A Massive Ramen Chain From Hokkaido Is Planting a Flag in Tysons Corner | Eater DC

"I'm reporting that Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, a Japanese chain founded in the 1980s in Hokkaido with 61 shops in 10 countries (16 of them in North America), will make its D.C.-area debut this fall with a branch expected inside the Boro mixed-use development at 1636 Boro Place in McLean by early November. The brand specializes in tonkotsu broth made by simmering pork bones for 20 hours to achieve a pearly white hue; customers pick flavor options like salt (shio), soy sauce (shoyu), fermented soy bean paste (miso), or spicy miso (karamiso). Bowls are finished with a heap of noodles and ingredients such as vegetables, dried fish, and kelp, and the menu also includes traditional Japanese sides like gyoza dumplings (pork and chicken) and karaage (Japanese fried chicken). Most of its North American locations are on the West Coast and in Canada with a handful on the East Coast (New Jersey and Boston), and its first free-standing U.S. restaurant opened in Bellevue, Washington in 2014, earning a spot on Eater Seattle’s Eight Elite Ramen Restaurants." - Tierney Plumb