After years of running food trucks up and down the Willamette Valley, Ojisan’s Ramen has found its home. The family-owned business, which got its start during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, has opened its first brick-and-mortar location at 150 West Broadway in downtown Eugene. The new restaurant officially opened its doors March 1 in the former Spectrum space, which closed in August 2024.
Run by owner and head chef Seth Fechtman, alongside his wife, Danielle Fechtman, and their adult children — Scott Fechtman and Shiann Beecher — Ojisan’s Ramen continues to serve its signature comforting bowls of ramen, now with a few exciting updates.
Seth Fechtman tells Eugene Weekly that while the core menu remains the same, they’ve recently enhanced it.
“We’ve added a line of desserts, some fresh salads and expanded our tempura offerings,” Fechtman says. “We’ve always had an assortment, but now we’ve got full shrimp tempura and asparagus tempura — it’s really rounded out the menu nicely. We’ve been really happy with how it’s come together.”
Ojisan’s launched in 2020, when COVID shut down much of the restaurant industry. Fechtman, who had years of fine dining experience, started with a food truck at Thinking Tree Spirits in the Whiteaker neighborhood. The operation later moved to Oakshire Brewing and expanded to additional locations in Corvallis and Salem.
“We had three different locations going throughout Oregon — a couple of food trucks and a food stall,” Fechtman says. “And so we kind of closed those down to do this instead.”
With their full attention on the Eugene location, the family is settling into a new rhythm.
“The nice thing about the food truck was that there was really no staff,” Fechtman says. “And so, being introduced to employees — that’s kind of new for us. It’s been a little adjustment.”
Settling into a permanent space wasn’t just a dream for the Fechtman family — it was a necessary evolution. Running a food truck meant dealing with limited storage and kitchen space, often leading to early sell-outs and long prep days. They simply couldn’t keep up with the growing demand.
When a spot on West Broadway became available, the decision was immediate. After years of moving from location to location, the family saw this space as a chance to root themselves — and their business — in the heart of Eugene. “If we didn’t move into this spot, we’d probably still be in the food truck,” Fechtman says.
Beyond logistics, the brick-and-mortar location gave them an opportunity to fully express their aesthetic. With natural wood accents, large windows and flowing water features, the space is designed to reflect the elements — a nod to both comfort and intention. The vibe is laid-back and earthy, and entirely their own.
Even the name “Ojisan,” which means “uncle” in Japanese, carries thoughtful weight. In traditional Japanese kitchens, an ojisan is often an elder figure — not necessarily the one doing the cooking, but the one ensuring precision and care behind the scenes. It’s a title that reflects experience, respect and a bit of quiet authority.
One of their standout dishes is the shoyu ramen, priced at $15. It features soft, melt-in-your-mouth braised pork belly, wakame, bean sprouts, ajitama (a marinated soft-boiled egg), green onions and drizzled garlic oil in a rich shoyu-based broth.
For something simpler, the chicken katsu is a favorite at $11. For just $4.50 more, you can get it served with white rice, green onions, mac-salad and half an ajitama. It also comes with two of their house-made sauces: a tangy tomato katsu and a sweet-yet-savory teriyaki. “Seth spends a lot of time on each of those sauces,” Danielle Fechtman tells EW. The sauces are crafted in-house with care, and the work shows with the perfect blend of flavors it brings to the meal.