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Food

The Daikaya Team’s Navy Yard Ramen Shop (Finally!) Opens Today

On the menu at Hatoba: spicy red miso bowls and tons of canned drinks.

Written by Daniella Byck
| Published on October 11, 2019
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Hatoba, opening in Navy Yard, means "dock." Photo by Rey Lopez.
Hatoba, opening in Navy Yard, means "dock." Photo by Rey Lopez.

Nats pride may be sweeping the city, but Hatoba, the fourth ramen shop from the team behind Daikaya/Bantam King/Haikan is repping another jersey. The Navy Yard restaurant opens today, with memorabilia from Sapporo’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters as the backdrop for canned sake and Sapporo-style ramen.

“We get this question, ‘Why another Sapporo ramen, why don’t you do something else?’ says partner Daisuke Utagawa. “Even within that there’s a lot more going on. And we like that, it gives us a little bit of room to play.”

Take, for instance, the baseball motifs. Or ramen bowls that nod to its waterfront location with seafood, such as chef Katsuya Fukushima‘s spicy red miso with pork and clams.

Hatoba means “dock,” and the seafaring additions are fitting for a restaurant nestled into the Boilermaker Building, an old nautical warehouse. The 89-seat eatery features booths modeled after shipping containers.

Hatoba is in the Boilermaker Building in Navy Yard. Photo by Rey Lopez.
Hatoba is in the Boilermaker Building in Navy Yard. Photo by Rey Lopez.

The restaurant offers five ramen variations, with noodles from Nishiyama Seimen Company in Sapporo. Like the team’s other shops, Hatoba serves shio and shoyu ramen and a hearty vegetarian option. Here, vegan tomato curry broth is topped with a confit beefsteak tomato. Curry is a popular cafeteria choice for Japanese schoolchildren, Utawaga says. Extra toppings include onsen egg, roast pork, and “spice bombs.”

In addition to ramen, diners can order pan-fried gyoza and white rice. The majority of beverages come in cans, playing off the casual waterside vibe. Patrons can sip canned cocktails like a cucumber-grapefruit gin-and-tonic, as well as canned sake and Japanese beer.

Life size models of each ramen were created in Japan. Photo by Rey Lopez.
Life size models of each ramen were created in Japan. Photo by Rey Lopez.

Restaurants in Japan often use food replicas to display dishes on their menus, and Hatoba sent photographs to Japan for a set of their own (see above). The walls are also bejeweled with sake cups, bowls, and brushes—a reference to Kappabashi, a Tokyo street lined with restaurant equipment stores.

“We’re a neighborhood place. That’s what ramen is in Japan,” says Utagawa.

A booth lined with brushes references the restaurant supply stores on Kappabashi. Photo by Rey Lopez.
A booth lined with brushes references the restaurant supply stores on Kappabashi. Photo by Rey Lopez.

Hatoba. 300 Tingey St., SE, #170. Sunday through Thursday, 11 AM to 10 PM; Friday and Saturday, 11 AM to 11 PM. 

More: DaikayaHatobaNavy YardRamen
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Daniella Byck
Daniella Byck
Lifestyle Editor

Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in NoMa.

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