Ramen News
Dallas ramen scene gets hot new Japan concept, Dosanko debuting in Plano
There's an exciting new international name in ramen coming to Dallas-Fort Worth: Dosanko, dubbed "the pioneer of Japanese ramen noodle," will open its first location in Texas in Plano, in one of the food stalls at the Mitsuwa Marketplace, tucked in next to the Kinokuniya bookstore.
According to a representative from Mitsuwa, Dosanko will open in September, beginning with a soft opening, possibly as early as September 15. "We'll know next week for sure," he says.
Dosanko was established in 1961 by Japanese ramen pioneer Tamotsu Aoike, who opened his first restaurant in Tokyo. They tout their "perfect match of noodles with well-blended miso paste and vegetables," which they call "a bowl of happiness."
Their ramen options include:
- spicy red miso
- white miso (not as spicy)
- seafood with shrimp and squid
- sesame tan tan ramen with chicken and pork broth and spicy ground pork
- soy sauce with braised chashu boiled egg, and bamboo shoot
- vegetable, with chicken and pork broth, broccoli, napa cabbage, black mushroom, bean sprout, carrot, onion, and scallions
- Shio butter ramen with a salt base seafood citrus butter
They also have fried chicken karaage, pork gyoza, fried rice, curry bowl, tofu, and chasu bowls, as well as a treasured tradition of serving barley water.
The concept started out as Tsutaya, and expanded during the '60s and '70s, with many branches including their first U.S. location New York, which they opened way back in 1974.
They rebranded, then returned to the U.S. to open a location in Los Angeles in 2014, as a casual, inexpensive place to get a quick meal. Unfortunately, the L.A. restaurant closed in 2019, apparently not flashy or trendy enough. Internationally speaking, there are locations in Paris, Melbourne, and Vancouver.
In Plano, Dosanko replaces Hokkaido Ramen Santouka, an equally-international ramen chain that is often found inside Mitsuwa stores; and perhaps the greater loss, J Sweets, another Mitsuwa favorite whose specialty was traditional Japanese desserts including mochi and Royce chocolates, a brand popular in Japan. Santouka closed on June 30; it had been there since 2017.
