After much anticipation, Menya Rui chef-owner Steven Pursley is preparing to open the sequel to his acclaimed South City restaurant. Slated to open in late April, Kishimoto Mendō (6394 Delmar) in the Delmar Loop will feature the same handmade noodles that Pursley has honed over the years—though this time as part of a menu with an emphasis on tonkotsu-style ramen. Here’s what to know before you go.
The Concept
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Kishimoto is Pursley’s mother’s maiden name (a Japanese family name) and Mendō translates to “noodle hall.”
“When I opened Menya Rui, I was kind of debating between what style to do. I decided to go against the grain to set myself apart with shoyu, and now I’m circling back to do tonkotsu,” says Pursley. By creating a clear separation between both restaurants, he notes, “I’m not stepping on my own toes.”
While lighter, lesser-known shoyu is Pursley’s personal favorite, he wanted to bring his take on the popular tonkotsu style to St. Louis as well. At the University City brick-and-mortar business, fans of Menya Rui will find a “similar system and operation with a new space and new tastes,” Pursley says.
The Atmosphere
Kishimoto Mendo will be located on a corner spot next to Blueberry Hill that’s locally famous for being the spot where Nelly famously shot the music video for his chart-topping song “Air Force Ones.” “I couldn’t be more excited for where we’re going to be,” Pursley says.
At 2,000 square feet, the 40-seat restaurant features roughly twice the capacity of its sister concept. “It’s not quite as jam packed of a full house,” Pursley says. “It will feel cozy and lively.”
Tony Rocca of AKT Studios filled the dining area with custom woodworking, including fixed wooden counters and stools created as “casual diner-style seating” that’s meant to accommodate a quick service model. A natural wood slab features the logo, created by a Japanese calligraphy artist. (A vertical version of the sign will hang outside as well.)
Near the entrance, a noodle-making room faces the shop’s side window. Japanese ranma (decorative wood carvings traditionally placed above paper doors) hang above the counter facing the kitchen. “I had these shipped from my grandfather’s house, which I spent a lot of time in as a child,” Pursley says. “It got demolished last year, so I saved these to have a piece of his home hanging in the shop. He’s the namesake Kishimoto.”
The Menu
The scratch menu is broken down into appetizers, ramen, tsukemen, and mazemen. Appetizers include Nagoya-style wings in a sweet garlic soy glaze, flash-fried shishito peppers, Japanese potato salad, and a Chashu rice bowl.
“Tonkotsu just translates to ‘pork bone.’ The soup is literally bones and water with heat and pressure,” says Pursley, who works with a commercial pressure cooker to make an opaque bone broth. “It would normally take 10–20 hours to achieve the mouthfeel of soup, but this can get it done in just a few hours.”
Similarly, the noodles are composed of just a few ingredients: flour, water, and kansui. The components come layered with tare (seasoning sauce) made with a base of soy sauces and dry Japanese seafood products “to give it a nice saltiness, plus umami,” Pursley says.
Tonkotsu Classic features a rich pork bone broth with thin Hakata-style noodles, topped with pork belly chasyu, kikurage (wood ear), scallion, and pickled red ginger. The tonkotsu is also available as Tonkotsu Black with roasted garlic oil and Tonkotsu Red with spicy miso topping—“a little chili bomb on top.”
Gyokai Tonkotsu Classic is made with a rich seafood-infused pork bone broth with thick Iekei-style noodles, topped with pork belly chasyu, kikurage, menma (bamboo shoots), scallion, and nori—also available in Black and Red variants. Gyokai is also available as Classic or Red Tsukemen with concentrated broth served aside cold rinsed thick noodles and toppings.
There are two brothless Mazemen options: Aburasoba with thick noodles tossed in smoked seafood-infused lard, topped with pork belly chasyu, menma, gyofun (dried fish powder), nori, and scallion; and Taiwan Mazesoba with thick noodles tossed in sesame oil, topped with spicy ground chicken, gyofun, menma, chives, scallion, and nori.
Initially, beverages will include soft drinks, such as tea and sodas.
The Backstory
After graduating from the University of Missouri–St. Louis with a degree in political science, Pursley spent three years studying ramen in Okinawa Prefecture, as well as Matsuyama in mainland Japan. He returned to St. Louis in 2018 and launched his pop-up Ramen x Rui. Four years later, he opened his award-winning shoyu ramen house Menya Rui, which gets its name from the Japanese word for noodle shop, “menya,” as well as Pursley’s Japanese middle name, Rui.
“In my training in Japan, I was lucky enough to work at a few different ramen shops—four in total. Two were tonkotsu shops, and two were shoyu shops,” Pursley says. “My ramen is a culmination of everything I’ve learned—just broad strokes, style-wise.”
Food & Wine named Pursley among the “Best New Chefs” of 2023, and Menya Rui was named the No. 2 restaurant in the nation on Yelp in 2024.
“I’m looking forward to bringing more good ramen to St. Louis and giving people a variety of choices with carefully crafted ramen,” he says.
Kishimoto Mendo
📍 6394 Delmar, University City
📞 314-932-7931
⏰ Noon–9 p.m. Thu–Sun
