What: Alkaline Ramen
Where: 742 W. 21st St.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday; closed on Monday and Tuesday
Details: www.alkalineramen.com/
Technically, it’s factual to say that Alkaline is a ramen shop in Ghent. But that doesn’t tell you a single thing about one of Norfolk’s top culinary institutions. Step inside and sit a spell, maybe over a bowl of triple garlic tonkotsu or a plate of miso butter cake, and it dawns on you that this little ramen joint isn’t running after the latest trends or following a template. Alkaline is a deeply personal experience, and it is shaped by the story of owner Kevin Ordonez and the flavors that have defined his life so far.
“This restaurant is built around me being a first-generation Filipino-American where I grew up eating both things,” he says, “and I kind of exist in between being Asian and American. I don’t speak Tagalog. I’m not Japanese. The way that I chose was to do it based off what I thought my life was like. I wanted to design a restaurant or build a concept around what I liked.”
Pacific Roots
When you learn about Ordonez’s life story, it all starts to make sense. For the most part, his culinary journey stretches across the Pacific. Born in San Diego, raised in a Navy family, he lived in Guam and Washington State before spending six formative years in Japan. “Those were the years where I was really starting to form opinions about the world.”
Despite his time in some of the world’s top hotspots for mouthwatering food, Ordonez is clear on one point: “None of our food is traditional. Like, not even the appetizers. Everything starts from something — maybe it’s a flavor, or an ingredient, or just a feeling I’m trying to recreate from a memory.”
Hand-Crafted Goodness
That philosophy plays out across a menu that’s part focused and part experimental. Yes, there’s a stable foundation. Just look at the core ramen dishes and longtime staples like sticky wings and tots. Yet, if you look at the printed paper menu, it rotates with seasonal dishes created by the staff. Kitchen manager Lerone, who started part-time in 2018, now leads that side of the kitchen. “He’s amazing,” Ordonez says. “All the specials you’ve seen in the last year? That’s all him. I almost don’t have a hand in it anymore.”
On the bar side, Danni brings a similar approach, often spending 72 hours building the bases of drinks. “Her cocktail program has the same mentality as our food. It’s very intentional, very prep-heavy, and then quick on the pickup because all of our stuff is designed to be pretty quick.”
Alkaline’s menu reflects the layered, in-between identity Ordonez has lived his whole life. A bowl might start with dashi, finish with coconut and carry just enough heat to linger. The Love Letter cocktail, a bright, citrusy pink number, plays against type, bringing a touch of nuance to a simple coupe glass. And that miso butter cake? “To me, it’s got that warm, memory kind of feeling. Take it home and have it with your coffee in the morning and it’s like the best way to start your day.”
Emerging from Difficult Times
Like many independent restaurants, Alkaline faced a mind-bogglingly brutal stretch during the pandemic. They pivoted to takeout, launched a campaign called Feed 1500, and partnered with José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen to serve nearly 8,000 meals to local hospitals and first responders. But the real challenge came in the years that followed.
“From 2020 to 2023, it was just trying to lose the least amount of money possible,” Ordonez says. “But last year, we finally broke even. We’re like, ‘okay, like, maybe we can make it.’”
Rising food costs, shrinking margins, and staffing challenges forced the team to adapt. Pre-COVID, the kitchen ran with five people in the morning and eight at night. Today, it’s two in the morning and a much smaller crew overall. The menu has been streamlined, the operations tightened, but the standard remains the same: fully from-scratch cooking with no shortcuts.
“All of our food is authentic, and what I mean by that is everything, like everything we make here is made here,” he says. “We’re a fully from scratch kitchen. We’re not really buying in product. That’s not really what we do. And I don’t have any judgment towards that one way or another. But that’s just how we do it here.”
Ordonez adds, “I don’t care if it makes a ton of money. If I was (concerned about money), I would’ve opened five of them by now. Cookie-cutter Alkalines. But that was never the goal. You can’t replicate this.”
Alkaline, Ordonez stresses, is too tied to the people, the process, the way the team works.
These days, Ordonez splits his time between Alkaline and expanding Virginia Beach hot dog joint Frank and Patty’s. But even as his world expands, Alkaline remains something close to home. In the end, Alkaline is an extension of his story, his culture, and the food that shaped him.
| Kevin’s recommended meal for two: Cocktails: Love Letter Starters: Brussels sprouts or green bean salad (vegetarian), Tater tot Okonomiyaki, Asian sticky wings (featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) Entrees: Triple garlic tonkatsu ramen, Spicy red curry ramenBeef noodle soup (featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) Desert: Miso butter cake |
