The curious case of the "similar" ramen restaurant
A new ramen chain in Canada seems awfully familiar
May 04, 2026
On Saturday we stumbled upon a new ramen chain in Mississauga while looking for coffee, "Ramen Men-Ya Inoichi". The menu looked interesting albeit kind of non-traditional. Eva remarked "hey I recognize this place" (from Japan) - so I Googled it. Sure enough there is indeed a Men-ya Inoichi in Kyoto, in fact it is a famous Michelin guide ramen shop. Eva had remembered correctly. Browsing their Japanese website I didn't see any mention of overseas branches, something you typically see celebrated by ramen chains that spread abroad. So I googled the restaurant in Canada and sure enough there was a different origin story.
The Japanese restaurant dates back to 2013, and was awarded Bib Gourmand in the 2021 Michelin Guide. 2021 was a big year for the restaurant! Meanwhile the chain in Canada says
Founded in 2021 in China, the company has opened over 100 locations across the country. In 2024, it entered the Canadian market, with five locations currently under renovation in Toronto. Calgary is set to follow as the next location. The company aims to establish over 50 locations in Canada within the next five years.
That's odd. Founded the year the Kyoto original made the news? But the logos are SO similar, down to some of the stylistic choices on the kanji, and the little swoosh:
![96d9e2981b9b4543a8ca579a54d4ef1d.jpg](../images/the-curious-case-of-the-"similar"-ramen-restaurant/96d9e2981b9b4543a8ca579a54d4ef1d.jpg)
Ok so now I was curious. So I emailed the Kyoto restaurant (in Japanese) and they responded back in English
![8730770131574dfdb6eb4a3842ffd01c.jpg](../images/the-curious-case-of-the-"similar"-ramen-restaurant/8730770131574dfdb6eb4a3842ffd01c.jpg)
Well so there you have it. The Canadian chain is completely unrelated. It also seems way too similar to be a coincidence. I'll let you choose how you describe this kind of restaurant... homage. Feels kind of unfortunate for what could probably stand on its own. I encourage folks who have the opportunity to visit Men-ya Inoichi in Kyoto and support them.