When it opened in 2016, Portland’s first Marukin location was a big deal. It was the Japanese brand’s first location in the United States, making traditional, porky tonkotsu. Head chef Mayumi Hijikata moved to the United States to open the restaurant, switching between broths day-to-day. The Japanese Marukin locations ran as usual, and Portland’s two Marukin locations stood as their own outposts on the other side of the Pacific.
Years later, the Portland ramen shops are stepping out on their own. Marukin’s two Portland locations — on SE Ankeny and within Pine Street Market — are now separate from the original Japanese chain, and go by a new name:
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