Ramen Shop Afuri Has Started a Delivery-Only Spinoff Specializing in Japanese-Style Hot Dogs

At Kemuri, the dogs are cooked on a charcoal grill and include fixings such as kimchi, tonkatsu sauce and shredded seaweed.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Kemuri Hot Dogs.
By Matthew Singer

It might be soup season, but in this mixed-up year when it's hard to remember what month it is, one of Portland's most prominent ramen shops is betting consumers are still yearning for the taste of summer.

Afuri, the celebrated Japanese chain that opened its first American restaurant in Southeast Portland four years ago, has started a delivery-only "ghost kitchen" focused on hot dogs.

These aren't typical ballpark franks, though. At Kemuri, the dogs are cooked over charcoal on a robata grill—the kind you'll find at many izakayas—and include fixings such as kimchi, spicy ground pork, tonkatsu sauce and kizami nori, or shredded seaweed. Combos come with housemade potato chips infused with Japanese flavors.

"[T]he goal of the concept is to expand peoples understanding and appreciation of Japanese food," reads the press release, "while remaining accessible and convenient to consumers."

Kemuri launched Nov. 27 out of Afuri's Beaverton location, and the dogs can only be obtained using third-party apps such as Postmates or by ordering through Instagram. For now, Portland proper is outside the coverage area, but the company says its delivery range will expand "to most of the Portland region" by the end of this week.

Related: A New Food Hall in Beaverton Offers a Dining Experience That's Actually Improved During the Pandemic.

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