There’s a new ramen spot on Colorado Springs’ tech corridor.

Hangang Ramen opened this month at 4435 Centennial Blvd. It joins a budding ramen scene in Colorado Springs but adds its own flair to the mix and continues the meteoric rise in the popularity of Korean culture in the United States.

Rather than a traditional sit-down restaurant, as Jinya Ramen Bar and Night Ramen in downtown, Hangang is set up more like a Korean convenience store. Customers prepare their own ramen, add their own toppings and can either sit down to eat their food or take it on their way.

“We saw that you don’t really have this here in Colorado Springs and so we wanted to bring a good Asian place to the town,” said Danny Pyo, Hangang’s store manager in Aurora. “Stores like this are really common in Korea. It’s kind of a mix of fast-casual food and the Korean convenience stores (on the river).”

In South Korea, especially Seoul, getting ramen – called ramyeon in the nation – from a convenience store along the banks of the Han River is something of a tradition. Local travel guides say the so-called ramen picnic is a “delightful way to spend an evening in Seoul.”

Now, a ramen picnic can be a delightful way to eat and relax in Colorado Springs.

Hangang Raman was started in Aurora by Jenny Suk and her family in 2024.

The family is swept in an ongoing “Korean Wave,” which is seeing a nationwide (and worldwide) explosion in the popularity of South Korean culture. In 2023, Metropolitan State University’s Red, the university’s online news source, added that it is “all but impossible” for Americans to avoid it.

South Korea was ruled by the military until late in the last century, the article said. After that ended, a liberalized and “seemingly irresistible popular culture” permeated the world starting with nearby Asian nations. But soon it spread to the United States and other Western nations through award-winning films, popular TV shows and food.

“Korean cuisine is fast becoming an American staple, with kimchi and bulgogi among the favorite foods,” the article said.

Hangang Ramen in Colorado Springs is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. It is less than 10 minutes from Rock Ledge Ranch and Garden of the Gods.