One of Vancouver's trailblazing ramen shops has shared it will close its current chapter and location in August.
Gyo Para first appeared on the Vancouver restaurant scene in the early 1990s as Gyoza Paradise with a location on Thurlow and Robson.
Ultimately, Gyoza Paradise closed down, but owner Tak Aramaki revived the concept in spring 2017 as Gyo Para and opened at 2120 W Broadway.
Gyo Para marked a third generation of ramen-focused restaurants for the Aramaki family in Vancouver; Tak's father ran a ramen business in the 1950s and his son, Alex Ryutaro, not headed up the kitchen at Gyo Para but also helped get Ramen Danbo and Jinya Ramen off the ground in the city.
Now, however, Tak will be taking some time for himself.
"It's been an incredible seven-year journey reopening our family restaurant again in Vancouver, but the time has come for our owner Tak to retire, and so this chapter in Gyo Para's history is coming to a close," the restaurant shared on social media on Sunday (July 21).
"We’re extremely thankful we got to share our passion with the world, but, for now, we are taking a step back and retiring our Kitsilano location," Gyo Para's operators continued, adding: "We want to thank all our loyal customers [who] made our restaurant journey so memorable and incredible."
The menu at Gyo Para is laser-focused on traditional Japanese fare, in particular ramen, gyoza, yakimeshi (fried rice), and karaage.
"Our recipes date back three generations and have been unchanged since 1953," notes the restaurant on its website.
Gyo Para had initially planned on closing July 28 but have extended its run until August 11.
🍽 Find more delicious Vancouver food and drink video stories by following V.I.A's Forking Awesome on TikTok and Instagram, and signing up for our Forking Awesome newsletter 📬 delivered fresh to your inbox every Thursday.
