San Francisco’s popular Marufuku Ramen has finally expanded south to Silicon Valley.
This fourth Bay Area location of Marufuku is now serving Hakata-style ramen in Cupertino. The restaurant chain was launched in S.F.’s Japantown in 2010, then grew to include locations in Oakland, Redwood City, Southern California, Texas and New York’s East Village.
“We feel blessed to once again expand our authentic ramen experience in our founding state of California,” said Eiichi Mochizuki, co-founder of Marufuku Ramen, in a press release.
Both the Hakata-style Tonkotsu pork and Chicken Paitan bowls are distinguished by their rich, opaque broths — a process that takes upwards of 12 hours — and thin artisanal noodles. The DX version of paitan comes with a large grilled chicken leg on a sizzling plate, and only 15 orders are available each day.
Shareable appetizers include chicken karaage, gyoza, takoyaki and “Marufuku Bites” — Japanese buns filled with house-made pork chasu. Besides the signature ramen bowls, vegetarian and spicy versions are offered, as well as rice bowls topped with pork belly, fried chicken or cod roe. The beverage lineup features sake, beer and Japanese sparkling juices.
Marufuku replaces a Taiwanese restaurant, Liang’s Village, in the Cupertino Marketplace on Stevens Creek Boulevard; Liang’s has moved a couple of blocks away.
For now, Marufuku is open for dine-in only, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. weekdays, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. When takeout service is added in a few weeks, extended hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. will also kick in.
Details: 19772 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino; www.marufukuramen.com/cupertino
