Robata is expanding to Maryland Heights.
The Maplewood ramen shop will open a second location in Westport Plaza, taking over the space recently helmed by Bradford’s Pub at 720 Westport Plaza. Owner Thom Chantharasy says Westport was ideal because many customers at the Maplewood flagship hail from that part of St. Louis—and he’d been looking for a location with a robust lunch crowd.
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“It’s one of those things where the opportunity came up, and it was the right opportunity,” Chantharasy says.
The space, which must undergo a complete gut renovation, has a patio and is double the size of the Maplewood location, clocking in around 2,400 square feet. Chantharasy says lunch will be counter service, to ensure a quick mealtime for those on a lunch break. Things will slow down for dinner, he adds, with the possibility of transitioning to table service.
Patrons can expect, of course, ramen and Japanese-style items to comprise the menu, as well as poke. Chantharasy hopes to open the new Robata within about five months—just in time for a piping bowl of ramen to soothe those cold temps.
“We’re excited to expand the brand,” Chantharasy says. “Hopefully, next will be South County, farther West, and downtown.”
Robata in Wesport isn’t the only forthcoming restaurant from Chantharasy. Earlier this year, SLM announced that he’d be opening a Laotian restaurant in Brentwood, in the former Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe space. Described as a “Lao-Thai kitchen,” Han Lao will serve lunch and dinner, with such menu items as Laotian noodle soup and sticky rice. Chantharasy is aiming for an opening “sometime next month.”
