Community brief

Japanese soul food

Japanese soul food restaurant Ippudo is set to open a Cupertino location Feb. 7 at 19540 Vallco Parkway.

The grand opening will feature a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. hosted by the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce, Taiko drummers and giveaways for the first 100 customers. The restaurant will also offer a special $10 ramen promotion Feb. 7-9.

Ippudo Cupertino will offer a menu created around its Tonkotsu ramen, made with pork bone broth brewed for 18 hours and handmade noodles. In addition to traditional pork ramen, the restaurant will also offer gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options.

The Cupertino location will also serve Japanese-style tapas such as steamed buns, along with new dishes such as gyoza and tebasaki chicken wings.

Guests will also enjoy a carefully curated list of beer, wine, sake and shoju cocktails.

Ippudo was founded in Japan in 1985 by Ramen King Shigemi Kawahara, crowned after becoming a three-time consecutive winner of the popular Tokyo TV show “TV Champion: Ramen Master Chef Championship.” The Cupertino restaurant is part of its global expansion plans for 600 locations by 2025.

“As our first location in Silicon Valley, Ippudo Cupertino brings us great fortune and allows us to introduce Ippudo’sextensive menu and ramen culture to more guests on the West Coast,” Kawahara said in a statement.

Ippudo Cupertino will be open Monday-friday, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-10 p.m., and Saturday-sunday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. For more information, visit ippudo-us. com/store.