Ramen sensation Menya Ultra, which opened its first U.S. branch in San Diego's Kearny Mesa neighborhood in 2017 and was subsequently dubbed "best ramen in the U.S." by culinary personality Andrew Zimmern, has unveiled its newest area outpost within Westfield UTC mall in La Jolla.
Takashi Endo opened his first Menya Ultra location in Akita, Japan in 1994 and now has more than a dozen restaurants around the world. The ramen restaurant has received numerous awards in its home country of Japan, including 1st Prize at the Tokyo Ramen Show from 2010 through 2013.
The Kearny Mesa outpost of Menya Ultra was the first United States restaurant for Endo, and opened in February 2017 to immediate fanfare, which increased substantially after television culinary personality Andrew Zimmern sent out a viral tweet claiming Menya Ultra's tonkatsu ramen "might just be" the best in America. In late 2018, Endo opened a second San Diego branch in a 2,000 square-foot space within Mira Mesa Shopping Center. Then in 2021, the third San Diego Menya Ultra unveiled within the small retail complex in Hillcrest that also houses Oscar's Mexican Seafood and India Palace.
After over a year in development, the newest Menya Ultra locations has opened within a 1,900 square-foot space in the new Collection at UTC, a new area located at the former Sears site in Westfield UTC mall in La Jolla. In addition to a wide array of ramen noodle soups with housemade noodles and slow-simmered broth, the new location serves an array of appetizers, beer, sake, and also offers a special Tonkotsu Garlic ramen for the UTC branch. More Menya Ultra branches are in the works for San Diego and beyond.
Menya Ultra's fourth location is now open at 4545 La Jolla Village Drive in San Diego's La Jolla. For more information, visit menya-ultra.com.
