The news has been long speculated, but now it’s true: The area’s best Japanese noodle shop, Ren’s Ramen, will close on Friday, August 20.

Owners Yoko and Eiji Nakamura had been subletting their tiny space from Daruma Japanese Market, but when the market closed earlier this year, the couple negotiated a month-by-month lease with the landlord.

“If somebody wants the whole space, we [had to] get out,” says Eiji Nakamura, the chef behind Ren’s. “Now somebody wants the whole space.”

So Ren’s must leave. But the Nakamuras are looking for a new space, whether in Bethesda or in the District. They don’t have a space in mind yet, but they are resolved to resurrect Ren’s as soon as possible.