There are many reasons to stop at Ramen Kotori in downtown Solvang on a hot summer day that don’t involve bowls of broth and noodles.
“I think our biggest hurdle during summertime is people walking by and thinking we only have ramen,” the shop’s co-founder and co-owner, Francisco Velazquez, told the Sun.
When it’s warm out, the restaurateur recommends pairing one of Ramen Kotori’s sashimi dishes with wine by the glass from Stolpman Vineyards or another local vintner featured on the venue’s wine list.
Husband-and-wife duo Francisco and Erica Velazquez—who first met while both working as chefs at The Marine Room in San Diego—opened Ramen Kotori during the spring of 2019 and recently celebrated the shop’s fifth anniversary.
“We’re good at working, but we suck at parties,” Erica admitted with a laugh.
Back in March, the couple commemorated the milestone during a small pizza get-together with their staff.
Throughout their careers, Erica and Francisco have both worked as chefs and managers for others at various spots across California, while Ramen Kotori marked their first venture as restaurant owners.
“After five years, I’m starting to get the hang of it. I feel like we are getting better every year. … It really took a whole year to figure out what we were doing. It was pretty brutal,” said Francisco, whose business persevered during the pandemic with support from long-standing staff members and faithful customers. “The reason we’re still here is because of the community.
Before dating, Francisco and Erica bonded over their love of ramen outside of work hours, the couple revealed.
“As friends, one of the first things we ever made together was actually ramen,” said Erica, born and raised in Kyoto, Japan.
During their relationship, Erica and Francisco have lived and worked in both Southern and Northern California, before picking the literal middle ground between the two regions to open Ramen Kotori. Solvang is also Francisco’s hometown, which he described as akin to Disneyland during holiday seasons due to the tourism it attracts.
One of Francisco’s favorite memories so far during the restaurant’s run was seeing a group of bystanders stop and stare at a unique early morning delivery made to the venue. It was a whole bluefin tuna, courtesy of Sea Stephanie Fish—one of Ramen Kotori’s fish suppliers.
Sea Stephanie Fish delivers various seafoods to the restaurant on a regular basis, but getting the freshly caught whole bluefin tuna—which weighed 115 to 125 pounds—is a seasonal occurrence. The Velazquez couple expects the next delivery of this kind sometime this June.
“There’s just no comparison to getting a whole fish,” said Francisco, who described the length of the tuna as taking up three of Ramen Kotori’s patio tables. “We’ll break it down within an hour, and scrape it, and try it, and it’s like the best fish you’ve ever had.”
While Ramen Kotori has a mainstay menu that’s pretty concrete, there’s also a chalkboard at the shop displaying various rotating specials as they come and go. This is where patrons will find some upcoming dishes that will revolve around the anticipated bluefin. Following the restaurant on social media is another way to find out about these specials in advance.
Many of the shop’s ongoing offerings, including hand rolls and poke dishes, center on locally sourced seafood—including sea urchin and oysters—and fresh produce the couple finds at the weekly Solvang Farmers Market.
As for the star attraction found in the restaurant’s namesake, the couple’s personal favorite of their ramen selections is their shoyu ramen, because of its light soy sauce broth.
“That’s kind of like our main ramen here. It’s really easy to eat. … [It’s] something you can eat every day,” Francisco said. “It’s not going to weigh you down; it’s not super heavy.
“But there is joy in eating a tonkotsu—super rich with pork belly in it,” Francisco added, commenting on the cloudier, thicker broth of a hearty, sweater-weather tonkotsu. “[It’s] great when it’s chilly outside.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood wouldn’t mind lounging in a hot tub full of ramen. Send comments to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 6-16, 2024.