Hokkaido Ramen House tests Iowa with state’s first opening in Coralville

CORALVILLE — A quickly growing chain of ramen houses is testing the waters of Eastern Iowa ahead of plans for other locations around the state.

Hokkaido Ramen House, the first Iowa franchise of the chain that came to Coralville in December, is working in tandem with another recently opened location in Ankeny to see how receptive the Hawkeye State is to more ramen restaurants.

The restaurant, located in the space formerly home to Fuzzy’s Taco Shop at 201 E. Ninth St., has more than 30 franchised locations across the country. Its entrance to Iowa follows 10 openings across Montana and Idaho in 2021.

Anderson Wong, franchise owner of the Coralville location, said the brand is actively pursuing expansions in small and mid-size cities across the country. He anticipates that Hokkaido will open one or two more franchises in the Des Moines metro in the near future.

Wong, a Singapore native, opened his first Hokkaido five years ago after several decades in the food and beverage industry. Founder Hongyan Cai started the restaurant that would become a burgeoning enterprise after working in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan.

The food

After Cai discovered the centuries-old recipe during a trip to Japan, he opened the first location in Helena, Montana, in 2018 with a list of ramen types and recipes.

The crowned jewel of the menu lies in several curated options of ramen, a Japanese soup made with rich pork broth and chili oil to showcase noodles, fresh vegetables like bean sprouts, bok choy, scallions and bamboo shoots, soft-boiled eggs and toppings that made a savory rainbow of every bowl.

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Popular bowls like the Tonkotsu pull it together with pork belly, black sesame oil and grilled baby potatoes. Others, like the Tom Yum, bring a twist with hot and sour Thai base that gives a fiery red color to a sea of shrimp, fried scallops, mussels and green onions.

Other prefab configurations include the Shoyu with pork belly, spicy beef, Tantanmen with spicy sesame broth and grilled chicken, or Creamy Veggie. But diners are free to add extras and customize their ramen however they see fit.

Alongside the restaurant’s namesake dish is a list of fried rice and yaku udon options, as well as warm rice bowls from mild to wild — seared pork to sea urchin.

And it might not be a full Japanese experience without a sushi menu. Even on the well-edited page that won’t overwhelm diners, a robust menu of familiar and fun options makes full use of the sushi bar centering the dining room.

Appetizers float a fusion of Asian options from across East Asia, from pork buns and gyoza to bang bang shrimp and sesame balls. Soon, Wong said the location will offer a revamped section of appetizers, including Japanese tofu and cucumber salad.

The drinks

Unlike many restaurants, non-alcoholic beverages aren’t an afterthought at Hokkaido. In addition to the usual staples like soda drinks and tea, patrons can sip on novelties rarely found in full-service restaurants around the Corridor.

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Milk teas in flavors like taro, brown sugar and strawberry display fun colors and chewy boba tapioca bases that have become popular in new shops around Iowa specializing in the drink.

Even Ramune, a standard Japanese soda, serves a new novelty in slim glass bottles with an opening mechanism that requires displacing a small glass ball. Try it in flavors like strawberry, peach and the “original” — a clear bubbly that has notes of bubble gum and lemon.

If you need a little more of a buzz from your “bubbly,” try their selection of Japanese beers, wines and sake.

Interior

A black wood paneled perimeter contrasts bleached wood slats at bars and cooking stations that set a modern, minimalist base to the restaurant’s interior.

Most decor takes on a young, edgy tone that perhaps reads more “Yakuza” than mainstream Japan, with large murals of tattooed, anime-style women.

Paper Asian lamps strung overhead the concrete floor insert whimsical drawings with a sense of innocence in the culture through illustrations of food and lucky cats waving in their kimonos.

Whether at high-tops, booths or low tops, there’s plenty for the eye to explore as the nose keeps the stomach in anticipation with a savory aroma saturating the air — something only found in ramen shops.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.