Tokyo-Ya Ramen & Izakaya in Federal Way has some of the most authentic Japanese food in the area, and the people of Federal Way have noticed — this year, Tokyo-Ya was among the finalists for the Best of Federal Way, specifically in the Japanese food category.

For Tokyo-Ya manager Peter Lee, just the recognition that comes with being nominated is an honor.

“For us to even be in that title, we are so grateful and thankful,” Lee said. “Our goal has always been to satisfy the customer the best way we can.”

Since opening in 2015, Tokyo-Ya, which means “Tokyo shop” in Japanese, has provided authentic dishes like katsu curry, pickled radish toppings called takuen, kara-age (fried chicken) appetizers and tonkotsu shio ramen, which is a combination of two popular ramen broth bases that derive from pork bone and salt.

Along with Japanese appetizers, curry, ramen and even burgers, Tokyo-Ya offers Japanese drinks like Ramune, Calpico water and Japanese iced coffee and acloholic beverages like sake (pronounced “sah-kay”) and Kirin beer.

“We incorporate more towards the flavor of Japan while still maintaining American tastes,” Lee said. He says that customers have responded well to the more authentic Japanese food and that the shop’s owner, simply known as Taiga, is always looking to incoporate more popular dishes from back home.

Taiga actually has another restaurant in Tokyo, splitting his time between the two Pacific coasts and taking suggestions from customers in both countries to inspire his menus.

“We respect our customer’s ideas. We had one customer come in and suggest a Japanese dish for us to add to the menu and we ended up naming it after her,” Lee said.

Tokyo-Ya Ramen & Izakaya is located at 31507 Pacific Hwy South in Federal Way and is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. For more information, called 206-592-6552 or visit tokyoyaramen.com.