ninja on demand
Hot Houston ramen restaurant stirs up new on-demand delivery and to-go service
Another Houston restaurant is joining up with Click Virtual Food Hall. Fresh off the partnership between the delivery-focused concept and cult favorite burger-chan, Click will add Ninja Ramen beginning Monday, October 26.
Open since 2014, Ninja Ramen has developed a devoted following thanks to its Asahikawa-style ramen that has a different flavor than the tonkotsu found at other restaurants. For now, Click will only serve Ninja’s signature ramen but other menu items such as the brothless mazemen and Spam musubi could be added later.
Adding Ninja Ramen to its roster further diversifies Click's offerings that cover everything from sandwiches and tacos to poke and Filipino food — all available for either pickup or delivery within an 8-mile radius of its location near Durham Drive and Washington Avenue.
Like burger-chan, working with Click will allow Ninja Ramen to reach customers at more times of the day and in a wider geographic area than it might otherwise. Known primarily as a late night hangout for restaurant industry workers, a whole new audience will be available for Ninja’s noodles.
“Right now, with COVID, we’re only open three days a week,” Ninja Ramen owner Christopher Huang tells CultureMap. “It makes sense if our product was available a little more.
“Also, with Covid, lunch doesn’t happen as much. So many people work from home. Now, we can still service a lunch crowd, or people who are working from home.”
Click co-founder and chef Gabe Medina adds that he’s long been a fan of Huang’s approach to making ramen.
“The thing I love most about his ramen is his bamboo shoots. He cooks them off and braises them,” Medina says. “It’s a different style. As I learned living in Japan, there are thousands of ways of making ramen. Whether there’s people who snob about how it should be, there’s so many fun ways of doing it.”
As Click co-founder Steven Salazar tells CultureMap, the business has seen a noticeable boost from the addition of burger-chan and wants to further enhance its roster with establishments like Ninja. From Salazar’s perspective, both establishments benefit from the partnership.
“We’d love to figure out who else is interested. It’s been very positive all the way around,” Salazar says. “It’s about creating a small selection of local chefs catered to Gabe’s tastes. These are approved by Gabe, and they approve of us as well. It’s very mutual.”
Guests can choose from five signature bowls at Honest Mary's, or create their own.Courtesy of Honest Mary's
