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The newest addition to North County’s ramen scene hails from the East Village, where Beshock Ramen & Sake Bar debuted on Market Street back in the fall of 2016. The eatery has roots in Japan, where co-owner Ayaka Ito’s family runs a restaurant in her hometown of Nagoya. Founded with childhood friend Masaki Yamauchi, Beshock opens at The Shoppes at Carlsbad in early February.

The East Village mainstay, BESHOCK Ramen & Sake Bar, is expanding its award-winning concept to North County. Soft opened to the public last Monday, February 10th, with Grand Opening set on March 1st, the newest location is within The Shoppes at Carlsbad, and is situated next to diverse hospitality tenants, including Pluck and Lucha Libre Tacos.

Until the 1990s, most Americans knew tequila as harsh devil juice you slammed as quickly as possible before spending the next few hours in a sombrero, ruining lives. If you paid more than $10 a bottle, you were probably not a math major. Early tequila imported to the U.S. was subpar bordering on vile, mostly a mixta (51 percent agave, 49 percent "other sugars"). Then in 1989, Patrón marketed the idea of premium tequila with 100 percent blue Weber agave priced at almost $50 a bottle.

Kumi Ito’s complex vegan broth comes thanks to shio kogi—a fermented rice paste that add sweet funk to all it touches. Blended into soy milk and ladled over a knot of Sun Noodles, the vegan ramen is finished with cherry tomatoes, sweet peas, cauliflower, baby corn and broccoli.

BESHOCK pulls double duty as a ramen shop and a sake bar, with impressive options on both sides of the menu thanks to sake master and owner Ayaka Ito. Her broth is made from a lighter, proprietary mix of pork, chicken and vegetables simmered for 10 hours. There are chicken and soy-based ramens, as well.

The newest addition to North County’s ramen scene hails from the East Village, where Beshock Ramen & Sake Bar debuted on Market Street back in the fall of 2016. The eatery has roots in Japan, where co-owner Ayaka Ito’s family runs a restaurant in her hometown of Nagoya. Founded with childhood friend Masaki Yamauchi, Beshock opens at The Shoppes at Carlsbad in early February.

The world of sake is far more vast and nuanced than the sake bomb, but aside from a few established communities like the one in Portland, Oregon, Americans don't have many places to learn about it stateside. However, in San Diego—a destination travelers often associate with craft beer, sake’s reputation is evolving, and pointing to where the city’s beverage scene may be headed next.

Taste of Japan will also be featuring freshly baked bread from Salt & Butter Japanese Bakery by Okayama Kobo, Yakitori from Hinotez, Ramen from BeShock, and other delicious tastes of Japan, including more food, drinks, and fun from great vendors.

Ayaka Ito is a Certified Kikizakeshi (sake sommelier, essentially) and co-owner of Beshock Ramen & Sake Bar in East Village and Carlsbad, as well as the organizer of the largest Sake event of the year, the San Diego Sake Festival.

San Diego may be the craft beer capital of the country, but between the overly hyped (er, hopped) IPAs and the legions of beer snobs giving everyone at the bar major side-eye, it’s no wonder another craft beverage is quietly blowing up: sake.

There's nothing better than a steamy bowl of rich tonkotsu on a blustery day, but you shouldn't have to wait for fall to indulge a ramen craving.

San Diego County boasts a broad range of culinary fare for food lovers, and two restaurants were just recognized for serving some of the best bowls of ramen in California.

BESHOCK Ramen East Village is located at the downtown San Diego East Village. It was founded in 2016 with a concept centered on ramen. Their name means the beauty of food and gastronomy. The ramen restaurant targets busy San Diegans in search for a perfect meal. They thoughtfully responded to this need with their ramen delivering a perfect indulgence. The ramen is a wonder with its flavors, broth, and spices that are not too overwhelming. Its broth was helmed by the founders. Ayaka Ito, Kumi Ito, and Masaki Yamauchi. It is the result of the trio’s intensive ramen research in Japan and the USA.