Our Story

About us

Many of you have probably gotten to know us by now, and most will have noticed that we’re not exactly your typical restaurant owners – and that’s a good thing!

But who are we, really? We’re the crazy ones who, for job reasons, moved from Berlin to Aachen right in the middle of the Corona pandemic and thought that, on top of two full-time jobs, the best idea would be to open a Japanese ramen restaurant in Aachen!

But why, though? The idea of having our own little ramen restaurant had excited us for years – I honestly couldn’t even tell you since when exactly. But somehow we kept putting it off for lack of time – until now!

Why Aachen?

By now you’re probably wondering, why Aachen of all places? The answer is actually quite simple. As a German-Japanese-Chinese couple, we’ve lived pretty much everywhere – Berlin, Tokyo, London, Beijing, … – but Aachen somehow won us over. The city has something really special about it! The only problem was, and still is, that there were no authentic Japanese ramen here! At first we often drove to Düsseldorf, but even there the choice of authentic, traditional Japanese cuisine is rather limited. Lots of franchise chains and lots of fast food.

So we took matters into our own hands and opened COCO CHAN – our own small but lovely (okay, somewhat bigger than planned) ramen restaurant in the heart of Aachen.

What matters to us?

We want to show you what traditional Japanese cuisine is really about. Authentic, homemade and full of umami – far from the usual clichés. Because Japanese cuisine has a lot more to offer than just sushi made with frozen fish from the wholesale market, or instant ramen that you simply pour hot water over.

We’ll show you how a handful of high-quality ingredients can come together to create distinctive, delicious dishes.

A relaxed atmosphere, transparency and quality matter a lot to us. That’s why you’ll also find plenty of information about our products and the ingredients we use right here on our website.

Feel free to check back in our info section from time to time – we’re gradually adding more and more background on our ramen, teas and more.

Lack of time

Don’t be surprised if nothing happens here for a while sometimes. Just like our soba noodles, some things simply take a bit longer – haha.

Our concept

There’s no finished concept. We’re constantly evolving – not least thanks to all your feedback, ideas and suggestions! Both in the kitchen and in the restaurant! Maybe you’ve already noticed a few changes since we opened in 2021!

Here you get fresh, homemade ramen, prepared traditionally and authentically. Instead of flavor enhancers and ready-made powders, we rely on fresh, regional products. Everything else, we import ourselves!

Everything here is handmade – from the renovation, to the web design, all the way to our homemade gyoza!