West Side Market has used temporary space for vendor activity during a period of construction and changing stall availability. Ahead of basement work, vendors moved products and operations into refrigerated storage containers in May, Cleveland.com reported. That account said interior demolition was scheduled to begin in June as part of a broader overhaul expected to be completed in summer 2027.
There is also a distinct precedent for using market stands to test food businesses: on March 1, 2025, six Cleveland Central Kitchen businesses began a three-month pilot in stands B-4 and B-5, Cleveland.com reported. That was a separate initiative, not part of the ramen counter. Cleveland Central Kitchen describes its Incubator program as providing food entrepreneurs with shared commercial-kitchen access, training and funding opportunities, according to the organization.
Now Ohio City Pasta is adding a weekend hot-food option in a market stand. The temporary counter is among the short-term uses of vacant stalls while construction continues; Cleveland.com reported that market executive director Rosemary Mudry said the market had not begun long-term leasing because vendors lack storage and other amenities during the work. The earlier storage and pilot examples offer context for temporary market operations, but do not establish why this particular ramen offering was launched.
The Ohio City Pasta counter starts Friday, Nov. 13, with an initial supply of 40 cups of chicken shio broth and house-made noodles, priced at $13 each. It is scheduled to operate Fridays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., through March 2027, at stand A11 just inside the Lorain Avenue entrance near the café, Cleveland.com reported.
Each 16-ounce serving comes with half a soy-marinated jammy egg; corn, scallions and aromatic oils are optional additions, with extra noodles or another egg available for an added charge. Owner Ruby Thomas-Sherry said the operation will start small and expand gradually if demand warrants it. The business already makes noodles in-house and sells uncooked pasta from its market stand. Vegetarian ramen is planned, but no timeline has been set, according to Cleveland.com.
