Izakaya & ramen bar · Portland
Ramen until 2 a.m.
On Fridays and Saturdays, anyway. The rest of the week we close at midnight, which is still later than most places around here.
Tue–Thu 17:00–00:00
Fri–Sat 17:00–02:00
Sun 16:00–23:00
Closed Mondays
Twelve stools around a charcoal grill, and a pot of tonkotsu that goes on at noon. That’s most of it.
We’re an izakaya first. You come in for a drink and a few skewers, and somewhere around the third round someone orders ramen for the table.
The tare is aged here, the noodles come from a small mill out in Gresham, and the grill runs on white binchotan, which takes an hour to light. So we start early.
What to order first
Hibana Tonkotsu
$19
豚骨
Eighteen-hour pork bone broth, chashu belly, marinated egg, wood ear, black garlic oil.
Red Ember Tantan
$20
担々
Sesame-chili broth, minced pork, bok choy, crushed peanut. Medium heat; we can make it hotter.
Negima
$7
ねぎま
Chicken thigh and scallion, glazed with house tare. Two skewers.
Pan-Fried Gyoza
$9
餃子
Five pork and cabbage dumplings, lacy crust, chili vinegar.
The grill, about an hour after we open.
Where to find us
618 SW Alder St, between Sixth and Broadway. Look for the dark blue curtain over the door. If the curtain is up, we’re open.
It’s a few minutes’ walk from Pioneer Square on the MAX. Street parking gets easier after seven.
Save me a seat.
Bookings open thirty days out. Four stools at the counter are never booked, so you can always try your luck.