Abura soba with spicy minced meat, egg yolk, butter and other toppings from Kajiken, which is opening its first U.S. restaurant in San Mateo.

The Bay Area is getting what appears to be its first Japanese restaurant dedicated to abura soba, the brothless ramen dish.

Kajiken, a popular chain in Japan, is opening its first U.S. location at 112 B St., at 1st Avenue, in downtown San Mateo later this year. It will serve the restaurant’s signature dish: fresh ramen noodles coated in housemade soy sauce, chili oil and vinegar with toppings like chashu, egg yolk and bamboo shoots. While ramen is usually all about the broth, abura soba’s appeal lies in part in its customization potential — every bowl can be unique and, without liquid, there’s no risk of soggy toppings.

Every Kajiken is slightly different, so expect special combinations that aren’t available at locations in Japan, Singapore or China. There will also be a vegan option, which has become increasingly common on Bay Area ramen shop menus.

Customers will order from kiosks, where they can choose pre-set noodle bowls or make their own creations from more than 15 toppings. While they wait, they’ll be able to watch staff make the noodles fresh inside a glass-walled room. The minimalist, 40-seat dining room will be equipped with track lighting in hopes of producing well-lit TikTok food videos. There will also be outdoor seating on B Street, which the City of San Mateo has permanently closed to traffic.

Timothy Lu, who’s behind the San Mateo restaurant, fell in love with abura soba while studying abroad in Japan in 2011. After dance practice, he and his classmates would flock to Kajiken at least once a week to slurp bowls of noodles (among his favorite combinations: mentaiko with mayonnaise for extra creaminess). When he returned to his native Bay Area, he was disappointed by his stateside options for the niche ramen genre. Some Bay Area ramen shops serve abura soba or its brothless cousins mazemen and maze soba, including hit Japanese chain Mensho Tokyo and Noodle in a Haystack, but it’s rare to find a restaurant that specializes in it.

On a whim, Lu messaged Kajiken on Facebook asking if they’d be interested in opening a restaurant in the United States. They were.

Some brothless ramen chains have in recent years opened in Southern California, including mazesoba specialist Menya Hanabi, but the trend has largely not hit Northern California yet. Lu and Kajiken hope to change that, with plans to expand throughout the Bay Area and, eventually, the country. (And it makes sense to start in San Mateo, home to many of the Bay Area’s best Japanese restaurants.) Lu brings a decade of front-of-house experience at top local Japanese restaurants including tsukemen chain Taishoken, Tokyo-born chain Ramen Nagi and Curry Hyuga in Burlingame.

The first Kajiken opened in Nagoya, Japan in 2010, and has since grown to nearly 100 locations throughout Japan, Singapore and China.

Kajiken. Opening late summer/early fall 2022. 112 B St., San Mateo. kajikenusa.com

Elena Kadvany is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: elena.kadvany@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ekadvany

Elena Kadvany joined The San Francisco Chronicle as a food reporter in 2021. Previously, she was a staff writer at the Palo Alto Weekly and its sister publications, where she covered restaurants and education and also founded the Peninsula Foodist restaurant column and newsletter.