Noodle shop set to replace Shari’s Cafe and Pies in the Pocket neighborhood
A popular noodle chain in China is coming to Sacramento, replacing Shari’s Cafe and Pies in the Pocket neighborhood.
Ji Bei Chuan is slated to open at 960 Florin Road in the Lake Crest Village shopping center after the well-known Oregon-based pie shop quietly closed earlier this year.
Ji Bei Chuan launched in 2018 in Suzhou, China — a city just west of Shanghai — and has grown to more than 400 locations in the country, according to an emailed statement from Peter Chiu, chief construction officer of Dream Builder Construction, which is working on the noodle restaurant project. The noodle chain specializes in mi xian, rice noodles from China’s southern Yunnan province.
“We are passionate about sharing the authentic taste of China with your community,” the statement reads. “We believe our guests will love the authentic experience we offer. We can’t wait to introduce everyone to our delicious rice noodles.”
The closest Ji Bei Chuan location to Sacramento is in San Leandro, with a handful of other U.S. locations scattered across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. The upcoming Sacramento restaurant does not yet have an online footprint and no opening date has been announced.
Shari’s, a popular chain across the Pacific Northwest, served desserts and diner food to the Pocket and Greenhaven neighborhoods for decades before shutting its doors in early 2025. Although there was no formal closure announcement, records from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control show that the restaurant’s liquor license was automatically revoked after it failed to pay renewal fees, which were due after the license expired in February.
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