New ramen restaurant decorated like a Japanese alleyway to open in SLO County

A Japanese ramen restaurant is returning to San Luis Obispo County after closing last summer.

Momotaro Ramen and Izakaya is set to open in Atascadero as soon as co-owners and couple Brittney Yracheta and Mateo Rogers finish training staff and adding the finishing touches to their restaurant.

“We’re big fans of escapism,” Rogers told The Tribune. “The idea is to have you walk off the streets of Atascadero into an alley in Japan without leaving Atascadero.”

The couple of 11 years first opened the restaurant in Paso Robles at the Paso Market Walk in August 2020 but had “limited space,” which restricted the spot’s menu.

After five years, Yracheta and Rogers made the decision to move to Atascadero to expand Momotaro’s menu and truly decorate the area the way they’ve always wanted. The Paso Robles location closed in July 2025.

“It’s a good problem to have, to feel like you outgrow your space a little bit,” Yracheta told The Tribune. “The way that we originally planned on opening and operating our business to what it was over the five years changed quite a bit.”

Momotaro Ramen and Izakaya’s 1,300-square-foot space mimics a Japanese alley, historically called a “yokocho,” with hanging phone cables, ambient lighting from lanterns, flags, neon signs, a large cherry blossom tree and a bamboo fountain.

The co-owners even 3-D printed a manhole cover with the restaurant’s name, date of inception and the word “kokoro,” which translates to “heart,” mirroring the intentions of Yracheta and Rogers. The manhole is hung near the doorway of the restaurant’s entrance.

“It has a warmness and an invitingness to it,” Yracheta said of the alley concept. “It’s not like how we look at things here, about maybe avoiding walking down an alley or anything like that. It’s very much the opposite, and we’re looking to foster that here.”

The restaurant’s name comes from a popular Japanese folktale Rogers’ grandmother would tell when he was younger — the story of Momotaro, a boy born in a giant peach who would protect a small village in Japan from demons with his animal companions.

“We wanted to bridge that gap between what we do with ramen and the comfort it brings to you, to the comfort of a loved one reading a story or something to you,” Rogers said.

The folktale is not just seen in the restaurant’s name. Yracheta and Rogers like to tease aspects of Momotaro’s story in menu items, decor and desserts, like a mochi.

“It wasn’t just a random name. It does translate to having meaning,” Yracheta said. “We will always try to drop it in or Easter egg it in things for people that know and have grown up reading the story or are familiar with it.”

What food is served at Momotaro in Atascadero?

Momotaro Ramen and Izakaya specializes in ramen, small plates and street food. Yracheta and Rogers took note in the few and far between Japanese restaurants in Atascadero, especially with menus that extend beyond sushi.

The “izakaya” part of the restaurant’s name stands for a Japanese bar that serves small plates.

“We want to be able to highlight things that Japan can offer in a broader sense,” Yracheta said. “Also make it approachable to our community who maybe hasn’t had the opportunity to eat like that.”

The restaurant will serve four to five ramen dishes, gyoza, karaage chicken, temaki hand rolls and miso dishes while fermenting its miso in-house. Momotaro Ramen and Izakaya will also have a large beer and sake menu, with craft beers and sake imported from Japan.

When will new Japanese restaurant open in SLO County?

Momotaro Ramen and Izakaya is set to open July 1, its co-owners said. The restaurant will host a grand opening a month after its opening, inviting the public into the space with small bites and a sake sommelier for tastings during the celebration.

“We live in such a wine-dominated area, but in turn it’s been really cool for us getting to educate a lot of our guests and our friends who are winemakers on sake,” Yracheta said. “I feel like that’s not what a lot of people carry, and so we’re looking to expand on that more.”

For more information

Momotaro Ramen and Izakaya at 6405 El Camino Real in Suite A will be open daily from 4:30 to 9 p.m., with hours subject to change. For more information, visit its Instagram or website at eatmomotaroramen.com.