Popular SLO County Asian fusion eatery adds indoor seating. Get a look at the new space
Diners yearning for a casual Asian fusion meal at the popular Chowa Bowl in Morro Bay have a delightful surprise ahead of them: indoor seating.
Now, they can sit inside as they dive into their ramen, okie poke, beef bulgogi and skewers of marinated and grilled proteins.
The ramen served by owner and chef Katherine “Katie” Bosken is so notable, Chowa Bowl was the only San Luis Obispo County restaurant to land on Yelp’s April list of the Top 100 ramen shops in California. The Central Coast eatery was ranked No. 30.
On May 1, after a frenzied three months of getting permits and remodeling, Bosken opened Chowa’s expansion into an adjacent unit.
The expansion is in a Main Street space vacated by the Jaded Brows cosmetic tattoo shop, which in turn has combined with the Omnia Rose Tattoo parlor next door, on the far side of the shared building.
Chowa now has twice as much dining space and seating, half of it under roof, and the new area at 898 Main St., Suite C, will give the business higher visibility from the busy city thoroughfare.
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Signage identifying the new location isn’t up yet, though, so Chowa’s still a bit tricky to find in that busy block directly across Harbor Street from The Siren.
Until Chowa’s expansion, the cafe was a scaled-up version of the walk-up food stand it replaced in 2022. The location had been Candy Fish Sushi, and before that, Hot Dogs on Harbor — what many locals still remember as being there.
Then, patrons ordered at the outdoor window off Harbor Street and either picked up their takeout meals or dined out, literally, on the restaurant’s 24-seat outdoor patio accented with flower boxes.
Now, with another two dozen seats at tables and a bar inside, Chowa Bowl diners have cozy indoor options, too, even at night.
Why expand Chowa Bowl?
The business had grown exponentially in the past two years.
“We got too big for our britches, so we had to grow with it,” Bosken said.
She said “people often had no place to sit,” resorting to takeout meals to eat at home or in their vehicles parked at one of Morro Bay’s scenic overlooks.
The new high-ceilinged indoor space is framed by vibrant art and quirky fixtures, some of which can be raised or lowered on a pulley system.
Vivid colors on an enormous 17-foot-wide, Asian-style silk mural dominate the dining area. An outsized macrame-style wall hanging made of heavy rope also helps set the stage.
A stylized seating bar built by Bosken’s father David Bosken separates the walk-up order counter from the table area. A dramatic cluster of paper lanterns hang from the ceiling and a custom driftwood chandelier lights up that section.
New expanded Chowa gets rave reviews from customers
Loyal Chowa Bowl customer Diane Toman of Cayucos discovered the expansion Wednesday.
“My first meal here was the ramen, which was so delicious,” she told The Tribune. “I’ve been working my way through the menu since then, and this is the first time I’ve gone back to the ramen.”
She said she was delighted by the changes, especially the indoor seating.
“This is like heaven,” she said. “I’m so excited for her and us.”
Cathy Garcia called the change “awesome” and “incredible.”
“Oh, my goodness, this is super cool,” she said. “Now we can eat here when it’s raining.”
Tellingly, most diners order the okie poke bowls, the cafe’s No. 1 seller at about 40% of Bosken’s sales, she said. The rock shoyu ramen is the next most popular dish, followed by the beef bulgogi.
What’s on Chowa Bowl’s menu?
In the okie poke bowl, cubed and seasoned ahi tuna nestles on warm, citrus-flavored rice. Both are tossed with a lightly spicy mayonnaise. Served alongside the fish are matchsticks of daikon and carrot, minced scallions and sliced avocado, plus vegetables that Bosken pickles herself, each with its own special marinade.
The bulgogi bowl highlights the skewered and grilled beef, chicken or shrimp, served on herbed brown rice with kimchi and other garnishes. Bosken’s signature sweet, tart and spicy glaze accents the proteins, which are glazed with blend of tamari sauce, fresh ginger, yuzu, gochujang hot sauce and more.
Ramen noodle bowls at Chowa Bowl come with pork belly or tofu, in a dashi-flavored broth. Each dish is topped with house-made garnishes that include scallions (other proteins can be substituted). The dish is accented with house-pickled shallots and Fresno chilis, togarashi chili seasoning and a halved ajitama egg that’s soft-cooked and tamari soy-marinated.
There’s even a gluten-free ramen option.
In fact, nearly everything at Chowa Bowl is gluten free, and Bosken uses tamari instead of regular soy sauce. Most entrees are dairy free, and some are suitable for those with vegetarian, pescatarian or vegan diets. Diners can also customize their dishes.
The restaurant also offers a veggie rice bowl and salads such as mixed greens topped with truffle burrata cheese, shaved fennel and roasted beets and butternut squash.
Meet Chowa Bowl’s chef-owner
Bosken developed the recipes for Chowa Bowl and makes 99% of everything she serves, using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible.
She channels her gastronomic inspiration from Japan, Korea and China, sometimes blending Pan Pacific flavors to come up with her own creations.
After graduating from Metropolitan State College in Denver, she spent six years living out of a backpack in Asian and South American countries. Then, in January 2018, she worked pro bono as a vegan chef on a three-month Sea Shepherd Global ocean mission.
From there, Bosken was a charter chef in the Caribbean and Alaska, and then fished commercially for salmon in Alaska. After moving back to the lower 48 in 2019, she fished for squid and crab along the West Coast.
Finally, in July 2020, she landed in Cayucos.
“I was real beat up after a very tough fishing season” in which the weather was so bad, two crew members died, Bosken said Thursday. “I realized I needed some time on land.”
She drew her restaurant’s name from the Japanese concept of chowa, defined as the quest for a life in harmony and balance. Toward that end, the café’s slogan is “balanced bowls, filled with love.”
For more information
Chowa Bowl is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., seven days a week, with online ordering available. Bosken also does catering.
For more information, call 805-776-5060, email or visit the Chowa Bowl website or pages on Facebook and Instagram.
