Japanese Ramen Chain Afuri to Open Midtown Eatery

Japanese restaurant chain Afuri is set to open a new eatery in Midtown this summer.

Afuri, best known for its specialty ramen and dumplings, has signed a 10-year lease for 1,500 square feet on the ground floor of Savanna’s 19 West 44th Street, according to tenant broker Cresa. Asking rent was $150 per square foot.

The deal represents Afuri’s second location in New York City, following its East Coast debut at 61 North 11th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Cresa said.

“Within a fairly brief period, Afuri has established an impressive presence in the city as a go-to for ramen connoisseurs in Brooklyn and beyond,” Cresa’s Elisa Tsai, who brokered the deal for the tenant, said in a statement.

“Following its early success, the brand decided to strategically extend its presence into Manhattan, where we have secured an ideal location at the crossroads of a central business district and global tourist areas,” Tsai added.

Cushman & Wakefield (CWK)’s Patrick O’Rourke, Steven Soutendijk and Sean Moran represented the landlord in the deal. Spokespeople for C&W, Afuri and Savanna did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Afuri was founded in 2001 in Tokyo and was brought to Portland, Ore., in 2016, followed by several other locations across the globe, according to its website.

The ramen restaurant will replace Kosher deli Milk N’ Honey in the ground-floor retail space at 19 West 44th Street.

Afuri will join other tenants at the building between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas including data and analytics firm Alteryx, design agency Huemen Design and employment agency Forrest Solutions.

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.