Food News
The Porter Exchange favorite has drawn an outpouring of memories from longtime customers.
Fish and vegetable tempura from Tampopo in Cambridge. Globe Staff/Wendy Maeda
For generations of Cambridge area diners, Tampopo wasn’t just a place to grab a bowl of katsudon or curry. It was where college students fueled up for late-night study sessions, families celebrated milestones, and regulars found a familiar face behind the counter.
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Now, after 34 years in Cambridge, the small eatery within Porter Exchange food court is saying goodbye.
Tampopo, located at 1815 Massachusetts Ave., will serve its final meal on Tuesday as owner Yasumasa Ito retires. Ito first announced the closing in January on the restaurant’s Instagram page.
“This journey has been made possible entirely through your warm support and continued patronage, for which we are deeply grateful,” the post read. “However, we’ve decided it’s finally time for us to move on to our next chapter (and get some rest!).”
Since then, longtime customers have flooded social media, offering a glimpse of how the tiny restaurant that became a Cambridge institution had a profound impact.
“I’ve been coming here for years. Got me [through] some tough times,” one commenter wrote.
“When I was a student at BU, I remember visiting with friends and ordering from tampopo to prepare for late nights of studying,” another shared.
“I learned about both katsudon and aikido at your restaurant, and you kept me well fed through grad school. I’m grateful you’ve been in my community for so long,” another wrote.
According to Axios Boston, Ito plans to travel and spend time with family.
The news also prompted a halfway-around-the-world reunion. After learning about the closure in Cambridge Day, former Tampopo employee Kotaro Morita flew from his home in Japan to help Ito during the restaurant’s final weeks.
“He looked thinner than I remembered, and I thought that this was hard on him, and I felt like I should go help,” Morita told the publication. “A few days later he took me up on it.”
Morita also created a website where customers can leave messages and memories for Ito.
The tributes continue to pour in.
“I have been visiting you since I moved to this area in 1997. You’ve always been there for me and never disappointed. I will miss you very much,” a commenter wrote.
“Best curry in Porter Square. Thank you, Ito-san,” another wrote.
Local content creator Evan Yee, host of The Fake Food Show, also posted his own tribute, calling Tampopo “one of my favorite restaurants in the world.”
After more than three decades of serving the Cambridge community, Tampopo’s final katsudon bowl will be served on June 30.
Emily Turner
Emily Turner is the community deputy editor for Boston.com, where she oversees reader engagement.
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