With elaborate cocktails, pork broth noodle dishes and vibrant and colorful design choices, Oakland’s new NōKA Ramen has been described as the Bay Area’s most Instagrammable new restaurant. The Jack London Square hot spot has been generating quite a buzz since it opened a few months ago, and it hasn’t stopped getting creative with the visual look. This past week, that creativity involved having the waiters dress as Power Rangers to promote the restaurant’s signature cocktail. The decision turned out to be way more fitting than management ever could have expected.
On Friday, a woman ran into NōKA Ramen saying she feared for her safety. A man ran in after her and reportedly started choking her. The staff, once again dressed as Power Rangers, apparently took the woman into the restaurant’s kitchen and confronted the man, asking him to leave. That’s when all hell broke loose. The man reportedly started calling workers in the restaurant Asian slurs and threw punches while trying to get at the woman in the kitchen. The Power Rangers stopped the attack and threw him out of the restaurant. He reportedly returned not long after with a friend and tried to make his way inside again. They were repelled and eventually left.
According to a Twitter thread that went viral not long after the incident, police eventually showed up and said the man started another fight on the pier not long after being kicked out of NōKA Ramen. Customers inside the restaurant were reportedly told they didn’t need to pay for their meals, though at least the author of the viral Twitter thread did.
NōKA Ramen also posted about what happened, calling the staff “real life heroes” and assuring customers that such brawls are “an anomaly” at the restaurant. You can check out the social media post below…
The Power Rangers franchise is currently owned by Hasbro and is working on creating a shared universe. The show is now being produced exclusively for Netflix and there was talk right before Covid of making another feature film that would involve time travel. It’s unclear when that might happen, though the franchise remains very popular in the toy community. It’s also still beloved by those of a certain age who grew up with the franchise. That’s why NōKA Ramen had its waiters dress up like the beloved characters, and it’s also no doubt why the story of these waiters kicking ass has resonated with so many fans.
As for Nōka Ramen, its menu looks amazing, and it has been getting rave reviews. It is open Tuesday-Sunday from 12PM to 9 PM in Oakland's Jack London Square. If you're in the area, you should check it out. You can get some great food, and you'll be safe in case Rita Repulsa attacks.
