Slow and steady—that’s Hikari Ramen‘s style. The new Baton Rouge restaurant simmers its broth for a generous 14 hours, following traditional Japanese ramen techniques.
And the owners were just as purposeful building out the Corporate Boulevard restaurant, which soft-opened Sept. 12 nearly a year after breaking ground in October 2023. Construction involved knocking down a wall separating two suites to create a larger open space.
Inside, decorative cherry blossoms are draped from the wood-paneled ceiling. Bar seating facing an open kitchen affords diners glimpses of their dishes as they’re made. Those looking for a more intimate experience can find it in cozy booths tucked around the restaurant.
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The concept is centered around ramen and milk tea, a bread-and-butter combination co-owner Crystal Lin likens to pairing burgers with Coca-Cola. It’s all part of building the experience, she says.
Hikari offers around eight specialty bowls, such as the Tonkotsu Black, featuring pork, bamboo shoots, half an egg, wakame (a kind of kelp), corn, green onion, black garlic oil and the restaurant’s signature broth. The broth is brewed with pork bones and chicken feet for over half a day, resulting in a strong flavor without too much salt.
Another menu staple, rice burgers sandwich different proteins between compressed rice patties. Five styles are available, ranging from chicken katsu or pork chashu to beef or grilled eel.
Starters run the gamut from seawood salad to Japanese-style pancakes to fried chicken. Combo plates are available, as well. Desserts include mochi ice cream, matcha cake and a Japanese ice cream sandwich.
An array of fruit teas and milk teas are on offer, and soon, the restaurant will add sake and other alcoholic beverages.
Crystal and her husband and co-owner, Jizong Lin, wanted to create an authentic ramen dining experience for Baton Rouge. Crystal’s family moved to Metairie from China when she was 9 years old, and she’s worked in the restaurant business from a young age. She started as a hostess at age 16, going on to work at a marketplace and a bubble tea shop. When she came to LSU for school, she was surprised to find how few ramen restaurants populated the area.
So when Hui “Andy” Yang, the owner of Fiery Crab, reached out to the couple about opening a ramen restaurant in the Capital Region, they jumped at the chance.
The pair got to fulfill personal goals with the project: While Jizong is especially passionate about the restaurant business, Crystal has always wanted to open her own bubble tea shop.
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“I kind of get half of my dream,” she says.
Crystal makes all the milk teas at Hikari Ramen and has a vision of future expansion that includes an open bar serving bubble tea on one side of the restaurant, where tea drinkers can watch their fresh beverages being made.
Hikari Ramen is at 7474 Corporate Blvd., Suites 106-107, located inside the Courtside Crossing Shopping Center. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on weekends. Find more information here.