Jul. 28, 2023 By Carlotta Mohamed
Kyuramen, an international restaurant chain known for its traditional Japanese ramen, celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Forest Hills on Thursday, July 27.
Alan Ni, owner of Kyuramen, was joined by state Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr., President of Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce Leslie Brown, and representatives of Cord Meyer Development for a tour and lunch at the restaurant located at 108-50 Queens Blvd.
Senator Joseph Addabbo with Kyuramen owner Alan Ni.Photo courtesy of Addabbo’s office
The site was previously occupied by Cheeburger Cheeburger, which was struggling to stay afloat, according to Ni. Cord Meyer Development, a real estate company based in Forest Hills, leased the space for Kyuramen.
“Cord Meyer is thrilled to celebrate the grand opening of Kyuramen in Forest Hills. This exciting new addition to the community elevates the culinary landscape of Forest Hills and offers a diverse and delightful dining experience. Congratulations to Alan and his staff and best of luck,” said Matthew O’Grady, vice president of leasing, Cord Meyer Development.
Kyuramen — which has restaurants in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the U.S. — has more than 125 locations around the world. The international restaurant chain has 10 locations in New York City, with four locations in Queens — Flushing, Bayside and Long Island City.
“I’ve always been fond of this neighborhood. They really support us, especially during dinnertime — we always have a huge crowd,” Ni said.
Kyuramen’s ramen dishes are made using wavy noodles or straight noodles that are filled with a pork, chicken or fish-based broth. Most bowls come with bamboo shoot, wakame, a half-marinated egg, nori and corn. The company’s most popular ramen items include the Tokyo Tonkotsu Shouyu, the mega ramen and the Tonkatsu curry ramen.
Photo by Carlotta Mohamed
The restaurant also offers a range of specialty burgers that feature patties nestled between two noodle or rice ramen buns. It also serves iced teas, matcha, lemonade and ramune – a type of Japanese carbonated soft drink. Appetizers include octopus balls, fried shrimp and bite-sized fried chicken known as popcorn chicken.
The restaurant’s interior is bright and modern looking with wooden fittings, and Japanese illustrations.
Kyuramen’s private dining booths.(Photo by Carlotta Mohamed)
“Japanese ramen restaurants are about wood. It’s about the originality of the wood concept. We literally brought Japan here — the decor, the feel, and the ambiance,” Ni said.
The kitchen area in Kyuramen. (Photo by Carlotta Mohamed)
Upon entering the restaurant, the kitchen is on the right-hand side, while on the left-hand side, there is a “bee-hive” designed seating area that consists of five booths, three of which are elevated. There are also additional private booths for dining. The restaurant seats approximately 75 to 80 people, according to Ni.
Kyuramen’s “bee-hive” designed seating area.(Photo by Carlotta Mohamed)
Brown and Addabbo welcomed the new restaurant to the community.
“It’s a highlight whenever we get to open a new business in the area. This restaurant gives happiness and joy to local patrons here, but it employs local people,” Addabbo said. “In this time and this day in age, it’s tough post-pandemic. We’re looking for areas of growth and areas where we can find work for people and restaurants are a prime example. It’s a good day for our area, the borough, and the city when we get to cut a ribbon on a new restaurant.”
Brown expressed excitement about the “new beautiful business” that could be a destination for other communities to come and dine.
“We’re always excited to have a new business open and it shows that after the pandemic, Forest Hills has definitely come back strong,” Brown said.