Pikaichi is closing... for now

It seems I’m a bit behind on Boston ramen news. I went to Pikaichi for lunch on Friday and found out that they are closing on Sunday, December 17th. 😢 They announced the closing on their Facebook page and website just before Thanksgiving. Apparently the landlord raised the rent significantly and owner Taka Akatsu decided that he could no longer stay at the Super 88 location.

"We recently received a notice of a major rent increase from the landlord. After careful consideration, we have discovered that we won’t be able to sustain our business with the increased rent."

Taka-san and his wife, Ritsuko-san, opened Pikaichi in March 2011 after selling Café Mami in Porter Square to Carlos Garcia (who now also co-owns Ittoku, Wafu-Ya, and Yume Ga Aru Kara) and buying Ken's Ramen House from Ken Kojima. Pikaichi's menu has gone through a few changes over the years but the ramen has remained largely the same and their prices have remained comparatively low for Boston ramen, making it a popular spot for college students and homesick Japanese expats. They're also the only ramenya in Boston to have free parking which has made it a lot easier for people to come from all over to the area to eat there.

In an era in which Japanese restaurants in the US have largely dispensed with yelling「 いっらしゃいませ !  」 ("irrashaimase"), the standard greeting at all businesses in Japan, Pikaichi brought that tradition back and requires all staff to learn some basic ramenya Japanese to communicate with each other about how many customers are in the house and what dishes have been ordered and entered into the POS system. Although the layout of the space is more like a restaurant than a ramenya, the friend who first recommended Pikaichi to me told me that she felt like she had stepped into Japan for the brief time she was there. Their staff are uncharacteristically welcoming and cheerful compared with the bored indifference of waitstaff at many other Boston area Asian restaurants. Long-time employees know the regular customers if not by name, then definitely by face, although they work hard to make everyone feel welcome.

Staff told me that the hope is to reopen at another location within a few months but no word on where. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a restaurant opening that went smoothly – construction and permitting issues can cause delays – so I expect it will be a while before we can have Pikaichi ramen and curry again.

Pikaichi's farewell message to customers

If you’re able to stop by before the last day, keep in mind that wait times are likely to be longer than usual. Make sure to put your name on the list that is on the clipboard just inside the door. I’ve been going for lunch at 1pm with friends for a while and we usually don’t have much of a wait but yesterday we waited for quite a while. The staff told me they have been very busy since the closing was announced. If you can afford it, please consider tipping generously. The closing was completely unexpected so many staff may not have any idea what they will be doing for work during the closure, which comes just before the holidays. Some of them are long-time employees of Pikaichi.

Pikaichi's hours for the last 2 weeks at Allston location

Pikaichi's last day will be Sunday, December 17th, serving lunch only from 11:30am - 4:00pm. You can follow them on Facebook or check their website for updates on the new location.

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Related Posts

• Pikaichi: A Taste of Japan in Allston
• Delivery day @ Pikaichi
• Closed Japanese Businesses

All Yume Wo Katare Coverage

October 11, 2012 11:27pm
Trial run for friends & family

Yume Wo Katare turns five today!! For their fifth anniversary they opened an udon shop, Yume Ga Arukara. おめでとう! Omedetō!

I thought I'd collect all my coverage in one place for Yume fans. 😊

• September 14, 2012: YumeWoKatare is the new ramen restaurant in Porter Sq.
• October 10, 2012: Yume Wo Katare opening any day now 
• October 12, 2012: Yume Wo Katare opens today @ 6pm! 
• October 12, 2012: Noodle Machine! 
• October 13, 2012: Yume Wo Katare Opening!
• October 14, 2012: Yume Wo Katare reopens on Tuesday
• October 15, 2012: Everything you need to know about Yume Wo Katare 
• October 16, 2012: Bananas @ Yume Wo Katare
• October 17, 2012: Night 3 @ Yume Wo Katare: The craziness continues
• October 17, 2012: Yume Wo Katare runner-up in NY Street Ramen Contest!!!
• October 18, 2012: Yume Wo Katare original Yelp review 
• October 18, 2012: Night 4 @ Yume Wo Katare: Still crazy 
• October 18, 2012: Night 5 @ Yume Wo Katare: Less crazy
• October 19, 2012: The Original Yume Wo Katare 
• October 20, 2012: Night 6 @ Yume Wo Katare: Craziness in the rain 
• December 11, 2012: Yume Wo Katare has fancy new chopsticks 
• December 13, 2012: Yume Wo Katare v. Sapporo Ramen: Apples & Oranges 
• May 7, 2013: Yume Wo Katare CD release May 19th / Rion & Shingo 
• August 20, 2013: Reopenings: Miso Market, Yume Wo Katare
• August 30, 2013: Inside the redecorated Yume Wo Katare 
• March 10, 2014: Coming soon: New ramen pop-up coming to Yume Wo Katare 

Delivery day @ Pikaichi

Pikaichi's ramen broth. You can see chicken, onions, and kombu floating on top.

Finally! I get to write about ramen again! Yesterday was a great day for ramen because it was on the cool side and blustery so I headed to Pikaichi in Allston for lunch. I've never been there on delivery day before and got to see the delivery guys wheel in two massive stacks of ramen from Sun Noodle's New Jersey factory. Sun makes these noodles exclusively for Pikaichi. They are not the same as noodles you can find in stores, although Pikaichi does sell their noodles uncooked if you want to make your own at home.

There is another stack behind this.

When I asked the staff if it was okay if I took a picture of the delivery they asked their boss and I finally got to meet owner, Taka Akatsu. He invited me into the kitchen to check out the broth which they make from chicken, pork, onions, kombu and other ingredients. Taka-san said that making the broth is tricky because the chickens they get are always a little bit different. They may look the same but the meat and bones vary which affects the flavor. They do use some Ajinomoto (MSG), but just a little bit to boost the flavor. Otherwise, he said the taste would be flat. The mistake some places make is in using too much. I told him that I feel like their ramen is the most consistent I've had in Boston, different chickens or not.

It's a very, very large pot.

Commonwealth Avenue used to be Ramen Row for a little while with Inaka and Totto Ramen down the street but Inaka closed with no explanation either early this year or late last year (I first noticed at the end of January). I wasn't surprised. I went three times and found their ramen either lacking in flavor or with flavors that were off. It just missed the mark for me. They did have some very loyal fans but when I went with a large group reaction was mixed, even among the Japanese folks. Also, although some people reported that the owner was from Osaka, he wasn't some gruff old ramen master, he was a Taiwanese Japanese American BU grad who had been born in Osaka. I never found out who was in the kitchen making the ramen and if the chef had been trained in Japan. The owner was always working as host when I went. I was not surprised they found it hard to compete with Pikaichi, which has both better food (in my opinion) and a better location (closer to the T and with a lot of traffic due to the grocery store). After Totto Ramen opened last year I was planning to check it out after they'd had a few months to settle into a routine but their Yelp reviews continue to be wildly uneven and I've heard from friends how expensive it is so I haven't been motivated to go. No need to stand in line for overpriced ramen when I can just plan to go to Pikaichi during hours when there are no lines. Their prices still remain the most reasonable in the city and Pikachi continues to be my favorite ramen in Boston, though I do like Yume Wo Katare and Snappy Ramen as well.

See also: Pikaichi: A Taste of Japan in Allston

Hana Japan: Family-run restaurant in Newburyport

Tucked in the Port Plaza Shopping Center at 45 Storey Ave., Newburyport, MA, you might not expect much from a Japanese restaurant in a strip mall but unlike the majority of Japanese restaurants in the Greater Boston area, Hana Japan is family-owned and operated by the Takahashi family – Miyano-san and her children Kosuke and Shino. It has the feel of a small mom and pop restaurant in Japan.

Sushi bar @ Hana Japan

Tewassa had a lunch outing to Hana Japan in Newburyport on Saturday. It was my first time there for a regular meal. We have tabled at their annual Natsu Matsuri a few times. Hana Japan has also been one of the food vendors at the the Brookline Cherry Blossom Festival for the past two years and Miyano-san and her dance troupe, Takahashi Minyo Kai, have performed at the festival.

When you first enter there's a little gift shop to the right with an eclectic mix of new and vintage Japanese goods including toys and snacks, origami, handmade cards by a local artist, dishes, and other odds and ends (I saw a pair of handmade zori!). Behind that there is a sushi bar (seats 5 or 6 – forgot to count), and on the left side are tables (forgot to count chairs but I think it seats around 35).

The most interesting decoration is this incredibly ornate uchikake. It was modeled at last month's Natsu Matsuri in the Boston Kimono Club Kimono Show. I took some close-ups beginning here. You can see there's a big difference in the craftsmanship between something made by professional kimono artisans and the replica theatrical uchikake made by Takarazuka Stage Co. for the MFA's Looking East touring exhibit (close-ups begin here).

Boston Kimono Club Kimono Show @ Hana Japan Natsu Matsuri 8/16/15

Almost everyone ordered bento (there are many different options) but I decided to go with the Aspara Maki lunch special since I'd never seen anything like it at other local Japanese restaurants. It is Hana Japan's take on aspara maki (アスパラ巻き), a beef or bacon wrapped asparagus dish served at yakitori restaurants. Comes with rice, miso soup (which I skipped due to being allergic), a small salad, and some fruit for dessert. The beef was a little on the chewy side for me (I have TMJ) and some might find the teriyaki sauce too sweet but overall it was tasty and a nice change. I also had some house-made gyoza. Ahh, childhood memories. Most local Japanese restaurants serve commercially-made frozen gyoza because making fresh gyoza is too time-consuming. (Update 11/22/15: Oops, found out today from one of the Takahashis that the gyoza they serve are not house made. They did make their gyoza in-house briefly but switched to commercially made.) One of my friends got Katsu, which looked good. (I didn't want to delay everyone's lunch so I didn't take any other food photos, but you can see more on their Facebook page and on Yelp.)

A couple of things to note for those with dietary issues: one friend commented that the miso soup was on the salty side and they are quite generous with sauces (by Japanese standards). Ask for your sauce on the side if you need to watch your salt/sugar intake.

Aspara Maki lunch special - $13.50

During the Kimono Wednesdays protests I heard from friends and family that there are some places in the US (Hawaii and West Coast) that do kimono dress up and photography like they do in Japan but I wasn't aware of anywhere in our area that offered this. It turns out that Hana Japan offers a Kimono Experience – $50 just to dress up (you may take your own photos) or $150+ for professional photography with Shino.

If Hana Japan weren't so far away I would go more often, but it's a bit of a hike for me. If you're in the North Shore or southern New Hampshire it's worth stopping by but check their hours first. They are closed on Sundays, close between lunch and dinner, and are only open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday. Holiday closures are posted to their Facebook page. We were there ~1-3pm and were more than half the customers during that time. I'm not sure if they were less busy due to the holiday weekend or if Saturday lunch is usually quiet.

The restaurant is family-friendly. They have some toys and crayons and the gift shop is fun for kids to explore, but they should be supervised due to the breakables and delicate objects.

Additional photos here.

The Japanese are coming! Three Japanese chains to open in Boston this year

I really haven't been staying on top of the Japanese food scene much. It didn't actually seem like there was a whole lot going on anyway, although I've known for some time that Santouka Ramen was coming to Harvard Square. Eater seems to be on top of it though so if you want news, check here. They are reporting a February 11th opening. One of my friends wanted to know if I'd be first in line but frankly it's too damn cold this winter!

I heard tonight that Beard Papa's (Wikipedia), a Japanese cream puff chain, is returning to Boston! I went to their Faneuil Hall location once years ago and it seems they used to have a store in the North End as well but they'll be located in Chinatown this time. You can get updates on their Facebook page. Word in the Japanese community is that they will open in February.

Then there's Kyoto-based Japanese coffee chain, Ogawa Coffee. I hadn't heard of it, but apparently it's a big deal. See the Globe's: Ogawa Coffee planning to make US debut in Boston which reports they will open in Downtown Crossing. The Globe says they'll be the first Japanese coffee chain to open in the US and their reasoning for opening in Boston over New York City is interesting. One reason being that Boston and Kyoto are sister cities. No rumors of an opening date yet.

Photos: 2014 Sakura Matsuri @ Brookline High School

The Genki Spark

Today was the third annual Sakura Matsuri at Brookline High School. For the past two years, The Genki Spark and the Brookline High School Japanese Program have presented this small community-oriented matsuri at the high school. The first year it was two hours long. Last year Karen convinced her counterpart at BHS to make it three hours. This year was the biggest ever - four hours long with performances from five New England taiko groups (The Genki Spark, ShinDaiko, Mountain River Taiko, Odaiko New England, Boston Miyake Taiko), a dance troupe (Takahashi Minyo Kai), and shishimai (Stuart Paton of Burlington Taiko).

I have lived in New England longer than I've lived anywhere else and I can't say that I've ever really felt like I was part of the wider communities that I have lived in. I didn't realize until I worked for a summer program in California a few years ago what a huge difference it makes to see your culture reflected in the community around you. From the time I got off the plane at SFO, I was surrounded by reminders of the long history of Asian immigrants and Asian Americans in California (many of them Japanese American) from the Asian-inspired art to the names of donors on the wall at a local clinic to the restaurants to the people on the street. Although I've spent a lot of time in Hawaii and experienced the same there when visiting family, it's so different from the East Coast it often feels like visiting another country. Somehow experiencing it in California when I wasn't on vacation was a revelation. Ever since then I've been making more of an effort to connect with Japanese and Japanese Americans in Boston. Unfortunately, since we have no community center or single clearinghouse organization, it's often difficult to do.

I don't remember attending any matsuris as a child but I did go to Japanese school and camp so I learned obon dance, played Japanese children's games, and heard traditional Japanese music. I can't remember if I ever saw taiko performed live but when I hear it, it's very familiar and it's music I connect with in my bones in a way I don't connect with American folk music. Thanks to The Genki Spark and BHS, I got to put on my yukata and spend an afternoon feeling like I was part of a community.

Red bean ginger mochi
dusted with cinnamon

They had plenty of activities and games for kids (including yo-yo, origami, face painting, design your own hachimaki) and a nice range of food. Sadly Ittoku ran out of yakisoba early and then sold out of okonomiyaki but there was sushi and edamame from Hana Japan and lots of fresh mochi from Mochi Kitchen. BHS students sold onigiri and baked goods. I spoke with Chiki-san afterwards and he said Ittoku would definitely be happy to be back next year!

Tewassa table

Tewassa, The Genki Spark, and some of the other taiko groups sold new and used Japanese and Japanese-inspired goods, some of which were handmade. BHS students were also selling handmade origami earrings.

Karen Young, founder and artistic director of The Genki Spark, said in her thank yous that this matsuri is community-driven and wouldn't happen without the help of all the participating groups, organizations, and businesses and the volunteers. This year's matsuri was staged in partnership with: The Japan Society of Boston, Showa Boston, the New England chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, and two other Brookline schools: the Amos A. Lawrence School and the William H. Lincoln School. Food vendors were: Hana Japan (Newburyport), Ittoku (Brighton), and Mochi Kitchen (Somerville). The matsuri was sponsored by the Brookline Commission for the Arts, Temple University Japan, The Japan Foundation, New York, and the Brookline High School PTO. If you're a member of a Japanese or Japanese American group and would like to participate next year or you'd just like to volunteer as an individual you should contact Karen!

Karen, Genki Spark members, Brookline High School teachers & students - otsukaresama desu!

Some photos below. Additional photos here.

Takahashi Minyo Kai

Miyano Takahashi, owner of Hana Japan, Newburport
and founder of Takahashi Minyo Kai

Right: Karen Young, founder and artistic director of The Genki Spark

Odaiko New England

Boston Miyake Taiko

Shishimai - Stuart Paton of Burlington Taiko

The Genki Spark

Finale - all groups

Totto Ramen opening soon in Allston

Photo courtesy Pete Lazar (aka CrazyPete)

My first hint that Totto Ramen from NYC was coming was when a friend texted me the photo to the left. He wrote "(Not the van…) :0" under the photo, but it made no sense and I got distracted and forgot to ask him why he was texting me a photo of a sketchy white van outside Inaka where he'd told me he was. When we met up for dinner later in the week he asked me if I saw the photo of the white van. At that point I'd completely forgotten about it and said no, you never sent me that. After finding the photo and zooming in I discovered I'd missed the most important part of the photo - the new Totto Ramen sign!

3/18/14

I didn't think Totto would open soon because the first time I went by in March there was a months-old layer of dust on everything and they hadn't started renovations.

3/18/14

When I went by three weeks later it looked much the same except for a few ladders, additional tables and chairs, and some shelves.

4/10/14

Then I saw that they were hiring. It seems they decided not to renovate. When I stopped by tonight it was too dark to take pictures but they look like they could open any day now. There were tables with flowers on them and it's all cleaned up. Unfortunately, no sign indicating an opening date, hours, or a menu. Some quick research turned up Boston Restaurant Talk reporting an opening date of Saturday, May 3rd. This is great news for those who love ramen but don't or can't eat pork. Totto's ramen broth is chicken-based and pork-free.

So, it seems that Camberville and Allston are battling it out to be the ramen capital of Boston. Who will win? It'll be interesting to see where Santouka Ramen lands. They might jump into the fray or they might decide these areas are too saturated with ramen and opt for another neighborhood.

Cambridge and Somerville have four Japanese-owned ramenyas, though two are the same business.

Davis Square

Snappy Ramen, 420 Highland Ave.

Owner: veteran restauranteur Kazu Aotani

Porter Square

Sapporo Ramen's original location, 1815 Mass Ave.

Owners: Manabu Ito and Taiji Mineo

Yume Wo Katare, 1923 Mass Ave.

Owner: Tsuyoshi Nishioka

Central Square

Sapporo Ramen's second location inside H Mart, 581 Mass Ave.

Owners: Manabu Ito and Taiji Mineo in partnership with José Garcia of Ebi Sushi

In Allston, if you get out at the Packard's Corner stop on the B Green Line, you'll find three ramenyas on Brighton Ave. Pikaichi and Totto are Japanese-owned. Inaka is owned by a Taiwanese-Japanese-American. 

Pikaichi, 1 Brighton Ave. 

Owners: Taka & Ritsuko Akatsu

Inaka, 72 Brighton Ave.

Owner: Jim Chen

Totto Ramen, 169 Brighton Ave.

Owner: Ryuichi "Bobby" Munekata (5/4/14: I'm actually no longer sure who owns the Allston Totto. Eater reported that the person behind the restaurant is Nghi Nguyen, a former lawyer.)

Curry Pan @ Ebi Sushi

Chef Sean Ikeda at Ebi Sushi tipped me off earlier in the week that he was introducing a new menu item last night. He's making a curry pan (curry patty covered in panko and deep fried) that he thinks will be a weekend-only item. The pan contains Ebi Sushi's house curry, beef, potatoes, and onions. They're currently slightly larger than a Jamaican patty and are priced at $5.50 but Chef Sean is still playing around so they may decrease in size. He noted that they were quite filling but my three friends and I managed to eat 6 before we even got to the sushi. My friend sartak said to tell everyone that he gives it, "2 thumbs up!" He's a huge fan of their curry. I prefer Pikaichi's curry but I enjoyed this deep fried variation on Ebi's curry. It came with mayo and shichimi which was attractive but unnecessary. The pan is plenty flavorful on it's own. The outside was crunchy and the filling was chunky and generous, though one may wish for more curry sauce. I'm actually a little surprised that sartak didn't order curry to go with his curry pan.

If you've been missing Japonaise Bakery's curry donuts (their deep frier broke months ago and they never managed to get another one up and running) these are not quite the same but might satisfy. I found it to be less rich than Japonaise's donut and was able to eat an entire pan myself. If you manage to get one, let me know what you think!

H Mart Japanese groceries

I made it back to H Mart tonight around 8pm to check out the grocery side. I take back what I've said about Ebisuya not needing to be worried about H Mart. It's been a long time since I went to the Burlington H Mart but my impression is that Cambridge has a much larger selection of Japanese groceries than I saw at Burlington. The only advantages Ebisuya has are proximity to 93 and the Saturday Japanese school, free parking, native Japanese-speaking staff (actually, I don't know whether H Mart has Japanese staff but I would think the likelihood is low), pre-made Japanese food (bento, onigiri, etc.), and a shopping experience that doesn't feel like a roller derby. I really hope that H Mart Cambridge won't drive them out of business since they're the last remaining exclusively Japanese store in the area.

Personally I'll continue to shop at Ebisuya and Reliable because I don't like a stressful shopping experience. Going through H Mart tonight was a lot like going to Market Basket in Somerville, although less rude.

I didn't take a very close look at the produce. I saw gobo and nagaimo that looked fine (the gobo was reasonably priced but my friend thought the nagaimo was expensive). We also spotted very mouldy Driscoll strawberries as soon as we entered the grocery side. They were on top of the stack - kind of surprised they didn't pull it since it was impossible to miss.

I didn't make a careful study of prices but most things seemed reasonable. Their snack selection seemed to be about on par with what you'd find at Hong Kong Supermarket (formerly Super 88) in Allston.

The store was packed but I think a lot of people may have just been window shopping because the lines at the checkouts were not as bad as what I saw on Wednesday.

Some surprises:

• more natto than I can recall seeing in my entire life
• a very large Spam selection
• a large matcha selection (compared to other local stores)
• a lot of mochi ice cream (I don't think I managed to get pictures of all of them - they had multiple brands)
• a wider variety of American groceries than I was expecting (perhaps they're hoping to compete with Whole Foods and Shaws)

I took as many pictures of the Japanese groceries & products as I could with a few other random photos like Spam. There was a lot of fresh & frozen raw meat but that section was too mobbed to get photos. I also didn't bother with photos of rice cookers and other kitchen and household products.  A lot of them are hanging above your head so don't forget to look up. I didn't intentionally take any photos of Korean groceries. I know very little about Korean food so I have no comments. Photos begin here.

Over at Sapporo & Go Go Curry ramen & curry were entirely sold out as was much of the sushi menu. Paris Baguette also looked very well picked over. I did talk to José Garcia (partner in Sapporo Central) when I had dinner at Ebi Sushi tonight and he said they're going to figure that out. Sapporo and Go Go Curry's hours are officially 11am to 9pm. I'm going to guess tomorrow may be worse. If you want to go, go early.

4/26/14: I completely forgot to talk about parking last night. I got really lucky that seconds after I pulled in to Lot 5 and was wondering what to do because it looked full, a woman was walking to her car and waved indicating she was leaving. While I waited for her and her husband to put their child and groceries in the car, she came back and handed me her parking slip that she'd paid for until 9pm! I just love random acts of kindness. By the time I left though things were craaaazy in the parking lot. I tried to offer my space to someone in the same way the shopper before me had but somewhere in a crazy shuffle of 6 cars he disappeared, possibly because someone had come from the other side to steal the spot I was vacating.  I can't stress enough that if you can leave your car at home, you'll definitely want to do that.

See also: H Mart Cambridge is finally open!

H Mart Cambridge is finally open!

H Mart Cambridge Grand Opening

Much to my surprise, H Mart Cambridge opened on schedule today. It's been a long wait for H Mart fans and people waiting to try Sapporo Ramen's new Central Square menu and Go Go Curry. The rain may have kept some people away but when I got there around 1pm, it was a madhouse.

This line wraps around the corner

Things are pretty disorganized on the Sapporo/Go Go Curry side - there is only one cashier for both so you have to stand in the epicly long line* whether you're ordering ramen, curry, or grabbing take-out sushi. I'm told that the cashier is provided by H Mart so hopefully they'll figure out that doesn't work at all. (Update 4/28/14: H Mart has added an additional cashier although if you go at peak times the line is still long. I'm told that those buying only take out sushi can skip the line.) Oddly enough Paris Baguette had 2 dedicated cashiers & registers though they weren't always there. When I got to the front of the line at Paris Baguette, one cashier wandered away briefly.
* (The line was not as epic as Yume Wo Katare's often is, but it was longer than Sapporo Porter's usually is.)

I didn't have time to stay for lunch or fight the crowds to explore the grocery store so I just took a few pictures, bought a pumpkin cream cheese pastry at Paris Baguette (which sadly, isn't that great) and left. I think it'll be a while until I get there to try Go Go Curry and Sapporo's new menu. Next time I'll have to try the fake Cronut™.

Imitation Cronut™

Grocery store

I was surprised that parking wasn't as hard as I expected although I may have just gotten lucky. I found an open spot on Bishop Allen Drive as soon as I crossed Norfolk Street and one empty parking space in the lot. When I left there were several empty spaces in the lot and on the street. If people don't stay long then there will be turnover in spaces, although if you can leave your car at home and take the T that's probably better, especially on weekends. You definitely don't want to drive there on Mondays before 6pm when the Central Square Farmers Market takes over most of Lot 5 (May - November). You can also try Lot 4 at the corner of Bishop Allen and Essex Street but it's really small as is H Mart's private parking lot off Essex Street. There's also Lot 6 near Columbia Street. Note that all pay-by-space parking lots in Central Square require you to pay until 10pm. Meters have to be paid through 6pm.

H Mart's grocery store hours are 7am to midnight but I don't believe the food court will have the same hours. Sapporo and Go Go opened at 11am today, although I don't know if that will be their opening time every day. Neither Go Go Curry nor Paris Baguette have updated their websites with info on the Cambridge location and Sapporo doesn't have a web presence so I couldn't look up the hours. Paris Baguette also serves coffee and other drinks so they may be open all day. (Update 4/25/14: José Garcia of Sapporo Central told me that Sapporo and Go Go Curry's hours are 11am to 9pm daily.  I've heard that both have been running out of food early though hopefully they'll sort that out soon.)

Update 5/8/14: I'm told that Sapporo will be reconfiguring their kitchen to make room for another broth pot so hopefully they won't be out as early as they have been since the opening. That will unfortunately result in no more tempura for the maki.

Did anyone get to eat there today? How was it?

Photos from today begin here.

Update 4/25/14: I made it back to explore the grocery store.

H Mart grand opening date in doubt

Update 5/6/14: H Mart Japanese groceries

Update 4/25/14: I was wrong. They opened on schedule.

Grocery store - 4/8/14

I knew I should have waited before I posted the grand opening date. One of my sources tells me that H Mart hasn't even begun the inspection process and given that they're still not finish installing things, it doesn't seem likely they can even begin to schedule inspections for another couple of weeks. It usually takes several rounds to pass inspections so I'm thinking an opening in May or June is more likely. As you can see from these photos taken on Tuesday and Saturday, they've made some progress, but there's still much more to do.

Grocery store - 4/12/14

H Mart grand opening on April 23rd

Update 5/6/14: H Mart Cambridge is finally open! & H Mart Japanese groceries

Update 4/13/14: They've put up a banner announcing the grand opening, but I think it's doubtful they'll open on schedule.

Paris Baguette

Thanks to reader RiceWalker for alerting me to the fact that H Mart has announced their grand opening for Wednesday, April 23rd. I'm a little surprised because I was there yesterday and while they've made significant progress since my last visit it seems like they still have a lot of work to do before they can start the inspection process.

This is great news for H Mart fans who are tired of driving out to Burlington, but very bad news for all the independently-owned Korean grocery stores in Cambridge and Somerville (and possibly for Ebisuya, but I hope not). Reliable Market in Union Square has a major advantage over Lotte (Central Square) and J&K Han A Rum Oriental Market (North Cambridge) since they have free and hassle-free parking, but not being on a train line they may find it hard to compete with H Mart. On the other hand, if you're driving, Central Square is already a nightmare to park in so H Mart may primarily attract people who are taking the T.

Food court

Mass Ave. entrance

Photos: H Mart's Progress

Update 5/6/14: H Mart Cambridge is finally open! & H Mart Japanese groceries

Mass Ave. entrance

I went to H Mart last week to check on their progress but discovered after I got there that I'd forgotten my camera! I managed to make it back there today. All three signs (they have three entrances) were up last week, although I don't know when they went up.

Don't let the shiny exteriors fool you though. You won't be eating curry and ramen there any time soon. At the end of January they told the Cambridge Chronicle that they planned to open in April, but with April just two weeks away, I don't see that happening. There are construction materials everywhere, wires dangling from the ceiling, and the floors and walls aren't finished. They have a lot more work to do before they can even begin the lengthy inspection process.

When I texted a picture of the interior to a friend last week he commented that maybe they wouldn't open until next year. The store has been plagued with delays so anything is possible. The Globe first reported that H Mart had signed the lease on the old Harvest Co-op space in June 2012. At one point H Mart was optimistically projecting a February 2013 opening, but it was apparently delayed due to power issues with the building. Then they were saying late fall 2013. Then they told the vendors they could move into their spaces in January 2014. Now here we are in March with their last projected opening date next month. Perhaps I should start a pool? When do you think H Mart will open? Leave a comment with month, date, and year!

Food court

Grocery store

Grocery store

Essex St. entrance

Lot 5 entrance