Oishii Ramen is delicious

Oishii Ramen is one of the newest and most unique restaurants in town.

‘Oishii,’ meaning ‘delicious’ or ‘yummy’ in Japanese, is the perfect way to describe the restaurant’s dishes. The menu offers a wide range of authentic Japanese food, such as beef donburi, chicken teriyaki and seafood ramen.

Louis Gao and his wife are the owners of Oishii Ramen, which opened back in January. Before coming to Wausau, Gao lived in many places. He was born in China with parents who helped inspire his career.

“My parents love to cook, too. They passed on the cooking gene to me,” said Gao.

Gao is no stranger to working in a restaurant. After moving to the United States, Gao said he began to learn how to work in a restaurant in Chicago and then later in Minnesota.

“I have been a sushi chef for over 10 years,” he said.

Gao has lived in Wisconsin for about 15 years now and owns another restaurant in Marshfield called Nagoya Japanese Sushi & Steak House. With no formal training in business, his restaurants have mostly been labors of love.

“No one trained me on how to run a business,” Gao said. “I just figured it out by myself, with my wife.”

Gao said it seems like the Wausau area is lacking in culturally diverse food, specifically Asian restaurants. That is why he felt that a ramen shop would be perfect for Wausau.

“I see more and more people accepting new types of food, so I thought we should open a ramen shop in Central Wisconsin,” he said.

When it came to naming the restaurant, Gao said it was not as simple as it may seem.

“We had a couple of ideas, but it was really hard to pick one,” he said.

Ultimately, he settled on ‘Oishii,’ because his goal for the food is to be as delicious as possible.

“Hopefully people enjoy the name and have good ramen here,” he said.

The restaurant took about a year to open, and during that time Gao said he could feel the pressure building. He was worried that people would not know about his restaurant because it is not located in the busiest part of town.

“It’s not in a shopping center or by a busy street where people can see the building. Maybe after a couple of years people still won’t know that there’s a restaurant right here,” he said.

For the most part, that worry has seemed to subside, because since opening, Gao said that they have been selling out of some of their menu items.

“Up until last month, everyday we would get really busy with a whole pack of people,” he said.

Due to how busy the restaurant can get, Gao said that they have been making new broth almost everyday. The whole process of boiling pork bones into broth can take up to 10 hours, the perfect amount of time to create a creamy and flavorful broth, which is the basis for the ramen.

“There are a lot of things we do to prepare, that is why we close every Monday because if we don’t prepare enough everything would be sold out.”

If you are looking for a casual, sit-down style restaurant, Oishii Ramen is the place to go. They also serve a wide range of beverages from alcohol to a traditional Japanese soda. A few other perks include a wide array of seating, including outdoor seating, and a convenient parking lot.

As far as the future of Oishii Ramen goes, Gao says it all depends on if business stays steady and people like the food.

“There is no real plan. We’ll just see how it goes,” he said.

So far, the restaurant has seemed to pique the interest of Wausau residents. According to Gao, the most popular dishes are the beef ramen and crispy chicken ramen.

While owning a restaurant can be stressful, Gao said that people enjoying his food makes it all worth it.

“I see people come to my restaurant and enjoy the food with smiles on their faces, that is the most beautiful part,” he said.

If you are unsure of where Oishii Ramen is located, it is at 2105 N Second St in Wausau, right next door to the Athletic Park, or some may remember where Thrive Foodery used to be located. For more information and to take a look at all of the menu options visit their Facebook page or https://oishiiramenwausau.com.