Exciting New Ramen Concept Ugly Duck Now Open

Freshly prepared, gourmet ramen has arrived at Midtown Crossing. Ugly Duck (facebook), a venture pairing Omaha restauranteur Charles Yin and former Boiler Room sous chef AJ Swanda, opened its doors in September.

Forget any college days’ notions of what ramen means. Ugly Duck promises high-end varieties of the Japanese comfort food, carefully-crafted with noodles and broth made-from-scratch. Swanda, also a partner, will serve as executive chef. Ugly Duck is the next evolution of a ramen pop-up he launched about a year-and-half ago.

The popularity of ramen – widely available on the coasts – is undeniable. Locally, Yin has witnessed the dish’s draw as an organizer, along with Javid Dabestani, of Omaha Ramen Fest. Year two of the event, held in Turner Park last October, drew approximately 6,500 people.

While the menu certainly celebrates ramen, it is not limited to it. Yin and Swanda say appealing to midtown’s lunch crowd with varied, affordable options is going to be a “huge focus.” They plan to do some intriguing things with Asian sandwiches, fun entrée-sized salads, and first courses with a little bit of Japanese, Korean and Chinese influences are just a few highlights to date.

Promising a jovial, carefree atmosphere, the Ugly Duck concept has taken the place of another Yin establishment, Pana 88, which closed on July 20.