LOS ALAMITOS CA — The new Mako Ramen restaurant had its soft opening on April 10 in the Old Ranch Center in Seal Beach. The owner, Louis Kim, has helped out many of his mother’s family businesses as a cashier ever since he was a teenager. His hard work and dedication in his upbringing as a young adult helped his knowledge of the food business as an adult today.

Kim’s mother and local executive chef Makoto Tanaka met through mutual friends in January of this year, communicated with each other about ramen, and found the opportunity of a location where “Crazy Fish Grill & Market” had previously been. The owner of Crazy Fish decided he wanted to close up shop, and at that moment, Kim knew he had to take over, which he and his wife did. They kept all of the original servers and staff from the previous Crazy Fish Grill.

Chef Mako designed the menu, and his idea was to keep it simple and traditional. He is very serious about serving healthy homemade food. Everything he makes is made from scratch, and he makes sure nothing has MSG. Mako Ramen also takes the consistency of the business very seriously, making sure all customers will feel satisfied when they walk out.

“Consistency is the key. Everything that goes out has to be great. One wrong dish, and you will lose a customer. The quality has to be on point, every day, every time. That’s what I’ve learned in the one month we have been open,” Kim said. “You have to care about the food and service. Right now, I’m obsessed with them. I wake up at 3 a.m. thinking about the food and service at Mako Ramen.”

The goal of Mako Ramen was to bring traditional ramen to the Seal Beach and Los Alamitos areas for customers to feel a sense of home as well as new flavors with a Korean-style influence.

“Chef Mako is a genius in the kitchen. He has run some high-end restaurants in LA for many, many years,” Kim said. “I’ve learned so much from him in the last month about food and the restaurant business; it’s insane! When I see him cooking, I can feel his passion; it’s infectious. My goal is to be a skilled ramen chef one day.” 

Mako Ramen is having its grand opening in about two weeks. If you are interested, make sure to head over for some amazing, authentic, and traditional Japanese and Korean-infused ramen.