In addition to its original site inside Union Market, Ramen by Uzu, which The Washington Post has named one of the top ramen restaurants in the area, has opened a second location at 3210 Grace St NW in Georgetown. Silver Spring native and Uzu’s culinary creator, chef Hiro Mitsui, has stated his desire to open a location in Montgomery County shortly.
Born in Nagoya City, Japan, chef Hiro Mitsui relocated to Osaka at the age of 21 and learnt from his mother how to prepare Japanese comfort food, especially okonomiyaki. In order to play basketball for the EBA semi-pro league, Mitsui moved to the US in 2011. But a knee ailment cut short his athletic career after just two seasons.
Driven by his passion for ramen, Mitsui settled in Silver Spring and started his career in cooking as a line cook at Aoi before moving to Washington, DC, to work at Toki Underground. He gained invaluable experience from the original Toki team, particularly Erik, there and learnt the ins and outs of the restaurant industry. At Maketto, Mitsui developed his abilities as a line cook while also starting Uzu. Mitsui’s inventiveness and swirling flavors are reflected in the name Uzu, which means “vortex” in Japanese.
Mitsui later managed Paperhorse Ramen in Pentagon City, while Uzu started his career at Honeycomb Grocer in Union Market. His idea of Uzu’s future was influenced by each of these encounters. Mitsui opened Ramen by Uzu inside Union Market after Conbini by Uzu, a pop-up, at Shopkeepers Gallery was a success. Since then, it has flourished.
Chef Mitsui is starting a new chapter with the Georgetown location, excited to provide a larger audience to his unique style of Japanese comfort food. As he continues to bring the flavors of his youth to the Washington, DC, area, with dreams of soon reaching Montgomery County, his narrative is a tribute to tenacity and devotion.
