{"id":4770,"date":"2026-07-16T18:35:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T18:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4770"},"modified":"2026-07-16T18:35:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T18:35:05","slug":"after-sitting-vacant-for-six-years-a-glitzy-raleigh-restaurant-space-reopens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4770","title":{"rendered":"After sitting vacant for six years, a glitzy Raleigh restaurant space reopens"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"summary\">AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/news\/nation-world\/national\/article280707640.html\">Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>One of the most prominent dining rooms in Raleigh has been revived, with piping hot noodle bowls and park views.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4768\">What ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, NC State said about Brazil game cancellation<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kokororamennc.com\/\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">Kokoro Ramen &amp; Izakaya<\/a> opened this week at 200 E. Martin St. in Downtown Raleigh, taking over the former Royale space off of Moore Square. The menu combines varieties of soulful ramen bowls, grilled izakaya skewers and Thai street food.<\/p>\n<p>Kokoro is the first Raleigh restaurant from Neti Promkhotwong, who owns Neko Thai &amp; Sushi Bar in Pinehurst. Promkhotwong previously owned and sold a ramen shop in Southern Pines and says the rich bowls of noodles and broth are a deep love of his.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe name Kokoro means \u2018From the heart,\u2019 and we will focus on ramen, like authentic ramen,\u201d Promkhotwong said in a phone interview.<\/p>\n<p>To prepare for opening Kokoro, the owners and staff went to a prominent ramen school in Kanas City, led by KC Craft Ramen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt many restaurants, I can\u2019t finish the ramen because it\u2019s too oily, but their ramen I can finish the whole bowl, it was really good,\u201d Promkhotwong said. \u201cI love ramen personally and I wanted to open my own ramen restaurant because, in the Raleigh area, they have good ramen, but not ramen the way I like it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At Kokoro, the broth bases are simmered for at least 10 hours. Promkhotwong expects the pork-based tonkotsu will be the most popular style, as it is most places in the United States, served with a thin, straight ramen noodle. Other styles at Kokoro include a spicy tonkotsu and one made with fermented garlic. There\u2019s also a spicy chicken ramen and spicy shrimp tempura and soy-sauce based shoyu, plus a vegan bowl, made with fried tofu, mushrooms, sprouts, corn and other vegetables.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4766\">Full Carolina Hurricanes NHL schedule released. Key games, dates and rematches<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For more than six years, the high profile space has sat empty, since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/living\/food-drink\/article242743881.html\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">Royale closed in the early days<\/a> of the pandemic in 2020. Promkhotwong said he liked how the space can be seen from practically any angle and looks out on bustling Blount Street and Moore Square. The inside of Kokoro has been entirely transformed from its days as an upscale french restaurant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBasically we kept the structure but other than that it\u2019s brand new,\u201d Promkhotwong said.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond ramen, Kokoro has a menu of small plates, serving crispy chicken karaage, chashu pork in steamed buns, takoyaki octopus balls and shrimp tempura. There are also rice bowls and a \u201csecret\u201d menu of Thai dishes from Promkhotwong\u2019s home country.<\/p>\n<p>Ramen and izakaya have become one of the hottest trends in Triangle restaurants, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/living\/food-drink\/article316434095.html\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">several recent shops opening in Raleigh<\/a> in the past few years. In opening Kokoro, Promkhotwong said he\u2019s seen the North Carolina understanding of ramen evolve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey know what ramen is and our whole idea and focus will be on authentic ramen,\u201d he said. \u201cI just follow my heart and I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4764\">Remembering Steve Stroud, big-picture thinker who made things happen in Raleigh<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kokoro Ramen &amp; Izakaya opened at 200 E. Martin St. in Downtown Raleigh, serving slow-simmered tonkotsu, izakaya skewers, Thai street food and vegan ramen bowls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>After sitting vacant for six years, a glitzy Raleigh restaurant space reopens - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4770\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After sitting vacant for six years, a glitzy Raleigh restaurant space reopens - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kokoro Ramen &amp; Izakaya opened at 200 E. 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