste.Mendoza@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @CelesteMMendoza.