San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour

Avid HHH listeners will remember a few episodes back, when we announced that Ramen World, celebrity chef Lauren Lawless’ first restaurant, would open somewhere in San Diego. That opening is imminent, and so we decided to have the cooking show star and Pacific Beach native in to tell us what’s up. Ramen World’s opening is notable for a few reasons, but mostly that it’s the country’s first serve-your-own ramen joint. The model is otherwise popular in Japan and Korea, Lawless told us during the episode. This San Diego location will be the planned chain’s first location, and then she hopes to expand throughout California and to Arizona and eventually the east coast, she also explained. We wondered aloud what the experience would be like: Will there be chefs cheffing the steaming bowls right in front of our faces? Will it be gluten-friendly? How will it be priced, by weight or by ingredient, like with serve-your-own fro-yo? She shared some special details: yes, it will be gluten-friendly; there will also be packag