Construction on a new, casual, traditional-Japanese-inspired restaurant on Iowa City’s north side is nearly complete. Once the space is fully moved in, service is expected to begin before the month is out, offering a welcoming and diverse dining experience to Iowa City.

The new restaurant is coming to Iowa City from the two co-owners and the chef behind the nationally-acclaimed Iowa City restaurant The Webster. They are partnering with a longtime staff member who originally introduced the idea of Paper Crane two years ago.

The Webster is known for its upscale environment serving American cuisine. Still, the staff working on the new restaurant want to achieve the opposite with their new restaurant, Paper Crane Ramen Shop and Cocktail Lounge.

Paper Crane will be located at 121 N. Linn St. and is eyeing its first day of business by the end of the month.

The restaurant is modeled after traditional Japanese ramen bars, offering a more casual dining experience, Chief Partner and long-time Webster team member Edwin Lee said.

Traditional Japanese ramen bars are small, fast settings with room to sit at the bar and with other seating around the perimeter. Ramen bars are typically peaceful environments that separate the dining environment from the busy outside world, Lee said.

“It’s meant to be more approachable in terms of environment, vibe, and price point,” he said. “In Japan, it’s very fast and casual where you come in, and it’s on your lunch break. It’s a food that blue-collar people and office workers come in and, really quickly, sit down for 20 minutes and eat.”

Lee said concepts for the new restaurant began in 2022 when he approached his boss, The Webster’s co-owner and chef Sam Gelmen, about a ramen pop-up dinner, which is, by design, a one-time dining event featuring food not typically on the menu.

“We closed down the Webster for one night just to do this pop-up dinner and it went pretty well,” Lee said.

He said that pop-up dinner’s success guided further conversations about Paper Crane. After that, Lee, Sam Gelmen, and his wife Riene Gelman agreed to go in on this new venture together. The restaurant’s theme and menu include multiple Japanese-inspired items.

Lee said five different types of ramen will be the restaurant’s focus, including a vegan option that can be customized with a variety of protein choices.

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Sam Gelman, co-owner of The Webster, said the process to open Paper Crane has taken most of the two years since the original pop-up dinner took place. It took time to find a suitable space and settle the lease with the previous tenant. By early 2024, construction began to design the space into what will now be Paper Crane, he said.

Sam Gelman said the work yet to be completed is the most important and timely to opening the restaurant soon. He said a lot of work needs to be done to fully install technology, equipment, and fixtures in the space once construction is completed.

Additionally, health permits and liquor licenses require administrative work that take more time to get done.

Sam Gelman said the orientation and training process for the new staff, including mock services, is the most important item, and that timing all these items is the necessary part of determining when the restaurant will open.

Sam Gelman said he and the team working on Paper Crane are excited about opening the restaurant and building something both unique for Iowa City and distinct from their previous work at The Webster.

“We’re excited to bring a new concept, something different, to the northside,”        he said.

Riene Gelman is currently more responsible for day-to-day issues at The Webster, but her attention is split between The Webster and Paper Crane. She said she is excited to create something that is attractive to more people, especially students, if Paper Crane’s early success allows them to open up for lunch in addition to dinner.

“I think it’d be a good spot for students coming back and forth to class or home to grab a bite,” she said.

Riene Gelman believes Paper Crane will be open to more than people looking for upscale meals or students who typically look for cheaper dining options.

“I think it’s a concept that, overarching, appeals to a larger swath of the population,” she said.