REPORT: Popular Tuscaloosa Ramen Shop Expanding to Birmingham

A Japanese Ramen noodle shop that opened in Tuscaloosa's Midtown Village a few years ago is set to expand, according to a report from the Birmingham Business Journal.

The BBJ reported earlier this week that Fuku Ramen is developing a new eatery in a shopping center on U.S. Highway 280 in Birmingham.

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The noodles-and-more spot first came to Midtown Village in late 2020, when owner and operator Sam Lin told the Thread that a place he formerly ran in Birmingham closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and he came to Tuscaloosa seeking greener pastures with the more adventurous student population.

The restaurant has become a popular option and one of the only places in Tuscaloosa to get proper ramen noodles, donburi rice bowls, boba tea and more.

After almost three years just off the busiest intersection in West Alabama, Fuku will open in the Lee Branch shopping center on Doug Baker Boulevard off 280 near the in-progress UAB Medicine Lee Branch, according to the BBJ.

The Business Journal's Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Rebman reports Fuku will replace the Lee Branch Mama Goldberg's deli, which closed in 2020. Read her full report here.

For more coverage of restaurant and retail development in and around west Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.