Ramen and -women of Orlando, rejoice. The nerds behind the noods at Red Panda Noodle have secured a location at 1515 Lee Road where they’ll be sharing space with California’s beloved Cupid’s Hot Dogs.
At first, this will serve as commissary space only, but plans are in the works to develop their robust concept into a drive-through and sit-down space for their unique brand of hand-pulled noodle dishes as soon as early January if chef/owners Seth Parker and Eliot Hillis hit their timelines.
“We will be commencing commissary operations immediately,” Hillis told the Orlando Sentinel. “And we’re excited and grateful for the opportunity Cupid’s has given us to share their drive-through and 50-seat dining space.”
Kitchen space here is different than that of the Red Panda Noodle food truck, which will continue to serve the community at events around town. In fact, tomorrow’s Tasty Takeover in Orlando’s Milk District neighborhood will serve as a re-introduction of sorts, as the chefs will be premiering their seasonal ramen.
Ramen will be the staple of the new Lee Road space.
“It’s officially Florida winter when Red Panda starts doing ramen,” Hillis said, noting their appreciation for this dish borne of Chinese workers’ emigration to Japan.
“It came from a desire to feed people so they could work long, hard days. Over time, it has become something fancy that gets an incredible amount of fanfare. It has become Instagrammable food. And while that’s good in that people are learning new things about ramen and about noodles in general, we’re looking to do something here that is more like those early days and create a simple space where you can get an incredible bowl of noodles for a reasonable price and then go on and tackle your evening.”
Evening will be the operative word once Red Panda begins serving here. Cupid’s will continue to operate its regular hours until 5 p.m., with RPN to begin serving at 6.
In addition to ramen, the venue’s menu will eventually include cold ramen, noodle salads, skewers and fried snacks.
Hungry well-wishers can get their first on-site taste at 6 p.m. on Dec. 4, when the RPN crew will host a housewarming party.
“Everyone is welcome to celebrate with us, along with our friends at Phat Ash Bakes. We will have a ramen menu along with a few snacks and, of course, beer,” Hillis said. “We cannot thank Orlando enough for sharing in our successes as we have grown from an idea to a tent to a trailer and now, an honest-to-gosh building.”
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The Orlando native choked up in describing the enormity of their team’s coalescing vision.
“I want people to appreciate what we’re doing philosophically and emotionally. I want them to understand that it’s not the giant logo that matters or that we’re on the Internet or TV that matters. What we signed up to do was to feed people,” said an emotional Hillis. “I think we have a real chance to do that here. And it means the world to me to be able to do it.”
Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group or follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
