Ellenvillians won’t have to go far for ramen anymore. Ramen Spot 88 opened last month at China House’s former spot in the Tops Market Plaza, offering a Chinese-Japanese fusion menu created by owner Chloe Su.

Su has worked in the restaurant business for about 12 years, serving up buffets, Japanese cuisine and seafood boil. When the previous owner of the China House space retired, a friend reached out to Su and her family to see if they’d like to open a restaurant. She liked the idea.

So, Su came to Ellenville to open the village’s first-ever ramen restaurant. Su said she thought it would be nice to “bring something a little different to the area.”

“At first, we were mainly thinking about ramen and bubble tea,” Su said. “But while we were closed and getting the restaurant ready, people would stop by and ask us, ‘Are you going to have Chinese food too?’”

Su, who is Chinese, learned that both of Ellenville’s Chinese restaurants – China House and Ming Moon on Center Street – had closed. To make up for the loss, Su added lo mein, fried rice, dumplings and other Chinese classics to the menu.

“In a way, the people here actually helped shape our menu,” Su said.

Ramen Spot 88 opened on September 10 to “such a big response,” which caught Su and her family by surprise.

“At first, we actually had to hold off on serving ramen because we just didn’t have enough hands. It wasn’t because we were missing anything or weren’t ready to make it,” Su said. “We knew that if we added ramen at that point, everyone’s wait time could easily go up by another 25 minutes or more.”

Su wanted to stick to the restaurant’s goal, which she says is “to serve good, freshly made food without making people wait too long.”

The restaurant has since worked out the kinks, and as of September 23, the ramen menu is available. Options include miso ramen, shrimp tempura ramen and wonton ramen with all the fixings. Ramen Spot 88 also offers a variety of bubble tea, which Su envisioned from the restaurant’s beginnings. Strawberry, brown sugar, and Earl Grey milk tea are just a few choices, along with the restaurant’s specialty tiger sugar tea and strawberry matcha latte. Ramen Spot 88 also serves yogurt drinks and fruit teas.

“Everyone we’ve met has been very friendly and supportive,” Su said. “We’re still new to Ellenville, so we’re still getting to know the community and learning as we go. But the support we’ve received since opening has been amazing.”

When asked where the “88” in the name came from, Su explained that “Ramen Spot” was already registered as a business, so she tacked on the 88.

Ramen Spot 88, located at 102 Tops Market Boulevard, is open seven days a week, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.; and Sundays, noon to 8:30 p.m.