Hokkaido-based ramen chain Santouka has expanded all over the world within 33 years with locations in Taipei, Vancouver, Kuala Lumpur, and Seattle. And on Wednesday, August 12 the ramen shop is bringing its creamy tonkotsu broth to the Mid-Atlantic for the first time via a shop in Tysons Corner’s Boro development. The restaurant will be open for dine-in, carryout, and delivery.
General manager Junichiro Kawakami says the chefs at the Virginia location spent time training in Santouka’s restaurants in Japan to remain true to the ramen shop’s original recipes and techniques. The soups are built around the tonkotsu broth made by simmering pork bones for 20 hours, and filled with extra-wavy noodles designed to scoop more of the rich broth.
Other flavor options include shoyu (soy sauce) or red-chili spiked miso. A classic shio (salt) broth is simply served with preserved plums, just as it was at the ramen shop’s original location in Asahikawa, Hakkaido. Standard toppings include pork belly, wood ear mushrooms, and scallions. For an extra cost, bowls can be customized to feature jammy aji-tama eggs, extra pork, sweet corn, and butter.
Although ramen is the specialty, the soup shop also offers rice bowls topped with pork belly or grilled salmon, and appetizers like gyoza.
Keeping with Virginia’s current social distancing guidelines, the brick-lined dining room will have 30 seats, with an additional eight seats available outdoors.
Santouka. 1636 Boro Place, McLean. Open daily from 11 AM to 9 PM.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
