The Des Moines metro now has a new restaurant dedicated to ramen. Hokkaido Ramen & Izakaya opened in Ankeny with ramen dishes, along with sushi rolls, noodles, fried rice and a roll named for Coralville.
The stylish restaurant chain takes its name from the northernmost island of Japan’s main islands, and home to the first ramen dishes.
The Japanese noodle soup uses wheat noodles in a rich broth and served with savory proteins, veggies and a soft-boiled egg that’s marinated in a soy sauce.
What’s on the menu at Hokkaido?
The restaurant serves nine styles of ramen from tonkotsu with a white shoyu broth that uses Japanese-style soy sauces, tantanmen with a creamy and spicy sesame broth, miso with a chicken broth and spicy beef with a shoyu broth. Every ramen can be ordered with a spice level from none to spicy. Add more noodles, extra meat such as pork chashu, chicken or beef, and even extra vegetables.
Look for rice dishes including chicken katsu, a tuna bowl, and fried rice, as well as yaki udon, an eel bowl, and a spicy sea urchin bowl.
Start with an order of gyoza or shrimp sumai, or try buns stuffed with soft crab, pork, or eggplant.
The restaurant also offers sushi rolls, including the Coralville with salmon, crab, avocado and cream cheese that’s deep fried and topped with a spicy mayo and eel.
Hokkaido also serves boba teas, Japanese sodas,
This marks the second Hokkaido Ramen & Izakaya in Iowa. The Coralville location opened in December at the Iowa River Landing, taking over the former Fuzzy’s Taco space.
Where to find Hokkaido Ramen & Izakaya
Location: 2723 S.E. Delaware Ave., Ankeny
Contact: hokkaidoramen.life
Hours: Open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, X, or Instagram, or drop her a line at [email protected].
