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Clements Ferry Road is about to get its own bowl of tonkotsu. The kitchen is built. The broth people are ready. What's missing is one piece of paper.
Hachiya Ramen, the Johnnie Dodds spot with the order screens and a claw machine in the back, has its second location set up at 654 Hopewell Drive, Suite 110. Opening day was penciled in for Nov. 2. Then the restaurant posted that it was still waiting on final approval of its certificate of occupancy, and the date slid. As of early November, no new one had been announced.
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So, close. Not slurpable yet.
A little family history, because this crew didn't come out of nowhere. Hachiya Ramen is the younger sibling of Hachiya Kyoto, the hibachi steakhouse and sushi bar at 688 Citadel Haven Drive in West Ashley. Richard Milana runs both with his partner, Yuichiro "Junior" Takebata. They announced the ramen spinoff in the summer of 2024 and parked it at 996 Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant.
Two years later, they're crossing the Wando.
Pork tonkotsu is the anchor, with a spicy tantanmen for people who like to sweat a little at lunch. Karaage (Japanese fried chicken), gyoza, pork buns and onigiri round out the sets. There's boba and a matcha crepe cake for the walk back to the car. There's even a kids' set with ramen, fries and a treat, which is a smart move in a part of town full of new rooftops and car seats.
The Post & Courier reports the signature broth takes 48 hours to make, and that the cold ramen everybody orders in summer gets a Storey Farms egg that's spent time in a marinade. Put that one on the calendar for June.
The ordering setup is half the fun. You tap your order into a screen, grab a seat, and the bowl finds you. Mount Pleasant regulars know the drill. The Post & Courier says the new room runs a bit smaller than the original with an identical menu and floor plan, so the routine should carry over.
Now the number worth circling. Takebata told the Post & Courier he's thinking about Hachiya in the hundreds of locations, and floated 1,000 as a possibility. Location No. 2 is still waiting on a certificate of occupancy. Location No. 1,000 can take a number.
Two years from one Mount Pleasant storefront to a second shop across the river is a real pace for a local operator.
Your move is to follow @hachiyaramen on Instagram and the Hachiya Ramen Mt. Pleasant Facebook page. The delay notice went up on Facebook, so the new date likely lands there first. The new shop's site lists hours of 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with Mondays left off the schedule, same as Mount Pleasant.
Until the inspector signs off, Johnnie Dodds is still pouring.
Sources: WhatNow Charleston (delayed opening, certificate of occupancy) and its 2024 report (owners, Hachiya Kyoto connection), Hachiya Ramen Clements Ferry (address, hours, menu), Hachiya Ramen Mount Pleasant (menu, screen ordering, kids' set), Hachiya Kyoto (West Ashley address) and the Post & Courier (48-hour broth, cold ramen egg, smaller room, expansion goals)
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