Hotto Hotto Ramen and Teppanyaki later this year will open in Grant Park.
Entrepreneur Alice Wong recently secured a lease for the Japanese eatery in The Beacon Atlanta, at 1039 Grant Street SE.
Hotto Hotto will be housed in Suite B10, a 3,614-square-foot “flagship” storefront in the development, according to Wong.
Construction is expected to start next week and a soft-opening is slated for May 2019.
“Our ramen will be as authentic as ramen can be,” Wong Wednesday told What Now Atlanta in a telephone interview.
“It’s all about the broth. If you have a good broth, you have good ramen.”
Hotto Hotto will also serve vegan, vegetarian, and even gluten-free ramen options.
Teppanyaki will be available for guests wanting fewer carbs.
“Sometimes my girlfriends and I want to go out to eat but we don’t want anything high in carbs,” Wong said.
“So I thought we’d offer teppanyaki so guests can have protein and vegetables if they want.”
On the beverage side of things, Wong is partnering with Hopstix Founder and Brewmaster Andy Tan to bring locally-brewed Asian beer to Hotto Hotto.
“We will be offering locally-brewed Asian beer which is quite unique,” Wong said.
“Andy is not supplying his beer to any other restaurants but he’s doing it for me because we’re good friends.”
There will also be specialty Asian libations like a Matcha Green Tea Martini and a Sweet Plum Cocktail.
Hotto Hotto’s design will feel “very clean and modern,” but warm with the use of light-colored wood and a “clean white space.”
On the wall will be “fun and playful Japanese wall art like a sumo wrestler slurping a bowl of ramen.”
All of the exterior glass at the space will be opened up to accommodate an inside-outside bar and a small patio.
Wong, most recently in real estate flipping houses throughout the City, comes from a family of restauranteurs.
Her family was behind the Great Panda chain that at one point had 17 metro locations, mostly inside Kroger.
Wong for five years owned and operated Joe Catfish out of Northlake Mall. She closed the doors in 2012 at the expiration of her five-year lease because there wasn’t enough foot traffic to sustain the business.
“Hotto Hotto is my chance at redemption,” Wong said.
“Owning a successful restaurant has always been my passion and my dream.”
