The creator of novelty food phenom Ramen Burger is planting a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Long Island City. LIC Post reports that Keizo Shimamoto will be opening The Ramen Shack in his existing central kitchen at 13-13 40th Ave., serving both new ramen creations and the hamburger with ramen buns that people line up for at Smorgasburg.
He apparently already sells four different versions from the central kitchen for delivery via GrubHub, but the new shack will be an expansion and a sit-down experience, with 10 seats and potential “special creations,” Shimamoto tells LIC Post. “People can try something new every time they come in,” he says. The new shack will open next month.
Shimamoto mostly serves the ramen burger at markets like Smorgasburg, but this is not the first time Shimamoto has tried his hand at a more permanent outpost. He opened Ramen Co. in the Financial District in 2014, which has since closed, and a location in Los Angeles closed in February after less than two years in business. Still, it maintains its popularity on the market circuit. Despite the ramen burger’s first appearance in 2013, its stand at Smorgasburg in Williamsburg sports a very long line every weekend to this day.
