Guillermo Paniza and Jessica Daez, the young husband and wife team behind Hachidori Ramen, couldn’t have chosen a more difficult time to open their doors during the height of COVID-19 in October 2020. The new stop is located one block south of the Citadel Food Market at 8222 NE 2nd Avenue in the Little River district, an area that has become the latest up and coming spot in Miami, where restaurants, stores, and art galleries are beginning to open. It is an alternative for owners who don’t like the high rents of Wynwood and the Design District.
Jessica and Guillermo toured Japan extensively on their honeymoon and were inspired by Tokyo’s exciting dining scene. They opened this cute new spot where they can showcase the bold flavours and dishes they discovered on their journey there. Their focus is on Japanese soul food and street fare staples with items like their ramen which is very authentically made, donburi, bao buns, gyozas, and temaki.
“Hachidori” translates to “hummingbird” in English, which represents a symbol of enjoyment of life and its pleasures in Japanese culture.
I was very impressed with how well their tables were spaced both inside and outside. Silverware came in paper wrap, hand sanitizer was provided, masks were worn properly by all staff, and they respected all of our COVID-related concerns.
When times return to “normal” they will seat about 50 inside and 22 outside. They seemed to offer about 50% of that capacity or even less now. Inside there is an open kitchen, concrete floors, grey walls, blond wood tables, and decorative sake bottles with a touch of greenery on display. They play a fun mix of background music.
I recommend starting off with the amazing umami sticky potato buns with a honey miso butter, but be prepared for sticky, lickable fingers. The bao buns are also first-rate. Our fried chicken bun order contained two ample-sized buns with crispy fried chicken, pickles, coleslaw, and special sauce for $10. We loved them. We also tried the miso charred eggplant and Japanese street corn topped with queso fresco.
The restaurant serves four styles of ramen, one of which is a vegan option. The broths are simmered for 20 hours, and packed with flavor and lots of thick wavy noodles. They also feature add ons, like extra noodles, pork belly, egg, chicken thigh, bok choy, bamboo shoots, or a chili bomb. They even offer a tiny kids menu, making it very family-friendly.
They have a small but well-curated list of sake, beers, wine, and nonalcoholic beverages which are offered by the bottle, with a smaller selection available by the glass.
Hachidori Ramen is open nightly from 5:30-10:30. Reservations can be made online from their site and there is parking on the street or in the back.
It is a cute and charming treasure of a spot serving easy to digest warm bowls of love. We felt welcome, safe, comfortable, and satisfied.
Recommend.
Happy dining,
Shanea