Kaedama Battleship Noodle Bar will offer ramen dishes, including some late-night noodle items that diners enjoyed at Hot Joy. Credit: Alex Roth
San Antonio ramen fans, rejoice.
Some of the long-missed late-night noodle items from Hot Joy are making a comeback at Kaedama Battleship Noodle Bar, a new dining spot opening downtown at 122 E. Houston Street, Suite 103. The new concept from Empty Stomach Group, the hospitality outfit behind Hot Joy along with Double Standard and more than a dozen other local favorites, will offer a ramen-focused menu.
“It literally means ‘more noodles,’ in Japanese,” Empty Stomach Operations Manager John Philpot told the Current of the Kaedama name.
Empty Stomach hasn’t set a grand opening date for the new destination, but Philpot said the group is aiming for this fall.
The group teased Kaedama menu highlights over Labor Day weekend at Asian-fusion spot Hot Joy. Options at the new eatery will range from a pork shoyu ramen with bacon fat and smoked pork shoulder to a classic tonkotsu ramen with 24-hour pork broth and ajitama, otherwise known as ramen egg.
David Filler will serve as both Kaedama’s head chef and general manager when the storefront opens.
The Kaedama preview was a great success, according to Philpot, who added that Empty Stomach may host a second teaser experience before the brick-and-mortar’s official launch.
Kaedama will be located in the same building as the Royal Blue Grocery and Bunz Handcrafted Burgers — within walking distance of Double Standard and Leo’s Hideout. Philpot added that Empty Stomach also has a wine bar in the works that will neighbor Kaedama on East Houston Street.
The ramen bar will offer a selection of straight sake options along with sake highballs. However, its full food and drink menu was still being finalized at press time.
“We’re going to be open late, mimic the hours of Leo’s and Double Standard for the service industry folks who get out of work late. We want it to be a cool block party,” Philpot said. “Anything we can do to make downtown cooler, we’re all for it.”
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This article appears in Sep 3-17, 2025.