Award-winning ramen restaurant heading to downtown Newark

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L+M Development Partners, Prudential Financial and Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group said Jan. 17 that the award-winning craft ramen and Japanese Izakaya restaurant group Ani Ramen House signed a 10-year lease for approximately 8,700 square feet on the first floor of the historic Hahne & Co. building on Halsey Street in downtown Newark.

The new space – Ani’s largest yet – will include a restaurant, the company’s first commissary kitchen and corporate offices. Englishtown-based Pierson Commercial Real Estate represented the landlord and tenant in the deal.

Ani’s sixth location at the Hahne & Co. building will serve as the company’s headquarters.

Ani Ramen House, launched in 2014 by Luck Sarabhayavanija, builds on the Japanese tradition of quality ramen. The restaurant group became well-known in the region for its house-made pork, chicken and vegetarian ramen broths, using Sun Noodles; and its bao buns, gyoza, and other izakaya small plates.

The new location, designed by Inglese Architecture & Engineering, is expected to open later this year. The space will include a 2,500-square-foot restaurant; a 5,000-square-foot commissary kitchen where chefs will prepare food for the other Ani outposts in Montclair, Jersey City, Summit and Maplewood; and 1,200 square feet of offices.

“We are thrilled to have Ani Ramen House – some of the best ramen in the region – open in the historic Hahne & Co. building. Their presence will help to further transform Halsey Street into one of the most exciting dining corridors in the city and serve as an important addition for residents, workers and visitors alike. We look forward to welcoming diners when doors open later this year – and eating here ourselves,” said L+M Development Partners Director Jake Pine.

Ani Ramen House is the latest business to move into the Hahne & Co. building, which L+M, Prudential and Goldman Sachs UIG reopened in 2017 after an extensive overhaul. The former department store, which sat abandoned for nearly 30 years, was transformed into a mixed-use complex featuring residences, an arts and cultural center operated by Rutgers University-Newark, Newark’s first Whole Foods Market, an outpost of New Orleans-based co-working company Launch Pad, and a Marcus Samuelsson restaurant, Marcus B&P.