If you've frequented the Northside Yacht Club over the past couple years, you may have come across chef Hideki Harada’s ramen pop-up events.
Former chef of OTR's Kaze, Harada announced his plans to open a Japanese gastropub in College Hill with his wife in 2017. After several years of preparation, Kiki opened their brick and mortar inside a former bank building on Aug. 28.
The restaurant offers a variety of Japanese dishes, ranging from ramen to curry pan with appetizers like gyoza and shishito, with sushi night once a week. They are currently working to obtain their liquor license.
“College Hill is the perfect fit for Kiki and our Japanese dishes. In this diverse community, Kiki will bring a completely new taste and we are excited to give that to the people of College Hill,” Harada said in a press release.
“It’s been a dream of ours to open a business together and create something genuine and creative.”
The restaurant is located in the blossoming College Hill area, where the second location of Tortilleria Garcia recently opened and more exciting projects are on their way.
“Every business district needs a sit-down establishment where you can celebrate life’s big moments, or simply enjoy an evening with your significant other. That’s what Kiki will provide and we couldn’t be more excited for it.” Seth Walsh, Executive Director of the College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corp. said in the same press release.
“If you haven’t been to College Hill recently, it’s time to come check us out again.”
Photos by Hailey Bollinger
