Izakaya Ramen Closes after 35 Days in Business

[Photo: cw. on Urban Spoon]

Apparently, "Happi Awwa" was not a hit. It's a somewhat confusing tale: This fall, it was announced that REV Foods, the owners of the popular Poe's, Taco Boy and other themed restaurants across the Lowcountry, would be partnering up with King Street's Sushi Hiro to create Izakaya Hiro, a somewhat trendier take on the original place (there were drinking vinegars, people). That lasted for a few months, before it was reported that REV was morphing the place into Izakaya Ramen, and that longtime chef Hideya Ishibashi was leaving.

As of press time, REV hadn't called back with why Izakaya Ramen bit it. But here's what one insightful Eater Charleston commenter had to say, back when the unveiling of the ill-fated ramen place occurred:

Okay, I actually thought this was a practical joke. Seriously!? Hiro may have been the only passable sushi in this city (wow, no mayo!) but, instead, REV has decided that we need yet another TV-filled, boozy, fratty place with mediocre food. Less raw fish... more charred meats! Less sake... more bourbon and craft beers. Look, I like meat and bourbon and craft beer as much as anyone here... but when is Charleston going to mix things up a little bit? And, by the way, I'm sure chefs Will Fincher and Mae Jordan are lovely people, and maybe there is something about their life stories that I don't know, but I think I'd like my authentic Japanese food to be made (or at least overseen) by someone who's actually spent some real time cooking and eating in Japan.

· Expect "Happi Awwa," Karaoke Nights at Izakaya Ramen [-ECHS-]