Hokkaido Ramen Santouka opens on Broadway with two new menu items

Some exciting news for ramen fanatics: the insanely popular Hokkaido Ramen Santouka has finally opened its doors on January 29 at its second Vancouver location at 558 West Broadway (at Cambie).

While it's still in soft-opening mode, its grand opening will be held on Tuesday (January 31).

According to operations manager Shaw Arbuckle, it features seating for 44 people (compared to 36 seats at their 1690 Robson Street location in the West End) in its 2,000-square-foot space.

This location will draw even deeper from the company's roots in the cuisine and culture of Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

There are a few menu items unique to this location, including—intriguingly enough—jalapeno ramen as well as zangi. What's zangi, you may ask? Zangi is the Hokkaido recipe for chicken karaage.

What's more, the décor will include items from the Ainu. The Ainu, if you aren't aware, are the indigenous people of northeastern Japan (Hokkaido, northeastern Honshu) and easternmost Russia (Sakhalin, Kuril Islands, Kamchatka Peninsula).

But if lineups are too long, don't forget you can also catch the deliciously entertaining ramen western Tampopo back on the big screen. A new restoration of the 1985 art-house hit is screening at the Cinematheque until February 2.